The much-awaited prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is finally here, and it is just as amazing as the original show. It is full of rich imagery, amazing characters, and a little too much brutality for some.
The first episode started with quite the bang, and if you haven't seen it yet, this is your warning to maybe come back to this article a little later. From this moment on, there will be tons of spoilers.
The first episode takes fans through Queen Aemma Targaryen's (Sian Brooke) death during childbirth. The queen has been trying to give her husband King Viserys (Paddy Considine) a male heir to take the throne, but she has been unsuccessful.
But it is not enough for the king, who wants a son, and so chooses to save the life of his baby (Baelon) and instead leave his wife to die as those around her cut her open to take out her baby.
But the cast and creators disagree.
Co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik spoke to PopSugar about the scene, and while he did say that it caused much debate, they wanted to keep it in. "It seemed important to highlight something that was the kind of the most traumatic event . . . it's what breaks that family apart."
"And more importantly than anything, Viserys doesn't give his wife, Aemma, a choice, and that's something that seems really important,"
"And unanimously, the response was no. Often the response was, 'No, if anything, it needs to be more.'"
"She's effectively murdered by her husband. And that is a good indication of the state of play in this world that we're inhabiting."
She mentioned that for her, the birth will shape her in a traumatic way, and will even mold the kind of woman she wants to be. She will not end up the way her mother did.
"She perceives what happens to her mother to be a form of abuse. . . . Her mother loses control. She loses bodily autonomy," they said.
Either way, one thing is for sure: as usual, House of the Dragon has gotten people talking. And isn't that the point?
