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The premiere episode of new Game Of Thrones spin-off series House Of The Dragon aired on Monday. Naturally it not only broke the HBO servers as millions rushed to return to Westeros, but sparked mass online discussion and, yes, outrage.
Most of this outrage centred on one particular scene – Queen Aemma Targaryen giving birth via forced caesarean.
To recap, King Viserys Targaryen was longing for a son to act as his heir. He had one daughter, and therefore should anything happen to him it would be his brother, Daemon Targaryen, who would inherit the throne. While Viserys has loyalty to his brother, Daemon is volatile – plus, Viserys wants to continue his bloodline.
When Aemma goes into labour it’s clear something is wrong – the baby is in breach position, and given this is a time well before medical advancements, there is no way to safely manage the situation that results in both Aemma and the baby surviving. Viserys is presented with a choice – Aemma or the baby.
While Aemma is conscious, she really doesn’t get a say in what happens to her body. Viserys chooses the child, and a very gruesome caesarean procedure is done (no anaesthesia) to get the child out. Due to the extreme blood loss, Aemma dies.
It is a brutal scene, and a prolonged one. You could argue (and people are) that we didn’t need to go through the extended trauma of Aemma pinned down, writhing on her birthing bed as she’s cut open in such a horrific manner. Many fans are comparing the scene to the equally controversial Game Of Thrones moment where Sansa Stark is raped by Ramsay Bolton – another gratuitous scene of prolonged violence against women? Really?
There is a difference here, however. We didn’t need to linger on Sansa Stark’s rape. We knew Ramsay was a sadistic monster and the scene being extended like that didn’t contribute any new information. In contrast Viserys was, prior to this moment, a seemingly good man. He’s a loving husband, a patient leader who didn’t seem seduced by power. Clearly, we were wrong on both counts because his choice in this moment says otherwise. The fact that he remains so resolute in his decision as his wife is screaming and being tortured cements it. Like most men in the Game Of Thrones universe, Viserys is driven by power and ego. His “love” for his wife clearly doesn’t run very deep if he can sacrifice her in this way.
Could we have seen just the choice being made, but not the graphic violence of the act? I guess we could have, but I feel like that would dilute the gravity of it and what it said about Viserys’ true nature. We literally see him allow a lengthy brutality be inflicted on his wife, all in the name of power. In that scene, we lose all our sympathy for this man. We need to see the consequences of his decision in full, because in the House Of The Dragon world (much like our own) men are freely allowed to police women’s bodies. The ramifications of this are horrific and we should never shy away from that.
Still, it’s not a scene that should just be thrown upon its audience. I’ve also seen a lot of commentary around it needing a warning for those who have experienced birth trauma – that I do support. Recently, I watched Severance (a fantastic psychological thriller on Apple+) and several episodes had content warnings for suicide. House Of The Dragon could have benefitted from this move. It does no harm to the show, but does plenty to assist those who might be triggered, and need to skip past it for their own mental health. In 2022, it seems ignorant not to acknowledge that scenes like this one do need a trigger warning.
But it makes sense to include this moment in full, and our subsequent disgust toward Viserys also sets up the premise of this series well. Unlike Game Of Thrones, it’s hard to know who to root for in House Of The Dragon. Viserys seemed like the “good” King, but what good man would let his wife be brutalised like that without her consent? Daemon seems unfit to lead but shows tenderness toward his niece Rhaenyra and a passion for justice (although his lust for blood is giving echoes of Faith Of The Seven).
We’re left not knowing who to support as it becomes clear that this series will also involve a battle for the throne, but one without any clear heroes. That is an interesting position to place viewers in, and ensures House Of The Dragon isn’t just a copy/paste of its predecessor.
House Of The Dragon is streaming on Binge.
