After watching the first episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff series on Sunday, viewers were in a fiery mood and described one House of the Dragon sequence as “horrific.”
(Read this article at your own peril because it includes SPOILERS.)
At the moment in question, Sian Brooke’s character, Queen Aemma, was portrayed as being brutally betrayed by Paddy Considine’s character, King Viserys I Targaryen, as she was giving birth to their child. When it is discovered the baby would be born breach, he orders the Caesarean section delivery without telling his wife since he desperately wants a male heir.
The Queen begs the physicians not to operate on her, but they nonetheless hold her down and do so. Regrettably, both Queen Aemma and the infant pass away.
Following the graphic sequence, viewers on social media went through the entire gamut of feelings, from utter terror to ecstatic anticipation for what is to come in the series.
One person, who was obviously traumatized by the event, said: “The ‘birth’ scene was easily the most evil and horrific thing I’ve ever seen. The worst part was that she had no choice. I had to pause and cry #HouseoftheDragon.”
The "birth" scene was easily the most evil and horrific thing I've ever seen. The worst part was that she had no choice. I had to pause and cry #HouseoftheDragon
— Tizacoincidence (@tizacoincidence) August 22, 2022
After seeing the scene, another viewer predicted they would experience nightmares, writing: “The first episode of House of the Dragons giving me nightmares? Yeah this should be a banger for 4-5 seasons [sic].”
the first episode of house of the dragons giving me nightmares? yeah this should be a banger for 4-5 seasons
— Football SZN Tylar (@tylart18) August 23, 2022
The less that is said about the horrific birth scene, the better. Nightmare inducing.
— Hazzie (@HistoryofHaz) August 22, 2022
“The less that is said about the horrific birth scene, the better. Nightmare inducing,” another Twitter user added.
Another viewer wrote: “Still thinking about the birth scene in House of the Dragon. That’s got to be one of the most horrific things shown on TV.”
Many other viewers agreed that a trigger warning should have been included with the show.
“House of the Dragon should have come with a trigger warning. I had a c-section ten months ago. I did cry, I am shaking. Too much,” one viewer shared.
House of the Dragon should have come with a trigger warning . I had a c-section ten months ago. I did cry, I am shaking . Too much.
— Charday Reneè Ward (@charday_renee) August 22, 2022
Seriously @HBO where was the trigger warning for #HouseoftheDragon ?!? I had a particularly difficult birth with my son which ended in an emergency c section. I couldn't watch the rest of todays episode, I had to leave the room. Some warning would have been nice.
— Lacey Warren (@Lacey_Young1) August 22, 2022
Another viewer shared: “Seriously @HBO where was the trigger warning for #HouseoftheDragon?!?
“I had a particularly difficult birth with my son which ended in an emergency c-section. I couldn’t watch the rest of todays episode, I had to leave the room. Some warning would have been nice.”
https://twitter.com/elise00000000/status/1561572496683372544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561572496683372544%7Ctwgr%5Eb5f5d9c28d092f9c33fc01a56394d70b3cb61ad9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvt.co%2Fentertainment%2Fviewers-are-calling-one-house-of-the-dragon-scene-horrific-and-nightmare-inducing
“First ep of House of the Dragon is predictably but still disappointingly violent. That birth scene should’ve come with a trigger warning considering the state of ‘Murica,” added another.
Mmk there should really be a trigger warning on this first House of the Dragon ep for those of us who’ve had traumatic births 😒
— Marah Yankey (@MarahHarbison) August 23, 2022
Since the HBO powerhouse is known for the now-famous Red Wedding, the terrible bloodbath that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, ardent fans were quick to point out that this type of violence is nothing new for the Game of Thrones universe.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the creator of Westeros, George R. R. Martin, discussed the contentious birth scene and said: “That scene is…you don’t want to use the word ‘enjoyable’ for a scene like that, but it’s incredibly powerful […] It’s visceral and it’ll rip your heart out and throw it on the floor.
“It has the kind of impact that the Red Wedding had. It’s a beautifully done scene of something horrible.”
Although viewers’ reactions to that scenario were varied, it is safe to conclude that this is just the beginning of the bloodshed; more is on the way.
