Women Wanted Makers Of ‘House Of The Dragon’ To Make The Brutal Birthing Scene From Ep 1 More Gory And We Understand Why
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers of the first episode of House Of The Dragon
One of the most-talked shows currently is hands down House Of The Dragon. The series is a prequel to the gory series, Game of Thrones. And ever since the first episode of the show dropped, people on the internet are constantly talking about how ‘epic’ and ‘satisfying’ the first episode was. However, amidst all of the praises and love that has been showered upon the show, there were many who did not like the fact that they shied away from showing a gory scene – especially the one where Queen Aemma was brutally and forcefully cut open to save her unborn son. In fact, many women who were associated with the makers urged for a more grotesque scene to make it feel more real and relatable to those who have given birth.
When talking about House Of The Dragon, the creators of the show had promised Game of Thrones fans that the prequel series will not “shy away” from any kind of violence being inflicted on women in the show. However, the scene wherein Queen Aemma is cut open to save her unborn child is not as grotesque as many wanted it to be.
Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor Emilia Clarke Says She’s Missing Some Parts Of Brain After Surviving Two Brain Aneurysms
The scene in question is the one where Queen Aemma was brutally and forcefully cut open to save her unborn son after King Viserys urges the maesters to do so as he is exteremly desperate for a male heir. Needless to say, Aemma dies while begging for her life and asking them not to do the procedure that will kill her.
After many women who “unanimously” urged Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal to make it more grotesque, the co-showrunners of House Of The Dragon said that they did not want the childbirth scene to be “excessive” while making it clear that the prequel series wasn’t going to “glorify” the death.
In an interview, they said with regards to the childbirth scene in House Of The Dragon, “We did make a point of showing it to as many women as possible and asked the very question: ‘Was this too violent for you?’… And unanimously, the response was ‘no’. Often the response was ‘If anything, it needs to be more’.”
Also Read: Twitter Says ‘House Of The Dragon’ Childbirth Scene Is A Reminder Of Post Roe V Wade World Where Women Don’t Have Bodily Autonomy
Miguel Sapochnik further said, “We shouldn’t be shying away from this thing that’s happened because it’s raising a point that seems to hit a real trigger for women, which is the idea of choice… She doesn’t get to choose. 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.” Further, he compares the birthing bed in House Of The Dragon with a real battlefield wherein he says that there is a half-half chance of survival. He says, “One’s fighting on the battlefield, the other’s fighting for survival – sometimes from the person closest to her.”
To be honest, I kind of get it where the women are coming from. If the makers of the show really want to show a battlefield then they most definitely should show the real amount of bloodshed that takes place. Showing a childbirth scene where the mother is brutally slashed to save her unborn son, should have more blood because that is the case in reality. And also, because it represents what might happen to women in real life in the world when the abortion laws are not taken seriously – like in the case of Roe vs Wade.
