House Of The Dragon Scene Leaves Viewers Disgusted And Vomiting
Kind of on brand for a Martin adaptation.
When it comes to HBO, the network is no stranger to pushing the envelope with over-the-top content such and sex and violence. For instance, Game of Thrones frequently depicted graphic executions and showcased full on nudity on multiple occasions. After eight seasons, fans should have developed exceptionally strong stomachs, but that doesn’t seem to be the case as House of the Dragon, the new prequel series to Games of Thrones, is pushing the boundaries further than anybody thought possible. With that said, some viewers were left wanting to “vomit” during the show’s premiere episode.
The first episode of House of the Dragon debuted Sunday, August 21, and–as reported by the New York Post–one scene in particular set social media ablaze. A character by the name of Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) is in the process of giving birth when she encounters a threatening issue. Her husband, King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) makes the decision to deliver the baby via Caesarean section–aka C section–something that would kill the Queen. Although she cries out in pain, pleading with her husband not to go through with it, a doctor forcefully holds her down and proceeds with the operation. The scene was so graphic that some viewers were left absolutely disgusted.
Shortly after the show’s premiere, House of the Dragon began to trend on social media. Twitter user @Gpierce10 said, “That C section scene was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt watching TV.” They followed up by saying, “I wanted to cry and vomit at the same time.”
Games of Thrones was regularly blasted by both fans and critics due to the brutal violence against women it displayed. The graphic nature of the show certainly had people talking year after year, and it appears HBO is hoping House of the Dragon will be a conversation starter as well. So far, it looks like it’s mission accomplished for the network.
Another user, @daeneryskywalkr, took to Twitter to criticize the House of the Dragon scene saying, “The issue isn’t with that the c section was performed on Aemma. The thing that makes it awful was the Viserys made the choice without consulting or even TELLING her, having all those people hold her down as she’s asking what is going on. It’s the lack of consent or knowledge.”
Though the show’s debut episode may have ignited a whirlwind of controversy, House of the Dragon is HBO’s biggest premiere ever. The episode, titled The Heirs of the Dragon, pulled in nearly 10 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max.
House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood. The show is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and centers on the House Targaryen. The series stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans. Martin co-created the new show with Ryan Condal. The latter also serves as co-showrunner with director Miguel Sapochnik. Martin, Condal and Sapochnik all executive produce alongside Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt.
You can tune into House of the Dragon weekly, with new episodes airing Sundays at 9pm Eastern time. With “The Heirs of the Dragon” being the show’s first episode, it’s safe to assume there will be plenty more controversial moments to come.
