The House of the Dragon series premiere had sex, violence, and dragons. It’s good to have Game of Thrones back. But while the episode was entertaining, one scene was hard to watch. In “The Heirs of the Dragon,” we learn that King Viserys and Queen Aemma have been trying to have a male heir for years, but after multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, they remain without a son. The king is certain this time it will happen, however, so much so that he orders the maester to perform a C-section on his wife, who dies in the process. So, too does, the child, Baelon, the so-called “Heir for a Day.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair, House of the Dragon co-creator George R.R. Martin compared the scene to an iconic Game of Thrones moment. “That scene is… you don’t want to use the word ‘enjoyable’ for a scene like that, but it’s incredibly powerful,” he said. “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.”
I don’t necessarily agree with Martin that Queen Aemma’s death in “The Heirs of the Dragon” has the same “impact” as the betrayal committed in “The Rains of Castamere,” arguably the best episode of Game of Thrones. But the two moments do share one thing: moms who deserved better.
For more on the House of the Dragon, check out our Contenders vs. Pretenders recap.
(Via Vanity Fair)