¡®Still Pissed #justiceforAemma¡¯, Fans Outrage Over House Of The Dragon's Gory Childbirth Scene

The much-awaited prequel of the beloved American fantasy series Game of Thrones has finally made a smashing debut. 39 months after GoT concluded, House Of Dragon has been presented to the loyal fan-following and to say that it hasn¡¯t been a let down would be an understatement.

On the contrary, many people have gone out of their way to express how the pilot of the prequel has turned out to be way better than Game Of Thrones¡¯ pilot.

Now, House Of The Dragon as we all know, revolved around House Targaryen and the incidents that took place 172 years before GoT. As the makers promised, it has more gore, more sex and much more graphic details that one could have anticipated. The very first episode has managed to set the bar high and fans are eagerly awaiting for the story to unfold.

HBO

One particular scene that has garnered mixed responses from the fans is that of a birthing scene involving Queen Aemma Arryn and King Viserys. When the queen goes into labour, the Maester informs the king that there are complications and they will have to tear open her womb to get the baby out (modern day c-sec). However, doing so might kill the mother.

(Also Read: 'Balerion' To 'Tessarion', 9 Out Of Promised 17 Dragons That'll Feature In House Of The Dragon)

Here, I would also like to mention a callback to the scene where a pregnant Aemma said to her daughter Rhaenyra, ¡°We have royal wombs. You and I. The Childbed is our battlefield, We must learn to face it with a stiff lip.¡±

HBO

If you are a true GoT fan, I'm sure you must have sensed that this couldn¡¯t have ended on a good note!

What follows next is gory and a disturbing birthing scene.

The Creator Comes To The Defense Of The Brutal Birthing Scene

HBO

Speaking to Vanity Fair, creator Ryan J Condal said that it was ¡®not meant to be gratuitous¡¯.

¡°It¡¯s not meant to be gratuitous. It¡¯s meant to show there¡¯s a heavy theme in this particular period. In Fire and Blood, there¡¯s a lot of very difficult births. It was something we wanted to carry over the season. There¡¯s this whole idea in Game of Thrones, or in the Middle Ages, or in historical age like this, that the men marched off to the battlefield and the women¡¯s battlefield happened in the child bed. That was a very dangerous place to be. All of the complications that people go through in modern birth that are now fixed by science and medicine and surgery were not really possible back then. Any slight complication, anything could lead to very tragic consequences for the child and the mother. We wanted to dramatise that¡±.

George RR Martin Calls It The 'Red Wedding' Of House Of The Dragon

HBO

Writer and co-creator Martin also responded to reactions on the graphic 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.¡±

This has kick-started lots of discussion on the internet and the opinions are varied. Check it out:

She was awake, & she felt every cut they did on her. They mutilated her body while she was still alive all while not informing her of the whole scenario. She had no autonomy whatsoever & in that moment she was just scared, wanting to live. We will remember you, Queen Aemma Arryn.

¡ª ??????? ? ????????? (@Rhaenyra_Blacks) August 22, 2022

In the first episode of HOTD, Aemma Arryn is restrained by her husband as the male baby is literally cut out of her. She bleeds out. The baby dies within the day. Yes, it's fictional. It's also been happening IRL for all of mankind.

¡ª mad queen dany is kivio darilaros azor ahai?? (@free_radicaI) August 24, 2022

tw // house of the dragon spoiler

Imagine having a complicated labor. You have no idea what¡¯s going on to you and your body, and your husband decided to cut you open without your consent just to have the male heir he ¡°needs.¡± Aemma Arryn, you deserved so much better. ? #HOTD pic.twitter.com/lWd4eKV0Tz

¡ª coco #ae1 (@giselleskr) August 22, 2022

I thought the even more poignant line was Aemma telling Rhaenyra ¡°we have royal wombs¡±. Viserys dreamed of his son born with a crown - and the crown literally took ownership of the womb to get its heir. That was the point of the depiction. https://t.co/Djf9BpnX3c

¡ª ? The Dragon LmL ? (@thedragonLML) August 23, 2022

The patriarchy from which Viserys participates and benefits has already chosen¡ªneither the maesters nor the laws and norms that name male children heirs care if Aemma lives or dies. Aemma is so irrelevant no one thinks to tell her she¡¯s been sentenced to die screaming. pic.twitter.com/ok1yuUzIRs

¡ª Cregan Stark Treason Law* (@MaesterMerry) August 23, 2022

This is probably the best commentary I've seen on Aemma's scene. ???? https://t.co/OuI2splCED

¡ª Shawnna Bass (@Bassanimation) August 23, 2022

I gotta tell you, as a woman who gave birth at nearly 40 years old that required a c-section, the scene of Aemma Targaryen giving birth hit hard. Even with modern medicine, childbirth is still quite dangerous. Can¡¯t say I blame #Rhaenyra. #hotd #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/fdcA69D2Ge

¡ª ? Joanna Snark ? (@rebellegrrl) August 23, 2022

House Of The Dragon can be streamed on Disney+Hotstar. New episode will drop every Monday at 6:30 AM.

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