(Writer Note: Spoilers!!!)
It was easy to see the end from miles away. I avoided all “spoilers” on Monday since I wasn’t able to watch the premiere episode of the “Game of Thrones” prequel spinoff “House of the Dragon” until Monday evening. Don’t ask how considering what I do for a living, but I managed.
Anywho, after watching the episode, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” while there were sprinklings of post-modern feminism throughout the episode, it wasn’t overwhelming to the point that justified a proper eye-roll. But there was one scene that I just knew was going to be talked about — the primitive C-section scene.
The writers couldn’t have made it any clearer that the whole thing was an allegory for the typical leftist abortion trope of, “in the event of the mother being in mortal danger.”
These days, there’s no reason for an abortion, because you can still have the baby and save the mother. In the 110 A.D. time frame, however, there was a choice between losing the mother and the baby, or saving the baby.
‘King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) was given the choice between losing both his wife, Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke), and saving the prospective heir to his throne should the child be a boy. ‘Viserys’ chose to try and save the child, which meant putting his ‘Aemma’ through an absolutely pre-medieval C-section.
Grand Maester MellosSometimes, it is necessary that the father makes an unwise choice during a difficult delivery.
King ViserysIt’s okay to speak.
MellosThe act of sacrificing one child or losing them all. The child can be saved if we are able to. The Citadel teaches a technique that involves cutting into the womb in order to release the baby. But the resulting blood loss…
ViserysSeven Hells Mellos. What can you do to save the child’s life?
Mellos: It’s either time to act or wait for the Gods.
There was no way to save either or, not in those primitive times, even taking into account it’s fiction. The baby died also after birth. This was the beginning of all the trouble.
I figured viewers might be critical, not upset, that a clear abortion trope was inserted into the show, even though the show is fantasy — and therefore, NOT REAL.
Of course, the helmet-wearing intelligentsia on social media were upset and offended that Aemma didn’t have a choice…even though in that time period, as mentioned earlier, the only choice was to possibly save the child or lose both.
the birth scene in house of the dragon was agonizing to watch, especially thinking about modern laws being made to control womens bodies, removing the “problem” of our consent from the process of giving men children.
— ꨄannieꨄ (@tisannie_) August 22, 2022
I keep thinking about the gruesome childbirth scene in “House of the Dragon” last night. I couldn’t watch it. I’m tired of seeing women in pain—there is too much of it in this post-Roe reality for me to stomach it in fiction.
Please, more dragons and less forced childbirth
— Dr. Mikki Brock (@MikkiBrock) August 22, 2022
The house of dragon was beautiful, but the birth scene in the man’s room was way too dramatic considering that it could easily become reality given the current state of the world.
— lewis🏳️🌈 (@kurapoopy) August 23, 2022
“House of the Dragon” can be seen every Sunday evening on HBO and HBO Max.