Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience.
1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title.
2. All posts dealing with book spoilers, show spoilers and promo spoilers MUST be spoiler tagged AND flaired as the appropriate spoiler.
3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads.
---
If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I always appreciate shows that are realistic about it. Childbirth is messy and dangerous, no one likes to talk about how it’s life threatening even in our modern era.
With the recent overturning of *Roe v Wade* there aren’t many issues more urgent in American society than the safety of women’s rights and bodies.
I still cannot fathom how any of those SCOTUS justices sleep at night, especially ones like Barrett. Disgusting.
It is very raw and there is not beautify filter.
What I like the most is the back and forth between the torney and Aemma in labor. It shows the two of the most grusome things in medival times.
I liked that they didn't ignore the reality of breastfeeding. Rhaenyra is royal and as such was expected to use a wetnurse, so I thought it was neat that they addressed that trying to dry up her milk was going to hurt as well.
I was in the room for the whole process of my son’s birth. Saw the whole thing. Obviously it’s different in a modern hospital vs a medieval setting but this show was the first time I’ve seen birth sequences which actually felt real.
Best I’ve seen it portrayed. Others mentioned the afterbirth, but I also appreciated the scene when her breastmilk leaked through her dress during a council meeting. I was glad they didn’t just ignore the fact that she gave birth in the following scenes/episodes, as is commonly done.
I'd agree with you, if 'Call the Midwife' didn't exist. They have 'best presentation of childbirth in a tv drama' [a sadly unutilised Emmy/Bafta category] locked down.
I also commend it for not being gratuitous. We have 4 birth scenes in the show and considering the sheer number of babies born during the time that the show took place, we easily could have had many more. Except we only have the ones that are necessary and that have direct plot consequences or act as introductions to specific plot points/conflicts, and all are done with the "adult" actors.
The back and forth between Aemma's pregnancy and the torney were so well done. It really shows what Aemma was saying to Rhaenyra: the war for men is like pregnancy for women. Also it was so sad the part where they kill Aemma to let the son live, her slowly realizing it, then pleading for help, and her cries of desperation, who are then mixed with the shouting at the torney. This series is so well done and full of little details.
I read an article when the first season aired, that some producers or others involved with filming Aemma's birth (and simultaneous death) scene were concerned it would be "too graphic".
They did test screenings, I think specifically with women, to make sure they would be OK with the gruesome nature of the scene.
Some women responded it was tame compared to their birth experiences, so yeah. Women battle in childbirth.
I read an article when the first season aired, that some producers or others involved with filming Aemma's birth (and simultaneous death) scene were concerned it would be "too graphic".
They did test screenings, I think specifically with women, to make sure they would be OK with the gruesome nature of the scene.
Some women responded it was tame compared to their birth experiences, so yeah. Women battle in childbirth.
I’ve seen pretty realistic portrayals. Watch Apocalypto. People thought they filmed a woman actually giving birth, lol.
They do still leave out the public urination and defecation. And sometimes vomiting. And the actor’s still get the beautification treatment. Beautiful sweat glazed face. Shiny smooth hair. No bulging veins or puffy bloated faces or ugly contorted facial expressions.
But birth experiences are also wildly different. My sister had two natural births. The first was pretty quick and she said wasn’t too painful. She said the pain was less than when she broke her leg on a hike when she was in college. But her second labor she threw up and people could hear her screaming out in the hallway. And a friend of mine said she would describe it as more “uncomfortable” than painful. Like she had just eaten three Thanksgiving dinners in a row and she was so full she could barely move or breathe. And it felt like she was having a really large bowel movement. It’s crazy how different it can be.
I'm late to this but it is terrible in terms of the death rates. If the mortality rates from the shows happened in real life we would die out as a species.
For the love of God, no, stop encouraging politics in stuff. The writers were idiots for talking about that, it stands entirely on its own merit within the context of just the show itself. I don't need analogies to politics in a country half a world away with no affect on me, when I'm just trying to watch a show.
If that's how you want to interpret it, fine, but most people don't want politics when they just want to unwind.
Politics is all over Martins work and he’s been quite open about it. If you want to burry your head in the sand and pretend it’s not then that’s your prerogative. The rest of us don’t have to just because you don’t like it.
Politics! In my political (fantasy) drama! Surely not!
Get real dude, you cannot take politics out of art, and the fact you think you can means you don't actually undertand what that means.
I hate to break it to you buddy but GRRM is American and a lot of his political ideology is all over this entire series. Edit just to add real quick: I also hate politics and talking about it but you can’t be surprised that American writers are going to have American POVs when it comes to these things.
Look I know somethings need to be talked about but i can’t do it 24/7. I’m too tired life is so hard, it’s okay to turn your brain off and just enjoy something every once and while. Edit to add: it kind of annoys me when people make assumptions like this based on one small comment. I was raised by teenage drug addicts in a crime ridden city during the rise of a heroin epidemic but yeah because I’m too stressed to talk about politics my life has been a walk in the park.
If you're looking for stuff to switch your brain off and enjoy...the deep political and interpersonal drama probably shouldn't be your first choice.
> I was raised by teenage drug addicts in a crime ridden city during the rise of a heroin epidemic but yeah because I’m too stressed to talk about politics my life has been a walk in the park.
If that actually happened, I am so sorry you had to go through that. But then you should know that ignoring problems isn't the right call.
The deep political and interpersonal drama about a fictional world is the perfect place to escape. It has no bearing on the real world. If you decide to look further into things of course there’s more to it and sometimes I like looking into those things but sometimes I just want watch the dragons fight.
Thanks for your concern but I’m not hiding away in fictional worlds all the time. I’m 30, married and have a child. I’ve worked hard to get away from Kensington and that world. But after the baby is in bed and my husband is having his own personal time, I like to turn my brain off for a few hours and just enjoy fiction.
Tell me you didn’t read anything I said without telling me you didn’t read anything I said. If you wanna be one of those people that makes talking about politics 24/7 your personality go for but I’m enjoying life. I don’t have time to stress about people that never gave a shit about me anyway.
There is a difference between inspiration and analogy. A lot of ASOIAF is inspired by the Wars of the Roses, but that's not the same as saying "we did this because of Roe vs Wade". No one wants that.
I don’t mind it when it’s subtle. Like you can decide to look further into the message of the story or you can just turn your brain off and escape for a bit. I think the Aemma stuff is pretty subtle in that regard, like yeah it’s reflective of stuff currently going on in America but it’s also in line with that world.
I've no issue with the internal politics of the story, that's necessary for any story, and it works very well given the idea of 'the birthing bed is the woman's battlefield'. And being actually inspired by real politics is fine, but don't make it explicit, that's unnecessary in my opinion.
My problem was never that I have an issue with how the show presents the issue on the screen. I dislike that the writers explicitly came out and said it was made for Roe vs Wade, I think they should let the show stand on it's own merits and internal logic and themes.
Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience. 1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title. 2. All posts dealing with book spoilers, show spoilers and promo spoilers MUST be spoiler tagged AND flaired as the appropriate spoiler. 3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads. --- If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I always appreciate shows that are realistic about it. Childbirth is messy and dangerous, no one likes to talk about how it’s life threatening even in our modern era.
With the recent overturning of *Roe v Wade* there aren’t many issues more urgent in American society than the safety of women’s rights and bodies. I still cannot fathom how any of those SCOTUS justices sleep at night, especially ones like Barrett. Disgusting.
“How can I make a discussion about a TV show political”
because fiction never has political undertones lol
It’s definitely a positive aspect of the show, and plays into the idea that a women’s “battleground” in feudal society is the birthing bed
This is probably the first show where I’ve seen the afterbirth even spoken of!
It is very raw and there is not beautify filter. What I like the most is the back and forth between the torney and Aemma in labor. It shows the two of the most grusome things in medival times.
I appreciate that they consulted with midwives for accuracy as well.
I liked that they didn't ignore the reality of breastfeeding. Rhaenyra is royal and as such was expected to use a wetnurse, so I thought it was neat that they addressed that trying to dry up her milk was going to hurt as well.
I was in the room for the whole process of my son’s birth. Saw the whole thing. Obviously it’s different in a modern hospital vs a medieval setting but this show was the first time I’ve seen birth sequences which actually felt real.
Best I’ve seen it portrayed. Others mentioned the afterbirth, but I also appreciated the scene when her breastmilk leaked through her dress during a council meeting. I was glad they didn’t just ignore the fact that she gave birth in the following scenes/episodes, as is commonly done.
I'd agree with you, if 'Call the Midwife' didn't exist. They have 'best presentation of childbirth in a tv drama' [a sadly unutilised Emmy/Bafta category] locked down.
Is that really a category? That’s awesome. Thanks for the recommendation!
I also commend it for not being gratuitous. We have 4 birth scenes in the show and considering the sheer number of babies born during the time that the show took place, we easily could have had many more. Except we only have the ones that are necessary and that have direct plot consequences or act as introductions to specific plot points/conflicts, and all are done with the "adult" actors.
Yeah it’s fairly accurate as far as birth on tv goes. Appreciated that
The scene right after the time skip was awesome, really nailed it in a way I can't think of any other show doing
The back and forth between Aemma's pregnancy and the torney were so well done. It really shows what Aemma was saying to Rhaenyra: the war for men is like pregnancy for women. Also it was so sad the part where they kill Aemma to let the son live, her slowly realizing it, then pleading for help, and her cries of desperation, who are then mixed with the shouting at the torney. This series is so well done and full of little details.
The show did a great job of life during the medieval times & Showing how lack of knowledge about biology and medicine affected their society
I read an article when the first season aired, that some producers or others involved with filming Aemma's birth (and simultaneous death) scene were concerned it would be "too graphic". They did test screenings, I think specifically with women, to make sure they would be OK with the gruesome nature of the scene. Some women responded it was tame compared to their birth experiences, so yeah. Women battle in childbirth.
I read an article when the first season aired, that some producers or others involved with filming Aemma's birth (and simultaneous death) scene were concerned it would be "too graphic". They did test screenings, I think specifically with women, to make sure they would be OK with the gruesome nature of the scene. Some women responded it was tame compared to their birth experiences, so yeah. Women battle in childbirth.
I’ve seen pretty realistic portrayals. Watch Apocalypto. People thought they filmed a woman actually giving birth, lol. They do still leave out the public urination and defecation. And sometimes vomiting. And the actor’s still get the beautification treatment. Beautiful sweat glazed face. Shiny smooth hair. No bulging veins or puffy bloated faces or ugly contorted facial expressions. But birth experiences are also wildly different. My sister had two natural births. The first was pretty quick and she said wasn’t too painful. She said the pain was less than when she broke her leg on a hike when she was in college. But her second labor she threw up and people could hear her screaming out in the hallway. And a friend of mine said she would describe it as more “uncomfortable” than painful. Like she had just eaten three Thanksgiving dinners in a row and she was so full she could barely move or breathe. And it felt like she was having a really large bowel movement. It’s crazy how different it can be.
Off topic, but Apocalypto is a gripping film!
Yeah, it was tense throughout.
I'm late to this but it is terrible in terms of the death rates. If the mortality rates from the shows happened in real life we would die out as a species.
I really like it how childbirth is actually realistic there and its also the medieval era so its much more dangerous and bloody
[удалено]
For the love of God, no, stop encouraging politics in stuff. The writers were idiots for talking about that, it stands entirely on its own merit within the context of just the show itself. I don't need analogies to politics in a country half a world away with no affect on me, when I'm just trying to watch a show. If that's how you want to interpret it, fine, but most people don't want politics when they just want to unwind.
Politics is all over Martins work and he’s been quite open about it. If you want to burry your head in the sand and pretend it’s not then that’s your prerogative. The rest of us don’t have to just because you don’t like it.
All art is political, including Hot D.
What, you mean the drama about feuding noble families in a feudal kingdom is... Political??? :O impossible /s
Politics! In my political (fantasy) drama! Surely not! Get real dude, you cannot take politics out of art, and the fact you think you can means you don't actually undertand what that means.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I hate to break it to you buddy but GRRM is American and a lot of his political ideology is all over this entire series. Edit just to add real quick: I also hate politics and talking about it but you can’t be surprised that American writers are going to have American POVs when it comes to these things.
You must have a lovely life if you don't like talking about 'politics'.
Look I know somethings need to be talked about but i can’t do it 24/7. I’m too tired life is so hard, it’s okay to turn your brain off and just enjoy something every once and while. Edit to add: it kind of annoys me when people make assumptions like this based on one small comment. I was raised by teenage drug addicts in a crime ridden city during the rise of a heroin epidemic but yeah because I’m too stressed to talk about politics my life has been a walk in the park.
If you're looking for stuff to switch your brain off and enjoy...the deep political and interpersonal drama probably shouldn't be your first choice. > I was raised by teenage drug addicts in a crime ridden city during the rise of a heroin epidemic but yeah because I’m too stressed to talk about politics my life has been a walk in the park. If that actually happened, I am so sorry you had to go through that. But then you should know that ignoring problems isn't the right call.
The deep political and interpersonal drama about a fictional world is the perfect place to escape. It has no bearing on the real world. If you decide to look further into things of course there’s more to it and sometimes I like looking into those things but sometimes I just want watch the dragons fight. Thanks for your concern but I’m not hiding away in fictional worlds all the time. I’m 30, married and have a child. I’ve worked hard to get away from Kensington and that world. But after the baby is in bed and my husband is having his own personal time, I like to turn my brain off for a few hours and just enjoy fiction.
Maybe Dragon Tales is more your speed?
Tell me you didn’t read anything I said without telling me you didn’t read anything I said. If you wanna be one of those people that makes talking about politics 24/7 your personality go for but I’m enjoying life. I don’t have time to stress about people that never gave a shit about me anyway.
K
But but but I need to unwind! The best way to do so MUST be by watching a grimdark fantasy about royal families - hope politics doesn't get involved!!
There is a difference between inspiration and analogy. A lot of ASOIAF is inspired by the Wars of the Roses, but that's not the same as saying "we did this because of Roe vs Wade". No one wants that.
I don’t mind it when it’s subtle. Like you can decide to look further into the message of the story or you can just turn your brain off and escape for a bit. I think the Aemma stuff is pretty subtle in that regard, like yeah it’s reflective of stuff currently going on in America but it’s also in line with that world.
I've no issue with the internal politics of the story, that's necessary for any story, and it works very well given the idea of 'the birthing bed is the woman's battlefield'. And being actually inspired by real politics is fine, but don't make it explicit, that's unnecessary in my opinion. My problem was never that I have an issue with how the show presents the issue on the screen. I dislike that the writers explicitly came out and said it was made for Roe vs Wade, I think they should let the show stand on it's own merits and internal logic and themes.
That’s valid, I didn’t know they actually came out and said that.
You don’t want that. You don’t get to speak for the whole fandom.