Sunday night’s season finale of House of the Dragon had a number of dramatic moments, but few as divisive and controversial as yet another traumatic birth for the series. In the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen goes into premature labor upon learning that her brother, Aegon, had usurped her, taking the death of their father King Viserys to steal the throne from her. With her pregnancy nowhere near far enough along for the child to survive, Rhaenyra is forced to deliver her dead child and, more than that, does so without accepting any help. It’s a brutal and disturbing scene and it’s one that drew a lot of ire from fans online, in part because it’s the fourth disturbing and traumatic birth the series has shown to date. Now, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal is speaking out about that scene and explaining why Rhaenyra handled the situation the way that she did, connecting it to the death of her own mother following a horrific C-section in the premiere.
