There are precisely two laughs in the opening episode of House of the Dragon. First, when Westeros’ resident bad boy Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) calls someone a rude word. The second arrives when that same character performs an impromptu speech at a brothel, making a point about royal succession – House of the Dragon’s favourite topic, bar none – as two people freeze in flagrante to listen. It's funny because sex is funny, you see.
If that sounds juvenile, well, that’s because it is. An essential property of Game of Thrones was that it often felt co-written by a teenage boy and a history nerd, which gave the show a giddy, horny energy amid its endless threat of winter. But this House of the Dragon scene may hint at a new tone for the fantasy franchise – one which seems to grapple with Game of Thrones’ most enduring criticisms: its depiction of sex.
When HBO’s Game of Thrones first hit screens in 2011, it was welcomed as a fun and broadly faithful adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series. There would be nudity, there would definitely be blood. It wasn’t for kids, and the plot machinations made amateur history buffs feel smart (one of Martin’s primary inspirations is the fractious timeline of European history).
As the seasons wore on, controversies mounted faster than Game of Thrones killed off main characters. There was plenty of nudity – not a problem for most fully-grown adults! – but it was overwhelmingly at the expense of female actresses, and almost always during sexual situations. When men were naked, they were often merely shirtless; sometimes in the bedroom, often on the battlefield.
And yet, only one of House of the Dragon’s four leads strips down and has sex in the first episode: Matt Smith. Precisely how much of him you see depends on your screen brightness – like its predecessor, House of the Dragon is literally a very dark show. But Smith is not just naked, he’s having sex.
That quickly ends. With all those pesky courtly goings-on at the back of his mind, Daemon’s just not in the mood! What follows will please fans of Game of Thrones’ “sexposition” – where conversation (boring) is balanced with sex (exciting). Daemon, dressed in what appears to be a floral blanket, discusses his very troubled feelings with his naked lover.
The surprise of seeing House of the Dragon’s male lead (and arguably its most famous actor) in the buff is a nice rejoinder to its forerunner. Game of Thrones’ lack of male nudity drove leads Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage to publicly announce they’d be down to get nude. Their female co-star, Emilia Clarke, meanwhile expressed discomfort with the “fuck ton of nudity” after the show ended.
Thrones’ sex problem was tied up in its wider treatment of women. Its female characters were frequently sexually assaulted, and the show never shied away from displaying the full scope of that horror. Often, it seemed to revel in it. In one infamous scene (one that diverges from Martin’s books), a female character is raped by her brother. Another long-running favourite was assaulted on her wedding night. Its exploitative portrayal of women tainted the series for many, and likely made many more give up altogether.
Game of Thrones’ sexual content was so controversial that it plagued House of the Dragon before the show even began. Based on source material which could include everything from incest to grooming, would the show be as brazen as its precursor? Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik told The Hollywood Reporter that the show “pulls back” on the number of sex scenes, and that scenes portraying violence against women have been “carefully” considered.
This seems to be the party line. Show writer and producer Sara Hess later clarified to Vanity Fair, “I think what our show does, and what I’m proud of, is that we choose to focus on the violence against women that is inherent in a patriarchal system.” It's worth remembering that this show is set in a fantasy world. Yes, the patriarchy exists. Dragons do not. They could omit or feature whatever they'd like. But because Martin’s books are semi-analogous to real history, his work seems destined to be bogged down in these conversations.
The crucial thing is that behind-the-scenes measures have been updated for 2022 in the real world. Game of Thrones did not have an intimacy coordinator – something cast members like Gemma Whelan have criticised, calling the show's sex scenes a “frenzied mess”. House of the Dragon does. Hopefully there’s now time for the show to have a little fun, play with expectations rather than be crushed by them. It will be necessary if the show is even half as long as Game of Thrones (eight seasons, including the world's least popular finale). Matt Smith banging on about the line of succession in a packed brothel is a start. More of this please, House of the Dragon.
Henry Wong is a senior culture writer at Esquire, working across digital and print. He covers film, television, books, and art for the magazine, and also writes profiles.
