House of the Dragon

What’s it about?

Beginning with a traumatic and tragic loss, Rhaenyra attempts to hold the realm together while Daemon and her advisors prepare for war.

The facts

• English language
• Runtime: 56.39 minutes
• Based on the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin which is set 200 years before the events seen in the series Game of Thrones.

Why did it get this rating?

This film was self-rated by Neon who currently display Broadcasting Standards Authority ratings information. For this series it shows as “18 VLSC” on screen. The ratings and descriptors on their platform will transition to NZ classification system information as they make technical changes to display the new ratings required by law. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Traumatic stillbirth

A main character suffers a premature stillbirth which includes a drawn out, realistic and graphic scene of the mother giving birth and pulling the baby out herself. Viewers see the baby lying limp on the floor. Both mother and baby are covered in blood and it was clear the mother was in a lot of pain before the baby comes out. The extended scene continues with the focus on the mother’s grief. This scene will be impacting for anyone who has experienced infant loss or stillbirth, or similar loss and pain.

Violence

During a dispute between husband and wife, the husband grabs the wife by the neck and strangles her with the intention to intimidate her. When he finally releases, she holds her neck and breathes heavily. The nature of this violence can be challenging for some viewers with lived experiences and sensitivities to domestic violence.

During a storm a dragon and its rider are pursued by a much larger dragon and rider. This results in the larger dragon ripping apart the smaller dragon and rider with one bite. Flesh and debris from the dragon is shown falling from the sky.

Offensive language

Offensive language is used throughout the episode, including highly offensive words such as the F-word and C-word.

Further information

• House of the Dragon recap: episode 10 – the birth scene is like an act of violence against viewers – The Guardian
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