I wonder if it’s arguable for me to profess that House of the Dragon has demonstrably benefitted from the apparent accruement of female voices to write, direct, and otherwise influence episodes, particularly those in which sexual themes and imagery are represented. One of the most ardent and vociferous complaints some people had of Game of Thrones was the frequent sex scenes, which often were solely intended to provide visual “interest” or stimuli to augment and backdrop moments of expository discourse in the script. Though I can’t state with certitude who or what this is attributable to exactly, House of the Dragon has thus far proved to contrast this, and sex scenes seem to have more contextual significance. Essentially, they are a conduit for the exploration and depiction of how the characters relate with one another and with the concept of intimacy itself. For example, young Alicent presents a reassuring, dutiful smile to Viserys as they lay together, in purposeful opposition to the passionate playfulness of Rhaenyra and Criston Cole as they electively indulge their caprices without restraint. Thematically, this conflict between stringent duty and rebellious defiance seems in part to define the growing capacious division between Alicent and Rhaenyra. Alicent appears resentful of the rigidity of the expectations and decorum foisted upon her by the nature of her station and the standards of righteousness and ethicality defining her society and its norms. Rhaenyra is vilified by Alicent partly due to her emblematic subversion of enumerated traditions, particularly her intent upon ascending the throne despite her womanhood and her overlooked sexual liberty to explore outside the confines of her vows. In addition to the compounded rationale underlying the sporadic sex scenes in House of the Dragon, this show also demonstrates a significant departure from Game of Thrones in its depiction of nudity and the female-bodied participants of these intimate sequences. Personally, I noticed that the cinematography in relation to woman during Game of Thrones was often gratuitously exploitative, as the camera would unabashedly present the nude female form for needless durations with explicit focus and obvious intent. Comparatively, male nudity was sparser, and often included to elicit shock or disgust as opposed to pleasure, though neither overt depictions are, in my opinion, truly necessary for the artistic conveyance of intercourse, empowerment, ostracization and depravity, etc. House of the Dragon is decidedly more creative and equal with these scenes, as well as cleverly implicit in their direction, for instance, Rhaenyra and Criston Cole’s activities being generally obscured and momentarily shot through the reflection in a mirror. Whether this noticeable departure from Game of Thrones’ notorious nudity is attributable to more women on staff, I guess I really can’t say. Regardless, I do hope that the coordinators of these scenes continue to make the actors feel comfortable and safe no matter what.
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