The lack of trigger warnings for a dramatic birth scene in the first episode of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has been criticized.
House of the Dragon | However, this is not the first time a show has made the news due to a lack of such warnings.
In 2019, Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why modified a series one episode in response to criticism about how it handled suicide, and more recently, Thor: Love and Thunder fans demanded cancer warnings.
Warning: This article contains spoilers.
A record-breaking 10 million people tuned in to watch the House of the Dragon premiere, which featured a gruesome moment dubbed “triggering” by many social media users.
In the episode, Paddy Considine’s King Viserys orders a caesarean section on his wife Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) while she is aware, killing both her and the baby.
Before deciding to keep the birthing scene, director Miguel Sapochnik informed journalists that his team asked “as many ladies as possible” if it was too violent.
However, organizations and some viewers believe a trigger warning should be included to alert viewers to the horrible picture ahead.
‘Terrifying experience,’ says one. (House of the Dragon)
Jen Coates, the director of the grief support organisation Sands, believes it is “very vital” for programs like House of the Dragon to provide an environment in which people are conscious of what may be seen.
“I think it’s really distressing for anyone,” she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
“With 13 newborns dying every day in the UK, the crisis immediately affects a large group of people.”
Jen claims that as soon as Sands becomes aware of potentially upsetting scenes, it sends out trigger warnings to its fans via social media.
“That way, people may be better informed and make an informed decision to watch or skip specific scenes or episodes,” she explains.
“Trauma causes people to experience guilt, humiliation, and wrath; you may feel extremely isolated at times.”
John Whipple, the creator of the trigger spoiler website Doesthedogdie.com, claims he had forums warning visitors about the gruesome scene.
He acknowledges that “many trigger warnings on the web are highly specific and do not apply to the majority of individuals.”
“On the other side, everyone has something in their past they don’t want to revisit,” he says.
“Going into a movie with prior information puts users back in control of how they perceive entertainment.”
Streaming providers, he believes, should “tailor the warnings to each user, potentially even recommending what to watch based on a user’s individual triggers.”
Jacqui Hoepner, a viewer, claims the birth scene made her “leave the room.”
Jacqui, from Australia, believes a warning would have been appropriate because it would have made her “better prepared” for the sight.
The scene reminded her of her own horrible birth experience when her baby was breech and she underwent an unscheduled C-section.
“I felt completely powerless in the circumstance. It was a terrible experience, which is why the scene was so upsetting “She stated to Newsbeat.
“Given that half of the world’s population can have children and many have endured birth trauma, I believe it would have been important.”
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