Here's How a Female Director Improved 'House of the Dragon' Sex Scenes
The 'Game of Thrones' universe is not exactly known for romantic and softcore intimate scenes, but it looks like 'House of the Dragon' is on a mission to change that.
Warning: the following article contains spoilers for 'House of the Dragon ' episode 4
Episode 4 of 'House of the Dragon' has shifted focus from gore and violence to relationships, lovemaking and the way characters perceive it. However, when it comes to the George R.R. Martin universe, we are accustomed to things being less than subtle and sometimes overly explicit. Surprisingly, that wasn't the case in 'King of the Narrow Sea'... at least not all the time.
After being somewhat dumped by Daemon, Rhaenyra heads back to her rooms — only to have sex with Sir Criston Cole, the Lord Commander of Viserys' Kingsguard. The erotic scene is surprisingly softcore — and surprisingly tender and romantic, especially for 'Game of Thrones ' fans who are more used to vulgar or even gory scenes.
"The original series is horribly marred by so many gratuitous rape scenes. Glad that this episode handled sex respectfully in a sexier, sweeter way and the actors had intimacy coordinators on set." – /AegonIXth
There is a pretty simple explanation. 'King of the Narrow Sea' was directed by a woman, Clare Kilner. Many fans ruled that this fact alone is responsible for the Rhaenyra-Criston sex scene being so softcore and actually quite pleasing to watch.
Many fans noted that this was basically one of the rare times when a woman got a "proper satisfaction" in the 'Game of Thrones' universe, while also enjoying a lot of perspective instead of simply being naked and dominated.
Both Rhaenyra sex scenes in the episode were "hot for different reasons", with her interaction with Daemon being "passionate and thrilling", and the one with Criston being "sensual and intimate", Reddit user Throwawayfilmmaker55 noted.
Many fans ruled that "it shows" that the episode was directed by a woman, with some people seeming frustrated that "male directors lost all sense of eroticism". When it comes to 'House of the Dragon', the show, as well as its male directors, got six more episodes to prove them wrong.
New episodes of 'House of the Dragon' premiere on HBO Max every Sunday.