House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal addressed the show’s incest scenes by bringing up classic sci-fi franchise Back to the Future.
In an interview with Variety, Condal was asked about viewers shipping Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who is her uncle, since it’s incest. “I mean, nothing surprises me these days,” Condal said. “I really didn’t know what people were going to make of that at all. Look, it’s part of the story, and I think that’s what makes it fascinating, because it sort of is taboo in a way and in our modern sensibility.” Condal then noted that it’s even quite taboo as far as Game of Thrones and the Targaryens are concerned, as it involves people from different generations.
He then praised Smith and Alcock’s performance before saying, “But look, I mean, I went back to Back to the Future, which is just like, you know, Marty [McFly] goes to the prom with his mom and you’re kind of creeped out about it, but also you’re kind of like, ‘Huh! These are two good looking people. Are they’re going to make out tonight?!’ Look, it’s not your uncle. So, you know, I guess people are OK with it, or the original series did enough groundwork to normalize Targaryen mating rituals that we don’t have to worry about it.” He then added, “What Daemon does to young Rhaenyra is, in modern terminology, an act of abuse. And, as a traumatic event would, it shapes who Rhaenyra becomes.”
Earlier this month, Alcock addressed the relationship between Rhaenyra and Daemon. She explained that their relationship is complicated, adding, “I think Daemon is good for her … but whether or not he’s the right thing for her, time will tell.” She also noted that Rhaenyra isn’t quite at the point of being able to distinguish between different types of love and is struggling to understand how to navigate what’s happening with Daemon.
Incest in Back to the Future and the Game of Thrones Universe
Based on George R.R. Martin’s books, the Game of Thrones universe, of which House of the Dragon is a part, is no stranger to incest. One of the most prominent relationships in the original series is between Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady) and Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who are siblings. They have several children together.
In terms of Back to the Future, the original 1985 movie sees Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) traveling from 1985 to 1955, where he encounters his parents and inadvertently threatens his own existence. Late in the film, Marty’s mother, Lorraine Baines-McFly (Lea Thompson), kisses him in a romantic way. However, she notes immediately after that it was like kissing her brother.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays, while the Back to the Future trilogy is available now on home media and streaming. The first six episodes of the former are available to stream on HBO Max now. The seventh episode of the series, “Driftmark,” will be directed by co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, who is exiting after this season, and released on Oct. 2.
Source: Variety
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