The first episode of "House of the Dragon" features the brutal death of Queen Aemma Targaryen (Sian Brooke) during childbirth. The queen, we learn, has tried unsuccessfully for years to give birth to a son, and her only surviving living child is Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock). This time, her husband, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), is convinced she will give birth to a healthy baby boy who will finally secure the line of succession, but the child, Baelon, dies soon after his mother. The cast and showrunners of "House of the Dragon" spoke to Popsugar about filming the gruesome scene and the implications Aemma's death has on the rest of the series.

Co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik admits that the scene and how vividly they should show Aemma's death was a "subject of much debate" and that they cut numerous different versions of it. "It seemed important to highlight something that was the...