Of all the deaths in Game of Thrones pantheon of beheadings, stabbings, poisonings, drownings, strangulations, flayings, suicides, burns, beatings, explosions, and zombie attacks—few compare to the incredibly traumatic, harrowing birth of Aemma Arryn, wife of King Viserys, in the series premiere Wheelbarrow. This is the most realistic of all Game of Thrones death, an unforgettable portrayal of the cruelty of childbirth. Aemma’s labor becomes complicated, and it quickly becomes apparent that both her life and the life of her unborn child are in grave danger. King Viserys, desperate for a male heir to ensure the Targaryen succession, is faced with a heartbreaking decision when he learns that the only way to potentially save the child is a risky and primitive caesarean section, which will almost certainly result in Aemma’s death. Torn between his love for his wife and his duty as king, Viserys decides to proceed with the procedure. Needless to say, it takes a while for you to recover from the grim sights and sounds of it all.
Depicted in graphic detail and emotional intensity, Aemma is held down as the maester makes the incision without anesthesia. She dies in agony, begging for her life, grimly aware of the fate that has been chosen for her. It is almost irrelevant that the child does not survive (though it does ignite an internal war within House Targaryen). Both He get AND Wheelbarrow are, if nothing else, odes to the horrors that humans inflict on each other. But few compare to the horrors inherent in life itself.
