Fans of Game of Thrones are no strangers to horrific death scenes, having witnessed the most gruesome of those in all of television history. The prequel House of The Dragon is walking in its predecessor’s line, and has featured some kind of graphic death scene in every episode. Fans were horrified at the tragic death of the Hand of King Ser Lyonel Strong, and his son and Rhaenyra’s alleged lover, Harwin Strong. They were particularly shocked at Ser Harwin’s death, as many saw him as Princess Rhaenyra’s shining knight in armor.
In a recent interview with Variety, director Claire Kilner made it pretty obvious why Harwin is so beloved in the House of The Dragon community. She recalled how it all began in Episode 5, We Light The Way, “When we first did it, it was a bit of a classic thing — a man putting a woman over his shoulder and carrying her, and myself and Milly were a bit worried. ‘Ah, what does that mean?’ But then we thought, he is saving her, and she needs to be saved and he’s a strong, big guy! And what Milly did, which was beautiful, was sort of kicking and trying to get down at the same time as he was carrying her. I think that struck a good balance in terms of women and agency and not getting too stuck in the old societal norms.”
“He’s one of the more unambiguous characters, he’s just a good dude,” said writer and producer Sara Hess. “You don’t see him off doing morally questionable things, which almost everybody else is doing. They’re so flawed and human and messy. He was able to be a paragon of decency and generosity and handsome strength. He’s one of the guys you could just love and feel great about loving and then he’s ripped from you too soon, before he does anything that could fuck that up for you. He’s our perfect angel.”
What do you think of Harwin Strong’s character? Tell us in the comments below!
