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TV's Most Shocking Sex Scenes: How Jon Snow's romp with aunt Daenerys in ‘Game of Thrones’ was branded incest

It was 2017 when the episode was telecast and at that moment, there was quite a bit of chatter on the Internet about the incestuous relationship

"He loved her, and she loved him..." the narration begins on the season seven finale of ‘Game of Thrones’. With a knock on the door, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen — two characters symbolic of ice and fire — usher crackling chemistry and leave hearts thumping. Ally-turned-lovers Jon and Daenerys see each other and their eyes speak louder than words.

It is a dark night. There's innocence, desire and love. The door shuts down and the odd sex scene plays out. In the next frame, we find out that Jon's real name is Aegon Targaryen. A shocking revelation, it tells fans how Daenerys could be Jon's aunt! "He's never been a b*****d. He's the heir to the Iron Throne," the narration goes. Wait, what? Yes, it was unbelievable when the episode aired.

And in the very next scene, the two actors — Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke — who play Jon and Daenerys are seen naked, caressing and kissing each other passionately. It was 2017 when the episode was telecast and at that moment, there was quite a bit of chatter on the Internet about the incestuous relationship. While many branded the scene as porn, others mocked at how Jon was going to f**k his aunt. "Jon Snow & Daenerys are totally gonna sex. And Jon's face when he finds out it's his aunt = priceless," one wrote and another said, "I’d like #GameOfThrones to dedicate an entire episode to Daenerys and Jon Snow having sex. During the ENTIRE episode. IDEC if they’re related. I want to see it."

Shedding light on how the scene was shot, director Jeremy Podeswa said even in that awkward situation, the actors were both comfortable with each other. "Kit and Emilia have natural chemistry," he told Singapore’s The New Paper. "Filming their first sex scene together could have been awkward, but they are such good friends it all went smoothly. Of course there were some awkward giggles. But we sat down and choreographed and discussed the scene before to make sure everyone was comfortable, so it was quick and easy."

Some, however, many viewers dissed the scene. "That Jon and Daenerys sex scene was so trash, PornHub won't even make a parody version of it," one said and another posted, "I didn't know "Winter is Coming" Is the title of Jon Snow and Daenerys sex tape." Later, when the truth was spilled on the show, one fan posted a meme saying: "Jon: I’m the child of Leanna and Rhaegar Targaryen. Daenerys: Jon: like we’re related and have had sex Daenerys: but like do you want the throne or not?" 

Two years later, when Season 8 was released, it not only dampened fans' hopes but also crushed their desire to see another sex scene between the two characters. Moreover, fans were disappointed that the series finale had no sex scene. "We didn’t even get another Daenerys and Jon incestuous sex scene. This is the worst series finale ever," one tweet read.

This is a part of a column on TV's Most Shocking Sex Scenes where we take a walk through some of the most intimate scenes that went viral on social media and became a talking point among fans after the show aired