Within the spidery dialect of modern TV executives, there exists a sacred concept: the so-called watercooler moment. The phrase refers to a moment in a TV episode that becomes a point of widespread, fervent discussion – something that hypothetical office workers would discuss the morning after, while standing around their hypothetical drink dispenser, back when such a thing existed. For years, Game of Thrones was so chock-full of Watercooler Moments you would think it was getting kickbacks from Highland Spring. Shock deaths; beheadings; sexual violence; incest: scandalised chattering trailed the series at every turn. Thrones’s ongoing spin-off, House of the Dragon, began its second season this week with an episode that seemed similarly geared towards buzz and provocation. But this time, something was different.
