House of the Dragon has only been out for three episodes and CGI goof-ups are already popping up. In the latest episode ‘Second of His Name,’ fans noticed a mistake with King Viserys’ hands and the internet was quick to point it out, however, a new report from Variety reveals that HBO plans to rectify the error on its streaming platforms.
In Episode 3, a scene features the king (Paddy Considine) handing a letter to a soldier to deliver to his brother Daemon (Matt Smith) on the Stepstone. However, one can see his third and fourth fingers are left green. The mistake is easy to make as a visual effect editor erroneously did not edit out the “green screen” effect on Considine’s fingers. It’s well established in the books and in the series that the Iron Throne isn’t an easy one to sit on. Kings often cut themselves and the same has been established in the first episode with a cut on Viserys’ back. The idea was further cemented in the second episode when we see the king slices his pinky finger and the masters use maggots to preserve his flesh. So, effectively when we see the “green fingers” they should either be appearing stubbed or edited to have wounds left by the maggots to maintain the continuity.
Nonetheless, the CGI mishap is nothing new to the Game of Thrones franchise. Infamously Season 8, Episode 4 ‘The Last of Starks’ of the original series, included a scene after the Battle of Winterfell that saw a coffee cup – starkly resembling a Starbucks cup – placed right in front of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). While it was only seen for a second or so, the internet erupted in memes and conversation about the out-of-time and place cup. The studio faced much backlash and flack from the fans and immediately rectified its mistake which it plans to do again.
Updating and rectifying the already released episodes for errors is not a new thing for streaming services. Previously, the Duffer brothers revealed that Netflix allowed them to update some VFX after Stranger Things Season 4 dropped, they also revealed their intentions to recify Will’s birthday error that was spotted by the fans. Marvel Studios also reworked Spider-Man: No Way Home’s VFX after the release. HBO will only be next in line.
House of the Dragon episode 4 ‘King of the Narrow Sea’ will drop on September 11. Meanwhile, you can watch the teaser and see a fan tweet below: