Fall may be hurtling our way, but on TV, it’s pug season.
Both House of the Dragon and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law — two of the biggest shows on TV right now — have given us some truly excellent pug-centric moments. Technically only House of the Dragon gives us an actual pug dog, while She-Hulk gives us a human nicknamed Pug. But both are such scene-stealers that we simply must give them their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
Pugs, welcome to Westeros
Episode 3 of House of the Dragon introduces us to Lady Joselyn Redwyne (Joanna David), a noblewoman of Westeros and an ancestor of Game of Thrones‘s Olenna Tyrell. She discusses the war in the Stepstones with Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Queen Alicent (Emily Carey), but there’s simply no way to focus on that conversation once you realize Lady Redwyne has a PUG in her LAP.
Said pug is decked out in a pearly leash and just looks like it’s having the time of its life. It’s smiley, it’s alert, and best of all, it gets to lick some cake off a plate at the end of the scene. If I could swap place with any House of the Dragon character, I would genuinely choose to swap with Ser Pug, because it seems to have a pretty sweet deal.
Some House of the Dragon fans bristled at the inclusion of a pug in Westeros, calling it “unrealistic,” but I fully stand by it. The pug comes across as a symbol of wealth and extravagance in this scene. Like the nobles it accompanies, the pug is pampered and lives in the lap of luxury — literally. It’s also a great contrast to the struggles being faced elsewhere in Westeros, like in the Stepstones. Plus, if you’re going to make a show about the notoriously inbred Targaryens, what better dog to make a cameo than the notoriously inbred pug?
She-Hulk’s Pug is a delight
A king among men.
Credit: Chuck Zlotnick
We’ve only had Augustus “Pug” Pugliese (Josh Segarra) for a couple of episodes of She-Hulk, but I would already kill for him (much as Jennifer Walters would kill for Megan Thee Stallion). An attorney in the superhuman law division at GLK&H, Pug brings overall good guy energy to the “influential pugs of 2022 TV” club. He delivers Jen a gift basket on her first day at work! Come on, he’s the best.
Much of Pug’s charm comes from Segarra’s performance. Already so good as Lance in The Other Two, Segarra is adept at taking characters who could potentially just be himbos and layering them with emotional depth and intuition. Pug clearly supports and respects Jen, both in Hulk form and out of it. He has a low tolerance for misogyny and stupidity, as exhibited by his interactions with World’s Worst Man Dennis Bukowski (Drew Matthews). And on top of all that, he’s got killer comedic timing. Good luck getting Segarra’s delivery of “Megan THEE Stallion” out of your head.
My one complaint about She-Hulk‘s Pug is that we simply haven’t seen enough of him. He’s only appeared in two of the first four episodes — the people need more! (This also goes for Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Mallory.) Thankfully, we’re only four episodes into a nine episode-long season. There’s still plenty of time for Pug to shine.
What’s next for the pug invasion?
Are Lady Redwyne’s pug and She-Hulk‘s Pug part of some larger pug trend about to take over television? Will Middle-earth or Abbot Elementary be overrun by lovable snub noses and curly little tails? If we’re being realistic, probably not. But, gosh, wouldn’t it be fun if they were?
All I need now is for someone to put the two great pugs of 2022 TV in a room together. Maybe Pug hangs out with an actual pug in She-Hulk. Or Josh Segarra somehow winds up in House of the Dragon as part of Lady Redwyne’s entourage of pug enthusiasts. To any TV execs looking to fulfill extremely niche fan service requests, I’m begging you — make the pug/Pug crossover of our dreams a reality.
