Daenerys has been one of the most popular characters in the Game of Thrones. Her character arc is full of strife, struggle, courage, and boundless strength. She went from being an exiled Targaryen under her brother’s power to a powerful Queen and Mother of Dragons.
Many fans have been anticipating the conclusion of their character arc for a long time. Unfortunately, season 8 seems to be taking Daenerys in a very different direction. Fans fear that she might follow in her father’s footsteps and attempt to burn King’s Landing to the ground.
Last Straw off The Camel’s Back
If you’ve been keeping up with GOT Season 8, you know that Daenerys hasn’t had a pleasant week. People of the North have been reluctant in welcoming her, despite Jon standing by her side, and no one can miss the tensions between her and Sansa Stark.
Anyone familiar with her character arc knows she has faced several losses, starting with her Dothraki husband Khal Drogo. She healed, as most people do, from the loss and moved on to be a truly formidable force in the GOT universe. But even the strongest people have their breaking points.
Last season, Daenerys lost one of her precious dragons to the White Walker King. Viserion’s loss was particularly hard on her, but at least she had Drogon and Rhaegal along with a budding relationship with Jon on her side. In typical Game of Thrones style, this season included the loss of several important and beloved characters.
Her struggles started with Jorah Mormont’s death on the battlefield. He had been her constant companion since her marriage to the Khal. Daenerys wept over the bloody body of her faithful hand and companion as fires burned around her.
This was followed quickly by the double whammy of losing Rhaegal and her faithful companion and handmaiden Missandei. Cersei paraded the former slave in shackles before killing her in front of Daenerys and Missandei partner Grey Worm. Missandei died encouraging her Queen to burn them all.
Pushed into the Corner
If all of these losses aren’t enough to push a person, the actions of people around her certainly can. Daenerys’ sole goal has been to regain the Iron Throne, but she faces challenges from almost every quarter. Despite her efforts, Jon is considered the better candidate by the sheer virtue of being born to Rhaeghar Targaryen. Sansa and her followers in the North aren’t willing to accept her as Queen and they certainly aren’t shy about undermining her at every turn.
Even Tyrion has started to express doubts about her sanity and motives. It would take a saint to withstand it all and not break. Criticism of her actions isn’t without merit because Daenerys has been slowly edging towards tyranny in the past few episodes. However, fans are right in saying that her character deserves much better.
Sending the Wrong Message
Three women are at the center of this story; Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, and Sansa Stark. There was a perfect opportunity to build something strong and good between Sansa and Daenerys. Instead, the showrunners decided to fall back on the trope that two powerful women cannot get along.
There was also a great potential for Daenerys to soar or get a noble end. Instead, they choose to push her towards insanity because a woman in power has to either be manipulative and cunning or utterly mad.
It makes no sense to consider Jon a more worthy candidate while Daenerys ruled the Dothraki, freed the slaves, and created a strong enough army to defeat the White Walkers with Sansa and Arya Stark’s help. Game of Thrones is coming to an end so we will know the fate of Daenerys Targaryen soon but her fans hope her arc is treated better than it has been to date.