To say that the final season of Game of Thrones has been controversial would be a bit of an understatement, as the debut of every new episode sees an outcry from fans about virtually every element that brought the adventure to life. Whether it be the artistic choices or the narrative decisions, the fandom has had reactions that are as divisive as the kingdoms in the franchise itself. In this week’s episode, Daenerys Targaryen‘s actions upon arriving in King’s Landing took many viewers by surprise, though producer and writer D.B. Weiss revealed what was running through the character’s mind that caused her to make these bold decisions.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Game of Thrones
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After causing Cersei’s army to surrender, Daenerys saw the kingdom that she felt was rightfully hers and, rather than take the throne along with her victory, she used her dragon to lay waste to virtually all of King’s Landing. D.B. Weiss claims that it was her finally being in this kingdom that caused her to lash out with such extreme force.
“She sees the Red Keep, which is, to her, the home that her family built when they first came over to this country 300 years ago,” Weiss shared in a behind-the-scenes featurette. “It’s in that moment, on the walls of King’s Landing where she’s looking at that symbol of everything that was taken from her, when she makes the decision to make this personal.”
Throughout much of her time on the show, Daenerys has been seen as the rightful ruler of Westeros and, for all intents and purposes, one of the series’ “heroes.” In that regard, many fans had a hard time accepting she could be such a vindictive character. Other fans, however, have seen clues of her ruthlessness throughout the entire series, with this turn feeling organic for the character, albeit a bit rushed when considering we’ve never seen her act out her anger to such an extreme degree in previous episodes.
“There is something chilling about the way Dany has responded to the death of her enemies,” producer David Benioff shared. “Even when you look back to season one when Khal Drogo gives the golden crown to Viserys and her reaction of watching her brother’s head melted off. He was a terrible brother, so I don’t think anyone was crying when Viserys died, but…”
The final episode of Game of Thrones airs this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments below!
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