Before Daenerys Targaryen went all-out crazy murdering hundreds of people in King’s Landing, she was once a sympathetic leader who felt the struggles of the poor. With that immense power in her hands—her dragons—she had a responsibility over them and this was evident in one emotional scene in Game of Thrones Season 4.
The Mother of Dragons spent a good amount of time ruling in Meereen, the last city in Slaver’s Bay, after she seized control of it by initiating a slave revolt. Season 4 was indeed a very exciting part of the queen’s storyline as it showed the wonders and perils of her dragons’ presence in the city.
Remember when Daenerys locked up her dragons because Drogon killed a child?
After Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys and her army sacked Astapor and Yunkai in hopes of liberating the enslaved population, they headed to Meereen and there installed herself as the queen. With three dragons freely roaming the city, this became a concern for the people.
At first, it affected the livelihood of herders as one of her dragons attacked a flock of goats as seen in Episode 6: The Laws of Gods and Men. The queen promised to compensate the owner three times his loss. While this was easy to settle, the next event was so harrowing that Dany was consumed by guilt.
In the final episode of Season 4 titled The Children, a grieving father presented to her the charred bones of his three-year-old girl, Zalla. As Natalie Emmanuel’s Missandei translated, the supplicant said, “He came from the sky. The black one. The winged shadow.” Ridden by guilt, Dany ordered to confine Viserion and Rhaegal to the catacombs while Drogon remained at large.
This proves how much she cared for the people and was even devastated upon learning her dragon killed an innocent child. As painful as it is for a mother to lock up her children, she did what was necessary to ensure the safety of others.
Looking back at this episode, her upsetting arc in Season 8 only demonstrated how the showrunners rushed her descent into madness. Fans can justify her action in the season finale by claiming that we all saw the signs, but her violent tendencies weren’t enough to defend her from committing genocide if in this scene, she saw one dead child and she could not handle the guilt.
Fans are still angry about Game of Thrones final season
In George R.R. Martin’s book, the tragedy haunted Dany for a long time. She kept thinking about the girl and reflecting on her actions possibly transforming her into a monster. While this is a good set-up for her future downfall and insanity, it wasn’t the case in the show. Many fans believe her Season 8 behavior was unearned:
Many fans look forward to the upcoming sixth book, The Winds of Winter, in hopes of a more satisfying storyline for Dany. We’re crossing our fingers Martin will finish the novel very soon!
