One of the most controversial storylines of ‘Game of Thrones‘ is Daenerys Targaryen‘s descent into the Mad Queen. But here’s the thing: the signs of her eventual downfall were present long before Season 8.
Fans were so engrossed in her transformation from abused girl to powerful queen that they tended to forget how easily she could get justice confused with revenge.
The Red Flags Were There From The Beginning
In Season 1, when Khal Drogo poured molten gold over Viserys, Daenerys saw her abusive brother die and simply said that he was not a dragon. Considering everything Viserys had put her through, her reaction was understandable. Still, it showed how easy it was for her to give the harshest of punishments when she felt it was right to do so.
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In Season 3, things got more complicated. Daenerys ordered 163 masters to be crucified after she took Meereen. She believed it was right because she wanted revenge for the crucified children she saw on the road. Her anger was warranted, but she did not ask herself if each person was deserving of the same punishment.
She condemned collective cruelty by inflicting collective cruelty of her own. Then came Season 5, when she allowed one of Meereen’s great masters to be fed to her dragons after the Sons of the Harpy attacked. She confessed she didn’t know if he was guilty or not. Her desire for justice could quickly become a desire to make someone pay, regardless of the evidence.
The Difference Between Freedom and Control
The most telling moments of Daenerys’s reign was when people disobeyed her. In Season 6, she set fire to the khals inside the temple of Vaes Dothrak to win the allegiance of the Dothraki by force. She gained their allegiance, but it also demonstrated how she could command respect through fear.
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Even her dragons were a part of this pattern. During Season 4, when Drogon killed a child, Daenerys locked Rhaegal and Viserion under Meereen. She knew that power without control was dangerous. Still, she couldn’t control herself. The effects were dire by Season 8.
Daenerys decided to burn King’s Landing after she lost Missandei and witnessed its fall. The church bells were tolling. The battle was over. Still, thousands of civilians lost their lives. Her grief and losses accounted for her rage, but not her choice.
Maybe Daenerys didn’t suddenly become a tyrant. Maybe fans just assumed that her wins meant she couldn’t possibly become one. She wanted to change the world, but she never stopped believing she was the only person entitled to decide how the world should turn.
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