The character arc of Daenerys Targaryen was (and remains) one of the most controversial aspects of Game of Thrones. More than any other character, she developed and changed as the show progressed, until the very moment when she became that which she’d always feared: the Mad Queen. Her destruction of King’s Landing and her death at the hands of Jon Snow were and are endlessly debated by both fans and television critics.
Now that the series has been concluded, it’s time to look back at those aspects of Dany that would stand the test of time and those that definitely would not.
Would Never Fly: The Rape Scene With Drogo
In the very first episode of the show, Dany is sold into marriage with Khal Drogo by her brother Viserys, who wishes to use her in his bid to conquer Westeros. On their wedding night, Drogo rapes Dany in one of the most disturbing moments in a series well-known for its mistreatment of women’s bodies. It’s possible to include a scene of assault in a show like this, but the focus and approach would need to be very, very different.
Would: Strong Female Lead
Though this series has many flaws when it comes to its depiction of women, it can’t be denied that it does feature some of the strongest and most powerful women to be seen in a television drama.
Dany is particularly exemplary in this regard, as throughout the show she grows from a timid girl to a young woman who is determined to seize what she sees as her destiny, no matter the personal cost to her.
Would Never Fly: The “White Savior” Scene At Meereen
Racial sensitivity was definitely not one of the strong suits of this show, as Dany’s entrance into Meereen makes abundantly clear. While her saving of the city and the liberation of its enslaved populace is true to the books, the series seems to go out of its way to present this as a white savior narrative, with Dany’s blindingly white body lifted aloft on the shoulders of numerous people of color. It’s one of those things that seems stunning even in hindsight, and one can’t help but wonder why it was ever filmed that way.
Would: Her Fear And Anger Stemming From A Traumatic Childhood
In a show notorious for people suffering horrible childhoods, Dany still manages to stand out. Forced into exile after her family was slaughtered, she then had to endure the endless cruelties of her elder brother Viserys, who seemed to think nothing of abusing her constantly. As it turns out, this will be pivotal to her development as a character, and it’s one of those things that will most likely stand the test of time.
Would Never Fly: Her Abrupt Change Of Character In The Penultimate Episode
There were many aspects of the eighth season that were very divisive among fans of the show, but one issue stands above all of the rest: Dany’s seemingly swift change from savior to monster in the penultimate episode of the series. While many had seen her transition to the Mad Queen coming since she first appeared in the first season, many (with some justification) claimed that the show hadn’t done enough to make this shift in character feel either organic or true to the character that audiences had come to know during the previous seasons.
Would: Sidetracking Her Own Cause To Fight In The North
Say what one will about Dany, she’s not the type to shirk her duty. Thus, she turns away from her conquest of King’s Landing to go to the North, knowing that the fight against the Night King is the thing that must be prioritized.
This is one of those things that made sense both in terms of character and story, since by this time Dany has shown herself to be someone committed to duty and, of course, it was necessary to have a dragon in the north so that the Night King could use it to bring down the Wall.
Would Never Fly: How She Treats Basically Everyone Like Garbage When They Actually Try To Advise Her
As the series progresses, Dany gathers more and more people around her. While many of these people seem to genuinely have her best interests at heart, far too often she turns away from them, spurning their advice in order to follow what she sees as her own beliefs (her roasting of Varys is a case in point). Some of these incidents might make sense, but it’s hard to shake the sense that quite a few of them wouldn’t have been included if the show were made today.
Would: Her Egalitarianism
One of Dany’s most noteworthy storylines is her commitment to a form of social justice, working to free the enslaved and ensure that all of those who dwell on Essos have the chance to live whatever lives they might desire. In fact, this is one of the things that made her such a popular character among fans, who saw in her an antidote to the poisonous and selfish politics that seemed to be the dominant mode in Westeros. Even though she eventually betrayed those principles, one can still fondly remember how she used to be.
Would Never Fly: Her Tendency To Make Precipitous Judgments
Dany, like many other Targaryens, seems to have a bad habit of making decisions based on the emotions of the moment rather than thinking them through rationally (her brother Rhaegar also suffered from this flaw, much to his regret). Her decision to have Drogon burn the Tarlys is one of the most noteworthy of these snap judgments, and it’s hard to think that, were the show made today, the writers would allow some of these decisions to stand.
Would: Her Commitment To Justice
The unfortunate thing about the Targaryens, and indeed kings more generally, is that they tend to be very capricious. One sees this repeatedly in the world of this series, though it probably becomes most clear when Cersei ascends to the Iron Throne and seems more interested in vengeance than justice. For the most part, however, Dany seems committed to an idea of justice that goes beyond the personal, and this is one of those things that makes her such a fascinating and sympathetic character.