122 replies to this topic

[taurunum dire cat]

I finde entire Danys caracter has taken step back in ADWD.
We see her rise from a litle,scared girl into a strong woman trou 4 books only to finde her a love-sick teen in this one.
And from entirely female POV how the hell do you go from the real MAN like Drogo to someone with blue and gold beard,purple hair and nail-polish!?
And whats with all that"Oh,I wish Dario will come to rescue me"????
You got a DRAGON woman!!!!!!!

[Cricket]

Envie, on 15 August 2011 - 07:23 PM, said:

Give Mr. Martin some credit here. He rarely creates shallow characters by mistake. There's a lot of 'throwaway' characters in the story and perhaps Daario was meant to be one of them. He may not want us to get too emotionally invested in someone Dany may get close to in Essos because he does intend for her to go back to Westeros. No one from Essos is really going to fit in over there... not Drogo, not Hezzbabba or whatever his name was, and probably not Daario either.

Ok, so Daario's character may seem made of paper - maybe that was the intention of the writer? And yes, I don't want to 'hang out' with Daenerys nearly as much as I did when I first got to know her - but not because she's been banging a rakish sellsword in Meereen. Much bigger reasons I'd like to strangle her.

I also think Daario's portrayal was intentional in GRRM's part. What's questionable is if he was aware of the backlash it would cause to readers' opinion of Dany. Even if Daario was meant to be a shallow "throwaway" character, most of the time characters like this are at odds with the protagonists or at best, regarded with ambivalence. It's kind of jarring seeing a major protagonist head-over-heels in love with someone who's essentially an egotistical jerk. And not even a jerk who's important(within the actual events of the story, not his significance to Dany) but one who's just kind of ...around. Dany's storyline was already suffering from being rather slow, and it featured her making several mistakes, but I think her constantly pining over a character who had done next to nothing to make characters care about him drew a lot of animosity for both characters. Daario might've been better liked if he was just a rude sellsword like Bronn. But as a love interest to one of the major characters in the book, he leaves a bad taste.

I'd compare Dany/Daario to Sansa's infatuation with Joffery in GoT', a lot of people thought it made her look shallow and stupid. Though in that case, it was a little more understandable since Sansa was sort of acting as a foil for Arya and we knew eventually Sansa was going to see Joffery for what he really was. It's less understandable where GRRM intends to go with Darrio. It doesn't seem like Daario's necessarily a bad guy, but it's also hard to imagine him being Dany's true love. I'm not even sure about him being a reminder/example of what Dany's "supposed" to be. It seems like Quaithe fills the role of guiding Dany and helping her understand her destiny more than Daario.

Edited by Cricket, 17 August 2011 - 10:20 AM.

[Envie]

Cricket, on 17 August 2011 - 10:19 AM, said:

I also think Daario's portrayal was intentional in GRRM's part. What's questionable is if he was aware of the backlash it would cause to readers' opinion of Dany. Even if Daario was meant to be a shallow "throwaway" character, most of the time characters like this are at odds with the protagonists or at best, regarded with ambivalence. It's kind of jarring seeing a major protagonist head-over-heels in love with someone who's essentially an egotistical jerk. And not even a jerk who's important(within the actual events of the story, not his significance to Dany) but one who's just kind of ...around. Dany's storyline was already suffering from being rather slow, and it featured her making several mistakes, but I think her constantly pining over a character who had done next to nothing to make characters care about him drew a lot of animosity for both characters. Daario might've been better liked if he was just a rude sellsword like Bronn. But as a love interest to one of the major characters in the book, he leaves a bad taste.

I can definitely agree with this too. I think there's a lot of passion (sometimes not even admitted) about Dany's story and her character and so things which happen to her seem much more dramatic and frustrating than a lot of the others (like Sansa). No one goes on nearly as much about Sansa - its a given most people find her teenager antics annoying... but then when Daenerys goes through her teen angst stage, people go nuts with the hate posts! She does have dragons, afterall. But regardless, she's just a human, a teenage girl, with a lot of conflict, power and confusing emotions. Daario fit a desire she had, nothing more. I too wonder if GRRM realized how much panty bunching he was going to be making by having Daenerys make so many dumb mistakes and dragging out her Meereen storyline for so long. Intentional?

Daario's probably not going to come back in any capacity... or maybe we'll be surprised yet again...

[The Lost Lord]

Cricket, on 17 August 2011 - 10:19 AM, said:

I'd compare Dany/Daario to Sansa's infatuation with Joffery in GoT', a lot of people thought it made her look shallow and stupid.

The contrast with Tyrion/Shae was made upthread and I think it's a good one. Shae is an untrustworthy, one-dimensional character who Tyrion falls for and takes stupid risks for. I think people don't react the same way to that plotline because of some combination of (1) they liked the rest of Tyrion's arc in those books and hate the rest of Dany's arc in ADWD, and (2) they get more viscerally annoyed at a girl mooning over a hot but lame guy than a guy mooning over a hot but lame girl (same with Sansa/Joffrey). Tyrion's arc is viewed with sympathetic eyes, but Dany and Sansa are called "you moron!"

[Scott553]

Great analysis from the original and subsequent posters.

I was disappointed in Dany's decisions with Daario and Meereen in a selfish way.  I wanted Dany to be a stronger character, I wanted her to make the right/difficult choices, and frankly, I wanted her storyline to progress rather than take two steps back.  I didn't get what I wanted (boo hoo for me!) and it clouded my opinion of her storyline.

Daario's "purpose" for Dany makes a lot of sense.  He represents Dany's option to do whatever necessary to attain her goals without moral or ethical repurcussion. I'm looking forward to where Dany goes in the next books.  

I do wish there was more of a conclusion to Dany's storyline in Meereen, that's probably the only criticism I still have.

[iamthedave]

Haven't you heard? Daario is actually Aegon!!!

Agree with the analysis completely. But the criticisms of it still stand. Daario is uninteresting, and he becomes annoying when Dany is getting distracted by him when she ought to be ruling. As for his representing violence... doesn't one of the z-men represent that nicely? He's constantly telling her to kill this noble or that noble.

Have her moon over Drogo instead. He was at least interesting for his short stay and - most importantly - didn't vastly overstay his welcome like Daario has.

Basically I agree with the analysis, but to me the plot would work exactly the same without a certain irritating sellsword. Who is hopefully dead, but I fear is not going to be.

The Lost Lord, on 15 August 2011 - 04:52 PM, said:

I think the HBO series will have an opportunity to change fans' views of Daario. If they cast someone with real charisma who commands the screen, we will better understand why Dany would fall for him. Plus, Dany's internal fawning over him seems to have annoyed a lot of people -- though I will point out that few are annoyed so viscerally when male narrators fawn over hot women -- so the absence of Dany's thoughts in the show might make this plotline more subtle and bearable for them. I think you're probably right that Martin made his appearance and paraphernalia too over-the-top, so that could be toned down as well.

I feel this needs to be addressed (the bolded part). What annoys the hell out of people is that she does it to the detriment of critically important things. Like thinking.

She never reminded me more of Cersei than when she was thinking about Daario, because Cersei in power did little more than think with her rage and her womanly bits. Dany does similar on a lesser extent. You constantly see her raging - but she has nothing to vent it at - and you constantly see her lusting after Daario when she categorically has more important things to be doing. That and she's clearly bored with the whole process (another Cersei characteristic).

So it's not the lustful thoughts as such, it's the fact they make her suck. Figuratively.

Tyrion is always the parallel to draw, but his thinking about Shae never actually impacted his running of the city. It led to his downfall sure enough, and he did some appalling things to keep his secret safe, but when it came to the important part, he was always effective despite thinking about her.

Edited by iamthedave, 17 August 2011 - 09:41 PM.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

LAJN, on 15 August 2011 - 05:01 PM, said:

It really serves to show how immature Dany still is.

She has the heir to her father's most loyal lord travel across the world to meet her, and she laughs at him because he's somewhat homely and was nicknamed Frog.  

No, she laughs because the PRINCE who has come to her has been nicknamed FROG.  Which is fundamentally hilarious because there is a story called the FROG PRINCE.  Get it?  

She does not "laugh at him because he his homely".

In fact she immediately apologizes for laughing inappropriately at the hilarious situation, and treats him kindly every time they meet thereafter.

Quote

She thinks Quentyn is weak when he flinches from a dragon.  Uh, excuse me Dany who hasn't flinched from one of your dragons?  That really bothered me because Quentyn may not get her wet but he deserved a lot more than he got.

I don't think she thinks he is weak.  In any case, this was a Quentyn PoV chapter, so if anything we would have Quentyn thinking that Dany thought he was weak - no idea what she really thinks.  In fact, Dany put a lot of trust into Quentyn by bringing him to the dragons (almost no one else was allowed in to see him), and I think she sensed that he might be able to form a bond with them because of his Targaryen heritage (this isn't stated explicitly, just my own explanation for why she brought Quentyn).  

Quote

Whereas Daario, I am sure this guy's only motivation to help Dany was to bed her.  He wanted to be the guy who could boast about having fucked the dragon queen.  He did go through a lot of trouble to get there, but he likes fighting anyway so it's not like he sacrificed something.  I don't think he'll betray her (if he's still alive) but there's a good chance he'll decide he's had his fill and just ditch her.

I agree, I feel about the same way about Daario as you've described.  I see his point as a plot device, I suppose.  I just wish he was a bit less one-dimensional so I could understand what Dany sees in him.  *shrug*  I don't mind him as long as he's just a fling/piece on the side, but seriously?  Gold tooth?  Green and purple beard?  What?

[iamthedave]

MyDogIsNamedDanerys, on 17 August 2011 - 09:41 PM, said:

I agree, I feel about the same way about Daario as you've described.  I see his point as a plot device, I suppose.  I just wish he was a bit less one-dimensional so I could understand what Dany sees in him.  *shrug*  I don't mind him as long as he's just a fling/piece on the side, but seriously?  Gold tooth?  Green and purple beard?  What?

Don't forget his bling (fancy sword handles). All he needs is a pimp hat and he's good to go.

[snowzombie]

LAJN, on 15 August 2011 - 05:01 PM, said:

It really serves to show how immature Dany still is.

She has the heir to her father's most loyal lord travel across the world to meet her, and she laughs at him because he's somewhat homely and was nicknamed Frog.  She thinks Quentyn is weak when he flinches from a dragon.  Uh, excuse me Dany who hasn't flinched from one of your dragons?  That really bothered me because Quentyn may not get her wet but he deserved a lot more than he got.

She never laughed at Quentyn spitefully or acted dismissively towards him. That was shown in the narrative twice - when she met him and when Gerris says she laughed and Barristan says, "It's clear you never met her, because she wouldn't have laughed."

He arrived the day before her wedding. She told him he was too late. Selmy told him he was too late. Guess what? He was too late. But she was kind to him. And what did he do? Unleash two feral dragons on Mereen.

I don't mean to come across as hostile. I really didn't like Quentyn. He's the Millhouse of ASOIAF. And Dany doesn't get the credit she deserves. When I read ADwD a second time, I see a 15 year old girl presented with a lot of difficult choices.

Edited by snowzombie, 17 August 2011 - 09:56 PM.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

The Lost Lord, on 17 August 2011 - 11:53 AM, said:

The contrast with Tyrion/Shae was made upthread and I think it's a good one. Shae is an untrustworthy, one-dimensional character who Tyrion falls for and takes stupid risks for. I think people don't react the same way to that plotline because of some combination of (1) they liked the rest of Tyrion's arc in those books and hate the rest of Dany's arc in ADWD, and (2) they get more viscerally annoyed at a girl mooning over a hot but lame guy than a guy mooning over a hot but lame girl (same with Sansa/Joffrey). Tyrion's arc is viewed with sympathetic eyes, but Dany and Sansa are called "you moron!"

Honestly in some ways I think this shows what a huge double standard there is in the community (in our world???) for sexual relationships carried on by men vs. women.  

I've always thought that Shae made Tyrion look horrible.  It's at least as bad as Dany/Daario.  His worst comes out when he is with Shae: his misogyny, his spite and cruelty, his greed and lust, and his self-delusion.  Seriously, not only does he pay for sex and then delude himself into thinking that it's true love, but the fantasy he is paying for, is for the girl to pretend she's a brainless sexpot who never talks back (and is slapped the one time she does) and tells him he's "her giant of Lannister" in bed?  Ew.  

And yet...  if you look at the threads, about 90% of the hate is for Shae.  Very few people emphasize the point of how awful the Shae/Tyrion relationship makes Tyrion look.  No, OTOH there are all these threads about how Shae is a golddigger and a whore and deserved to be killed. Gross.  If there's one crime I don't think Tyrion deserves forgiveness for, it's what he did to Shae.

[snowzombie]

The Lost Lord, on 17 August 2011 - 11:53 AM, said:

The contrast with Tyrion/Shae was made upthread and I think it's a good one. Shae is an untrustworthy, one-dimensional character who Tyrion falls for and takes stupid risks for. I think people don't react the same way to that plotline because of some combination of (1) they liked the rest of Tyrion's arc in those books and hate the rest of Dany's arc in ADWD, and (2) they get more viscerally annoyed at a girl mooning over a hot but lame guy than a guy mooning over a hot but lame girl (same with Sansa/Joffrey). Tyrion's arc is viewed with sympathetic eyes, but Dany and Sansa are called "you moron!"

While it is a valid point to say that folks hate Daario because he makes Dany act stupidly, I totally agree with you. Because of the male gaze, men view their own sexuality subjectively and women's sexuality objectively - as in women are there to be the objects of their own sexuality. This is a product of our culture and the extreme over-representation of males in the TV and movie industry - from the director's chair, to the writer's room, to the gaffers, to the speaking roles on the show. I love GoT because GRRM writes great characters - both women and men - and they're are all represented on screen, they get the time they deserve on the show. (But don't get me started on Roz and sexposition.)

If Dany acts like a lovesick 15 year old it's because she's a lovesick 15 year old. She's acting her age. She had no life aside from what Viserys allowed her to see up until she was 13. I'm surprised by how mature she is, when she's immature it's par for the course. Tyrion is in his 20's at the very least. Dany had never been groomed for leadership, never been taken seriously intellectually, never had any relationships with males aside her brother's creepy incestuous groping. She's got a lot on her plate and Daario is her escape.

People have discussed how Dany is a conqueror and not a ruler, and that's a really great point about her character. I'm rooting for her, but I'm not rooting for her to get the Iron Throne. Mereen shows you can't rule a culture you're unfamiliar with. She's never stepped foot in Westeros. It's presumptuous for her to feel entitled to that throne. She's out of touch with what's going on over there and doesn't realize that she has to go when the time is right for the Seven Kingdoms, not when the time is right for her.

Edited by snowzombie, 17 August 2011 - 10:12 PM.

[snowzombie]

MyDogIsNamedDanerys, on 17 August 2011 - 09:55 PM, said:

Honestly in some ways I think this shows what a huge double standard there is in the community (in our world???) for sexual relationships carried on by men vs. women.  

I've always thought that Shae made Tyrion look horrible.  It's at least as bad as Dany/Daario.  His worst comes out when he is with Shae: his misogyny, his spite and cruelty, his greed and lust, and his self-delusion.  Seriously, not only does he pay for sex and then delude himself into thinking that it's true love, but the fantasy he is paying for, is for the girl to pretend she's a brainless sexpot who never talks back (and is slapped the one time she does) and tells him he's "her giant of Lannister" in bed?  Ew.  

And yet...  if you look at the threads, about 90% of the hate is for Shae.  Very few people emphasize the point of how awful the Shae/Tyrion relationship makes Tyrion look.  No, OTOH there are all these threads about how Shae is a golddigger and a whore and deserved to be killed. Gross.  If there's one crime I don't think Tyrion deserves forgiveness for, it's what he did to Shae.

You said it so much better than I could!!! I agree with you wholeheartedly

And did Dany ever wonder if Daario loved her? I don't recall that she did, but I could be wrong. But she was definitely less delusional about the nature of their relationship than Tyrion was regarding Shae.

[brian_177]

The Lost Lord, on 17 August 2011 - 11:53 AM, said:

The contrast with Tyrion/Shae was made upthread and I think it's a good one. Shae is an untrustworthy, one-dimensional character who Tyrion falls for and takes stupid risks for. I think people don't react the same way to that plotline because of some combination of (1) they liked the rest of Tyrion's arc in those books and hate the rest of Dany's arc in ADWD, and (2) they get more viscerally annoyed at a girl mooning over a hot but lame guy than a guy mooning over a hot but lame girl (same with Sansa/Joffrey). Tyrion's arc is viewed with sympathetic eyes, but Dany and Sansa are called "you moron!"

Agreed. It smells like sexism, to me. Why does the fact Dany fell for a fit, attractive, charming guy make her stupid. She never forgets her duty--she's CONSTANTLY reigning herself in reminding herself that Daario can only be a fling, and it took her a very long time to even let it go that far.

Like Barristan says, Dornishmen have paramours. Tyrion had Shae. Jaime has his incest. Why can't Dany have sexytime, especially when from her point of view very little harm can come from it?*

*I think she's wrong. I don't have any issue with the Dany Daario relationship. I really enjoyed the journey she took through this book, but I think she's wrong in being optimistic that her betrayals are over--I'm not sure they're even close to being over. She can only really be betrayed by people she let close. Reznak mo Reznak isn't really any threat, because Dany has never let him in. Sure, he might betray her in the end--but you can't be betrayed by someone you never expected loyalty from. Long story short--the deeper Dany lets Daario in, the more devestating it will be when/if he shows his true colours--and I think that's bound to happen.

[Tagganaro]

MyDogIsNamedDanerys, on 17 August 2011 - 09:55 PM, said:

Honestly in some ways I think this shows what a huge double standard there is in the community (in our world???) for sexual relationships carried on by men vs. women.  

I've always thought that Shae made Tyrion look horrible.  It's at least as bad as Dany/Daario.  His worst comes out when he is with Shae: his misogyny, his spite and cruelty, his greed and lust, and his self-delusion.  Seriously, not only does he pay for sex and then delude himself into thinking that it's true love, but the fantasy he is paying for, is for the girl to pretend she's a brainless sexpot who never talks back (and is slapped the one time she does) and tells him he's "her giant of Lannister" in bed?  Ew.  

And yet...  if you look at the threads, about 90% of the hate is for Shae.  Very few people emphasize the point of how awful the Shae/Tyrion relationship makes Tyrion look.  No, OTOH there are all these threads about how Shae is a golddigger and a whore and deserved to be killed. Gross.  If there's one crime I don't think Tyrion deserves forgiveness for, it's what he did to Shae.

While I agree there's a certain sexism, it also has to be taken into account that Tyrion is an ugly freak to the rest of the world and Dany is one of the most beautiful desirable women in the world.  This makes it all the more annoying when Dany moons over this guy who seems like a complete loser when she could have any other guy as well.  Tyrion really can't do any better than Shae, and he actually likes Shae for all her talking back, he says so himself.    

And while Shae probably didn't deserve to die, Tyrion's actions are somewhat understandable (not that I condone them).  I believe he would have left Shae alive if she didn't say "my giant of lannister", which was really sort of an awful thing for her to say after bringing that up in his trial and really, really embarrassing him.  And we know that Tywin/Tyrion are probably most alike in their pathological fear of being ridiculed and laughed at.

I freaking hated Daario, but I didn't hate the plotline, which is to say especially tied together with Dany's last chapter it makes sense that she would be attracted to Daario.  Dany is understandably still grieving over Drogo, she's gonna try to find guys that kind of remind her of him.  And while Dany certainly didn't laugh at Quentyn the way everyone hates her for doing it, I wouldn't really have blamed her if she had.

The notion that this completely average looking prince nicknamed Frog would travel across the world to try and get Dany to marry him based on some 20 year old agreement is kind of funny.  Even Doran Martell didn't really have any delusions about this mission- He said it was really dangerous and crazy from the start.  It's funny to me that Dany gets blamed for his death when it is entirely HIS fault.  Dany and Barristan actually do their best to protect him.

[DragonsHungry]

I found the Daario story boring, much like most of Dany's Meereen arc was boring and made her far less likable and more like Cersi for me.  I don't hate Daario or care Dany took a lover, he just isn't important enough character to invest much into, especially since he likely won't make it out of the next book.

I was more disturbed at her marriage to the paper cutout character Hizwhatshisname, which made me groan that this plot wasn't leaving Meereen, and as the story went along in ADWD, I grew to despise the place.  If Daario did something shocking, like kill Hizwhatshisname on their wedding night, or cause Meereen to fall, that might have been something to make him stand out.

[brashcandy]

Sevumar, on 15 August 2011 - 06:43 PM, said:

I very specifically chose the tree planting imagery to show my disagreement with her interpretation of her visions/hallucinations/internal monologue. The obvious and most glorious moments of Targaryen history are filled with blood and dragonfire, but there were dragons who planted trees, built infrastructure, and set aside the sword to solve conflicts. All her life, she's been told that being the dragon means embracing fire and blood but the dynasty that fire and blood forged has fallen. Certainly, the traditional use of dragons will come into play in her story in Westeros, but I think she will be called on to prove that she can transcend the old Targaryen identity.

Yes, she must accept that people will suffer and die as a result of her actions. That's been the lesson she's been trying to internalize for the first half of the series. I'm saying that the route ahead of her will also require her to destroy her understanding of what it meant to be a Targaryen.

You say that you think she will come to believe that she'll take what she wants by force. I'm saying that her next challenge is a discarding the old definition of "what she wants" (the Iron Throne, restoration of the Targaryen dynasty, and revenge on the enemies who dethroned her mad father) and realizing that she cannot truly be a good ruler until she's willing to give up on most of those goals for the sake of protecting the realm. I don't think she can reconcile the cost of conquering Westeros mercilessly with her seemingly-genuine concern for those she would rule. Ultimately, I see her having to make a decision between allegiance to House Targaryen and the survival/future of the Seven Kingdoms.

Wow this is such a fabulous thread, I don't even know where to begin. I thought the OP gave a very thorough and insightful analysis into the significance of the Dany/Daario relationship and definitely made me rethink its greater thematic importance.

However, I just wanted to add my firm agreement to the argument Sevumar has been making concerning the eventual path that Dany will choose concerning her destiny as Queen and conqueror. I think her final chapter indicates quite skillfully that her road ahead will be one of compromise. She may be the blood of the dragon, but she is also Mother and Breaker of Chains. As to the point Sevumar made, she has to reconcile these two aspects of her nature, and in so doing will redefine the common concept of Targaryen rule.

There are many hints in the chapter that Dany will adopt this approach when she eventually moves to conquer Westeros. There is the foreshadowing of her fight with the Others when she falls asleep by the wall and is stung by ants:
        The next morning she woke stiff and sore and aching, with ants crawling
        on her arms and legs and face... She had bites all over her, little red
        bumps, itchy and inflamed... Where did all the ants come from?... She
        knocked them off and crushed them under her bare feet. They were so many...
        It turned out their anthill was on the other side of her wall...
However, directly following this description of the ants nest, Dany thinks of the actual Wall back in Westeros, and remembers her brother Viserys telling her of "knights so poor they had to sleep beneath the ancient hedges that grew along the byways of the Seven Kingdoms." There is always a constant contrast in Dany's storyline between threats which need to be eliminated and the people/land which needs to be protected.

The vision that she has of Viserys is also another important indication that she will not adopt a pure policy of fire and blood. This 'conquer at any cost' methodology belongs to her brother, not to Dany. In this vision Viserys bitterly complains:
         I did wait. For my crown, for my throne, for you. All those years,
         and all I ever got was a pot of molten gold. Why did they give the
         dragon's eggs to you? They should have been mine. If I'd had a dragon,
         I would have taught the world the meaning of our words...

Viserys is the 'dragon' who would have ruled with fire and blood, not Dany. I strongly believes she comes to an epiphany during her time in the wilderness, but I don't think it is to conquer blindly through violence and fear. I think what she's learnt is that she can no longer see things in stark terms anymore, life isn't painted in black and white, and the dragons have played a prime role in helping her to see this.

When she chained them, she was trying to deny their nature. The fact that they are dragons, and they burn and kill. However, it is important not to misread her acceptance of them as an acceptance to live by the rule of fire and blood and violence and death. Dany also realizes that dragons are beautiful, and that riding them affords an unmatched experience. She is literally given an entire world view, and this greater perspective affords her a new understanding of the world she inhabits. This is why she finds that she has forgotten the name of the little girl that Drogon killed, and while it is disheartening, there is nothing to be done about that now. This is linked with the appearance of Khal Jhaqo at the end of the chapter. Dany had once promised to make him pay for what he had done to the girl she had saved. However, it is more likely that she will use the Dothraki army to help restore peace in Mereen and then move on to Westeros.  I don't see her killing Jhaqo. Just as she realised it was in the dragons' natures to kll, she has to accept the Dothraki system of things. Right or wrong, regardless of personal feelings, she will make a Queen's decision.

So the final image of Dany with her dragon standing next to her is not a foreshadowing of death and destruction, but rather strength and resolution. She knows who she is, but also what she is not. Her homecoming to Westeros might not have dragons planting trees, but perhaps rebuilding walls and hope

Edited by brashcandy, 18 August 2011 - 02:22 AM.

[FalseSpring]

Am I the only person who found Daario awesome and sexy? Maybe it has to do with my taste in men. This whole thread has blindsided me.

[sketchbookuser]

Guys, can't you see?  GRRM's ultimate plan is to have anyone involved in incest, whether born from it or participating in it to become the abominations that they are.  No mercy for anyone involved with incest, I say!

[Duskfire]

I dont understand how he is still alive. There is no such thing as a bold sellsword, or at least thats what they tell us. Brown Ben Plumm for instance is quiet and calculating and almost friendly. Bronn is cold hearted, cautious and intelligent. Yet here is Daario, strutting about as if he owns the place, killing would-be collegues just because, wearing ridiculous fashion, etc etc.

[Andre]

Interesting Post.

But am I the only one who was immediately reminded of both Elizabeth Movies? Danys relationship with Daario - the dashing but completely unfit-for-a-queen Rogue - to me mirrored the relationships of Elizabeth with Robert Dudley or with Walter Raleigh. And the relationship Dany / Daario seems to serve the same purpose as the Elizabeth / Dudley one, namely to finally turn the queen from a warm-hearted, romantic child into the woman willing to do whatever it takes to save (or in this case, conquer) her realm. Though why George R.R.Martin thought the death of Khaal Drogo wasn´t enough for this, I don´t know.