No plot holes? Let's go over them for a second.
- The bells have never meant surrender, they were a sign that a monarch had died (Davos even mentions how the bells never mean surrender in S2)
- Tyrion asking Davos if he's the greatest smuggler alive- he knows this, as Davos has smuggled Tyrion into King's Landing before
- The "Game Revealed" episode mentions how Dany wanted to make it personal- how? She knows Cersei doesn't give a fuck about King's Landing or its people
- Cersei mentioning how the Red Keep has never fallen, yet it has fallen to Tywin Lannister during Robert's Rebellion
- Tyrion turning to Dany about Varys committing treason, and instantly committing treason himself
That's just this episode. There's even more in the entire season.
We aren't upset that "a character isn't acting in a way we don't want them to", we are upset that there's been NO set up for this. Yes, Dany has been ruthless throughout the show- to people that deserved it, or she felt needed to be brought to justice. She's shown regret when killing someone she wasn't sure was guilty. She has never slaughtered or thought about slaughtering innocent people. Never. Ever. She's fought for innocent people. Hell, in episode 3 she was fighting for innocent people. That suddenly switches in ONE episode? ONE? She locked up her dragons- against the counsel of her advisors, because they killed an innocent child. She stayed in Meereen, against the counsel of her advisors, because she couldn't leave the people. During the entire show we've been made to feel empathy for Dany, to cheer when she burns the people who betray her, and now suddenly we have to be horrified of her? Because she's a Targaryen? No, not a good enough reason. Jon is a Targaryen, should we be horrified of him? Rhaegar was a Targaryen, there have been many good Targaryens, more than there have been mad Targaryens.
There was no set-up for Dany to become the mad queen. None. If D&D wanted this to be even remotely believable, then they should've taken HBO's offer to increase the budget for more episodes and have her descent into madness shown from the start, but they didn't. Because they don't care about the story.
I don't mind Dany as mad queen, I really don't, and should this arc happen for her in the books then I have full trust in George to handle it well and showcase a slow progression of madness- as was the case with her father, who slowly went mad and planned to burn the city after losing it BECAUSE he went mad.
I don't accept D&D's mad queen, because it doesn't fit the character we've been shown.