ron2112

Well, that's what separates good writers from bad, isn't it? Tragic characters -- from Hamlet up through Walter White -- are nothing new, It's the journey, not the destination that matters, and even if you KNOW things are going to end badly for your favorite character, going along for the ride and identifying all the places where they could have made different, better choices -- or couldn't do anything different for that matter -- is part of the fun. Disney endings get boring after a while.

I just had the same thought. Include Yara invading the North from the Iron Islands.

In a more fleshed-out work, it would serve as the final, complete challenge to Dany's claim to the throne, and the lynchpin that sends her over the edge. Didn't get played up nearly so much in the show.

Not sure that question is answerable yet. BUT as a rule, the book is always better than the movie. I have faith that once GRRM finishes the series, the holes will be filled and things will at least make sense, even if everyone doesn't like the ending. Not liking the ending is still OK.

We didn't actually SEE her die. I'm betting she claws her way out of the rubble in the next episode. Anyone else?

Nice catch......I guess I always focused on the Drogo coming back part and not the Dany having more kids part.

And juxtaposing this event against a war waged to SAVE all these people from the White Walkers ads a bit of irony. Perhaps she was pissed that so many of her people died to save a South that doesn't really care who rules them....?

While I've seen this episode a number of times, I must have always missed this......but why does she assume she'll NEVER have children, just because she lost the first one?

Gonna put this here -- the entire scene this clip comes from is a real-world example of normal people snapping and doing crazy things in wartime:

Yes, thanks for reminding me......the fact that she refers to the dragons as her "children" has always struck me as a bit nuts.

I don't disagree, but gonna play Devil's Advocate for a moment here. Dany seems to me to have been itching to unleash her dragons on King's Landing for at least a couple seasons now, only to have been talked down by her advisors. So she does things their way, and wins, but two of her closest friends are now dead because of what she could easily perceive as being sidetracked from her main mission -- to take the Iron Throne. I can see how this might seem unsatisfying to a Mad Queen, and thus she goes on a rampage to exact her pound of flesh. Yes, it lacks a certain amount of "connective tissue" to really SELL the "Mad Queen" theme, but the elements are there, if you want to look for them. If the books do indeed go this way, I suspect GRRM will do a better job of making the case.

But one could see how the following might push her over the edge: - Loss of two most trusted advisors/friends in rapid succession - Loss of most of the Dothraki army - Feeling that Jon isn't 100% loyal to her - Hatred for Cersei But yes, these should be built up over time -- maybe 1 or 2 whole seasons. As it's executed in the shows, I can see the line from A to B, but it feels rushed.

Maybe it will make you feel better in the final episode when Cersei emerges from the rubble for a final face-off with Tyrion. Because I've got a crisp $20 that says that's exactly what's going to happen.

Yep, I'm going to agree with this point, and I think it hits it right on the head. Daenerys has been headed in this direction all along, and last night was the ultimate conclusion of her fixation with being a beloved ruler. NOW -- the pacing and execution of the last couple seasons are indeed worthy of all the derision one wants to heap upon them. Daenerys' "breakdown" should have had a lot more buildup. But I think it's hard to find fault with the arc itself.