The Mad Queen?

[Ilissa]

If the script turns Dany into a mad queen, what is the meaning of her arc? Genes - the most important thing? Your ideals don't matter, your actions don't matter, your thoughts don't matter. The only thing that matters is if your father was the Mad King, then you will become the Mad Queen. Is that what Martin wanted to tell us? Really?

[LadyBlackwater]

Maybe he's just driving home the point of the saying in the books. Every time a Targeryen is born, the gods flip a coin. But I hope not. If the point was for Viserys to be the mad king repeat, should't she be the opposite. The dragon that was meant to shine? Yes, I would be very upset indeed.

[MinscS2]

42 minutes ago, Ilissa said:

If the script turns Dany into a mad queen, what is the meaning of her arc? 

None.
Remove her and the story in Westeros would unfold more or less exactly the same, except the NK would still be alive but stuck north of the wall.

Her entire arc and character becomes pointless, since there was always a secret-much-better-king in Jon all along. 

[Ilissa]

3 minutes ago, MinscS2 said:

Her entire arc and character becomes pointless

I don't think Martin meant it.

[MinscS2]

Just now, Ilissa said:

I don't think Martin meant it.

I don't think either.
I'll await final judgement until the next episode. Daenerys isn't beyond saving yet, even if it looks that way right now.

Tbh, I don't really see her acting mad this episode. Selfish and power hungry? Sure, but not mad.
She was right telling Jon to keep his identity a secret. Selfish? Absolutely but evidently she was right, since people started plotting against her the instant they learned about it, and we even had other people than Jon saying that "it doesn't matter what he wants".

And her reaction in the end is not what I perceive as madness.
Anyone in her position, who has lost as much as she has, would be be absolutely furious and hell-bent on revenge. 
Anger is not madness.
 

[SeanF]

4 minutes ago, MinscS2 said:

I don't think either.
I'll await final judgement until the next episode. Daenerys isn't beyond saving yet, even if it looks that way right now.

Tbh, I don't really see her acting mad this episode. Selfish and power hungry? Sure, but not mad.
She was right telling Jon to keep his identity a secret. Selfish? Absolutely but evidently she was right, since people started plotting against her the instant they learned about it, and we even had other people than Jon saying that "it doesn't matter what he wants".

And her reaction in the end is not what I perceive as madness.
Anyone in her position, who has lost as much as she has, would be be absolutely furious and hell-bent on revenge. 
Anger is not madness.
 

Sure.  If I were an army commander, and the enemy murdered my best friend, who I viewed as an adoptive sister, in front of me, I'd feel the same fury and grief as Dany.

Her taking revenge will not make her mad.

[MinscS2]

Just now, SeanF said:

Sure.  If I were an army commander, and the enemy murdered my best friend, who I viewed as an adoptive sister, in front of me, I'd feel the same fury and grief as Dany.

Her taking revenge will not make her mad.

Considering what she has lost during the last couple of weeks (in show-time):
- All of her Dothraki.
- Half of her Unsullied.
- Her oldest friend/adviser (Jorah)
- Her best friend/adviser (Missandei, executed in front of her eyes no less)
- Two of her three "children"
- Her boyfriend (even if she technically caused that herself.)

I'm surprised at her composure. 

Jon totally lost it and did a kamikaze-charge after "just" seeing his half-brother die in front of him. 

Imagine his reaction to seeing most of his army die, Tormund die, Sam getting executed in front of him, and then his two half-sisters die (as substitute due to not having children of his own)...
 

[Ilissa]

15 minutes ago, MinscS2 said:

Anger is not madness.

 

I worry more about disturbing music while celebrating a victory. Dany looked... strange.

[Angel Eyes]

Right now, she's "mad" as in angry. We'll see about the "mad" as in "insane".

[Ilissa]

And what about Dany's possible pregnancy? We had so many hints last season. Maybe if she finds out she is expecting a child, it will calm her down?

[RhaenysBee]

1 hour ago, Ilissa said:

If the script turns Dany into a mad queen, what is the meaning of her arc? Genes - the most important thing? Your ideals don't matter, your actions don't matter, your thoughts don't matter. The only thing that matters is if your father was the Mad King, then you will become the Mad Queen. Is that what Martin wanted to tell us? Really?

The one way this whole shitshow still has a chance to say something about the world is if the conclusion is that women aren’t in any way better than men just because they are women and power should be held by those intelligent enough to use it well regardless of their gentians. Varys and Tyrion’s exchange about whether cocks are important or not could point in this direction.

But I’m sure it doesn’t and the show will not go this way. They will make Daenerys mad, if they do, because it’s “unexpected” or because George “told them so” (who I’m sure has a more layered message behind mad Daenerys than its being unexpected or its making creative sense because he wants it to happen)

 

also, I have not seen a single sign of Daenerys showing madness. Her actions and reactions are completely human and/or rational. HBO just puts these lines into other characters mouths to make the audience believe something they are unable to show. Quite like they did with her “romance” with jon. 

[MinscS2]

6 minutes ago, Ilissa said:

And what about Dany's possible pregnancy? We had so many hints last season. Maybe if she finds out she is expecting a child, it will calm her down?

I still think it's possible (and so does Emergency Awesome, for what it's worth).

The realization that she's pregnant should calm her down (but how Daenerys should react to anything after this episode is beyond me, the writing for her was so all over the place this episode so anything can happen really).

[Angel Eyes]

Just now, MinscS2 said:

I still think it's possible (and so does Emergency Awesome, for what it's worth).

The realization that she's pregnant should calm her down (but how Daenerys should react to anything after this episode is beyond me, the writing for her was so all over the place this episode so anything can happen really).

The writing for this entire episode was all over the place. 

[MinscS2]

Just now, Angel Eyes said:

The writing for this entire episode was all over the place. 

Yeah it really was. Daenerys wasn't the only character who's arc got butchered.

Unless the next episode manages to pull the show back on track, S8 E4 will forever be considered the episode that killed Game of Thrones for me.

[Angel Eyes]

I'm real scared for either Daenerys or Sansa (not so much Cersei, never supported her). We don't need another Mad Queen on this show.

[Targaryen Peas]

5 minutes ago, Angel Eyes said:

I'm real scared for either Daenerys or Sansa (not so much Cersei, never supported her). We don't need another Mad Queen on this show.

Brace yourself, you have one week to accept that Dannybis dead. 

[a girl knows nothing]

If she does go “mad” (Note: I don’t think she has nor do I see signs that she is going mad. Dany has always had a hot temper and her anger, frustration, and desire for revenge seem perfectly reasonable right now), her story could show how poisonous the desire for power can be. How it can completely possess you and make you lose sight of your true self and ideals. No matter how good your intentions are when you start striving to rule, for some, ruling itself is what becomes important, and your values and intentions are overshadowed.