Says dumb
The theme of Daenerys being pushed toward tyranny is present, but the season gives her too little time on screen to make the final choice feel earned.
Game of Thrones: Season 8 (2019)
At 0:50:00S8 E5
Verdict: Guilty. 75% of viewers say this is dumb. Top defense: Her grief and isolation had been building for seasons, and the surrender bells were the last straw.
3,050 votes
Dumbness rating
8.6/ 10(3,050 ratings)Is this scene dumb, or does it make sense?
Rate how dumb
After the city's bells ring to signal surrender, Daenerys flies Drogon over King's Landing and burns it. Civilians die in large numbers. Her advisers and allies react with shock.
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Says dumb
The theme of Daenerys being pushed toward tyranny is present, but the season gives her too little time on screen to make the final choice feel earned.
Says dumb
The turn needed more episodes. Compressed into so few scenes, it reads like a plot requirement rather than a conclusion.
Says explained
The pieces were all set: her losses, her isolation, the Mad King's blood and the way the city treated her. The scene is horrifying and in character.
Her grief and isolation had been building for seasons, and the surrender bells were the last straw.
Her grief and isolation had been building for seasons, and the surrender bells were the last straw.
The show kept pointing at her habit of burning her enemies and her belief that she was destined to rule.
Fixes are written by people. The smallest change, in 200 characters or fewer, that would have fixed the scene. AI is used only for duplicate detection, length and moderation.
Give Dany one scene in E4 where she is told the city will not accept her and she says 'Then they will fear me.' The bells scene then lands.
A newer idea
Tyrion urges her to wait for the bells to stop. She hears the second set of bells begin and the fire starts after that.