There's a lot of ire over the eighth season of Game of Thrones, and most of the complaints have been directed at the character development of fan-favorite Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Written as a liberator and as a hero of the people for the past seven seasons, many were surprised by Daenerys' sudden transition into the Mad Queen. However, while fans continue to complain about the series, Jon Snow actor Kit Harrington believes that everyone is simply "in denial" about Dany.
Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Game of Thrones actor Kit Harrington defends the writer's decisions in the episode "The Bells" saying that it was obvious that Daenerys was going to turn into the Mad Queen. Fans who believed that the Mother of Dragons would remain the same hero she once was were only deceiving themselves.
"If you track her story all the way back," Harrington says, "she does some terrible things. She crucifies people. She burns people alive. This has been building. So, we have to say to the audience: 'You're in denial about this woman as well. You knew something was wrong. You're culpable, you cheered her on.'"
The actor goes on to explain that having all of the female characters in the series go on as righteous heroes just wouldn't fit the show.
"They're the most interesting characters in the show," he adds. "And that's what Thrones has always done. You can't just say the strong women are going to end up the good people. Dany is not a good person."
While Harrington does have a point, we can't help but understand why fans would feel the way they did. Daenery's descent into Madness would have been more acceptable if the series had taken its time to properly develop the transition.
Game of Thrones season 8 just recently aired its final episode on HBO.
Read: Now A Water Bottle has Been Spotted in the Game of Thrones Finale
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Game of Thrones