The scene where Daenerys Targaryen decides to burn an already-defeated King’s Landing to the ground is arguably the most impactful (and controversial) in the entire run of Game of Thrones. You know the one: Dany sits atop the mighty Drogon and stares intently at the Red Keep before her expression turns to one of disgust and she begins a relentless bombing-run across the city, killing countless soldiers who had already surrendered along with helpless women and children. But for as game-changing as that moment was, it was met with harsh criticism, with many viewers saying the big turn felt unearned and rushed. Now, a tiny detail from the upcoming The Art of Game of Thrones book offers a bit more context that may help explain her motivations.
We’ve already heard some behind-the-scenes reasoning for Dany’s rampage, like when co-showrunner D.B. Weiss explained in HBO’s post-episode breakdown, “She sees the Red Keep, which is, to her, the home that her family built when they first came over to this country 300 years ago. It’s in that moment, on the walls of King’s Landing, when she’s looking at that symbol of everything that was taken from her, when she makes the decision to make this personal.”
Episode director Miguel Sapochnik offered in a Game Revealed featurette, “She feels empty, it wasn’t what she thought it was, it’s not enough.”
There’s also a report from Insider that details what “The Bells” episode script said about that scene: “But she sees the Red Keep. The castle that her family built, that belongs to her. Occupied by the False Queen. She has come so far and she will go further.”
Now, the new art book offers another key detail, revealed by Vanity Fair in a preview. The book features concept art of Dany gazing at the Red Keep with a caption that reads, “Being able to see the Lannister lion in the window behind the throne was very important in this illustration.”
That single line offers a much clearer sense of provocation for the Mother of Dragons to suddenly take such drastic, appalling action. It paints a picture where she was content with having conquered the city, but seeing the symbol of her family’s greatest enemy incited an instinctual rage in her, like a bull seeing red. Unfortunately, the show didn’t choose to dramatize this moment and specifically highlight that seeing the Lannister sigil is what set her off, leaving Daenerys’ motivations unclear until the creative team weighed in after the episode aired.
Combined with previous insight on her motivations, we get the sense that Dany was expecting a much longer and tougher battle where she would have been able to incinerate the Lannister army in order to vent years of frustration, only to be met with a paltry resistance that she dismantled single-handedly with her dragon. At that point, she was filled with a bloodlust that was nowhere near being satiated, and seeing the symbol of the House that caused her so much pain was the trigger that prompted her to continue the assault until she got the vengeance she felt she deserved.
How does this new bit of info change how you see that pivotal moment? Let us know in the comments.
For more news, check out how one writer of Avengers: Endgame admitted to a plot hole involving Captain America using Mjolnir:
Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
