There. I’ve said it. I’ll say it again. I hate Daenarys Targaryen. I might be alone in this, I know many people who disagree with me, but damn does it feel good to say it. I hate Dany.
Now I love A Song of Ice and Fire (AsoIaF) and A Game of Thrones (AGoT) is more than a little watchable, but I’m honestly sick of people telling me how awesome Dany is. Here’s why:
The Mother of Dragons started off as a really endearing, engaging character. From the moment she was introduced with her whiny brother, Viserys, all the way through her rise to power in the first book/season. She ate a horse heart, she rutted with Drogo under the stars, she took her dragon eggs into the pyre of her dead husband only to came out the other side unburnt. That was all very cool. I loved all that.
Ever since A Clash of Kings/season 2, she has done nothing but make the most stupid decisions possible. This is where she drives me insane with the hate. Little Miss Stormborne has a host of advisors throughout AsoIaF who tell her she should do this or that. Some of the advice is good, some of it is bad. Dany is a queen who listens to her advisers… then she identifies the best possible solution to the situation she faces (often one of her own making due to past idiotic decisions), and actively pursues the worst possible solution. THEN she has the audacity to be surprised when it all blows up in her face. Why does she have advisers if she never actually takes any of their advice?
Lets look at good ol’ Barristan Selmy (Whitebeard). Barristan saves the Khaleesi on more than one occasion and is about as loyal as loyalty comes (without the whole wanting to get in her pants thing… Jorah!). I actually cannot remember one time where Dany listens to Barristan’s advice and, honestly, she’d probably be back in Westeros with her arse polishing the Iron Throne by now if she had.
Barristan Selmy by Mike Capprotti
Now I know she’s depicted as a flawed character who is not omnipotent and makes mistakes but… really, the point is to LEARN from your mistakes, not make even bigger ones. So this is the biggest problem I have with her. She makes mistakes, actively pursues idiotic solutions to her problems, refuses to learn from her mistakes, and NEVER ONCE does she hold up her hands and say: “My bad. That went pear-shaped and it’s all on me.”
So this is it in a nutshell: I hate you Daenerys Targaryen. On the up side, I guess even in my hate I’m still engaged in the character’s future in the story being told. Well done Mr Martin. All hail the GrrM Reaper.
The GrrM Reaper on his throne.
