Years after the end of Game of Thrones season 8, fans of the series still haven’t recovered from one baffling decision about Daenerys Targaryen.

Game of Thrones is known for dragons, politics, and a disappointing ending that came in the wake of years of popularity. The show ran from 2011 to 2019, and the first few seasons earned immense critical praise. Unfortunately, Season 8 proved to turn the series around, as the final confrontations against the Night King and Cersei Lannister proved to be inadequate conclusions to the long-running story.

Thankfully, House of the Dragon has taken the show’s place as one of HBO’s flagship products. With the Dance of the Dragons about to begin, everything that made the Game of Thrones franchise great is still present and more developed than ever. Unfortunately, its success has only ignited a continued feeling of disdain for the show’s ending. One element in particular about the beloved Daenerys Targaryen has drawn extreme criticism.

Daenerys Forgot About the Iron Fleet

The Iron Fleet Killed Rhaegal Because of Daenerys’ Mistake

 

Shortly after the War for the Dawn during the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys was left with the opportunity to finally conquer King’s Landing. Intending to bring Targaryen rule back to Westeros, she ordered the Starks, the surviving Dothraki, and her Unsullied army to follow her to war. After the horror of the fight against the Night King, she expected that Rhaegal and Drogon would be more than enough to defeat Cersei Lannister and the remnants of the Gold Cloaks. Unfortunately, Daenerys neglected to remember that the Iron Fleet was waiting for her return.

On the way back to King’s Landing, Daenerys’ army was ambushed by the Iron Fleet. In the fighting, Rhaegal was killed by a scorpion’s bolt, Missandei was captured by Euron Greyjoy’s fleet, and Daenerys’ entire navy was destroyed. That single attack contributed heavily to Daenerys’ descent into villainy and would cause Daenerys’ worst decisions after Missandei’s coming execution. The horror was rooted in the surprise attack by the Iron Fleet.

The event was immortalized by a video commentary by co-showrunner David Benioff. In a clip from the Inside the Episode series, Benioff stated that “While Dany kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet and Euron’s forces, they certainly haven’t forgotten about her, and they’re just waiting for her to come back.” His comments earned extreme ridicule, making the pre-existing outcry about Rhaegal and Missandei’s deaths explode.

Daenerys Forgetting the Iron Fleet Makes No Sense

The Iron Fleet Was a Massive Threat That Daenerys Ignored

The war against the Night King was devastating, and it would have taken months of planning to properly prepare for his assault. Even so, Daenerys’ inability to recall her enemy’s greatest strength is a downright absurd omission. By pretending that Daenerys ever would have ignored an entire enemy navy, Game of Thrones failed Daenerys, who had previously been shown to be an intelligent and empathetic leader. She spent years of her life dreaming of and planning for her return to Westeros and King’s Landing. That she would simply charge into that scenario is a misunderstanding of her character, especially given that she repeatedly emphasized her willingness to utilize clever tactics of her own when she freed the Unsullied.

Daenerys’ failure to recognize the dangers of the Iron Fleet is also absurd because she was not the only member of her army. For Daenerys to forget about the Iron Fleet, then every single Dothraki, Unsullied, and native Westerosi in her army would also have needed to overlook the threat. The trained and experienced Grey Worm, the extremely intelligent Missandei, the Lord Commander Jon Snow, and even Tyrion, Varys, and Davos would have all needed to forget about the existence of a major seaworthy power. The baffling decision to have an entire fleet surprise an army that was armed with two dragons failed to have any scouts at all. It made no logistical sense and continues to be a sore point in an already disappointing final season.

The Iron Fleet’s Attack Sparked Outcry

House of the Dragon’s Success Only Makes Daenerys’ Failure Worse

After Arya Stark killed the Night King in Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 3, the direction of the show was already questionable. After all, Arya had little to do with the Night King, making her success both feel unearned and unwanted when Daenerys and Jon Snow would have been better choices to kill humanity’s greatest enemy. Still, there was hope that the final three episodes could bring a fitting end. Daenerys then forgot about the Iron Fleet and proved that the ending was not likely to be as well-written as the first few seasons were.

Episode 4, “The Last of the Starks” became the subject of ridicule by fans and critics alike. Benioff’s unfortunate quote is still often repeated in fan communities, and the episode earned a painful 58 percent score on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. After the release of their new show, Three Body Problem, the showrunners finally spoke about Game of Thrones‘ ending, indicating that they preferred to look away from the backlash. The success of their new show has only sparked more discussion about their previous project and its disappointing ending.

The unprecedented success of House of the Dragon, which has been setting up each character’s motivations and flaws, has also been a catalyst for criticism.House of the Dragon is doing everything for its characters that Game of Thrones failed to do, and it just shows how much the predecessor show failed Daenerys. It is unlikely that Rhaenyra would ever forget about her enemies’ dragons, after all.

Daenerys’ Iron Fleet Mistake Wasn’t the Only Problem With Her Story

Game of Thrones Season 8 Was Filled With Issues

 

Unfortunately, the Iron Fleet confusion was hardly the only major mistake that Daenerys made. Many are just as baffling as the Iron Fleet’s forgetfulness, and they have even more logistical problems. For instance, Daenerys’ refusal to let her men wait to recover after the Battle of Winterfell was a downright absurd decision. She lost countless men in the fighting and getting the survivors to march or sail to King’s Landing was a death sentence for every member of her army.

Daenerys’ best quality was always her compassion; she was downright defined by it. She saved the Unsullied, protected Mirri Maz Duur even when it put her own life at risk and always aligned herself with misfits. She freed slaves, befriended Missandei, and wanted nothing more than to save Westeros from the Night King. It makes no sense that she would put her entire army at risk of an immediate death out of a simple show of impatience.

Similarly, Daenerys becoming Game of Thrones‘ greatest villain was a ridiculous decision. Had her downfall been seeded more slowly and prevalently, it might have made more sense. Even an impulsive decision that she later regretted might have been more comprehensible. Instead, fans have been left to reckon with the fact that Daenerys burned King’s Landing down after hearing a bell toll. Countless innocent people died, which is exactly what Daenerys was hoping to avoid by staying in the North. Her behavior was completely out of character. Daenerys was always one of the most well-intentioned characters in Game of Thrones, and the final season completely failed her. Unfortunately, it all began with an absurd omission that saw Daenerys forget about the Iron Fleet.