Game of Thrones: Social media reacts to Daenerys’ decision

With only one episode of Game of Thrones left, fans were left in shock after the penultimate episode, all because of Daenerys’ big decision at King’s Landing. So what did social media have to say?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the fifth episode of Game of Thrones‘ final season.

The fifth episode of Game of Thrones‘ final season was bigger than ever and also more shocking than most. After seven seasons of building up Daenerys Targaryen as a savior and someone who fights for the people, we saw a major shift for this character. In fact, it is one that we technically saw coming, but truly hoped we were wrong about.

What Game of Thrones did was give us the Mad Queen we knew was coming, but they did it in a way that negates everything Daenerys has stood for since the very beginning. While I would have been perfectly okay with her burning the throne, the castle itself, and destroying Cersei, while also taking out much of her army, what she did instead was unforgivable.

When King’s Landing surrendered by ringing its bells, letting Daenerys know that the city was essentially bending the knee to her, that should have been the end of it — except for handling Cersei of course. Instead, we saw Daenerys not only burn all of King’s Landing and kill thousands of innocent people, but we also saw the Dothraki and some of Winterfell’s army murdering unarmed soldiers and innocent citizens, too.

On social media, the reaction was swift and intense. As many people pointed out, this is not the Daenerys we have been rooting for since Game of Thrones began. And not just that, but what she has done has changed the course of her future, as much as it has all of those who supported and defended her.

And you know it is bad when people are able to compare Cersei and Daenerys and it is the former who doesn’t look quite as awful. Honestly, we could almost feel bad for Cersei at this point, because it really feels like she did not expect things to get this bad.

And even as there were plenty of fans upset about what Daenerys did to King’s Landing, there were plenty who are still on her side or pointing out that this is exactly who she has been all along.

While I can agree she has both said and done things to prove she’d do whatever it takes to rule, I find it hard to believe that this included killing so many innocent people.

Honestly, the fact that social media is up in arms over what Game of Thrones did with Daenerys makes perfect sense. After all, we have been rooting for her to take the Iron Throne as a queen who is here to free the enslaved and save the innocent, and then she turned around and burnt a city to the ground with men and women who had not only surrendered, but in many cases, were innocent.

I, too, am disappointed in the way Game of Thrones treated Daenerys. She deserved better than to become a Mad Queen burning the innocent. But in some ways, this entire episode came as no surprise because of how heavy this season has foreshadowed her demise into darkness. Still, I am disappointed that the show couldn’t have chosen a different direction and still brought King’s Landing to its knees.

Game of Thrones’ final episode airs next Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.