Game of Thrones‘ ending gets a new twist in HBO’s latest release, and it corrects what fans had been complaining about Daenerys Targaryen’s fate for a new generation. Game of Thrones grew to be one of HBO’s most popular TV shows ever, as well as one of the biggest series of all time. At its peak, it dominated the entertainment discourse.
Sadly, we all know how that would play out. Game of Thrones‘ ending was rushed, with the fantasy series coming to an end a few seasons short of what book author George R. R. Martin and HBO itself imagined would be the right spot for the show. Several characters’ fates turned out controversial, with deaths and choices being criticized by viewers and critics alike.
That said, the fate of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen, one of Game of Thrones‘ main characters, was easily the most controversial of the bunch. After following her quest to retake the Iron Throne for eight seasons, Daenerys descended into madness, covered King’s Landing in flames, and was killed by Kit Harington’s Jon Snow. It was not at all what fans had been expecting for the character.
That led to requests for HBO to either remake Game of Thrones season 8 or at least come up with a different finale. While both of those would never come to be for a variety of reasons, House of the Dragon season 3 has just rewritten Game of Thrones‘ controversial ending with its own take on that major Daenerys storyline, and the result was much better.
House Of The Dragon Season 3 Is Game Of Thrones’ Daenerys Ending Again (But Fixed)
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 3, episode 2.Daenerys could have taken out Cersei and assumed control of King’s Landing without resorting to burning the whole city down. Instead, the show took her down the mad route, with Clarke’s character burning enemies and civilians alike, which ultimately led to her demise as Jon and Tyrion became appalled by her actions. In House of the Dragon season 3, episode 2, we once again watch as a dragon queen flies high above King’s Landing to take over the city and sit at the Iron Throne. However, what transpires is a completely different take on Game of Thrones‘ ending.
Rhaenyra Targaryen managed to take over King’s Landing with minimal bloodshed. With Alicent’s help from inside the Red Keep and Daemon as her faithful sword against the few soldiers who rebelled, she managed to finally make her way back to the Iron Throne without leveling the city. Additionally, Rhaenyra did not even want to kill Otto Hightower at the end of it, only doing so because of how it would look to her new subjects if she abstained from the ordeal. Despite having lost two sons, Rhaenyra did not let her rage consume her like Daenerys, who became a mass murderer.
How Game Of Thrones Could Have Made Daenerys Targaryen’s Ending Better
Rhaenyra had a much better, cleaner victory than Daenerys, making House of the Dragon‘s new take on Game of Thrones’ ending closer to what fans expected would have happened in the HBO fantasy series. That said, the hints were definitely there regarding Daenerys going mad in the end, but Game of Thrones needed another season or a couple more to help avoid whiplash from her character arc, which moved at breakneck pace towards the end of Game of Thrones season 8. With fewer seasons than needed and a shorter episode count for seasons 7 and 8, there was only so much to do.
Perhaps Daenerys’ descent into madness and death could have worked if Game of Thrones‘ final season had been fully dedicated to that. The HBO fantasy series did not even have to go down the lighter road taken in House of the Dragon season 3 for Rhaenyra’s taking of the Iron Throne. For instance, Game of Thrones season 8 could have been entirely focused on the Night King and the White Walkers, with season 9 being the final season, putting Cersei’s defeat as the main storyline, with Daenerys’ dark fate coming as a consequence of that.