Highlights
- After winning the Great War, Daenerys prepares to attack King's Landing, but faces complications and a descent into madness.
- Tyrion and Varys lose faith in Daenerys, Jon reveals he is her brother's son, and her war plan fails with the loss of Rhaegal and capture of Missandei.
- Daenerys' mental state deteriorates, she burns Varys alive, and unleashes destruction on King's Landing, becoming the Mad Queen.
After Daenerys Targaryen and allies win the Great War at the end of Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3 "The Long Night," she readies her armies to attack King's Landing. Her men have taken heavy casualties in defending Winterfell from the Night King and the Army of the Dead, and she's lost her closest aide, Ser Jorah Mormont in the Battle of Winterfell. She still has two dragons, Rhaegal and Drogon, and the Northern forces under Jon Snow's command are committed to helping her take the Iron Throne. But even then, things get increasingly complicated by the time she reaches King's Landing. She is disturbed to see that she has no love but only fear in Westeros, and slowly begins the descent into madness.
To make matters worse, Tyrion Lannister and Varys lose faith in Daenerys and Jon tells her that he is her brother, Rhaegar Targaryen's son. Daenerys isn't the one to relinquish control and the Iron Throne is what she wants. In Game of Thrones season 8, episode 4, "The Last of the Starks," Daenerys presides over her war council and Varys tells her that the sellswords - the Golden Company have arrived in King's Landing, and that the balance has grown even. That said, Cersei is losing allies by the day, as Yara Greyjoy has taken the Iron Island in Daenerys' name and the new Prince of Dorne has declared for her. Tyrion and Jon want the people to see that Cersei is their only enemy, and they do not want any harm to befall the citizenry of King's Landing. Jon says they will surround the city, fight the Lannisters and the sellswords if they attack, and have her dragons destroy any food the Greyjoy fleet ferries. Sansa says the Northmen are wounded, and need time to recuperate, but Daenerys is against it. Jon steps in and says the Northern forces will honor the promise they made to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Daenerys' Messiah Complex
In Game of Thrones' "The Last of the Starks," Jon and Ser Davos ride down the Kingsroad with the Northern soldiers, Dothraki, and the Unsullied. The Queen, her two dragons, and a small group ride to White Harbor and then sail to Dragonstone. Tyrion says Jaime Lannister will remain in the North as a guest of the Lady of Winterfell. Daenerys war plan barely outlasts the first contact with the enemy. Euron Greyjoy ambushes her and shoots down Rhaegal with Scorpion bolts and the dragon sinks into the sea. While Daenerys is forced to fly away, Euron's fleet targets the Targaryen fleet and takes Missandei captive. Tyrion, Varys, Grey Worm, and the Unsullied swim ashore, and Cersei is engaging in pure fear-mongering and plans to use the commoners as human shields:
Keep the gates open. If she wants to take the castle she'll have to murder thousands of innocent people first.
Cersei puts Missandei in chains, and she plans to release her if Daenerys agrees to surrender. Varys meanwhile tells his Queen that attacking King's Landing with Drogon and her army will lead to the deaths of tens of thousands but Daenerys has endured far too many losses, and her messiah complex has grown. Towards the end of Game of Thrones' "The Last of the Starks," Jaime leaves for King's Landing to be with Cersei, and the last of the negotiations outside the gates of King's Landing fail, and Cersei orders the undead Mountain to behead Missandei.
Daenerys' Mental State Deteriorates
At the beginning of Game of Thrones season 8, episode 5 "The Bells," Jon reaches Dragonstone and informs Varys that the Northern armies have crossed the Trident. Daenerys' mental state is deteriorating and she's about to go ballistic. She burns Varys alive for betraying her and instructs Grey Worm to ready the Unsullied and sail for King's Landing. Tyrion wants to give Cersei's followers a chance to make the right choice and call off the attack if the bells of surrender ring.
Daenerys nods and instructs Grey Worm to wait for her outside the city. She also tells Tyrion that his brother, Jaime was captured and warns him to be cautious of disappointing her again. Tyrion asks Ser Davos (played by Liam Cunningham in Game of Thrones) a favor. He enters the tent where Jaime is held captive and urges him to convince Cersei to change her course of action. He frees Jaime, saying if Cersei surrenders, she should give the orders to ring the bells. Jaime promises to try his best, and Tyrion reveals his escape plan for his brother and sister.
The Carnage In King's Landing
King's Landing is on the defensive, and Qyburn's Scorpions look more dangerous than before. The Iron Fleet awaits Daenerys and Euron hopes to kill the last dragon. Jaime sneaks inside, as do Arya and the Hound. Daenerys flies out of the sun and maneuvers her way through scorpion bolts and destroys Euron's forces, and his Ironborn longship, the Silence. He jumps into the sea and manages to escape. The Golden Company meets Daenerys' forces outside the gates of King's Landing. She and Drogon break the eerie silence by attacking Harry Strickland and his sellswords from behind and with that, the battle begins. The Stark-Targaryen forces rush inside and Daenerys destroys the Scorpions on the ramparts in Game of Thrones' "The Bells."
Qyburn urges Cersei to surrender and informs her of the burning Iron Fleet. She remains reluctant while the Lannister soldiers lay their weapons. Jon and Tyrion appear relieved and people from every nook and corner cry for surrender. When the bells begin ringing, Daenerys flips and succumbs to the Targaryen madness in Game of Thrones. Burning with rage, she takes off and has Drogon pour dragonfire everywhere. Grey Worm impales the Lannister captain while Jon tries to restrain his men.
The Northmen barely hold back due to the atrocities that House Lannister inflicted on the North. Structures crumble, and outside the hidden entrance to the Red Keep, Euron instigates Jaime and engages him in a fight. While Jaime manages to kill Euron in the end, he takes multiple stabs. Sandor confronts Gregor, and they ultimately plunge into the fiery pit of hell below. Though Jaime finds Cersei, the duo is crushed to death. Drogon's fire also ignites the remaining caches of Wildfire in the city. True to Daenerys' House Words, she brings "Fire and Blood" to King's Landing in the Game of Thrones penultimate episode. She becomes the Mad Queen, Queen of the Ashes in the climactic battle to win the Iron Throne.