Yesterday I introduced the idea that either the storyline on GoT for Daenerys Targaryen (from here forward Dany, since that name is torture to type) changed dramatically right around the point that George RR Martin’s books ran out of runway and the showrunners took over at HBO or as fans we initially misunderstood (or are misunderstanding now).
Part of what makes her story challenging is that it doesn’t really follow the hero’s cycle, and as I showed in my last post (and as I’ve shown in games classes for years, and in lit classes before that), we are so used to that cycle that we expect it and the hero without it feels… off.
But to understand Dany, let’s TRY the cycle. Here it is again, visually:
The very first point is difficult for Dany, unless we go to before the story. She was never in the “ordinary” world, as it were. We are first introduced to her on GoT as a captive being traded into a marriage to Khal Drogo (best character on the show to get so few appearances, btw– excellent representation of how cultures misunderstand indigenous traditions). But I suppose, if we want to be really loose with it, that could have been the “ordinary” world.
So then her call to adventure would be the offer of marriage, I guess. And she tries to refuse, but she can’t because she’s being forced into it. Then, ironically, Drogo is sort of her mentor into “how to be a badass,” and she crosses the threshold by embracing being his wife, getting pregnant, etc. She’s not well liked (duh) because white girl came to rule the Dothraki, but she makes her friends and allies.
Then Drogo dies. We’re now technically to the appeal. Dany makes some bad choices, loses her baby to magic, tries to burn, but the fire won’t burn her because she’s a Dragon. Her wedding gift dragon eggs hatch. That’s the reward.
So if we take the road back literally, it’s her trip to return to Westeros. That much fits. I suppose if we try hard, losing Viserion this week is her atonement. And the elixir is the knowledge that the army of the dead is real.
But that would end her journey without the war ending.
It actually works a little better than I thought it would. But here’s why it feels off.
She’s been cast in too many different lights and has done too many contrary things.
On the one hand, she’s the breaker of chains, the mother of dragons, the snooch to the nooch.
On the other hand, she’s her father’s daughter.
She’s done some amazing, good things. She did free the slaves. All over the place.
But… she also Stockholm Syndromed them into serving her, and she let a bunch of them just up and die because she wanted to burn up the Lannister wagon-line.
She proves to be merciful… to slaves. If it’s merciful to free them then conscript them into your war with a monarch in a world they barely even know exists, all the while reminding them how awesome you are.
She locked Xaro Xhoan Daxos in a vault to die.
She watched Drogo kill her brother with boiling gold.
She crispy-fried my boy Dickon. Poor, poor, Dickon. You were too beautiful for this world, Dickon.
More importantly, though, she underwent a not-at-all-heroic transformation from someone who wanted to rule for the right reasons to someone who now seems just obsessed with ruling. She is, in many ways, more like Circe than not (which I detailed in a previous post).
But she’s not the hero of this story. Which is sad, in a way. It would have been awesome if she was the feminist hero that the fantasy genre needs. I think that might be Arya Stark, though.
At any rate the reason she can’t be the hero is that Jon Snow is clearly the hero, and you can’t have a hero that isn’t an anti-hero but is also outshined in virtue and heroism by the other protagonist. This is the problem Batman has in stories with Superman (when Superman isn’t written badly– or is written badly. Superman shouldn’t be the super boy scout, but he is, that’s what I’m saying). The Punisher can’t be the hero when Spider-Man is there. The same is true for Dany, burner of Dickon, Ignorer of The Imp, De Facto owner of Missande, Daughter of the Mad King, She Who is Obsessed with people bowing to her.
If you look back, and it’s hard to remember this, really, she didn’t want the Iron Throne for herself when this started. She wanted it for her and Drogo’s son, the Stallion that would Mount the World. Then that kid died, and she hatched some dragons, and Dany went a little crazy. Or a lot crazy.
This last week, she let her inability to understand the situation and think carefully lead to not only losing one of “her children” but also to giving the Night King a dragon. That’s two times in a row she’s rushed into battle with her dragons and done a pretty bad job. Imagine what she could do if she was being strategic.
I hope the story can rescue her, but right now, Dany looks a lot more like the aryan girl trying to be the great white savior than she does like a fantasy hero. And it’s messed up, I think, that in a universe where she was supposed to be a powerful woman and strong female role-model Dany is now in third, fourth, or even fifth place behind Arya, Brianne, Sansa, young Lady Mormont and… possibly even Circe. At least, unlike Dany, Circe has never lied to herself about her motives, and unlike Dany, she actually IS the Queen right now, since possession of the Iron Throne is Nine Tenths of the law.
Wait, maybe sixth. Lady Greyjoy isn’t officially dead, is she?