Daenerys - Books vs Show - Sexism and Bad Writing in the show

I wanted to write an in-depth analysis of Dany in the books vs Dany in the show. People usually talk about how the show removed much of Dany’s softness and humor, but I think it goes beyond that. The show has blackwashed Dany and made her more violent and impulsive. The show has also taken away Dany’s agency and cunning, and given it to the male characters around her. In my opinion, the writing of the show has been very bad and sexist, and I believe that these problems started very early in the show, not just in the later seasons.



In this essay, I won’t talk about every change in Dany’s storyline, like the problems with the depiction of the Dothraki culture, the racism in the show or certain changes like how Ser Barristan was supposed to be alive and rule Meereen when Dany is gone. I think all of these changes are worth discussing, but here, I want to focus on the problems with Dany’s characterization.

SEASON 1

This season is the best season in terms of the adaptation of Dany’s character. They show Dany overcoming her brother’s abuse, make it very clear that Drogo raped her and show Dany overcoming that as well, show her getting stronger, adapting to Dothraki culture and becoming a leader in her own right. But there are already some problems.

1) In the books, we have a moment in which Dany orders the khalasar to stay behind, and Viserys becomes outraged that she dared to give orders to him. This also happens in the show, but the outcome is different. In the books, Dany pushes Viserys and orders his horse to be taken away. This is an important moment for a couple of reasons. One, because this is the first time Dany defies Viserys. Two, because it shows Dany growing as a leader. She knows that a man that doesn’t ride is looked down on by the Dothraki, so she takes his horse to humiliate him, and at the same time, the Dothraki grow to respect her more. So this is an important moment that shows Dany using her understanding of Dothraki culture and her wits for political purposes. But in the show, it’s Rakharo that takes Viserys horse.

2) Another change in the first season are Dany’s final scenes. In the books, Dany gives Aggo, Jhogo and Rakharo a bow, a whip and an arakh, and asks them to be her bloodriders. This is important because it shows Dany’s defiance of the patriarchy, because only a khal can lead the Dothraki and name bloodriders, but the show cuts this scene. They also changed Dany’s last speech to the Dothraki. In the show, this is what she says:

You will be my khalasar. I see the faces of slaves. I free you. Take off your collars. Go if you wish, no one will stop you. But if you stay it will be as brothers and sisters, as husbands and wives. […] I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen of the Blood of Old Valyria. I am the Dragon’s daughter. And I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming. – Daenerys, 1x10

Meanwhile, in the books, Dany never says that their enemies would die screaming in her speech. She says this is an earlier scene, in which, she swears revenge for a girl that Mago had raped and murdered:

She lifted her head. “And I am Daenerys Stormborn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragon’s daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo.” – Daenerys IX AGOT

But in her speech, Dany never says that:

“You will be my khalasar,” she told them. “I see the faces of slaves. I free you. Take off your collars. Go if you wish, no one shall harm you. If you stay, it will be as brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.” The black eyes watched her, wary, expressionless. “I see the children, women, the wrinkled faces of the aged. I was a child yesterday. Today I am a woman. Tomorrow I will be old. To each of you I say, give me your hands and your hearts, and there will always be a place for you.” – Daenerys X AGOT

If I’m going to be honest, I don’t truly mind these changes in season 1. I still think they made a very good job with Dany’s adaptation this season. But I think these changes already give us hints of what will happen to Dany’s character in the following seasons. Not showing Dany taking Viserys horse and not showing her asking Aggo, Jhogo and Rakharo to be her bloodriders are changes that I wouldn’t mind in isolation. In the case of Rakharo taking Viserys’ horse, it’s actually a good change to give Dothraki characters more characterization than they have in the book (but it’s all for nothing, because the show kills them off for no reason in season 2). But they are the beginning of the tendency that the show has of stripping Dany of her agency and giving her actions to the male characters around her. And I understand the motivation of merging Dany’s two speeches into one, to cut screentime. This is another change that I wouldn’t mind, but this change already hinted that they would transform Dany’s character into a more violent character than she is in the books.

SEASON 2

This season, the problems really begin, and the blackwashing and sexism begin in full force.

1) The first scene is one when they are crossing the desert. In the books, Dany thinks:

They are not strong, she told herself, so I must be their strength. I must show no fear, no weakness, no doubt. However frightened my heart, when they look upon my face they must see only Drogo’s queen. She felt older than her fourteen years. If ever she had truly been a girl, that time was done. – Daenerys I ACOK

But in the show, what do we get? Dany is slouching and looking frightened, and Jorah is the one that needs to remind her that she needs to be her people’s strength To make it even worse, Dany tells Jorah that he is her strength:

Jorah: They are too weak to fight, as are your people. You must be their strength.

Dany: As you are mine. (2x01)

They completely erase Dany’s strength and leadership in this moment, and give it to a male character.

2) When she gets to Qarth, once again, we see them starting to handle Dany’s character as someone whose only ability is to scream at people. In the books, Dany is received in Qarth because people are curious about her dragons. But in the show, in order to create unnecessary drama, they have the Qartheen refuse Dany’s entrance, and she shouts:

Thirteen! When my dragons are grown, we will take back what was stolen from me and destroy those who have wronged me. We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground. Turn us away and we will burn you first. - Daenerys, 2x04

This is a far cry from what book Daenerys is actually thinking when she’s in Qarth:

Dany had no wish to reduce King’s Landing to a blackened ruin full of unquiet ghosts. She had supped enough on tears. I want to make my kingdom beautiful, to fill it with fat men and pretty maids and laughing children. I want my people to smile when they see me ride by, the way Viserys said they smiled for my father. But before she could do that she must conquer. – Daenerys II ACOK

She’s definitely not thinking about burning cities to the ground. I understand that show Dany needs to enter the city or else she and her people will die. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with show Dany resorting to threats in this scene. But this scene is just another step in distancing show Dany and book Dany, and making show Dany more violent.

3) In the books, Dany asks the Pureborn of Qarth for help and ships, and bribes them for this, but they take her bribe and don’t help her. In the show, Dany demands ships without giving anything in return. This makes her look foolish and naïve in the show. It also makes her look entitled, because she expects people to just give her anything she wants. In the books, things are the opposite:

“When does your ship return to Westeros, Captain?” “Not for a year or more, I fear. From here the Cinnamon Wind sails east, to make the trader’s circle round the Jade Sea.” “I see,” said Dany, disappointed. “I wish you fair winds and good trading, then. You have brought me a precious gift.” – Daenerys II ACOK

In the books, even though Dany has people giving all kinds of gifts to see her dragons, she never really demands anything. She never demands people to take her to Westeros. Here, Dany wishes the captain that came to see her a good travel, she accepts that he can’t take her to Westeros. While in the show, she demands things from people. The show paints her in a worse light than the books.

4) There’s a very sexist moment in the show in which the Spice King mansplains to Dany:

Spice King: So let me explain my position, little princess. Unlike you, I do not have exalted ancestors. I make my living by trade. And I judge every trade on its merits. You ask for ships. You say I shall be repaid triple. I do not doubt your honesty or your intentions. But before you repay your debts, you must seize the Seven Kingdoms. Do you have an army? Dany: Not yet. Spice King: You do not have an army. Do you have powerful allies in Westeros? Dany: There are many there that support my claim. Spice King: When were you there last? Dany: I left when I was a baby. So, in truth, you have no allies. Dany: The people will rise to fight for their rightful Queen when I return. Spice King: Ah. Forgive me, little princess, but I cannot make an investment based on wishes and dreams. Now if you’ll pardon me. Dany: Do you know Illyrio Mopatis, Magister of Pentos? Spice King: Yes, we’ve met. A shrewd man. Dany: For my wedding he gave me three petrified dragon eggs. He believed … the world believed … that the ages had turned them to stone. How many centuries has it been since dragons roamed the skies? But I dreamt that if I carried those eggs into a great fire, they would hatch. When I stepped into the fire, my own people thought I was mad. But when the fire burned out, I was unhurt, the Mother of Dragons. Do you understand? I’m no ordinary woman. My dreams come true. Spice King: I admire your passion. But in business, I trust in logic, not passion. I’m sorry, little princess. Dany: I am not your little princess. I am Daenerys Stormborn of the blood of old Valyria and I will take what is mine. With fire and blood, I will take it. – 2x06

Let’s compare it to the books?

“Why does he give us so much?” she asked. “What does he want from us?” For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister’s house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos (…)Magister Illyrio was a dealer in spices, gemstones, dragonbone, and other, less savory things. He had friends in all of the Nine Free Cities, it was said, and even beyond, in Vaes Dothrak and the fabled lands beside the Jade Sea. It was also said that he’d never had a friend he wouldn’t cheerfully sell for the right price. Dany listened to the talk in the streets, and she heard these things, but she knew better than to question her brother when he wove his webs of dream.. – Daenerys I AGOT

“They are your people, and they love you well,” Magister Illyrio said amiably. “In holdfasts all across the realm, men lift secret toasts to your health while women sew dragon banners and hide them against the day of your return from across the water.” He gave a massive shrug. “Or so my agents tell me.” Dany had no agents, no way of knowing what anyone was doing or thinking across the narrow sea, but she mistrusted Illyrio’s sweet words as she mistrusted everything about Illyrio. – Daenerys I AGOT

Dany rode close beside him. “Still,” she said, “the common people are waiting for him. Magister Illyrio says they are sewing dragon banners and praying for Viserys to return from across the narrow sea to free them.” “The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Ser Jorah told her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.” He gave a shrug. “They never are.” Dany rode along quietly for a time, working his words like a puzzle box. It went against everything that Viserys had ever told her to think that the people could care so little whether a true king or a usurper reigned over them. Yet the more she thought on Jorah’s words, the more they rang of truth. – Daenerys III AGOT

“Yet I must have some army,” Dany said. “The boy Joffrey will not give me the Iron Throne for asking politely.” – Daenerys II ASOS

Book Dany is smart enough not to trust Illyrio’s words about how the people are waiting for her and her brother, and she’s smart enough to understand that “gifts seldom come without a price”, and this is in her very first chapter. In her third chapter, when Ser Jorah tells her that the common people don’t care who their rightful ruler is, she sees the truth in his words. Later, it’s very clear that she knows no one will give her the Iron Throne if she just asks. This conversation with the Spice King dumbs Dany down just to have a man mansplain things to her. And what’s even worse, is that in the books, when Xaro tries to tell Dany that he will give her thirty ships in exchange for a dragon, it’s Daenerys that explains to him how business works:

Thirty ships would be enough to land a small army on the shore of Westeros. But I do not have a small army. “How many ships do you own, Xaro?” “Eighty-three, if one does not count my pleasure barge.” “And your colleagues in the Thirteen?” “Among us all, perhaps a thousand.” “And the Spicers and the Tourmaline Brotherhood?” “Their trifling fleets are of no account.” “Even so,” she said, “tell me.” “Twelve or thirteen hundred for the Spicers. No more than eight hundred for the Brotherhood.” “And the Asshai'i, the Braavosi, the Summer Islanders, the Ibbenese, and all the other peoples who sail the great salt sea, how many ships do they have? All together?” “Many and more,” he said irritably. “What does this matter?” “I am trying to set a price on one of the three living dragons in the world.” Dany smiled at him sweetly. “It seems to me that one-third of all the ships in the world would be fair.” – Daenerys V ACOK

These changes are offensive. They dumb Dany down so that a guy can mansplain business to her, and once again, the only thing that show Dany does is scream about how she’ll take things with“fire and blood”. The showrunners thought it was more important to give Dany a passionate speech about how her dreams come true, instead of showing her have some intelligence.

5) In the books, Dany uses bells in her hair after the House of the Undying, because she knows that it would help to give an impression of strength to the Dothraki, which shows how she is politically savvy. We see none of this in the show.

6) Another change is the relationship with Quaithe: In the books, Quaithe speaks to Dany; in the show, she speaks to Jorah. Even Dany’s relationships are given to the male characters around her.

7) In the show, Dany locks Xaro and Doreah in a vault, after she herself told Doreah to seduce Xaro. This is another scene that makes Dany much more ruthless in the show than in the books. (I don’t truly have a problem with Dany killing these people that betrayed her and killed her people, I’m just pointing out that these changes are an overall pattern of changes that make Dany more ruthless).

8) In the books, Dany sets up a guard for her people and dragons:

“We will keep our own watch so long as we are here. See that no one enters this wing of the palace without my leave, and take care that the dragons are always well guarded.” – Daenerys II ACOK

While in the show, Dany’s dragons are easily stolen, making both her and the Dothraki look incompetent. And in the books, Dany’s motivation for entering the House of the Undying is to seek knowledge:

Ser Jorah Mormont gave the merchant prince a sour look. “Your Grace, remember Mirri Maz Duur.” “I do,” Dany said, suddenly decided. “I remember that she had knowledge. And she was only a maegi.” – Daenerys IV ACOK

But in the show, her agency is taken away. She goes to the House of the Undying not on her own free will, but because she has no choice.

The only time in which the show gives Dany more agency is when she’s is the one that gives the dragons the order to burn Pyat Pree in the House of the Undying, while in the books, Drogon is the one that saves her. But I don’t think this is enough to compensate for all the bad writing for Dany in this season.

SEASON 3

The season starts with Dany saying that she needs an army because her dragons aren’t growing fast enough. This actually gives her more agency compared to the books, in which getting an army was Jorah’s suggestion. Another thing that was Jorah’s suggestion in the books is that she doesn’t reveal to Kraznys that she speaks Valyrian, while in the show, this is Dany’s idea. This might give someone the impression that this season was going to be different and better for Dany, and in certain aspects, this season does get some things right. This season shows Dany’s softness and kindness. This season also shows Dany’s brilliant plan in Astapor. So it’s not just bad things. But this season also takes away Dany’s agency and intelligence in crucial moments:

1) When Dany is wondering if she should buy slave soldiers, she and Jorah have this conversation in the books:

“Your Grace,” she corrected. “Prince Rhaegar led free men into battle, not slaves. Whitebeard said he dubbed his squires himself, and made many other knights as well.” “There was no higher honor than to receive your knighthood from the Prince of Dragonstone.” “Tell me, then—when he touched a man on the shoulder with his sword, what did he say? ‘Go forth and kill the weak’? Or 'Go forth and defend them’? At the Trident, those brave men Viserys spoke of who died beneath our dragon banners—did they give their lives because they believed in Rhaegar’s cause, or because they had been bought and paid for?” Dany turned to Mormont, crossed her arms, and waited for an answer. “My queen,” the big man said slowly, “all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life. His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the Iron Throne. Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.” – Daenerys II ASOS

In the show, Dany does say that she wants to take the Iron Throne with “the blood of my enemies, not the blood of innocents”. But the main part of Dany’s argument is given to her male advisor, Ser Barristan, taking away from her intelligence:

Barristan: When your brother Rhaegar led his army into battle at the Trident, men died for him because they believed in him, because they loved him, not because they’d been bought at a slaver’s auction. I fought beside the last dragon on that day, Your Grace. I bled beside him. Jorah: Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, and Rhaegar died. – 3x03

2) When Dany goes to Yunkai in the books, she talks with the Yunkish envoy and the sellsword companies. She tells each of them a different information, and gives wine to the Second Sons to get them drunk. Then, she’s the one that plans the entire attack on the Yunkish army.

In the show they adapt Dany’s talk with the sellswords, but these talks serve no purpose, because Dany doesn’t use them for anything. Later, Daario sneaks into her tent, making the Unsullied look incompetent (In the books, he gets caught when he tries to sneak into Dany’s encampment). When time comes to plan the attack, it’s Daario that suggests a plan in the show, not Dany (while also guiding her hand while showing her the map and explaining to her where things are. They really thought it was more important to have a moment of sexual tension instead of having a moment in which Dany shows her wits by planning the attack). After they take the city, Jorah does say this:

It was just as you said. They did not believe until it was too late. Their slave soldiers threw down their spears and surrendered. – 3x09

So some part of the plan in the show came from Dany, the idea that the slaves would rise against their masters. But even then, the main part of the plan comes from Daario. Once again, Dany’s intelligence is given to her male advisors.

SEASON 4

This is where Dany’s characterization dies. She’s fighting slavery like book Dany, but they are not the same character.

1) In Meereen, Dany has to choose a champion to face the champion of the city. In the books, Dany chooses Strong Belwas:

“Why that one, Khaleesi?” Rakharo demanded of her. “He is fat and stupid.” “Strong Belwas was a slave here in the fighting pits. If this highborn Oznak should fall to such the Great Masters will be shamed, while if he wins … well, it is a poor victory for one so noble, one that Meereen can take no pride in.” And unlike Ser Jorah, Daario, Brown Ben, and her three bloodriders, the eunuch did not lead troops, plan battles, or give her counsel. He does nothing but eat and boast and bellow at Arstan. Belwas was the man she could most easily spare. And it was time she learned what sort of protector Magister Illyrio had sent her. – Daenerys V ASOS

This is very smart. Belwas is not someone as important to Dany, it doesn’t matter if we wins or loses, and at the same time, she gets to test the protector that Illyrio sent her. Now, in the show, Dany chooses Daario. Daario tells Dany that he’s not one of her generals, but he is. None of this makes any sense. The writers probably did this so that Daario could flirt with Dany and show off his martial skills. They thought Dany and Daario flirting was more important than Dany making a rational decision.

2) In the show, Dany makes her speech, and we are shown that the plan to take Meereen involves the slaves rising against their masters. The problem is that we are never shown Dany planning. I assume that she was the one responsible for the plan, but this is not true of other viewers. There are many sexist people in the audience that will simply assume that this plan was the work of Dany’s advisors, and these assumptions are supported by the fact that Dany was not the one to plan the attack on Yunkai. Misogyny is certainly part of the reason why people always say that Dany is “nothing without her advisors”. But the show is also to blame, because it constantly gives her accomplishments to her advisors.

3) Then we have the crucifixion of the masters of Meereen. This is a problematic action from the books, but the show makes it worse, because it makes it look like Dany just chose random people to crucify. While in the books, Dany asks for the Meereenese slavers to choose who will be crucified, and she asks specifically for the leaders, the ones most likely to have committed the crime:

“I want your leaders,” Dany told them. “Give them up, and the rest of you shall be spared.” – Daenerys VI ASOS

And the show beats the question much more than the books. In the show, Hizdahr comes to talk about how his father was a “good slaver”, and ask for the people crucified to be taken down to be buried. In the books, no one needs to ask Dany to take down the corpses, she does it of her own volition. I’m not trying to say that Dany’s actions aren’t problematic in the books, but the show does everything to paint it in the worst light possible.

4) In the show, Dany wants to send Daario to execute all of the masters in Yunkai, but Jorah talks her down:

Jorah: Herding the masters into pens and slaughtering them by the thousands is also treating men like beasts. The slaves you freed, brutality is all they’ve ever known. If you want them to know something else, you’ll have to show it to them. Dany: And repay the slavers with what? Kindness? A fine? A stern warning? Jorah: It’s tempting to see your enemies as evil, all of them, but there’s good and evil on both sides in every war ever fought. Dany: Let the priests argue over good and evil. Slavery is real. I can end it. I will end it. And I will end those behind it. – 4x07



This is problematic on many levels. First, because Jorah had always advocated for the more violent and less honorable path, like when he tells Dany that in wars innocents always die so there would be no problem in Dany using slave soldiers, and after that he tells her that Rhaegar fought honorably and died. In this scene his characterization is flipped. Dany’s characterization is also flipped. In 3x03, Dany argues against Jorah point of view, yet here, Dany is the one advocating for violence. They flipped their characterizations so that we could have a man talking down a woman from making a “rash decision”. And book Dany most definitely is not a violent person. She occasionally gets angry, but most of the time, she makes battle plans that avoid too much bloodshed, and in Meereen, she constantly seeks peace, even though her advisors tell her to choose more violent paths. Just to give one example:

“You are fighting shadows when you should be fighting the men who cast them,” Daario went on. “Kill them all and take their treasures, I say. Whisper the command, and your Daario will make you a pile of their heads taller than this pyramid.” “If I knew who they were—” “Zhak and Pahl and Merreq. Them, and all the rest. The Great Masters. Who else would it be?” He is as bold as he is bloody. “We have no proof this is their work. Would you have me slaughter my own subjects?” “Your own subjects would gladly slaughter you.” He had been so long away, Dany had almost forgotten what he was. Sellswords were treacherous by nature, she reminded herself. Fickle, faithless, brutal. He will never be more than he is. He will never be the stuff of kings. “The pyramids are strong,” she explained to him. “We could take them only at great cost. The moment we attack one the others will rise against us.” “Then winkle them out of their pyramids on some pretext. A wedding might serve. Why not? Promise your hand to Hizdahr and all the Great Masters will come to see you married. When they gather in the Temple of the Graces, turn us loose upon them.” Dany was appalled. He is a monster. A gallant monster, but a monster still. “Do you take me for the Butcher King?” – Daenerys IV ADWD

Dany studied the scroll. All the ruling families of Meereen were named: Hazkar, Merreq, Quazzar, Zhak, Rhazdar, Ghazeen, Pahl, even Reznak and Loraq. “What am I to do with a list of names?”

“Every man on that list has kin within the city. Sons and brothers, wives and daughters, mothers and fathers. Let my Brazen Beasts seize them. Their lives will win you back those ships.”

“If I send the Brazen Beasts into the pyramids, it will mean open war inside the city. I have to trust in Hizdahr. I have to hope for peace.” Dany held the parchment above a candle and watched the names go up in flame, while Skahaz glowered at her. - Daenerys V ADWD



The actions of show Daenerys are exactly the opposite of book Daenerys. Once again, I want to point out that I actually don’t mind that show Dany wanted to kill the nobility in the show. I actually think Dany was too soft in the books, and if she had removed the nobility from power in Yunkai, Yunkai wouldn’t be able to enslave people again and fight against her. But the problem is that in the show, this change in characterization is not portrayed as something positive or as a smart course of action for Dany to take, it’s portrayed as Dany having to be controlled by her male advisors, and this is going to become a pattern from this moment on in the show. These changes are sexist.

5) In the scene where Dany exiles Jorah, in the books, Dany is decided to forgive Jorah. She only doesn’t because he demands that she forgives him in front of the entire court. In the show, Jorah doesn’t demand to be forgiven, and his actions are made less serious: in the books, he was still spying on Dany in Qarth, but that doesn’t happen in the show. And the show frames Dany’s decision to exile Jorah as the decision of someone who’s making a mistake and being unreasonable, by having Jorah say that this was the work of Tywin Lanniter to divide them. (Once again, I’m going to note that I have no problem with show Dany exiling Jorah, I’m just pointing out that the show portrays Dany in a negative light in this scene).

6) There are also other small changes: in the show, Dany sits very high above her subjects in the Great Pyramid of Meereen, which paints her as distant from her subjects. In the books, this is not the case. Dany sits on the same level that her subjects are (we know this because there is one case in which someone spits on her), and her throne is an ebon bench, to make a point that Dany destroyed the previous opulent throne. In the show, Dany sometimes uses Missandei as a translator, something that book Dany never does, because she speaks her subject’s language. Once again, the show makes Dany look incompetent, and disrespects her characterization, because book Daenerys always adapts to the cultures around her.

7) Then, in the show, we have a scene in which Dany is talking to an old man called Fennesz, asking to sell himself back to slavery. In this scene, show Dany constantly interrupts the man, looking impatient and like she doesn’t like to be criticized. Book Dany never does that. She constantly tells people that they are free to criticize her:

Dany could think of no other questions. She looked at Arstan. “You have lived long in the world, Whitebeard. Now that you have seen them, what do you say?” “I say no, Your Grace,” the old man answered at once. “Why?” she asked. “Speak freely.” – Daenerys II ASOS

“Then what do you advise, Ser Jorah?” "You will not like it.” “I would hear it all the same.” - Daenerys V ASOS



And she’s not rude. She doesn’t interrupt people, and even when angry, she is courteous:

“Your Grace need only ask him. The noble Hizdahr awaits below. Send down to him if that is your pleasure.” You presume too much, priestess, the queen thought, but she swallowed her anger and made herself smile. “Why not?” She sent for Ser Barristan and told the old knight to bring Hizdahr to her. “It is a long climb. Have the Unsullied help him up.” – Daenerys IV ADWD

SEASON 5

1) In the show, Hizdahr returns from Yunkai, saying that the masters have agreed to be ruled by a council of freedmen and former slavers, and that they’ll bring any matters to Dany’s consideration. So the masters have agreed to this just because Hizdahr asked? Here, we already see them simplifying the situation. The only concession that they ask (and it isn’t even a concession, because the masters have already installed the council) is that Dany reopen the pits, and once again, the show has Dany unwilling to compromise. In the books, Dany also doesn’t want to reopen the pits, but she does make many other compromises. By having the slavers of the show only ask for reopening of the pits, they make the situation too simple (as if slavers would give up on slavery just because someone asked) and by having Dany refuse it, she does come off looking as someone unwilling to compromise. I mean, if all Dany has to do for the masters to agree on ending slavery is to reopen the fighting pits and Dany refuses, she does come off looking as if she’s someone unreasonable and unwilling to look for peaceful solutions and conciliation. This scene is also bad because Hizdahr mansplain to Dany about how politics is the art of compromise (book Dany never needs to be told this).

2) When they find one Son of the Harpy, Dany’s first reaction in the show is to want to kill him, unlike book Dany, who tries to avoid violence at any cost throughout her entire story in ADWD.

3) When Mossador kills the Son of the Harpy (in a scene that only exists in the show), Dany has him executed in the name of justice. On the one hand, this is written to show Daenerys trying to be righteous. On the other hand, the writers make everything possible to make Dany look politically dumb: Hizdahr says that Dany should carry out the execution privately, but Dany insists in a public one. Then, of course, the slaves turn against Dany. This is a moment that shows how show Dany was dumbed down in relation to book Dany. In the books, Dany is a more pragmatic person. She knows the support of the slaves is necessary, and because of that, she declares a pardon to all the crimes committed by the slaves during the sack. Book Dany is smarter, and at the very least, she would have made a private execution, because Book Dany is pragmatic and she understands the necessity to keep the people on her side. If show Dany decided that this was the right thing to do (and I do agree that it’s the right thing to do, I’m not questioning the righteousness of Mossador’s execution), then I would at least expect her to be aware of the political consequences. But the acting in the scene makes Dany look as if she’s completely oblivious to what the reaction of the freedmen will be.

4) Then, after Dany executes Mossador in the name of a fair trial, she decides to throw “fair trial” out of the window by feeding one of the slavers to her dragons for revenge. This is something that never happens in the books. The closest we have to a problematic action like this is when Dany allows the wineseller’s daughters to be tortured. But this isn’t anywhere near as dark as feeding people to her dragons, for various reasons: 1) because Dany’s actions in the books are inserted in a context in which torture is seen as a normal and legitimate means of investigation by the society. Dany is not the only one that does this, and even honorable Jon Snow considers throwing Janos Slynt in an ice cell to force him to comply, and later throws Cregan Karstark in one. So Dany’s actions in the books are lawful, while in the show, they are not; 2) because Dany was trying to investigate. She was angry about what happened, but revenge was not the only motivation; 3) in the books, Dany learns a lesson from this and becomes the only ruler in ASOIAF to explicitly forbid torture.

Another thing that makes the dragon feeding scene so bad is that Dany tells the masters that she doesn’t care who’s innocent or not. But book Daenerys does care about it:

“We have no proof this is their work. Would you have me slaughter my own subjects?” – Daenerys IV ADWD

Feeding people to her dragons in the show was a criminal action taken by show Dany, and it was made out of revenge, with show Dany saying that she doesn’t care about innocence. This is very different from Dany in the books, and much much darker.

5) In the show, when Dany decides to marry Hizdahr, he’s in a cell begging for his life. Someone could very well argue that Dany forced him. And it’s a spur of the moment decision, not something that Dany has been thinking about for some time. There’s nothing in the show established about Hizdahr’s political influence or his ability to bring peace. In the books, Dany never forces Hizdahr, this is something proposed to Dany from the beginning of the book, and that Dany thinks about for a long time, and Dany only marries him because he proves he’s capable of bringing her peace. In the books, her marriage yields results, while in the show, it doesn’t have any consequences. This makes Dany look incompetent, because her decision to marry for peace in the show accomplishes nothing. It also makes her darker, because of the situation in which Dany informs Hizdahr that he’ll marry her, right after she feeds a man to her dragons, and without giving Hizdahr any chance to refuse.

6) In the books, Jorah never makes it back to Dany, and Tyrion and Dany don’t meet. But in the show, they do, and the meeting is a very sexist scene. Dany needs Tyrion to tell her what to do with Jorah, she can’t make a decision on her own. Then, Tyrion mansplains about how Dany will need someone who knows Westeros. Dany says that she’ll have a large army and dragons, and once again Tyrion mansplains to her about how killing and politics aren’t the same thing. This is something that book Dany already knows, she doesn’t need a man to teach her about it and “control her violent ways”. I would even argue that show Dany knows this too, after all, show Dany did decide to marry Hizdahr for peace (yes, the execution of the scene was incredibly problematic, as I already pointed out, but it does show that show Dany understands that politics are more than just killing). Show Dany did not need to have Tyrion mansplaining politics to her.

7) In the show, the scene in Daznak’s pit is also problematic. First, because this scene in the books is supposed to be the scene in which Dany finally gets outraged with the injustice that she witnesses, and decides she’s is not satisfied with the peace and all the compromises that she made. This scene couldn’t possibly work in the show, because in the show Dany barely makes any compromises. But the writers proved that they don’t understand anything about the meaning of this scene by having Tyrion being more outraged than Dany, and Dany looking more passive.

What happens in the books is that they watch the games, until Barsena, one of the fighters, die. Dany decides that she has had enough, and orders Hizdahr to take her out of there. This is a moment in which Dany finally reclaims her agency again, after spending the entire book bowing to the wishes of the slaver class. To symbolize Dany reconnecting with her identity, Drogon shows up in this exact moment. But he doesn’t help Dany. Drogon starts attacking and eating people, and the Meereenese try to kill him. To save both her dragon and her people, Dany jumps into the pit, fights Drogon with only a whip, tames him and flies away.

In the show, we get the opposite. There’s never a moment in which Dany rejects the peace and reclaims her agency. The Sons of the Harpy attack, making Dany’s marriage with Hizdahr pointless, and making Dany look incompetent for being unable to bring peace (it also makes the Unsullied look incompetent, and it makes no sense that there were so few Unsullied working on the security of the pit). Then, Dany has to be saved by Jorah and by Drogon, making her look like a damsel in distress, instead of the badass hero that she is in the books.

8) Then, to finish the season, Dany is captured by the Dothraki, like a damsel in distress. In the books, this never happened: she learns how to ride Drogon, and uses him to face Khal Pono.

Overall, season 5 butchered Dany’s political storyline from the books, for many reasons. First, because it simplified everything. In the books, Dany has to deal not just with the Sons of the Harpy, but also with with enemies from outside the city, an alliance of Yunkai, Qarth, New Guis and other slave cities. They put Dany’s city under siege, and the city suffers for it, because they can’t have any trade anymore. But in the show, there’s no siege and no outside enemies. Quite the opposite, Yunkai agrees with Dany’s demands just because Hizdahr asked politely. This means that Dany’s failure to even get peace in the show makes her look really incompetent. It’s very different from the books, in which Dany is in a very complicated situation and is doing everything she can. Another problem of the show is that they never show Dany doing anything related to ruling. In the books, Dany manages the economy, plants, negotiates for trade, trains soldiers, and makes concessions and pragmatic decisions to keep the peace. But in the show, she does none of these things, which only gives fuel to the idea that Dany is incompetent and did nothing to rebuild the economy. These things were necessary to show Dany as a competent ruler, but the show cuts it.

SEASON 6

From this point on, we don’t have the books to compare to the show. But there are still sexist writing decisions to talk about.

1) When Dany goes to the Dothraki, she’s able to escape only due to being fireproof. I guess one could still say that this was a smart plan, but this fireproof ability is not something show Dany earned. Wouldn’t it be better if, like in the books, Dany was with her dragon, that she learned to ride with great effort? That would be more earned.

2) Meanwhile, in Meereen, the writers gave Tyrion Dany’s book 5 storyline, and frame him as the best politician ever. He makes peace deals with the masters and brings trade back into the city. These are things that Daenerys does in the books, but the writers gave her storyline to a male character.

3) In the books, the slaves never turn against Dany. They are still loyal to her even after she leaves the city:

When His Grace had tried to put them under the command of a cousin, as he had the Brazen Beasts, Grey Worm had informed the king that they were free men who took commands only from their mother. – The Queensguard ADWD

“Is it true?” a freedwoman shouted. “Is our mother dead?” “No, no, no,” Reznak screeched. “Queen Daenerys will return to Meereen in her own time in all her might and majesty. Until such time, His Worship King Hizdahr shall—” “He is no king of mine,” a freedman yelled. – The Discarded Knight ADWD



But in the show, after she leaves the city, the slaves turn on her.

4) In one scene, Tyrion says this;

“We’re never going to fix what’s wrong with this city from the top of an eight hundred foot pyramid” - Tyrion 6x01

What this line implies is that Dany never came down from her pyramid to see the problems of her city. It implies that Dany is someone that is distant from the common people, someone that doesn’t mingle with the smallfolk. To further emphasize this point, the show has Tyrion give a coin to a poor woman in the streets. This is an insult to book Dany. Because book Dany does come down from her pyramid. In the books, half of a chapter is dedicated just to Dany taking care of sick refugees:

Even feeding them had grown difficult. Every day she sent them what she could, but every day there were more of them and less food to give them. It was growing harder to find drivers willing to deliver the food as well. Too many of the men they had sent into the camp had been stricken by the flux themselves. Others had been attacked on the way back to the city. Yesterday a wagon had been overturned and two of her soldiers killed, so today the queen had determined that she would bring the food herself. Every one of her advisors had argued fervently against it, from Reznak and the Shavepate to Ser Barristan, but Daenerys would not be moved. “I will not turn away from them,” she said stubbornly. “A queen must know the sufferings of her people.” - Daenerys VI ADWD

So this change is very offensive, because the show gives Tyrion what was supposed to be Dany’s role, once again, giving parts of her story to male characters.

5) Then, when Dany returns, she suggest burning down the slave cities. Do I even need to say that book Dany wouldn’t say something like this? It’s true that by the end of ADWD, Dany has chosen “fire and blood”. But there are other ways of showing that Dany has turned to a more ruthless path. Burning the slave cities down is not just ruthless, it’s stupid, because Dany would be burning the very slaves that she wants to save. And what makes this scene worse is that Tyrion has to talk her down. This trend of Dany’s male advisors having to control her “violent impulses” continues, and do I even need to say just how sexist it is? And this isn’t even a books vs show problem. If GRRM writes Dany this way in the next books, you can be sure I’ll be criticizing him for being sexist as well.

6) Tyrion then suggests an alternative plan. Notice how there’s no input from Dany. Show Dany doesn’t make plans, she lets her male advisors make plans for her. And from this point, Dany begins to obey Tyrion. She’s no longer the ruler, she’s just a puppet queen, and all the ideas come from Tyrion. He’s the one that tells her to leave Daario behind. Couldn’t Dany have made that decision by herself? And when Dany and Yara talk, Dany looks at Tyrion as if she’s asking for permission, and only shakes Yara’s hand when Tyrion nods (by the way, Yara also looks at Theon and waits for his nod. It’s as if the writers can’t conceive of women making their own decisions).

SEASON 7

1) In the first war council meeting, only Tyrion has a plan (a stupid plan). Yara’s idea of attacking King’s Landing is quickly dismissed. Basically, this scene is all about how all the women in this powerful alliance just listen to a man. Book Dany would have certainly come up with a plan of her own, she wouldn’t need Tyrion to tell her what to do. And Book Dany would be more creative. Because the options that she has are more than just laying a siege or burning King’s Landing. Why does no one suggest that the dragons could be used to break a hole in the city’s walls, allowing Dany’s army to enter? I’m pretty sure that book Dany would have thought about something like that, or something even more creative. But what the showrunners wanted to write was a scene in which everyone listens to a man and Tyrion controls Dany’s “violent impulses”.

2) Tyrion is the one that gives the idea of giving Jon dragonglass to keep good relationship with a possible ally. There’s no input from Dany. Then, Tyrion explains his plan to take Casterly Rock. Once again, no input from Dany.

3) The only ideas Dany has the entire season are dismissed as “impulsive” or “violent”. The idea of destroying Euron’s ships with her dragons is dismissed by her advisors. The idea to attack the capital is “too violent”. Tyrion even disapproves the attack on the Loot Train. Tyrion’s loyalty to his family is certainly a factor here, but everything is framed so that the audience is against Dany: the Lannister soldiers are humanized and we hear sad music playing when Dany is burning the army. We didn’t have humanized Bolton soldiers. It’s one more example of the double standards the show has for female and male characters.

4) Then we have a scene in which Tyrion and Varys wonder if Dany is like the Mad King. And that infuriates me to no end. Was Aegon the Conqueror mad like Aerys because he gave Harren the Black the option to kneel or burn? Did they just forget the treason Randyll Tarly committed against the Tyrells and Dany? Or how about the treason they committed against their rightful queen Margaery, by supporting the woman who murdered her? And Dany even gave the Tarlys the option to take the black. I do think that book Dany would have taken the Tarlys as hostages (because she’s smarter than show Dany), but show Dany is not evil or mad for doing this. But the worst part of this scene is how Varys tell Tyrion that Dany won’t be like her father only if she listens to the right council (aka Tyrion). So for the show writers, Dany can only be a good queen if she listens to her men and if she has men to control her.

5) In the next scenes, the trend of having Dany only follow what the men say continue. The Wight Hunt is entirely Tyrion’s and Jon’s idea, with no input from Dany. Don’t get me wrong, the Wight Hunt is a terrible idea, but the show frames it as the smart and honorable thing. They even have Jon “put Dany in her place” by saying “I don’t need your permission, I am a king”. Benioff even praises Tyrion’s idea in the Behind the Episode. For them, Tyrion’s idea was smart. And of course, Dany needs to listen to him.

6) In the Dragonpit meeting, Dany is dumbed down by getting into King’s Landing with two dragons (which gives Cersei the hint that she lost one dragon). Then, during the meeting, she barely speaks, Tyrion and Jon do all the exposition. When Tyrion goes to talk to Cersei, he tells Cersei that the difference between Dany and Cersei is that Dany “chose an advisor that controls her worst impulses instead of feeding into them”. Once again, Dany needs her men to control her.

7) Finally, in Dragonstone, planning the trip to Winterfell, once again Dany offers no input, only listening to what the men tell her to do. I know that this makes sense if we take this scene in isolation, because Dany doesn’t know the terrain of the North, so it makes sense that a Northerner is telling her these things. But with the pattern of the show never letting Dany think by herself, this scene is just another scene in which Dany listens to men.

DANY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH JORAH

I already mentioned part of this, but I wanted to specifically talk about this. In the books, Jorah is a creep. He spies on Dany for a long time, even in Qarth. He’s constantly disrespectful of her boundaries, and it’s also very presumptuous. He tells Dany that he could be one of her husbands, and he kisses her without her permission while she’s naked. He keeps trying to isolate her and make her trust only him, but Dany calls him out on his behavior. Dany constantly tells him that this is improper, that she doesn’t feel that way, she calls him out on his behavior. But the show whitewashes Jorah, and keeps trying to make the audience sympathize with poor friendzoned Jorah, and dislike mean Dany that treats him that way. The change in the scene in which Dany exiles Jorah tries to frame Dany as the unreasonable one, and make her look unforgiving, unlike in the books. And this obsession the showrunners have with Jorah’s “love” for Dany changes her storyline. They wanted Jorah to save Dany and Dany to forgive him, so they turned Dany into a damsel in distress in Daznak’s Pit. And even in the show, Jorah’s behavior is not ok. Dany constantly tells him to leave. She exiles him, and when he returns, she exiles him again, but he continues to disregard her wishes and comes back. But the show doesn’t seem to think there’s a problem. Jorah’s actions are portrayed as “romantic”.

DANY’S “IMPULSES”

I’ve already talked about this in the previous sections, but I just want to talk about the language that the show uses. Tyrion constantly talks about controlling Dany’s impulses, that she was impulsive to burn the Tarlys and all that. But the show doesn’t ever give Dany any agency. If she obeys her men, good; but every time she decides to come up with a plan of her own, it’s “impulsive”. This is sexism, this idea that when women disagree with men, they are “impulsive” and “irrational”. And if Dany gets angry with Tyrion for very justified reasons (his plans did cost her all of her allies), she has a “temper”. And later Tyrion says that he told Jaime that he would control Dany’s “temper”. And Dany didn’t even lose her temper. She was calm and collected when she executed the Tarlys, and even though she was angry with Tyrion at the beach, she never really did anything about it. She didn’t even attack the Red Keep as she wanted. Men are allowed to be angry all the time. Tyrion, Jon and Jaime have all made impulsive decisions and lost their tempers. But if Dany gets angry, even if she doesn’t do anything about that anger, then she has a “temper”. Do I even need to say anything else about how the language and the double standards the show uses are sexist?

I understand that Westeros is a sexist society. The language that the characters are using to describe Dany could very well be the because the characters are sexist, and not necessarily the show. But the show never challenges what these male characters are saying. They frame Dany as being the one in the wrong. This, together with everything I already described, makes the show sexist.

STUPID LINES

This isn’t exactly about the sexism in the show, but I wanted to talk about how the writers are completely careless and always give Dany the worst lines.

“All men must die, but we are not men”

I know that the intention behind this line is a good one. It’s a reference to Éowyn’s line, and if a line like this was handed correctly, it would have been a very powerful feminist moment. But the problem is: Éowyn’s line makes sense, Dany’s line doesn’t. The exchange “No man can kill me”/“I’m not a man” works because Éowyn does kill the Witch King. In Dany’s line, it doesn’t make sense, because women die too. What is she even trying to say here? That she’s invincible? And this line is another change from the books that makes Dany less empathetic. In the books, she says “All men must die, but not for a long while, we may pray”. It shows Dany’s compassion, but the writer prioritize “badass”, and ended up with something that makes no sense.

If they really wanted a line that subverts the male-default language, they could have just followed the books. In the first book, Drogo tells Dany:

“I will carry you, blood of my blood,” Haggo offered. Khal Drogo waved him away. “I need no man’s help,” he said, in a voice proud and hard. He stood, unaided, towering over them all. A fresh wave of blood ran down his breast, from where Ogo’s arakh had cut off his nipple. Dany moved quickly to his side. “I am no man,” she whispered, “so you may lean on me.” Drogo put a huge hand on her shoulder. – Daenerys VII AGOT

See? This line actually makes sense.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a queen”

This line is bad for two reasons: 1) Because it doesn’t make sense. If she is a queen, she is a politician. 2) Because it makes show Dany look as someone unwilling to compromise, and this is the opposite of what Dany does in the books.

“I’m going to break the wheel”

I actually don’t have a problem with the line itself, I actually quite like it. But the show never clarifies what Dany means with breaking the wheel, and this just makes Dany look like someone who says empty things.

SOME LINES FROM THE SCRIPTS

Now, if all that I wrote isn’t enough for people to hate the show’s writing, then I want to show some lines from the scripts that to me, show just how much the writers don’t understand and don’t respect Dany’s character. First, we have this line that pretty much illustrate their sexism towards Dany:

Tyrion can’t bear to watch; he turns to Dany. But watching her isn’t any easier. It forces him to reckon with the possibility that Daenerys Targaryen, their best, last hope, is also her father’s daughter. (this was posted by the user HouseMonty on Reddit, who went to the Writer’s Guild and took photos of the scripts)



We can see here the show’s double standards, by having Tyrion wonder if Dany is like the Mad King. Finally, I want to point out one line from the Battle of the Bastards script:

Dany never turns to look at the approaching DROGON. She doesn’t have to look. She only allows the faintest hint of a smile. A smile that says: my tyranny’s not ended, motherfucker. It’s only just begun.



Do I even need to say anything? Dany is not a tyrant. I don’t care if this line in the scripts was just supposed to give directions to the actress. A line like this should never be in a script regarding Dany’s character.

IS THIS FAIR CRITICISM? OR ARE THE BOOKS TOO DIFFICULT TO ADAPT?

Now, I know many people will say that the books are too complex and too difficult to adapt. Many people will say that in the show we can’t know what the characters are thinking, and that’s a problem for the adaptation. There’s also the argument that the problems come from problems with the screentime or the budget. But I would argue that none of these things are really a problem, and I don’t think they explain the changes made by the show writers.

First, the problem of not being able to portray the characters thoughts. I don’t really see this as the reason. Let’s remember the “you must be their strength” line, that Jorah tells Dany in the desert. I think the intention here was clear. This line is part of Dany’s internal monologue in the books. They wanted to externalize it, so they gave the line to Jorah. Apparently, there’s no reason to think that they wanted to take away Dany’s leadership, they just wanted to adapt a book quote.

But this is where the bad adaptation comes in. When trying to adapt this line, they weren’t thinking about what the line actually meant (Dany trying to be strong). If they actually reflected about it, they wouldn’t have Dany acting desperate in the desert. They would have shown Dany doing her best to not show any fear or any doubt. But instead of thinking about what the line meant, they just thought that they needed to externalize it, and that’s a problem. But even if they wanted to externalize this line so badly, they could have done it without Jorah saying it. They could have had Jorah ask “Khaleesi, why are you so hard on yourself?”, and Dany would answer “my people are weak, so I must be their strength”. This way, there would be no need to give Dany’s lines to a male character.

Besides, many of the changes in the show are changes in Dany’s actions, not in her thoughts, so lack of internal monologue is not the problem of the adaptation.

Then, there’s the argument that the books are too complex and there’s not enough screentime. I disagree with that as well. It wouldn’t take too much screentime to mention that Dany was planting in Meereen. The show has also invented many scenes that do not exist in the books. Instead of wasting time with those scenes, they could have followed the books. To give one example: in the Daznak’s Pit scene, they had Dany being saved by Drogon, instead of fighting against Drogon. Following the scene in the books would take the same amount of screentime. So this isn’t a question of screentime.

It isn’t a problem of budget either. In the Daznak’s Pit scene, if they followed the book scene, they would have to spend even less money, because they wouldn’t have to pay for all the Son of the Harpy extras. It would be better for them to follow the books. As for the rest of the Dany scenes, her scenes don’t really require a lot of CGI. Dany is not involved in a lot of physical fighting, and she only rides Drogon at the end of ADWD. There shouldn’t be any money problems if they followed the books.

This isn’t to say that D&D don’t have any idea of Dany’s character or her arc. I do think they have an idea. But D&D only adapted the barebones of Dany’s storyline and themes. They seem to be aware of the war/violence vs peace theme going on in her arc, but they adapted this internal conflict in a way that shows they only superficially understand the themes, but not the characterization. This is her internal conflict, but it’s not her character. They understand the broad strokes of Dany’s arc, but they don’t understand the character. That’s why we end up with a story in which male characters have to constantly control Dany’s “violent tendencies”, because that’s the only way D&D know how to adapt her arc. But this shouldn’t be done this way. It’s supposed to be an internal conflict of Dany. She shouldn’t have to be controlled by male advisors, she should make those decisions herself, she should reflect on those things by herself. To give one example: instead of having Tyrion tell Dany “you’re not here to be queen of the ashes”, why don’t they have Dany saying this herself? You would still have the internal conflict, but without having this whole “Dany’s male advisors have to control her” theme.

Another problem is that D&D are simply not good writers. They seem not to be able to write two characters without taking away the other character’s importance, and they don’t seem to be able to write “smart” characters without dumbing down the characters around them. That’s why we have Tyrion making all of Dany’s battle plans, because Tyrion is supposed to be “smart”, and unless he’s making all the decisions for Dany, D&D don’t seem to know what to do with his character. But it should be perfectly possible for Tyrion to help Dany without stealing her protagonism and dumbing her down.

I hope I was able to explain why I think Dany’s character was completely butchered in the show. They have made her darker (while also whitewashing male characters), they have dumbed her down and they have taken away her agency and given her story to the male characters around her. And in my opinion, this show isn’t just badly adapted and badly written: it’s sexist and offensive, even without comparing it to the books.