The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones was positively filled to the brim with carnage, and its loyal fans were there every step of the way to make their thoughts on what went down known across social media.
After a tumultuous season where Jon Snow couldn’t even pet Ghost while saying goodbye, viewers spotted a coffee cup on set, and Arya had her first sex scene, it was going to be tough to figure out where the show might go next.
But you can bet the Game of Thrones showrunners were up to something completely wacky when writing “The Bells,” and as the episode’s events unfolded, fans were absolutely feeling some type of way about what took place – mostly, the actions taken by one fan favorite character: Daenerys. Yes, our Mother of Dragons snapped, and people were left with some truly mixed reactions.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Episode 5 of Game of Thrones Season 8.
It’s far too late in the game to avoid a major character death, and “The Bells” delivered that with Lord Varys being killed off. Yes, everyone’s favorite snitch ended up betraying Daenerys, and for that she decided it was time for him to pay.
After being collected from his chambers, he was brought to Dany, where she waited with her single remaining dragon, Drogon, and let rip with a “dracarys.” Of course, he scribbled down one last secret before it was time to go – drama ’til the end, and that’s why Varys has always been such an interesting character.
But Dany wasn’t finished with her dragons after burning Varys to a crisp. No, she had much more to do after that after seeing Missandei executed. After looking particularly angry and flustered on last week’s episode, she decided it was time to absolutely decimate the whole of King’s Landing as well.
Despite the episode’s titular bells ringing out that signaled the surrender of those still inhabiting the area, Dany annihilated women, children, Lannister soldiers in the progress of surrendering, and basically everyone else with one simple order to her dragon. You already know that order. And with that, Arya was able to escape, but…not anyone else, really. As you can imagine, this major shift in behavior from Dany shocked viewers, who responded in turn with a whole bushel of memes that communicated their shock (and others’ unbothered reactions).
That twist (and a few others, like the fate of Jaime and Cersei Lannister) had fans up in arms – some lamented that the writers were “destroying the show,” while others simply lauded the season’s direction.
It’s difficult to tell where the show will go from here, but we know one thing’s for sure. Next week’s episode will finally give us the ruler who will sit atop the Iron Throne, but at what cost? On Sunday, May 19 Game of Thrones will be coming to a close, and we can’t wait to see who emerges from the gory battles unscathed to rule. You can bet it’s going to be one hell of a closer.