Published 10:14 IST, June 21st 2019
'Game Of Thrones' Director Defends Daenerys' Mass Destruction Of Kings Landing, Claims Fans Wanted It. Read Here
The moment Daenerys Targaryen chose to ignore the surrender of the people of King's Landing and burn down the capital has been a frustrating one for many dedicated viewers.
Advertisement
The moment Daenerys Targaryen chose to ignore the surrender of the people of King's Landing and burn down the capital has been a frustrating one for many dedicated viewers. Believing in the inherent goodness of the character, many opined that the writers shouldn't have given her character this mad turn in the episode titled The Bells in Game of Thrones Season 8.
Miguel Sapochnik, who has directed most of the battle scenes in the HBO show, says that after the death of Missandei, something was broken inside Daenerys, and she wasn't questioning her own decisions like normal human being anymore. That is why Episode 5 opens with Daenerys juxtaposed with Tyrion, who has made a lot of mistakes in the past and questions everything now.
READ: 'Game Of Thrones' Star Kit Harington Returns Home To London After Treatment At Wellness Facility
"She's not questioning herself anymore, which is the difference between somebody who, I think, has kind of lost their mind. That's part of what makes us human, is we question whether we've made the right decisions or not," said Sapochnik.
In an earlier behind-the-scenes video, Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys, revealed that the reason for her decision and descent to the Mad Queen stems from being alone - because of Jon Snow abandoning her, the death of Missandei and her dragon, Rhaegal.
While talking to IndieWire, he also said that the filming of the massive destruction of King's Landing was done keeping the audience in mind. He wanted the viewers to be a part of it, and that's why we hardly ever see Daenerys face while she is atop the dragon as he rains fire on the city. The director wanted his camera and the audience on the ground with the people during the destruction of King's Landing.
"The destruction of King's Landing, for me, has always been an audience participation event. You wanted this, you wanted this, you wanted this. Here. Is that really what you wanted? I felt like there was this thing of this bloodthirstiness that exists in the fans, for revenge, for this payback that is personified by Dany... Because even though the characters that don't exist in the end, what you're looking for, as an audience member, is death and destruction," Sapochnik said
10:05 IST, June 21st 2019