This season, we may just get what we've wanted for so many seasons past: a really great storyline for Daenerys on Game of Thrones . While Jon Snow is off being noble at The Wall, Daenerys is struggling with the very real threat of the Sons of the Harpy (hey, that's what happens when you free slaves and build up your power) while wrestling with last year's decision to jail two of her dragons for what their brother Drogon did (in case you didn't catch that line, he dropped the bones of a young girl at her feet). But in a rare moment of vulnerability, we find Dany with her hair down, in bed with (the new and improved) Daario, talking dragons. And that, coupled with a few other clues about how big Dany's dragons are this season, has me very, very excited.
I've always wanted Daenerys' story to be the most compelling thing about Game of Thrones, since she burned along with Khal Drogo and emerged with baby dragons on her shoulders. Since then, it's felt like we've been following her through the desert, watching a few moments of badassery, but mostly just wondering when our Mother of Dragons would just do the damn thing and take her winged artillery to King's Landing already.
Now, I don't think Season 5 is going to jump the gun like that, but when Daario sat on Dany's bed and reminded her that she's not the mother of the unsullied — "You're the mother of dragons," he says so, so sexily (sorry, moving on...) — her eyes lit up in a genuine way. We've journeyed all this way with her to see her seize control and here it is, resting in a dungeon under her palace.
Unfortunately, when Dany does descend the steps to greet her beloved creatures, they've turned cruel by the lack of freedom and sunlight. They lash out at her, breathing fire nearly directly at her and no matter what she does or how she coos at them, it's clear that the bond has been severed (though, let's keep in mind, these guys are basically teenagers at this point, so you know, take all that behavior with a grain of salt).
Still, the path for Dany seems clear: She needs to arrest control of her dragons, destined to be hers since day one, and then use them to arrest control of her aggressors and work her way towards that unnecessarily uncomfortable throne. But she's at an impasse and I'm guessing it's going to be a while before we see her figure it all out.
The good thing is that while Dany won't just take King's Landing already, her story is getting some much needed layers. We've already seen her upset the people she came to free when Drogon had his fun, and with more power comes more unpleasant situations. With those unpleasant situations hopefully come a season chock full of the Dany moments we've been dying to see since Season 1.
Images: Helen Sloan/HBO; Courtesy of HBO
