The Dothraki May Mean Bad News For Dany

I don't know about you guys, but when I saw the Dothraki come charging into the land that Daenerys had been stranded in during the epic Game of Thrones Season 5 finale, I cheered. Sure, there's the chance that the Dothraki could take Dany prisoner, but hear me out. Daenerys is one of my favorite characters and watching her evolution has been interesting, but she's been in a kind of a limbo at Slaver's Bay. (We get it, ruling a nation is hard. People hate change). I admire what she's trying to do, but watching her try and hold control over a foreign land hasn't been the most interesting place for her. When she took off on her dragon and landed somewhere new, I thought we might be stuck starting all over in a new place with new people and a language to learn — so, I was thrilled to see that they were bringing back one of the most interesting cultures outside of Westeros: The Dothraki.

Not really seen since Season 1, the Dothraki are a passionate and violent group, making for excellent TV. They also brought us the perfection that was Khal Drogo, and I'm eager to see if they can recreate that magic. Yes, the Dothraki coming back onto the scene is great news for us, but it's bad news for the Mother of Dragons since I'm pretty sure that this Dothraki army is a threat to Daenerys. While I don't think they will flat out kill her (at least I hope not, we don't have many heroes left), they will probably not welcome this former Khaleesi back with open arms.

The first thing to worry about is if this particular army is lead by Khal Jhaqo, like [spoiler] it is in the books. He used to be a lieutenant under Drogo, and no friend to Daenerys. If he is running this group, that's the worst news for her simply because of all of the bad blood still there. And, well, if this is a different group with no attachment to Jhaqo, she is still in a bad spot.

As they surrounded her, we saw her very clearly take off her engagement ring. There are two theories I have as to why she would do that. This could be her breadcrumb for the search party she has to know is coming for her, as a way to show she was there. It also could have been to hide her engagement from the Dothraki. Quick history lesson: A widowed Khaleesi must go to live with and serve the crones of the Dosh Khaleen, typically right after their Khal dies. Since she did the exact opposite of this, she is in direct violation of Dothraki protocol. My take on her ring drop? It's both. She is a very smart woman and never forgot the ways of any of the cultures she adopted. She is planning for all possible outcomes the way a queen would.

There is always the outside chance this particular group won't recognize her, but I have a feeling her dragon will be a dead giveaway for her identity. So, she's made an enemy of one Khal, she's defied their traditions, and she doesn't have many Dothraki left who followed her into Qarth. Yeah, she's in trouble. But fun-to-watch, compelling TV trouble, and I would take that over Sons of the Harpy danger any day of the week.

Images: HBO; giphy (1)