Game of Thrones had an exceptionally brutal episode this week.
The show was leading to this moment for a long time now, and it definitely delivered. During the episode we were shocked to see Wildfire make its return, but it actually returned for a reason.
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Warning: Major Game of Thrones spoilers ahead.
After Cersei and Euron’s dangerously cruel acts, the bells of surrender triggered something in Dany.
Remember how Missandei’s last words to Daenerys were “Dracarys”? Well, it looks like Dany really took that to heart this episode.
King’s Landing met a brutal fate.
Daenerys Targaryen finally completed her mission to burn down King’s Landing.
The Targaryen motto is ‘Fire and Blood’, and that’s exactly what Dany brought to King’s Landing.
Dany’s dragon wasn’t the only one lighting up the city.
While Dany was busy burning down the city, green flames kept exploding throughout it.
Fans remembered that the green flame is wildfire, which has been seen in the show more than once.
A quick refresher on Wildfire.
Wildfire explodes when there’s a massive force, and it can’t be put out by water.
Like wine, it becomes stronger with age.
The Lannisters have encountered it a few times.
The first time we saw it was when Cersei began to hoard it against Stannis Baratheon and his army.
Back in season 2, it looked like King’s Landing was in danger from Stannis Baratheon.
In order to protect King’s Landing from the seemingly unstoppable invading force (pay attention, ’cause that’s a recurring theme here with wildfire), Tyrion ordered some alchemists to create a huge amount of wildfire.
That wildfire is spread through the Blackwater Bay and lit.
All of Stannis’ invading ships catch fire and burn, and King’s Landing survives the invasion. They’re not so lucky the next few times we see wildfire, though.
Cersei showed off its full capabilities in the season 6 finale.
She used the wildfire to blow up the Sept of Baelor and everyone in it (and a fair number of people around it) to avoid being put on trial for her crimes.
Despite Cersei’s fondness for it, she was not behind the wildfire this episode.
But there’s a reason why the wildfire had to be shown in this episode, and it had nothing to do with the Lannisters.
Wildfire actually has a special meaning to the Targaryen family.
Prince Aerion Targaryen died from wildfire.
He tried drinking it because he thought that it would turn him into a dragon. It ended up killing him.
But these particular flames were actually from Aerys Targaryen.
Aerys Targaryen hid wildfire throughout the city in order to burn Robert Baratheon and his forces, burning him, the city, and the people.
Aerys thought he would survive the fire and also become a dragon.
Those Targaryens and their dragons. Daenerys managed to survive flames and become the Mother of Dragons, though, which is pretty close, so maybe they weren’t so mad after all.
When King Aerys felt trapped by Robert Baratheon’s army, he ordered the wildfire be used to burn the city.
You remember —”Burn them all, burn them all”?
Luckily for King’s Landing (that time), Jaime Lannister killed the Mad King before the order could be carried out.
In the books, Aerys is overheard saying “Let him be king of the ashes.”
He’s referring to Robert, and saying he would rather destroy King’s Landing and everyone in it rather than letting him take the throne from him. Does that quote sound familiar?
“I am not here to be queen of the ashes.”
Daenerys says this line as she arrives in Westeros, but unfortunately, it looks like that what she might end up being, thanks to the cruel actions of Cersei and Euron.
Some people pointed out the irony of this in a pretty funny way.
Something about the Curb Your Enthusiasm music makes anything funny, even when it’s set over the total destruction of King’s Landing.
Bran Stark also saw a vision of wildfire in the city.
Fans assumed that the vision came to pass once Cersei blew up the church with innocents inside.
But it actually foreshadowed the last episode.
Bran also had this vision of the throne room covered in ash.
Further lending credence to the idea that Dany may have been destined to be queen of the ashes the whole time. There was also the matter of a shadow of one single dragon.
Daenerys also had her own vision of the throne room.
All the way back in season two, Dany has to venture into a building known as the House of the Undying in order to get her kidnapped dragons back.
Maybe there’s more to the vision than we initially thought.
In her vision, she walks into the throne room, it’s filled with what looks like snow or ash. She sees the throne and immediately begins her slow walk towards it, with the patented Dany-focus.
But juuuust as she’s about to touch it…
Right as her hand is reaching for the throne, Daenerys becomes distracted, and moves away. Fans are now taking this scene as foreshadowing for this week’s episode — the throne was within Dany’s grasp, but she lost sight of her goal.
As she continues on in her vision, she finds a tent that holds her late husband and child.
Though Drogo died long ago, and her son Rhaego was never born, they appear to her in her vision and tempt her to stay. Some fans now theorize this represents Dany dying before she can get to the throne, and being reunited with those she’s lost.
And this vision ends with Daenerys commanding her dragons to burn the warlock behind the visions alive.
She states “Dracarys,” and watches with satisfaction as her baby dragons burn Pyat Pree. Okay, so maybe there was a bit more foreshadowing for Mad Queen Dany than we initially may have thought.
Some people think the throne room in Dany’s visions was covered in snow, and not ash.
And it represented Jon Snow’s rightful claim to the throne as the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen. The throne room being covered in snow could be a prophecy that Snow will sit on the Iron Throne after all.
Up until this season started, fans had some other ideas for what it could mean.
Some fans wanted to believe what both Bran and Dany saw in their visions was snow, not ash, and it meant the Night King might be bringing winter to King’s Landing, but that… doesn’t seem very likely anymore.
It was a metaphor for Daenerys becoming like her father.
In the end, Dany completed her father’s plan from the beginning of his reign.
Her dragon’s fire and her father’s wildfire stocks exploded, burning down the city.
As it turns out, the Targaryen family still had one last mad ruler.
