I love Game of Thrones. I tend to get a tad obsessive about this show. I watch the same scenes on YouTube over and over and over again. I watch the after episode review videos. I scour the internet for articles about Game of Thrones. I take the “what Game of Thrones house are you” quizzes (Lannisters unite!).
Like all fans, I have a number of favorite characters who I think would be bitchin’ prospects to claim that ugly, uncomfortable metal throne and become the next ruler of Westeros.
Due to my obsessive desire to read everything the GoT universe has to offer, it’s no surprise that I stumbled across last Friday’s “9 Reasons Why Daenerys is Unfit for the Iron Throne” by Mordecai Hunter. As soon as I read the article and got over the annoying spoiler for next season in point 9 (aaargh!), I knew I had to follow-up with some counter-arguments for why Daenerys, though maybe not the best fit for the Iron Throne, is definitely a contender. It needs not be stated, but spoilers for the first five seasons of Game of Thrones ahead.
1. Her Drive
Daenerys Targaryen’s personality is a meld of passion, ambition, and personal responsibility to protect her followers. When Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a ruler of Qarth, questions her motives for reclaiming the Iron Throne, she immediately responds that she seeks the Iron Throne because she promised her Khalasar that she’d protect them and find them a safe home. Her secondary response was the expected “I want them because they’re mine by right”.
This drive leads her from Qarth to Slavers Bay (Astapor and then Yunkai). While she does leave collapsed governments in her wake, she had no intention to remain within the territory long. Hell, Qarth wasn’t even her fault. Xaro killed off all of the other rulers, the warlock died when he made the unfortunate decision to kidnap Daenerys, and then Xaro himself was locked in his empty vault for his crimes (tv-verse). Astapor was an attempt to free the slaves and recruit the Unsullied. And by the time she made it to Yunkai, the state of slavery in Astapor sent her on a quest to free any slaves she encountered.
The fact that she deliberately decided not to remain at the cities is not a sign of flightiness, it was merely Daenerys acting logically based on her long term goal of reclaiming the Iron Throne. Every location she visited was an intentional stepping stone to increase her own military power and economic sway while freeing slaves from their masters. I think most of us can agree that great rulers should have helping others as a primary motivation. Daenerys has that in spades.
2. She is a Damn Good Public Speaker… Sometimes
Daenerys Stormborn has proven time after time that she does possess emotional intelligence. When Khal Drogo died in season one, Daenerys gave a speech that convinced many of the men and women to remain with her (especially impressive because the Dothraki tend to favor following strong male warriors). In season three, Daenerys convinces the Unsullied to join her army as free men. At the end of season four, Daenerys convinced the people of Meereen to overthrow their masters.
And even the death threats to the masters of Qarth that Hunter mentions as an inability to effectively negotiate the repartee of politics makes logical sense. When Daenerys tells the thirteen leaders of Qarth “turn us away and we will burn you first,” it is a last ditch attempt to save her starving, overheated, and dehydrated followers. And you know what? Those badass death threats worked. Xaro identified Daenerys as a potential player and invited her into the city as his guest.
The only other time she tends to be less willing to play the game of politics is when she’s dealing with dirty, selfish slave masters in Meereen (Season 5). The idea of working with slave owners, even powerful ones, is repugnant, so she does not—not until it became clear that she would either need to kill them or begin working with them.
3. She Knows When to Seek Advice
Daenerys doesn’t think she’s perfect. Throughout the series, she regularly either asks for or listens to her advisors as they give advice. This season, Daenerys heeds Selmy’s advice to give a trial to the suspected Harpy. That goes to hell when a former slave kills the man in cold blood (more of that later). Then, Daenerys gives Daario the chance to explain the importance of the fighting pits; she eventually heeds that advice. In the wake of Selmy’s death, Daenerys seeks Missandei out for advice on how to deal with the masters. Missandei explains that she is unfit to give that advice and that Daenerys knows what she needs to do.
The problem, as Missandei mentioned, is not the fact that she doesn’t heed advice, the problem is the lack of individuals available to give advice on the complicated problems she faces as a ruler. And a ruler, especially a young one who has neither the luxury of a family to teach her the trade or a solid governmental foundation, must have good advisors to succeed. Until Tyrion showed up at the end of Season 5, she didn’t have someone who knew how to rule. She had an interpreter, a former member of the Kingsguard, and a warrior. Tyrion changes the game entirely, and increases her chances of becoming a just and politically savvy leader.
4. Admits When She Makes Mistakes
At least in one instance, Daenerys admits when she makes a mistake in the series. After making what we can probably all agree was an unwise decision, to feed one of the masters to her dragons, she goes to Hizdahr zo Loraq and tells him “I came here to tell you that I was wrong. I was wrong and you were right. About tradition. About bringing the people of this city together. I will reopen the fighting pits to free men only.” This is a really good sign as a ruler. Every ruler makes mistakes, it’s how a man or woman deals with the mistakes after the fact that defines what kind of ruler they will be. Admitting her mistakes puts her on the right path to being a fair and just ruler who will hopefully continue to improve.
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