With the expected release of The Winds of Wintersixth volume of the Game of Thrones saga, Georges Martin could repair the errors of the television series and do justice to this complex character.
Warning, spoilers for the television series as well as the book series!
A rushed and disappointing arc in the HBO series
In season 8 of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen’s transition from a benevolent liberator to a “Mad Queen” was seen as rushed so as to quickly end the series, causing immense disappointment among viewers.
However, in the novels, Georges RR Martin could take a more methodical and logical approach to explaining this descent into madness. A popular theory suggests that the betrayal of Ser Barristan Selmy, Daenerys’ loyal knight in the books, could play a key role in this arc. Indeed, unlike the series, in which he dies prematurely in Meereen, Ser Barristan is still alive in the literary saga and still occupies a central position with the queen.
A Reddit user proposed a fascinating hypothesis inspired by a post on Georges Martin’s personal blog: Ser Barristan could desert Daenerys to support another pretender to the throne, known as Griff, who claims to be Aegon Targaryen’s son presumed to be Rhaegar Targaryen.
This betrayal would deeply destabilize Daenerys, amplifying her doubts and violent tendencies, and thus offering a more credible explanation for her descent into madness.
Narrative promises and endless waits
George RR Martin has regularly made promises to cover the plots of these books in more depth than in the HBO television series. In his blogthe author suggested that unexpected twists and turns are to be expected in The Winds of Winter. The possible betrayal of Ser Barristan could fit into this logic. With his next book, George RR Martin could give Daenerys Targaryen the full narrative arc to which she is entitled. She is not the only one to deserve better, and we could cite many characters for whom the story should have unfolded differently than in the television series.
Despite the speculation, fans will still have to wait: the writing of the sixth volume of the saga is progressing slowly, and Martin has already stated several times that his busy schedule and the complexity of the story are slowing down his progress despite the growing frustration readers. “ It’s not just a single book, it’s a mosaic of interconnected plots that require meticulous attention », He also explained during an interview.
