- After eight seasons and 73 episodes, Game of Thrones came to an end Sunday night.
- In one of the saddest and most shocking moments in the finale, Jon Snow was forced to kill another major character.
- Drogon, the only remaining dragon on the series, reacts to the incident in a surprising way. Here's what you need to know about the scene.
This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones' series finale.
During tonight's Game of Thrones finale, Jon Snow was forced to kill his love (and aunt), Daenerys Targaryen. Even though her last remaining dragon, Drogon, witnessed the betrayal, he (somewhat shockingly) didn't retaliate against Jon. Let's break down why.
Why did Jon kill Daenerys in the last episode of Game of Thrones?
Dany had become tyrannical ruler she promised she would never be—the breaker of chains had become just another chain-maker (not to mention a murderer of a whole bunch of innocent people). Jon regretted his decision to kill her deeply, questioning whether it was right, but ultimately acted for the good of the realm, egged on by Tyrion and Arya. So he approached her, called her queen, kissed her, and plunged a knife in her heart.
Why didn't Drogon kill Jon for what he did to Daenerys?
Obviously Drogon doesn't talk, so it's not totally clear. There might have been a couple reasons: Jon is Aegon Targaryen, and thus one who can ride and rule dragons. So Drogon might not have physically been able to burn Jon because of his royal blood—or go against a Targaryen command, even if it wasn't Dany. So he took his rage out on the throne, I suppose. Another possibility is that Drogon understood, on some level, that the "villain" that led Dany to go power-mad was the throne itself, so he burned that instead. Drogon may also have decided to go ride off and die with his queen instead of burning everything/everyone to the ground...again. He'd finished with killing.
Should we have seen Drogon's reaction to Daenerys' death coming?
Yes and no, in my opinion. Drogon without his queen to command him (no one to tell him "Dracarys" anymore!) becomes a free, riderless dragon, able to do whatever he chooses. But dragons are fierce and can never truly be tamed, so it absolutely would have made sense for him to slaughter and burn his way through Dany's enemies. So it was anyone's guess, really, up until the moment it happened.
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