Game of Thrones season 8 debate: How will Daenerys react to Jon news?
For the sake of this piece, though, we’re talking one of the most interesting emotional pulls as this final arc begins: What in the world is going to happen now with Jon Snow and Daenerys? How do they recover from their romantic tryst, at least once the two of them know the truth about it? (Real talk — it’s hard to think of the characters sleeping together now without thinking about Emilia Clarke’s joke about it from this past Saturday Night Live.)
Let’s first get the obvious out of the way — it’s hard to imagine any universe where the two stay in the dark about it. There’s too much smoke, and also too much wasted potential that comes via not having anyone speak about this. They’re going to want to get there, and the question you gotta wonder instead is how they’re going to react — especially Daenerys, given how much she’s fought against this destiny. Incest is the last thing she’s wanted and yet, she’s just slept with her nephew and was completely in the dark.
How angry could she be? – She shouldn’t blame Jon. Obviously, he didn’t know either. Obviously obviously (can we repeat words like that?), there are more important things for the two to worry about than the emotional consequences of hooking up right now. Yet, the reaction to this reveal could cloud Daenerys’ judgment and make communication on the battlefield that much harder. Maybe she won’t want to speak with Jon, maybe she’ll pawn the task instead off on one of her advisers, or maybe she’ll just be so internally distraught that it makes her communication with everyone a little more challenged. Maybe this makes her a little less trusting of the overall world.
Will she feel heartbreak? – We don’t think that this is an emotion really coursing through her brains at this point. Daenerys had her great love in Drogo at the start of the series and since that time, her love has been conquest, ruling, and eventually getting ever closer to the goal. She may like Jon, but we don’t think that’s changed. We don’t imagine any pain she feels on the other side of this is “man, I really liked him” pain. It’s likely more anger at the world for the fate of it all and the fact that no matter where she goes, she can’t quite escape the Targeryans’ past. That’s a different sort of lasting heartbreak, one she is defenseless about, especially since she may be stuck educating Jon about it every step of the way.
Will she even care? – Maybe she’ll be upset about the lineage at first, but is she going to be so busy that she’ll just overlook it for now? In the midst of the White Walkers and the war for the throne, being a blood relative of Jon’s may not be too big of a deal. It’s far from the first time in Game of Thrones, after all — it may bother her, but if she thinks that Jon is a worthy co-ruler, she at the very least may still submit herself to ruling alongside him … even if any chances of the two having an actual relationship disappear into the wind.
For some more Game of Thrones – final season discussions…
Check out our article over here to read about five unlikely contenders for the throne! We’ve also got a new video below where we break all of that down further — if you like that, be sure to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more!
How do you think that Jon and Daenerys are going to react to the big news? Be sure to share right now in the comments, and check back soon to get some other scoop on the show. (Photo: HBO.)