Here are five thoughts from last night’s thrilling episode of Game of Thrones. This story includes spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5. 

Daenerys went Mad Queen

While this wasn’t the story I preferred them to tell, it was well executed. D.B. Weiss and David Benioff did an exceptional job building Daenerys into a character that could truly go either way over the past two seasons. With just one episode left, there is no time for Daenerys to convince the Seven Kingdoms she is anything like the person she said she was. In fact, she proved she is more of a monster than Cersei and her father ever were. The path to killing her, which would have to include her dragon, isn’t clear. But we can’t rule out Varys here. The notes he was writing at the beginning of the episode have to pay off. Daenerys just burned an entire city, yet her biggest war yet could take place next week when we can bet on who will end up on the Iron Throne. Sansa, Tyrion, Arya, Bran, and, yes, Jon will not be calling her “queen” ever again.

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