The on-screen legacy of House Targaryen will grow when House Of The Dragon premieres on August 21, and fans are, hopefully, reminded of the Game Of Thrones world's remarkable potential. A lot of that Targaryen legacy got tarnished in Game Of Thrones' final season when the show failed to stick the landing, and hurt its best characters, including Daenerys, by having them make dumb decisions.
Of course, being inexperienced and young, not all of Daenerys' dumb decisions came in the show's final season; she made some stupid choices throughout all eight seasons that hurt her character and journey.
Taking Three Dragons North Of The Wall
Daenerys taking her dragons north of the Wall to save Jon and the others was understandable in that she did not know what threat she faced, nor could she have known that the Night King could have done what he had done. The power of hindsight is strong, though.
Had Dany taken just one dragon north of the Wall, there is a chance she could have lost it, but with her in control and focused, that seems unlikely. The price she paid by taking all three was not just losing a child but giving that child to the Night King and the army of the dead who drag the dragon's huge carcass from the icy water.
Executing Mossador Like That
There is no doubt that Daenerys struggled with her role as a leader at times throughout Game Of Thrones, even before she reached Westeros, and a key example of this is when she has Mossador executed.
Mossador misinterpreted Daenerys' orders and executed a Son of the Harpy prisoner, and as a result, she had him executed, in public, no less, inciting a riot. This is an early sign of what was to come with her in charge and a silly decision on her part. A private execution would have accomplished the same thing without making a show of it, especially with Mossandor pleading for his life; the riot that ensued was her fault.
Executing The Tarlys
Daenerys had good reasons to assert her authority when capturing the enemy like the Tarlys. However, that does not make it a good decision that she had them burned to death for not bending the knee.
Tyrion was right in his recommendation of jailing them. They were two honorable men, a father and son, and as arguably unlikable as they are, this act was unjustified even by Westeros' vicious standards. Ransoming them back or keeping them as prisoners of war would have been more than enough. This kind of dragon-led violence is something fans look forward to seeing in House of the Dragon.
Crucifying The Masters Of Meereen
The Masters of Meereen were a disgusting group of humans who very much deserved punishment as brutal as what they handed out to innocent people. In that sense, Daenerys was right for what she did. As a ruler, though, this was a bit of a dumb decision.
In an act like this, Daenerys showcased the brutality that would lead to her downfall as the villainous Mad Queen and perhaps showed her as no better than the monsters she crucified. Unquestionably, Daenerys had a rationale that all fans can understand and appreciate, but in hindsight, she perhaps should have paid more attention to her violent side that shone through in moments like this.
Not Taking The Iron Throne When She Arrived In Westeros
Many of Daenerys' arguably dumb decisions are up for debate and have the power of hindsight, such as her decision not to head for Kings Landing when she arrived in Westeros and had a slew of forces at her command.
Now, had she gone to Kings Landing and burned the place to the ground along with its people, that would be as bad as what would later happen. However, if she took a more peaceful approach and solely targeted Cersei and her relatively lackluster at this time, making sure to keep the people safe, she could have - perhaps - been a terrific leader. House of the Dragon may well give TV viewers a better picture of whether Targaryens are built to be more violent rulers or if they can be consistently peaceful.
Not Resting After The Battle Of Winterfell
The Battle of Winterfell was an epic affair that saw the forces of the living seriously depleted and tired. Yet, Daenerys insisted on marching on Cersei as soon as possible after the fact, a wrong decision that Sansa rightfully opposed.
Dany's reasoning was understandable; she thought more time would have strengthened Cersei. Really, though, it would not have since her supplies would have been strained, and she could not have added much more to her forces. Having just a little rest could have made Dany's forces more aware and better equipped and could have given her time to cool off following the loss of Jorah, all while preventing Missandei's death.
Taking Two Dragons To Meet Cersei
Dany truly adored her dragons, as Targaryens do. But it will be interesting to see if Targaryen characters in House of the Dragon make as many arguably stupid decisions with them that Dany did, such as when she took two dragons to the Dragonpit summit.
Having lost a dragon and with it being well known she had three, she should have re-thought her approach about taking both remaining dragons to the summit. Instead, Daenerys let Cersei know that not only had she lost one but confirmed the idea dragons could be killed, which eventually led to the death of Rhaegal at the hands of Euron.
Trusting Mirri Maz Duur
This is perhaps the ultimate hindsight decision from Daenerys. As a human in love, she would have done anything to protect and save Khal Drogo's life, including turning to a source like Mirri Maz Duur.
She ended up being the reason Drogo died, though, and who knows how the fate of Westeros and Game of Thrones could have changed had he survived. Not only that, Daenerys lost her child, too, perhaps an even bigger tragedy in the eyes of Dany, despite gaining her dragons because of it all.
Not Scouting Ahead
One of the most unnecessary deaths in Game Of Thrones in terms of being easily preventable was that of Rhaegal, whose death was a result of the infamous and widely memed "Dany kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet."
Had Dany simply scouted ahead or been more aware, not only could she have saved Rhaegal's life, but she may have been able to take out a chunk of Euron/Cersei's forces. Hopefully, none of the Targaryens in House of the Dragon lose their dragons for such nonsensical, preventable, and dumb decisions.
Burning Kings Landing
In the final season of Game Of Thrones, not only do characters like Tyrion, Jon, Daenerys, etc., make truly dumb decisions, but the writers do too, and this is a prime mixture of both.
Not only was Daenerys' decision to burn Kings Landing to the ground a rushed decision in terms of behind-the-scenes, but a truly stupid decision on her behalf, betraying everything she had sworn against being for years. It also led to her death and the end of her house at the hands of a man who truly believed in her, tarnishing a legacy that could have been pure greatness.