Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik defends season 8's controversial twist in which Daenerys Targaryen burns down King's Landing. The Emmy Award-winning director is known for helming some of the most ambitious and action-packed episodes of the touchstone fantasy series, including "Hardhome," "Battle of the Bastards," "The Long Night," and "The Bells," the last of which contains the controversial scene in question. Along with Ryan J. Condal, Sapochnik now acts as showrunner on the prequel series, House of the Dragon, which follows Dany's ancestors 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Written by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and directed by Sapochnik, Game of Thrones' penultimate episode, "The Bells," finds Dany and Jon Snow's armies infiltrating the capital city of Westeros. Riding Drogon, Dany quickly dispenses of the Iron Fleet and levels most of the city's defense. Cersei is left with no choice but to ring the bells and signal surrender, but an enraged Dany does not stop there and continues to destroy the city with dragonfire, burning enemy forces and innocent civilians alike. Game of Thrones season 8 was controversial for a number of reasons, but Dany's villainous turn was chief among them.

Related: House Of The Dragon Will Finally Put A GOT Dany Misconception To Rest

During a recent interview with the New York Times, Sapochnik reflected on Game of Thrones' controversial penultimate episode three years after it aired. Having recently rewatched the entire series, likely during his preparation for House of the Dragon, Sapochnik says you can clearly see the seeds being planted for Dany's villainous turn early on. Read what he said below:

I went back and rewatched the whole show from start to finish, and you can see the setup for Dany’s turn early on. So that wasn’t surprising.

game of thrones season 8 dany jon

Sapochnik is absolutely right to point out that the setup for Dany's ending was provided early on and therefore, shouldn't have been surprising for those who were paying close attention. Throughout the series, there are many references to the Mad King Aerys II and the Targaryens' propensity for madness ("When a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin. One side greatness, the other madness.") There were also a few moments throughout the series when Dany plainly stated her intentions ("I'm not going to stop the wheel. I'm going to break the wheel").

Dany's descent into madness even makes sense within the context of season 8 alone, having watched many of her closest allies killed, including Jorah Mormont, Missandei, and her dragon Rhaegal, resulting in a pent rage slowly brewing inside her. Even though Dany's massacre of King's Landing made total sense narratively, it still proved to be controversial among those who grew to idolize the Dragon Queen and hated to see her demise. For those who still are dissatisfied with Dany's decision in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon's Rhaenyra Targaryen could actually help contextualize Dany's controversial ending and give audiences even greater insight into her decisions and motivations.

Source: New York Times