Entertainment

Dany Was Basically The Eye Roll Emoji When Meeting Jon Snow On 'GoT'

by Victoria McNally
Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO

Finally, ice and fire have officially come together. After almost a full year of anticipation, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow finally met on Game Of Thrones, and it was everything fans expected it to be — because Daenerys and Jon Snow totally butted heads with one another, and she refused to back down in demanding his loyalty.

Fans knew a meeting between these two popular characters was all but inevitable this season, as images of Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke filming together were taken last year while during the show's production schedule. The last episode of this season also set up that Daenerys and Jon Snow would need one another's help to achieve their goals — Dany needs his army and his loyalty, and Jon needs access to the dragonstone deposit that sits at Dragonstone, so he can use it to defeat the White Walker army in the North.

But it became immediately clear the second that Jon Snow and Davos Seaworthy were led into Dragonstone by Missandei and Tyrion Lannister that that they weren't about to become bosom buddies with Daenerys Targaryen anytime soon. For one thing, their personalities are radically different — Dany is all about embracing her power, welcoming guests into her throne room with a dramatic reading of her many titles (Boy, I forgot how many there are of those). Jon Snow, in contrast, isn’t about all that pomp and circumstance; the best Davos could do for him was, “This is Jon Snow. He’s King Of The North.” Quick and to the point, just like Jon is.

Macall B. Polay/courtesy of HBO

It only got more awkward from there as Daenerys demanded Jon Snow bend the knee, just as his ancestor Torrhen Stark did when facing conquest from Aegon Targaryen centuries ago. According to Dany, the Starks swore “fealty in perpetuity,” and the fact that Jon Snow has chosen not to do so means that he is in “open rebellion” of her rule. Naturally that didn’t sit well with Jon Snow, who, despite telling Tyrion he’s not a Stark, pretty much fell into the usual Stark talking points. Her father, the burned his grandfather and uncle alive, he pointed out, and as a result his honor prevents him from swearing allegiance to her.

It seemed that the two were at an impasse, which Daenerys made even more tense by comparing Jon to all the challenges she's faced in the past. “So many men have tried to kill me I don’t remember all their names. I have been sold like a broodmare. I have been shamed and betrayed. Raped and defiled,” she said. What kept her going, she declared, was not faith in a God or in other men but, “Faith in myself. In Daenerys Targaryen.” Regardless of whether or not you're on Dany's side, you've got to admit that it was a pretty badass moment, and one that explains why she can be so stubborn and arrogant — after all, she wouldn't have gotten where she is today without believing in herself.

Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO

But eventually, thanks to Tyrion, the two came to an understanding — a tenuous one marred (or vastly improved, depending on what kind of relationship tropes you're into) by tense looks and even tenser words. Daenerys gave permission to Jon Snow to take the dragonglass he needed, but she promised she's still going to come for him if he's not ready to bow down to her after she grabs the Iron Throne for herself.

Maybe things will change once they realize they're actually related to each other thanks to Jon's secret Targaryen parentage, but for now, their stand-off has ended surprisingly amicably, which is better than most conflicts tend to go in Game Of Thrones. And best of all, Daenerys found a way to compromise with another leader without compromising her goals — which is something most of us on the real world can stand to learn how to do.