'Game Of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 5: 'Let It Be Fear'

We're recapping the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones; look for these recaps first thing on Monday mornings. Spoilers, of course, abound.

Dany got a raw deal.

Narratively speaking, Game of Thrones did the Mother of Dragons dirty, there's no two ways around it.

For eight seasons, we've watched her navigate crushing (literally!) setbacks and soaring (equally as literally!) triumphs, the way heroes — especially flawed heroes — classically do. The thing is, most of those setbacks were direct results of her doing what the show wanted her to — listening to the counsel of advisers like Tyrion — because having her do so was a handy way to signal viewers that she was developing into a just and benevolent ruler. The show stuck her in Meereen forever, for example, in an effort to force her, and us, to learn hard lessons about trusting enemies (don't do it) and the day-to-day business of running a country (it's hella boring and makes you reach for the fast-forward button).

And then, when she finally makes it to Westeros, she sticks her neck — and that of poor, doomed Rhaegal — way, way out to Save The World, only to have Jon Snow receive fawning praise for his wildly incompetent dragon-riding and receive still more bad "think of the children!" advice from Tyrion. Now, sure, as a meta-comment on how much harder women have to work to succeed in a world that's set up to reward men, it scans well enough. As consistent, satisfying characterization, though, it's awfully shaky.

One thing that has remained consistent, throughout: Dany's usually right about things. That's a through-line that carried over to this season. Jon was naively wrong in trusting that the secret of his Targaryen blood would never get out. Daenerys was right — clearly, cannily, incandescently right — that it was a terrible, terrible idea for Jon to tell anyone, and that it would prove the end of their relationship. So at least there's no Aegon her face.

And after last night, it doesn't look like there ever will be again. (They broke up.)

If you watched the "Previously on ," you caught something unusual: Over the shot of a seething Daenerys reacting to Missandei's murder, we heard dialogue from other characters opining on the