At the end of the latest Game of Thrones episode, “The Last of the Starks,” Missandei — Daenerys Targaryen’s loyal counselor and close friend — is executed by the Mountain on the order of Cersei Lannister. It was, to put it lightly, upsetting.
Speaking with HBO’s Making Game of Thrones blog, actor Nathalie Emmanuel described her final moments on the show, and what it meant to her to be part of the worldwide phenomenon that is Game of Thrones. “The moment we meet Missandei, Daenerys warns her, ‘I’m taking you to war. You may go hungry, you may fall sick, you may be killed,’” Emmanuel reminded us. “She joined Daenerys knowing that and was prepared to die at some point, and she fulfilled that promise of loyalty to Daenerys in a way.”
Emmanuel says she knew Missandei was going to die when she read about her getting captured.
"A part of me felt like her journey had been cut so short. We meet Missandei as an enslaved person in chains, and then she dies in chains. I really felt the weight and tragedy of that and what that meant — not just in the show, but in the world. It felt like a punch in the gut. I knew it would be the same for people who supported Missandei and connected with her story. I was devastated that that is what happened to her, but was happy with how strong and brave she was right up until the very end."
Missandei’s last word?
“Dracarys”
— Nathalie Emmanuel (@missnemmanuel) May 6, 2019
The last line of the episode is definitely a powerful moment that recalls how Missandei and Daenerys first connected. “‘Dracarys’ is a callback to earlier seasons, but Missandei is ferocious in that last moment, which is something we’ve never seen before,” Emmanuel said.
"She still has her dignity intact, in control and brave. Her life of enslavement has taught her to be collected, calm and non-threatening — to be correct and perfect. In that last moment, she’s like: “F**k this. I’m going to yell and be angry,” and that’s amazing. Her rage really came through and that’s something I was happy to see."
Regardless of how fiercely she lived her final moments, Emmanuel is sad she didn’t get more screentime with Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm). “There are so many stories that have to conclude and loose ends that have to get tied up, that Dany and I didn’t get that final scene made it even harder,” she said. “When I read that scene of Grey Worm and Missandei making plans for the future, I knew that wasn’t going to end well. Part of why Game of Thrones is so good is that makes you feel the heartbreak and devastation of what could’ve been.”
The romantic relationship between Missandei and Grey Worm caught some off guard, but the show made it work. Emmanuel talked about her favorite moment between the star crossed lovers. “I’m getting emotional thinking about it. It has to be when Grey Worm sees her bathing and comes and apologizes to her. It’s such an amazing little scene.”
"It’s the first time these two acknowledge their pasts and their affection for each other — it’s the start of this very beautiful relationship. I remember shooting the scene, and the tragedy of their lives and pasts is so profound. It was an emotional day on set. That was the start of feeling completely safe and trusting Jacob completely."
Whatever happens next, I hope it involves Grey Worm getting revenge against the Mountain and then taking Missandei’s ashes home to Naath where they belong.
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Game of Thrones Episode 805 airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. EST.
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