One of the marks of a good show is if viewers can see things from both sides. During Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it was easy to look at the villain and see their point of view. There were also moments when the heroes of the story did things that made you hope they’d die. You can say it’s a bit harsh, but you know it’s true. This article is going to show the top nine times this writer found himself rooting for the “wrong” person.
9. Daemon Targaryen, in general
I’m starting hot with this one because Daemon is rarely wrong. Yes, he’s done a lot of questionable things (like dating his underage niece). But let’s be honest: no one is watching House of the Dragon without him. For that reason alone, I think that’s why we all root for him even when he’s wrong. The best part is that the questionable moments will continue.
8. Cersei Lannister’s revenge
Say what you want about Cersei Lannister, and your opinions would be justified. She’s evil and rude and killed people who didn’t deserve it. Nevertheless, you can only push someone so far before they push back. Did she go too far? Of course she did. But I still rooted for her to get payback on the people who wronged her.
7. Jaime Lannister’s redemption
You can’t talk about Cersei without mentioning her brother, Jaime Lannister. In a lot of ways, he’s worse than his sister/lover; he starts the show by pushing a child out a window, after all. However, you can’t deny that you loved his redemption tour after he lost his hand. People didn’t turn on him until he left Brienne of Tarth to go to his sister at the end of the series.
6. Rhaenys should’ve burned everyone
When Rhaenys Targaryen mounted her dragon Meleys and burst through the floor of King Aegon's coronation in House of the Dragon, she should have burned everyone. That’s including the young, newly crowned king. This was this writer’s thought before we saw who he’d become. You could tell no good would have come from that family being in charge. Plus, Alicent Hightower is the worst (more on her later).
5. Theon Greyjoy getting tortured
Theon Greyjoy betrayed the Starks. For that alone, I had no remorse for anything that Ramsay Bolton did to him on Game of Thrones. Westeros would probably be a better place if he hadn’t been weak-willed. He redeems himself later, but we’ll never forget his betrayal.
4. Bronn is the worst, but...
Bronn was the most honest thief from either series. Everyone knew he was untrustworthy, but he was so charming and funny that it didn’t matter. Watching him take Jaime Lannister down a peg or two helped. He wasn’t a good person on any level, and we should have rooted for him to lose, but we all wanted him to live.
3. Anyone going against Alicent Hightower
This writer is going to show his bias here, but I was rooting for anyone opposing Alicent Hightower. Was she mistreated? Absolutely. Were all of the choices she made for the betterment of her family? Yes, they were. Nevertheless, she was going up against Rhaenyra Targaryen, so she was never getting my thumbs up.
2. Anyone willing to take out Bran Stark
The final season of Game of Thrones left most of the fandom angry. The biggest decision that infuriated people was leaving Bran to become king.
Bran's story took the life out of every scene he was in. It didn’t help that a beloved character died protecting him (R.I.P. Hodor). To make it worse, Tyrion Lannister’s brilliance was ruined when he said Bran had the best story. I found myself hoping someone would kill Bran. Alas, he survived.
1. The Mother of Dragons lets it burn
I specifically saved this one for last because I know I’m wrong. Daenerys Targaryen didn’t need to kill all those innocent people in King's Landing, and definitely not in such a brutal way. However, look at how she was treated. Daenerys was sold for power, abused, and betrayed every season. Makes you wonder if she went mad or got even. This writer says the latter.
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