The writers of Game of Thrones Season 8 missed a golden opportunity to use subtly to achieve their goal of turning Daenerys into the Mad Queen of their dreams. She has spent seven seasons gaining power, while vowing to everyone around her, and more importantly to herself, that she would not become the terrible daughter of her terrible father. Clearly, the writers wanted to break her, but they way they did it fell flat for me. “Because Plot” is never reason enough to destroy the ARC of a great character.
She has saved more people, and suffered more personal loss and trauma that just about any other character in the show. More than any other character she has battled herself, her ambitions, and the darkest parts of her nature in order to bring more good than evil into the world. She is self-aware and willing to turn away from the worst parts of herself, even though at times that takes some intense persuasion from those around her. And she is smart enough to know she needs that help. She has risen above everything that has happened to her, clawed her way from nothing to ruler, won friends and lovers and loyalty in strange lands for years. Why would she forget how to do that just because she has come to Westeros? She already won over Jon Snow, the Wildlings, the Hound, the Red Woman…
All that considered, would it not have been more in character, and interesting, for her to truly have decided that, regardless of her personal losses, and recent betrayals, she would not burn King’s Landing to the ground? Would it not have been more powerful, with that decision made, to have her mad father’s choices be want broke her? What if, during her targeting of the Golden Company, the Iron Fleet, and the Lannister forces she accidentally set off the wildfire hidden under the city by Aerys II Targaryen? Would it not have been more heart breaking and more interesting to have witnessed her realize that she cannot escape her family’s dark legacies despite her best intentions? That I would believe could shatter her sanity, and it would have been a tragic twist worthy of previous seasons of the show.