'Game of Thrones' fans are furious that HBO changed a significant Daenerys Targaryen detail

The "Unburnt" has a secret.
 By 
Neha Prakash
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Game of Thrones, season 6, episode 4. 

"The Unburnt" has a secret. 

The final scene on this week's Game of Thrones shows Khaleesi emerge from the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen as a fiery goddess who used her dragon's blood to topple the Dothraki patriarchy and gain thousands of warriors in the East. 


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It was badass, and the Internet loved it -- except for the part of the Internet that has read A Song of Ice and Fire. Book readers immediately pointed out a key detail altered in the show: Daenerys Targaryen is not immune to fire. 

::Moment to gasp:: 




Fans of the show will most likely recall and question the epic moment in season 1, episode 10 where Dany sits atop Khal Drogo's funeral pyre and remains in tact (minus clothes, plus three dragons). But that moment, according to ASOIAF author George R.R. Martin, was just a one-time occurrence of blood magic. 

“Targaryens are not immune to fire,” Martin said during a discussion with fans. "The birth of Dany’s dragons was unique, magical, wondrous, a miracle. She is called 'The Unburnt' because she walked into the flames and lived. But her brother sure as hell wasn’t immune to that molten gold.”

That sure puts a damper on our fire...

Of course, the HBO show has completely departed from the book series (several characters like Stannis Baratheon remain alive in the books). So the showrunners' controversial choice to end Season 6, episode 4 with Dany's meltdown wasn't taking that much of a liberty. The show has also alluded several times to Dany's immunity to heat in the first season by having her take scalding hot baths and touch scorching dragon eggs without harm.

D.B. Weiss explained the scene as a plot accelerator during an post-episode interview, saying, “The act of stepping out of that burning temple in which all the Dothraki power structure had just perished pretty much makes her the queen of the Dothraki in one fell swoop.”

And actress Emilia Clarke said for her character the scene was really about establishing confidence in her ability to rule Westeros, with or without dragons. 

At least we know Drogon would approve of his mom's cool superpower. 


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Neha Prakash

Neha Prakash was Mashable's Senior Watercooler Reporter, covering viral content, Internet culture and all things Kardashians.Before being a reporter, Neha was a Mashable intern covering news and politics. Neha previously interned at AOL/Huffington Post managing content and social media for its health and fitness sites.She earned her Masters degree from Columbia Journalism School in May 2012, and graduated with a B.A. from Penn State University in 2010.

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