Kit Harington Says Fans Had Been 'In Denial' About Daenerys in 'Game of Thrones' [SPOILERS]

This story includes spoilers for 'Game of Thrones' Season 8.

Following the premiere of Game of Thrones’ finale episode, “The Iron Throne,” many fans have expressed anger and frustration at the resolution—especially the fate of Daenerys Targaryen, who was killed by her nephew and lover, Jon Snow. However, Kit Harington, who played Jon, struck a different chord, saying that things could never have ended well for Daenerys.

“I think it’s going to divide,” Harington admitted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “But if you track her story all the way back, she does some terrible things. She crucifies people. She burns people alive. This has been building.”

As the series has developed, Daenerys has become increasingly gray in her morality, liberating slave cities but often doing so with brutality. This all culminated in Season 8’s final episodes, in which Daenerys razed King’s Landing and conducted massive executions of its people. Still, both fans and Emilia Clarke, who played the character, have stuck by Daenerys.

Addressing and engaging with the audience’s support for Daenerys was a major goal for the show’s creators in the finale, Harington said. “So we have to say to the audience: ‘You’re in denial about this woman as well. You knew something was wrong. You’re culpable, you cheered her on,’” he told EW.

The reaction seems to be mixed among Game of Thrones fans. While some agree with Harington and note that Daenerys’ madness had been foreshadowed, others say the climax was poorly executed and reduced the agency of one of the show’s most important female characters. Though the plot in Season 8 may have occasionally felt rushed or frustrating, Harington’s conclusion makes it clear that, whatever your opinion on the ending is, it should be considered in the context of the whole series.