5 best Emilia Clarke scenes in Game of Thrones that prove the Khaleesi deserved better

Few TV performances have etched themselves into pop culture quite like Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Across eight seasons, Clarke poured fire, vulnerability, and unwavering strength into a role that turned her into a global icon. From her first timid steps in Pentos to soaring above King’s Landing on Drogon’s back, Emilia Clarke made Daenerys unforgettable, even when the writing didn’t always do her justice.

Daenerys’ story remains one of TV’s most talked-about arcs, not just for her rise but for her tragic and, to many fans, unsatisfying fall. The final season left a bitter taste for viewers who felt the Mother of Dragons deserved a more thoughtful, earned end. But despite the rushed twists and shocking decisions, Emilia Clarke’s performance never faltered. She gave Daenerys every ounce of depth, heartbreak, and ferocity the character demanded.

Looking back, these five scenes remind us just how much Emilia Clarke gave to the role, and why the Khaleesi deserved so much better than what she got in the end.

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1. Walking out of the flames

One of the first moments that cemented Daenerys as a force of nature came early on, when she stepped into Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre. Many expected her to perish, but instead, she emerged at dawn, unburnt, with three baby dragons crawling over her shoulders. Clarke’s quiet, resolute expression in the smoldering ash told audiences that the frightened girl they first met was gone. From here on out, a queen had been born.

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2. “Dracarys” in Astapor

No one forgets the moment Daenerys unleashed her true power in Astapor. Pretending to trade Drogon for the Unsullied, she turned the tables on the vile Kraznys with one word: “Dracarys.” Clarke delivered the line in perfect Valyrian, calm yet lethal, as Drogon reduced Kraznys to ash and the Unsullied fell in line behind their real queen. The scene summed up everything fans loved about Daenerys: fearless, cunning, and unbending in her fight against cruelty.

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3. The vision of Drogo and her Son

In the House of the Undying, Daenerys’ vision quest gave Clarke one of her most emotional moments. She sees the Iron Throne covered in snow, touches The Wall, and finally stands before Khal Drogo and their unborn child. Clarke plays the reunion with raw longing and heartbreak. For a moment, we see the side of Daenerys that yearned not for power but for love and family, a glimpse of the life that was stolen from her long before she ever rode a dragon.

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4. Breaking the wheel

“I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel.”

In this scene with Tyrion, Emilia Clarke’s icy calm delivery made one thing clear: Daenerys wasn’t just another ruler. She was here to shatter the old order and build something new. The line became a mission statement for her character, and a promise fans believed in. That promise, sadly, was cut short far too soon, but this moment shows Clarke at her steely best.

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5. The bells and the fall of King’s Landing

It’s impossible to talk about Daenerys without mentioning her final turn in King’s Landing, a scene that remains as controversial as it is haunting. Sitting astride Drogon, listening to the bells of surrender, Clarke conveys a swirl of grief, fury, and disillusionment without a single word. Her eyes flicker from hope to devastation to pure rage before she burns it all down. Whatever your feelings about the writing, Emilia Clarke’s performance here is nothing short of devastating, a reminder that even when the scripts failed her, Emilia Clarke never failed Daenerys.

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Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys was always more than the dragons and the titles. She gave us a complex, flawed, and fearless queen who deserved a more thoughtful ending. If anything, these scenes prove what fans have said all along: the Khaleesi deserved better, and Clarke’s talent deserved a story worthy of her fire.