Game Of Thrones: Emilia Clarke explains Dany’s beef with Jon

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Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones, has been chatting about the big reveal that her character is related to Jon Snow. You can read her thoughts right here…

Kit Harington’s Jon explained to Dany that they’re actually nephew and aunt in Game Of Thrones season 8 episode 2. Dany didn’t take the news particularly well, and there wasn’t time for reconciliation between the pair before the Night King showed up on the Winterfell doorstep.

Here in the real world, though, we’ve got a whole week to dwell on that tense scene in the crypt between Dany and Jon. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Clarke has said this about it:

“The related thing, to her, is so normal. She could have easily married her brother. It’s not a thing. It’s a thing for Jon, but let’s just forget about that. The main thing is we’re up for the same promotion and I’ve been working for it for my entire existence.

“This is my whole existence. Since birth! Dany literally was brought into this world going: RUN! These f—ers [in Westeros] have f—ed everything up. Now it’s, ‘You’re our only hope.’ There’s so much she’s taken on in her duty in life to rectify. There’s so much she’s seen and witnessed and been through and lost and suffered and hurt to get here… and Jon doesn’t even want it!”

Bryan Cogman, who wrote the episode, has also spoken to EW about the scene. He said this, emphasising Jon’s stance on the situation:

“What really upsets Jon is that he’s a blood relative to the woman he’s in love with. Jon is taken aback when essentially the first thing she says is acknowledging that he has a claim to the Iron Throne. Kit and Emilia play it beautifully. It’s a very difficult scene to pull off; so much has to go on behind the eyes.”

To find out what happens next, and whether Dany and Jon get a chance to make up before/during/after the battle of Winterfell, we’ll have to come back and tune in for the third episode in this final season.

Game Of Thrones season 8 episode 3 will air this Sunday night at 2AM on Sky Atlantic, simulcast with the American broadcast on HBO. The episode will then become available to view on Now TV, and it will be repeated on Sky Atlantic in its usual Monday night slot. It’s expected to be a long one, too.