Game of Thrones: Parents who named their children Khaleesi respond to Daenerys becoming The Mad Queen
'I’m still behind her,' one mother said
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Your support makes all the difference.**Spoilers for Game of Thrones season eight, episode five ‘The Bells’ ahead**
The once saviour of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), has followed her father’s footsteps and become the Mad Queen.
Whatever the outcome of the final episode, Game of Thrones has already angered a lot of people, many of whom believe Daenerys would not have torched the innocent citizens of King’s Landing.
Of those people particularly annoyed by the Daenerys’s villainous turn are parents who named their children Khaleesi in honour of the Mother of Dragons.
According to the United States’ Social Security Administration, more than 4,500 babies were named after Game of Thrones characters alone. The data found that 560 of those were named Khaleesi and 163 were named Daenerys.
“I’m kind of in shock,” Estrada, whose six-year-old is called Khalessi (a misspelling due to Estrada’s own mother mispronouncing the name), told The Daily Beast.
“It was kind of disappointing that her power trip took over. That was not cool.”
Estrada added that, while she stands by the ”cool and powerful” name, the outcome of the recent episode has changed what it represents: “So it’s kind of bittersweet right now.”
Katherine Acosta, the mother of 1-year-old Khaleesi, has also spoken about the character’s turn, saying she still stands by the Queen of Ashes.
“I’m still behind her,” Acosta told The Cut. ”Even after last night’s episode, I’m still rooting for her. I don’t think she did anything wrong. I think she did what she had to do.
“She gave many options. She tells you, ‘Are you gonna bend the knee, or are you not?’ So I don’t know why everybody’s acting surprised. She’s done this before. If you betray her, you don’t bend the knee, look what happens.”
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The Independent‘s critic described “The Bells” as “out-of-tune” and criticised the episode’s writing, asking: “What is the logic here?”
Meanwhile, Varys actor Conleth Hill called his character’s demise “frustrating” and that the “last couple seasons weren’t my favourite”. Lena Headey has also spoken cautiously about her character’s death, revealing the reason why she initially felt “mixed” about the scene.
You can find a ranking of every character – from worst best – here. Flick through the below gallery for our ranking of every episode.
The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. The show is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.
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