Nobody really wants a horde of crazy horsemen riding around at the best of times. At the worst of times when an entire continent lies in ruins, it would be ripe pickings for a ruthless bunch of fast-moving marauders. The Dothraki were barely held in check by Daenerys. Enraged after her death and with nobody (that we are aware of) leading them or seeking to restrain, why wouldn’t they continue to loot, pillage and plunder? They are not mentioned at all after their queen’s death. What happened to them? Finally, their sad fate has been officially revealed.
Nobody in their right mind would want Dothraki unleashed on Westeros but still, they deserved a far more glorious fate.
Instead, they had not one but two underwhelming and poorly explained endings.
First, let’s not forget the Battle of Winterfell. Just a few episodes earlier it looked like not a single Dothraki was left alive after that spine-tingling charge at the Battle of Winterfell. It looked breathtaking as their weapons ignited and they thundered towards the forces of the Night King. The moment every flame extinguished was chilling and created a major mood for what was to come.
Except there are two massive problems. Firstly, did they really come all this way, across the poison water and seven long series just to die in a totally futile way? What a waste of a plotline – like so many others.
The second problem is it was implied this was the entire Dothraki force. None were seen elsewhere in the battle and very few at the mass funeral. So how did Dany have fresh hordes ready to sack King’s Landing?
Anyway… There were still impressive numbers whooping at her horrifying victory speech. Where did they go? Unlike the Unsullied, they were apparently not offered lands to start their own Houses – despite, you know, being eunuchs.
The script reveals their fate. It has been published online after its nomination for an Emmy Award.
It says: “Jon stops to look down on Blackwater BaY, far beneath him and sees the remaining ships of Dany’s fleet…From this vantage point, we can see the remaining Unsullied waiting to board with characteristic orderliness. The remaining Dothraki do the same: they have dismounted their horses and walk up the gangplanks.”
That’s it. A footnote and a ‘blink and you miss it’ glimpse in a scene.
Seven sensational series followed Danerys being sold to Khal Drogo, losing him, winning his khalasar and then being captured and taken to Vaes Dothrak where she spectacularly burned all the khals alive. She emerged as a holy figure and lead their massed hordes across the sea for the first time in their history.
What was the point? They are shuffled off to the side, no clear resolution. There is no way the Unsullied are taking them to Missandei’s utopian, peace-loving paradise on the Isle of Naath. Presumably, they are being ferried back to Essos to limp home in shame. A Dothraki with no spoils of war, no honourable battle he can boast of, is barely a Dothraki at all.
The final episode robbed the Dothraki of all honour and glory and rendered their entire journey in the show to a footnote.