The Bells On 'Game Of Thrones' Are A Meme Goldmine

by Megan Walsh

May 14, 2019

In the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen's switch flipped; after several major losses, she decided to lay waste to King's Landing for no discernible reason. She was sad, maybe? Who knows. Fans criticized the speed with which she went from hero to villain, as well as the thing that set her off in the first place: bells. That's right, the sound of bells sent her spiraling. These 13 "The Bells" memes from Game of Thrones find humor in the absurdity of it all.

The episode took its title from that inciting incident. It's not clear why bells were the straw that broke the camel's back, because Daenerys never seemed to have a negative association with bells before that. And the bells were a good thing in context, too. They were a sign that the Lannister forces were surrendering, which meant Daenerys was the victor in battle. She could have taken the throne without hurting anyone! But instead she decided to destroy her brand new capital city and murder the majority of the populace, because... Her nephew didn't want to make out anymore? Everyone was already scared of her? Your guess is as good as mine.

It was a frustrating episode for long time fans, but these memes prove there was still a laugh or two to be had.

Nice Try, Sweetie

Sansa and Daenerys' heart-to-heart in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" spawned a meme of its own when it aired thanks to Dany's condescendingly friendly smile. It seemed to say, "Thanks for the advice, but I'm doing what I want anyway," to hilarious effect. Which was why Twitter took the screencap and ran with it, especially after the events of "The Bells."

Thanks But No Thanks!

Dany's decision to do whatever she wanted regardless of who she was hurting or what anyone said was just too easy to lampoon. You can't tell the Mother of Dragons what to do!

I Made A Huge Mistake

Also up to be mocked was Jon Snow's befuddled reaction to the violence. He stood by while Dany got ever-closer to the edge, then just wandered around looking confused while soldiers destroyed the city. You're complicit, Snow! And you still know nothing.

You Can Call Me Ms. T For Short

While I'm not sure Dany's teaching methods would be appropriate in the classroom, she does have one thing in common with most educators: the lesson isn't learned until she says it is.

Silence Is Golden

This is basically a clip from the episode. This is how the whole thing played out, except imagine a soundtrack of civilians screaming while a dragon burns them alive.

But WHY?!

Jon wasn't the only one at a loss when the burning started. Tyrion also didn't understand how the situation took the turn it did. All his planning, for naught!

It All Makes Sense!

Daenerys wasn't purposefully ignoring the surrender! She was just too busy rocking out to Beyoncé (you know the Mother of Dragons loves Beyoncé) to hear them! This could have been so easily avoided!

That Went Downhill Fast

These two screen grabs from Brooklyn 99 were basically the faces of everyone watching "The Bells." From elation to despair in the blink of an eye.

Learn That Name

It's a good thing she didn't try to spell out all of her titles, because then there might not be any kingdoms left in Westeros.

La La La Can't Hear You

I would love to blame it on the AirPods, but unfortunately there's no excuse. Dany willfully ignored everything that was going on around her. Hope the dragon fire de-stress was worth it!

Boom!

I suppose if Dany hadn't decimated the city, then it would have been a very short episode. So...there's that.

If the Game of Thrones series finale ends up being as unsatisfying as "The Bells," at least you'll always have Twitter memes to help you laugh through the disappointment.