Daenerys Smiling Through That Intense Game of Thrones Situation Is a Universally Relatable Meme
The Mother of Dragons has given us a lot of gifts in Game of Thrones’ seven (and soon-to-be eight) full seasons. But when Daenerys and Sansa finally spoke privately in the final season’s second episode on Sunday, Emilia Clarke’s acting resonated with viewers who felt they could understand exactly how she felt as her face curled into a tense smile.
It’s the hottest new meme to come out of Westeros.
Sansa (Sophie Turner), the Lady of Winterfell, clashed with Daenerys — naturally, some viewers characterized the meeting as passive aggressive, as both leaders wish to claim and maintain power. The episode also drew criticism for pitting the two powerful women against each other: TIME’s TV critic Judy Berman called the storyline an emergence of the “catfight” trope.
One moment in particular has captured the internet’s attention for its comedic potential: Daenerys smiling through a potentially awkward moment.
Dany’s smile, called “forced” and “passive” by Twitter users aplenty, may be one of the more relatable moments to come out of the fictional story yet. Some compared the look to moments of frustration at work or with family, while others pointed to everyone’s least-favorite awkward encounters.
This is exactly the look yo girl give yo female friends when she first meet them https://t.co/Jn0duDZEyk
— Its Freddy (@YoFuckFreddy) April 23, 2019
“....and you may need to work some weekends too depending on your workload”
Me during an interview: https://t.co/dm77XTXR7d— Anu (@ChiefAnu) April 23, 2019
We must wait until Sunday for the next installment of Thrones, but in the interim, here are some of the best memes of Daenerys’ smile.
Customer: let me talk to the manager
Me getting ready to say that I am the manager pic.twitter.com/0ElaD0zsB5— ᗄrii☥ (@UchihaAriii) April 24, 2019
Per my last email face https://t.co/xKjuwR94u8
— Matthew A. Cherry 🏁 (@MatthewACherry) April 23, 2019
When Grandad's talking Brexit https://t.co/POllC5bg5k
— Luke🕺🏼 (@LukeCB_) April 23, 2019
someone : "that’s my baby! isn’t he cute?"
me : "mhm" https://t.co/dzt3U8SCpf— manon | endgame TODAY (@reedushiddles) April 23, 2019
how my mum smiles at me when I break something in front of guests
— Aasia (@aasiatweeter) April 23, 2019