Netflix’s fantasy film Damsel comes very close visually and narratively to the influential series Game of Thrones towards the end, dividing its audience.
The fantasy adventure Damsel continues to enjoy great popularity on Netflix. The fact that Millie Bobby Brown has no desire to be sacrificed to a dragon as a newly minted princess made the star re-evaluate her own fantasy love and could even earn the Netflix film a sequel, Damsel 2. However, one moment at the end, where the movie is overtly reminiscent of Game of Thrones, divides opinion. (Warning, spoilers for the end of Damsel and Game of Thrones follow.)
Homage or copycat? Netflix copies Game of Thrones in a Damsel scene
As an entertaining survival adventure with dragons, Damsel also has to stand up to comparison with other fantasy stories. And no story has had more prominent dragons than Game of Thrones, which as a series is about to launch a dragon war in its sequel House of the Dragon. Rather than hiding from this pop culture legacy, the Netflix film unmistakably surrenders to the Westeros model in one scene:
(Game of Thrones parallel: Elodie’s Daenerys moment in Damsel)
After Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) escapes the dragon’s lair, she unleashes her wrath against the royal family and their palace. Just as Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) unleashes her dragons on the city of the rulers in King’s Landing, Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright), Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) and co. also fall victim to the flames of Elodie’s fire-breathing lizard. The princess’s empowerment even goes so far as to give Elodie herself visual wings for a brief moment with the dragon flying above her.
This is how divided fans react to the Game of Thrones moment in Damsel
While some on Netflix are celebrating Damsel’s Game of Thrones moment, others are scratching their heads at the scene in question:
Elodie really said “Dracary’s bitch!” DamselNetflix Damsel pic.twitter.com/Fjq15WOiMQ
– Zoe (@Wild0rchidz) March 9, 2024
Elodie really did say ‘Dracarys, b! [So she gave her dragon the command to breathe fire from Game of Thrones]
K
Elodie and the dragon walking out after she burned everything down. Damsel pic.twitter.com/kPNwHBqVfN
– Jewel (@etheralpiscesss) March 8, 2024
Yaaaaa. That moment when Elodie and the dragon go outside after burning everything down
All major dragon scenes bfrom Damsel are ripped off from Game Of Thrones tv and book material they didn’t even try to hide it pic.twitter.com/mKYm3Ni2VF
– gagaklein 〄 | Queen Rhaenyra is coming (@whatsupgagaa) March 10, 2024
All the big dragon scenes in Damsel were cribbed from the Game of Thrones books and series. And they didn’t even try to hide it!
Netflix wanted their own Daenerys moment so badly with this Damsel shot and flopped so hard pic.twitter.com/jcmffVPRlq
– LEV.IS not LEE.VAIZ (Lev)⚪ (@LevisRyann) March 9, 2024
Netflix wanted its own Daenerys moment so badly in this take on Damsel and it made such a big crash landing.
The Damsel ending is how Game of Thrones should have ended DragonsAlwaysWin LetItBurn pic.twitter.com/wLmavBx7zI
– Andy 〽️ (@AndyMorr23) March 11, 2024
The end of Damsel shows how Game of Thrones should have ended
In the end, everyone has to decide for themselves whether the combination of the two fantasy formats is successful or less convincing. I wonder if the alternative ending of Damsel would have given the scene a different twist originally…
