The Second Watch is a weekly “Game of Thrones” recap column by Arts & Life Editor Erin Yarnall. Read more here. 

Ellaria vowed her vengeance on the Lannister family, Stannis claimed to love his daughter and Daenerys promised she would not reopen the Meereenese fighting pits — yet, in “The Dance of Dragons,” all three of these characters went against their word and “sold out” in varying, disappointing ways, with Stannis being the most disappointing of all.

This week’s episode saw Stannis reach new lows in his attempt to claim the Iron Throne, when he sacrificed his teenage daughter, Shireen, to the Lord of Light, in order to help his army claim the North. Although it was in line with Stannis’ character, it was incredibly disheartening to see him watch his daughter get burnt alive so he could become king.

Shireen’s death was incredibly tragic for a few reasons, the first being Stannis’ speech a few weeks ago, after Melisandre proposed the idea of sacrificing Shireen, where he proudly talked about his love for his daughter. But it was also so upsetting to see Shireen die because of her innocence. No, she’s not the first innocent or likeable character to be killed, but after watching her connection with Davos, and her kindness for everyone (especially in comparison with her cold and distant parents), it’s so sad to see a character that sweet be killed. The third reason this death disappointed me so much was the disservice “Game of Thrones” has been giving its female characters this season.

While Westeros is obviously a terrible place to live for anyone (especially women), the need for showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to have Sansa’s character raped and Shireen killed is obnoxious. Mostly due to the fact that these characters are thrown into these situations in order to further the plots of men. Shireen was killed so her father could become king, and while Sansa was being raped, the camera focused on the torment it caused Reek, rather than Sansa.

If there is one female character the show always treats right, though, it’s Daenerys. In a terrifying scene that was modified from the book series, Daenerys, Tyrion, Daario, Jorah and Missandei find themselves surrounded by the Sons of the Harpy — the group who has been trying to kill Daenerys and all of her supporters all season — in the middle of a reopened (much to Daenerys’ dismay) fighting pit.

When all hope was gone for not only the group trapped in the pit, but also for the viewers who were dismayed at seeing Shireen be sacrificed, Drogon (Daenerys’ favorite dragon) swoops in and rescues his mother in a beautiful scene. Emilia Clarke’s acting in this scene was beautiful, and her look of relief and joy when she saw Drogon literally brought me to tears. Now we just have to worry about those she abandoned — Tyrion, Daario, Jorah, Missandei and all of the people who called her queen. This scene is where the last book ended, so now readers, as well as viewers are completely left in the dark as to what will happen next to the characters of “Game of Thrones,” and after arrogantly knowing (kind of) what will happen for the past few years, I’m terrified to see what’s coming next.

The most reassuring instance of “selling out” was Ellaria Sand, Oberyn Martell’s paramour, as she promised to quell the rebellion that she and the Sand Snakes (Oberyn’s daughters) started, and to end their plans to get their revenge on the Lannister family. for some reason I couldn’t take Ellaria’s promises to be peaceful to Prince Doran seriously, and am looking forward to the problems she and her daughters and step-daughters are going to create for Westeros and the Lannisters.

Kill, Marry, Screw, Prediction

Kill: I thought the horse being burnt alive might be the saddest moment of the episode for me, but who was I kidding, I’m watching “Game of Thrones.” Yes, I was already sad about a horse whose name I never even knew, and then the show proceeded to tear out my heart by killing precious, innocent Princess Shireen — one of the only characters in the show who isn’t a complete pile of garbage. A bunch of people died in the fighting pits that were reopened by Daenerys in Meereen (surprise, surprise), and then even more people died after the Sons of the Harpy started a vicious attack on the queen, including her betrothed, Hizdahr zo Loraq, which was a relief as he is a horrible husband to Daenerys in the book series.

Marry: N/A

Screw: After sacrificing his daughter, there’s no way that Stannis is going to be beaten by the Bolton family at Winterfell, let’s just hope Sansa makes it out okay (otherwise what is even the point of this show).

Prediction: Daenerys is obviously going to be the Queen of Westeros. Her dragons are going to be the only thing that can defeat the White Walkers. Tyrion will advise her perfectly, so she will win over the people of Westeros, but he will die once she’s trained and ready to rule.