Game Of Thrones: 10 Things That Make No Sense About The Martells

Dorne is, without a doubt, the most exotic part of Westeros. It’s quite unlike any other locations on the northern continent, and for this reason it’s always been a bit of an odd fit. This is also reflected in both the storylines that involve the country and in its primary ruling house, House Martell.

Indeed, despite the fact that several members of this House have played major parts in the story, there’s still a great many things about the Martells that don’t make sense, even for those who’ve watched the entire show and, frankly, even moreso for those who read the books as well.

10 Why Didn’t Doran See Ellaria Attempting To Assassinate Him (& Why Wasn’t He Better Guarded)?

Doran was always a bit of an odd addition to the narrative of Game of Thrones. On the one hand, he seems to be a very clever and subtle political operator.

However, despite the fact that he appears to be playing the long game when it comes to getting revenge on the Lannisters, he still isn’t able to see what’s plainly right in front of his face: that Ellaria Sand is going to wreak a terrible revenge, and that includes assassinating him. So much for being a political mastermind.

9 Why Did Doran Only Have One Heir?

Speaking of Doran, it’s a well-known rule among noble and royal families that one should never rely on just one heir. In order to ensure the stability of a house’s succession, it’s necessary to have at least two children waiting in the wings.

For some strange reason, however, Doran has chosen not to do so, and he only has the one son: Trystane. This is even more inexplicable when compared to the novels, in which Doran actually has several children for this exact reason.

8 Why Did The Viper Think It Was A Good Idea To Taunt The Mountain?

Oberyn Martell was one of the most interesting, yet enigmatic, characters to ever appear on the show. A skilled warrior, he was also a bit of a rake, and his sexual exploits were one of his most endearing qualities. Of course, he’s most famous for bringing about the near-death of the Mountain.

Unfortunately, he let his own thirst for revenge get in the way and, rather than finishing Gregor Clegane outright, he continued to taunt him until he met his own grisly death. Why he thought it was wise to tease a man known as the Mountain whose brutal reputation precedes him is anyone’s guess.

7 Why Did They Took So Long To Avenge Elia’s Murder?

When Robert Baratheon’s forces sacked King’s Landing, one of the unfortunate casualties was Elia Martell, the sister of Doran and Oberyn. It’s later revealed that both brothers have been waiting years to gain revenge for her death.

However, even for a people known for their subtlety, this amount of time seems a bit excessive, and one can’t help but wonder why they didn’t make at least an attempt to avenge Elia’s murder long before they did.

6 How Exactly Did They Hold Off The Targaryen Dragons?

As fans of the show will know, Dorne was the last of the Seven Kingdoms to bend the knee to the Targaryens. This refusal to accept this overlordship was in part explained by Dorne’s ability to hold off the infamous Targaryen dragons. How they were able to do this, though, is left largely unexplained, other than the fact that they managed to use guerrilla tactics to stall invasions.

Given how powerful dragons are in the series, it does strain credibility to think that at least one of the Targaryens would have been able to conquer Dorne with them.

5 Why Didn’t Anyone Try To Get Elia & Her Children Out Of King’s Landing During Robert’s Rebellion?

Given the fact that Robert soon showed himself to be a fairly brutal commander – and given that war in Westeros tends to be pretty awful in any case – it’s a bit strange that someone in the Mad King’s court, perhaps even Rhaegar himself, didn’t do something to get Elia and her children out of King’s Landing before the sack.

This is one of those times where one has to wonder just how adept some of these people are at actually running a kingdom.

4 Why Did Everyone Ignore Dorne Unless They Wanted To Marry Someone Off To Them?

Throughout the history of Westeros, Dorne just sort of does its own thing. In part, this is a function of its geography. As a land of deserts, it is very unlike almost any other location in the Seven Kingdoms. However, it also seems to be the source of some important products and, of course, the fact that it remains unconquered was always a sticking point.

Thus, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that it was largely ignored by the majority of Westeros except, of course, when someone wanted to marry into the Martells.

3 Whatever Happened To Ellaria?

By the end of the series there is, apparently, a new person sitting on the throne of Dorne, though the audience is never told who this person is or what relationship he has with the Martells. More importantly, the series never makes it clear what, exactly, happened to Ellaria.

The last time that she appears on-screen she is the prisoner of Cersei, tormented with the knowledge that she must watch her daughter slowly die. It’s rather frustrating to have the fate of this character remain unexplained after ending her arc so abruptly.

2 Why Were The Sand Snakes So Awful?

The Sand Snakes are the bastard daughters of Oberyn Martell with his consort Ellaria and sundry other women. As noble bastards, they are accorded a significant amount of respect in their uncle’s court. Unfortunately, they appear not to deserve it, and the series doesn’t really do much to give them much personality.

Instead, they are largely obnoxious walk-ons who add little to the plot,. It’s hard to fathom why the writers would go to the trouble of introducing them at all if they were just going to underutilize them so spectacularly.

1 What Was The Point Of Doran’s Storyline Anyway?

The case of Doran Martell is one of those frustrating bait-and-switches that the series indulged in far too often, particularly in its later seasons. The audience is led to believe that he is going to play a more significant role in the plot than he actually does.

In fact, he’s dispatched by Ellaria rather quickly and unceremoniously, leading many viewers to wonder why the series even bothered adding him if he was going to be done away with so summarily.

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