As much as I love Game of Thrones, the show continues to create made-for-TV plot points that make absolutely no sense other than to surprise the fans and force the story line to go in their desired direction. IMO, these show premises and character actions are completely ridiculous:
#1: There aren’t enough resources and people on the Iron Islands to build and man the one thousand galleon-style ships in Euron’s fleet*
#2 Two massive fleets in the relatively close proximity of Blackwater Bay could remain completely hidden from each other.
#3 No one would send out patrols.
#4 Danerys would not fly over Kings Landing with her dragons both to view the opposition’s soldiers and supplies, and to make a show of strength (like torching Euron’s fleet).**
*Based on the following references:
- Yara and Theon stole most of the Iron Fleet after Euron took power. That fleet was large enough to transport most of the Dothraki and Unsullied armies under Danerys, estimated to be over 100,000 strong. In GoT references, the Iron Fleet is said to number one hundred, but their ships are mostly smaller longboats, which couldn’t possibly hold more than 20 riders with their horses. So we have to assume there are hundreds of boats in the Iron Fleet commanded by Yara and Theon. Even with skeleton crews, there have to be at least a couple of thousand Ironborn.
- Every description of the Iron Islands includes the following: smallest, least populated kingdom in Westeros; terrible, rocky, infertile land that can’t support farm animals, let alone farming; 70% of the population are fisherman, and the rest are pirates; small boats because they don’t have enough resources (like trees) to make larger ones. According to wiki GoT, the “Iron Isles can raise approximately 25,000 men and 500 long ships.”
- However, if you look at a map of Westeros, the Iron Islands are at the maximum three to four times the size of Bear Island (House Mormont) who could only spare 62 men to Jon Snow for the battle for Winterfell. In addition, in espisode 1, Jamie and Euron talk about how the Iron Islands rebellion was put down by a Lanister force that outnumbered the Greyjoy forces by 10 to 1. It certainly seems like the semi canon source listed above is far from accurate. Otherwise, how could the Lannisters, whose fleet was destroyed, attack the Iron Isles with a force of 250,000
- Euron now has a fleet of one thousand ships, and all of them are larger galleon-type vessels, compared to the typical longship used by the Ironborn.
**Danerys has proven to be far too intelligent and cunning over the last six seasons to simply sit inside a castle and do nothing but talk.
