The second season of the fantasydrama television series Game of Thrones premiered in the United States on HBO on April 1, 2012, and concluded on June 3, 2012. It was broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 pm in the United States, consisting of 10 episodes, each running approximately 50â60 minutes. The season mostly covers the events of A Clash of Kings, the second novel of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. HBO ordered the second season on April 19, 2011, which began filming in July 2011, primarily in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Croatia and Iceland.
The story takes place in a fictional world, primarily on a continent called Westeros, with one storyline occurring on another continent to the east known as Essos. Like the novel, the season follows the dramatic death of Lord Eddard 'Ned' Stark, with all of the Starks being separated across Westeros. Season two mainly centers around the War of the Five Kings, fought between the leaders of Westerosi factions who are either staking a claim on the Iron Throne, or seeking independence from it. Meanwhile, in Essos, with three newborn dragons by her side, Daenerys Targaryen struggles to find allies to help her on her way to take back the Iron Throne.
Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast, including Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley and Emilia Clarke. The season introduced a number of new cast members, including Stephen Dillane, Natalie Dormer, Carice van Houten and Liam Cunningham.
Critics praised the show's production values and cast. Viewership rose compared to the previous season. The second season won six of the twelve Emmy Awards for which it was nominated. It received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage) and Outstanding Drama Series. U.S. viewership rose by approximately 8% over the course of the season, from 3.9 million to 4.2 million by the season finale.
Episodes[edit]
Cast[edit]Main cast[edit]Starring[edit]
Also starring[edit]
Guest cast[edit]
The recurring actors listed here are those who appeared in season 2. They are listed by the region in which they first appear:
Production[edit]
HBO ordered a second season of Game of Thrones on April 19, 2011, two days after the series premiere.[12] The second season obtained a 15% increase in budget in order to be able to stage the war's most important battle,[13] the Battle of the Blackwater, in episode nine.
Filming took place during 106 shooting days. During three-quarters of those, two crews ('Dragon' and 'Wolf') were working simultaneously in different locations.[14]
Crew[edit]
David Benioff and D. B. Weiss serve as main writers and showrunners for the second season. They co-wrote six out of ten episodes. The remaining four episodes were written by story editor Bryan Cogman, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin, and new series writer and co-executive producer Vanessa Taylor, who wrote two episodes.
Alan Taylor was promoted to co-executive producer and directed four episodes, including the season premiere and finale. David Petrarca and David Nutter each directed two episodes, while series cinematographer Alik Sakharov and filmmaker Neil Marshall directed the remaining two.
Casting[edit]
The casting for the second season began in May 2011.[15] Although a large portion of the first-season cast were returning, the producers were still faced with a huge number of new characters to be cast. The producers decided that several characters from A Clash of Kings, including the Freys and Crannogmen Reeds at Winterfell, Frey bannermen of the Starks, the Tullys, Stannis' wife and daughter, Theon's uncle Aeron Greyjoy and the bastard Ramsay Snow would not be cast despite appearing in the novel. ShowrunnersDavid Benioff and D. B. Weiss commented on this saying that certain character introductions taking place in A Clash of Kings would be delayed until the third season. This was done due to the large number of characters already introduced in season two, and because they couldn't afford to have people 'waiting around' for their characters to become central to the plot.[16] Having to fill so many speaking roles, the showrunners not only 'postponed' the introduction of several key characters, but they also merged some into one, or certain plot-functions were given to different characters. Many physical traits were also altered, such as the ethnicity or age of characters. The cast was estimated to be the largest on television.[17] Scattered around two fictional continents characters include, by order of importance:
Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon)
Carice van Houten (Melisandre)
Emerging as the fourth claimant to the throne is the estranged brother of the late king Robert, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane).[18] The foreign priestess Melisandre, portrayed by Carice van Houten poses as an influential, yet manipulative advisor to Stannis. Van Houten was previously asked (but unable) to audition for the role of Cersei in season one. While her character retains her signature red robes and hair, unlike in the novels Melisandre is not portrayed as having red eyes, making her appear somewhat more human.[19]Liam Cunningham stars as Ser Davos Seaworth, the 'Onion Knight', a bannerman of Stannis and a former smuggler.[20] Cunningham had already been in talks for a role in the first season. As he is left-handed, his Davos has the fingers of the right hand shortened, unlike in the novels where his left hand is crippled. In an interview, Cunningham said that a lot of new dialogue had to be written for his character, because in the novels Davos, a point-of-view character, is portrayed more through his thoughts than through his actions.[21] These three characters headed a new storyline set on a different location, that by the end of the season merged with the main plot.
Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), a main cast member from the first season, but with lesser importance than the others, came to prominence during the second season, as his story unfolded and his character became more central. Gemma Whelan appeared as his sister, Yara Greyjoy. Named 'Asha' in the novels, the character's name was changed to avoid confusion with the Wildling Osha, Bran Stark's companion.[22] 'Asha' is portrayed as a fairly provocative and independent woman, a captain of thirty ships, as opposed to her television counterpart Yara, who did not retain 'Asha's' traits, although her rivalry with Theon remained intact. Their father Balon Greyjoy was played by Patrick Malahide.[23] Many of the characters involved in the Greyjoys' storyline weren't introduced, most notably Balon's brother Aeron Greyjoy. Nonetheless, the storyline received enormous praise, with the alteration of Yara's name and persona being the only criticism.
Tom Wlaschiha is cast as Jaqen H'ghar, a mysterious prisoner who develops a murderous relationship with young Arya Stark (Maisie Williams).[24] Wlaschiha's pronunciation of his character's name, Jack-in, was adopted for use in the show.[25]Natalie Dormer, best known for her portrayal as seductive Anne Boleyn in Showtime's The Tudors, was cast in a similar role as Margaery Tyrell, a noblewoman and the wife of the third claimant to the throne, Renly Baratheon.[26]Gwendoline Christie played, to much praise, Brienne of Tarth, a female warrior who joins Renly Baratheon's guard, but later becomes a follower of Catelyn Stark.[27] To prepare for the role, Christie took up an intense training regimen, adding over a stone (6.4 kg) of muscle mass.[28] So that she could be mistaken for a man, her armor was decorated with lines that slant away from her hips.[29] On the other side of the fictional world, two female roles with rising prominence were added to the cast: Skins star Hannah Murray filled the role of Craster's daughter Gilly, a love interest to Samwell Tarly;[30] while the second role, the one of Ygritte, Jon Snow's love interest among the Wildlings, was played by Rose Leslie.[31]
Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) stay at Qarth, opened the way for several recurring characters. Nonso Anozie played Daenerys's host at Qarth, Xaro Xhoan Daxos.[32] The character differed a lot from his novel counterpart. Xaro's homosexuality, femininity and caucasian origin were overshadowed by dark skinned Anozie's masculinity and heterosexuality. Acting as one of her suitors is the treacherous warlock Pyat Pree portrayed by Ian Hanmore. Her third and final suitor was the masked priestess Quaithe (Laura Pradelska). Specially created for the television series was the so-called 'Spice King', a rich merchant from Qarth, played by Nicholas Blane. Also an original creation of the show is the character of Talisa (Oona Chaplin), a healer from Volantis and a romantic interest for Robb. She fills the role of another female interest of Robb's, called Jeyne Westerling, who has no similarities with Talisa whatsoever. In addition to Talisa, Michael McElhatton joins the cast in the role of Roose Bolton, an important character in Robb Stark's storyline. Lastly, Simon Armstrong plays the legendary Night's Watch ranger Qhorin Halfhand.
Others were also added to the cast, either in a small recurring role or with reduced prominence. The most notable example is Tony Way's Ser Dontos Hollard, a drunkard knight, who had a pivotal role in Sansa Stark's storyline that ran in the course of two novels, while in the series the role was reduced to a small scene in the opening episode. Others include: Ben Crompton as 'Dolorous Edd' Tollet, a man of the Night's Watch.[33]Robert Pugh as the Wildling Craster, father and husband to Gilly.[34] Kerr Logan as Davos Seaworth's pious son Matthos.[35]Karl Davies as Ser Alton Lannister, a character created for the series[36] who replaces Cleos Frey as envoy from the Starks to the Lannisters. Daniel Portman took the role of Podrick Payne, the squire to Tyrion Lannister.[37] The 19-year-old Portman plays Podrick as about 16 years old, instead of about 12 as in the novels. To be able to portray Podrick as awkward, shy and weak, Portman, previously a sportsman, stopped his fitness regimen and gained some weight to appear more endearing.[38]Lucian Msamati played Salladhor Saan, a Lysene pirate and friend of Davos Seaworth. Finally, Edward Dogliani appeared briefly as the 'Lord of Bones' (or 'Rattleshirt' in the novels), a Wildling leader and Oliver Ford Davies as Stannis's maester Cressen.[39]
All of the recurring characters from the first season returned, with one notable exception: Conan Stevens, whose role of Gregor Clegane was recast with Ian Whyte, did not return.[40]Roy Dotrice, a friend of George R. R. Martin, known for reading the audio versions of the novels and having previously rejected a role due to health reasons, appears this season as Pyromancer Hallyne, an elderly alchemist at King's Landing.[41]
Locations[edit]
The walled city of Dubrovnik stands in for King's Landing in season 2
For the second season, the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, was used instead of Malta for scenes in King's Landing and Daenerys' scenes in Qarth.[42] For example, the MinÄeta Tower in Dubrovnik was used as the House of the Undying. Scenes set north of the Wall were filmed in Iceland in November 2011. The main locations are the Vatnajökull glacier,[43] the SvÃnafellsjökull glacier near Skaftafell, and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier near Vik used as the location for the Fist of the First Men with Höfðabrekka as the Frostfang Mountains.[44][45][46] New shooting locations in Northern Ireland include The Linen Mill Film & Television Studios in Banbridge, Ballintoy Harbour[47] and Downhill Strand. As the story in the second season required that the Winterfell set be expanded, a new set for Winterfell was built at the Moneyglass Estate near Toome village.[48]
Music[edit]
The music for the second season was again composed by Ramin Djawadi. It contains a rendition of a song often mentioned or sung in the novels, The Rains of Castamere, by the indie rock band The National.[49]
The soundtrack for the season was released on June 19, 2012.[50]
Promotion[edit]
HBO released numerous teaser trailers for the second season, beginning on December 11, 2011.[51] The second trailer, published on January 29, 2012,[52] was viewed 3.5 million times in the first three days after publication, a record for HBO promotional content.[53] Other trailers were released on February 24,[54] March 3 (set to Florence and the Machine's Seven Devils)[55] as well as subsequently.
HBO also published other promotional material, such as cast photographs[56] and teaser posters, prior to the airing of the first episode. The second issue of Entertainment Weekly in March 2012 had four alternative covers dedicated to in-costume photographs of Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), Kit Harington (Jon Snow) or Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey (Jaime and Cersei Lannister).[57]
Reception[edit]
Thanks to the critical and commercial success of the first season, as well as HBO's marketing efforts, the second season received intensive media coverage well before it started airing. Sunday is Coming, a two-minute short film for Funny or Die, satirized viewers' excitement about the return of Game of Thrones.[58]
Critical response[edit]
Several media outlets reviewed the season's first four episodes before they were broadcast, and rendered almost uniformly positive verdicts. The season holds a Metacritic score of 90 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating 'universal acclaim'.[59] On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 96% approval rating from 37 critics with an average rating of 8.82 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, 'Game of Thrones follows up a strong debut with an even better second season, combining elegant storytelling and vivid characters to create a rich fantasy world.'[60]
Entertainment Weekly rated the new season 'A-' and praised the 'vivid, vital, and just plain fun' storytelling. In the reviewer's opinion, the greatly enlarged cast did not feel like bloat and the show remained accessible to those who had not read the novel.[61]The Huffington Post called the start of the second season 'far more elegant and engaging' than that of the first, and appreciated the show's maturation, increased assurance and momentum as well as the visually improved settings and the new actors' performance.[62]Newsday's review gave it an 'A+', calling it the 'best show on television' and warranting the preparation required by viewers.[63]
The Hollywood Reporter also wrote that Game of Thrones made a 'strong case for being one of TV's best series'. Impressed that the series continued to improve in quality as it breathed life into its vast web of interconnected storylines, the reviewer considered that, unlike other genre shows, Game of Thrones had gravitas such that it should not be considered dramatically inferior to shows like Mad Men or Breaking Bad.[64]HitFix's Alan Sepinwall gave the new, 'bigger and better' season an 'A', praising its increased confidence and smoothness despite its even greater use of 'sexposition'.[65] New to the series, the Chicago Sun-Times's reviewer found the season premiere 'engrossing' and praised the 'top-notch' acting, writing, sets and storytelling.[66] The New York Times was the only major publication to publish a mixed review. It criticized the lack of complexity in the characters apart from Dinklage's, the confusing multitude of characters and the meandering plot.[67]
Ratings[edit]Accolades[edit]
The second season was nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, which included Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage. It won six awards, for, Outstanding Costumes for a Series, Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour), and Outstanding Special Visual Effects.[68]
Release[edit]Broadcast[edit]
The second season of Game of Thrones was broadcast on HBO in the United States from April 1, 2012 to June 3, 2012.[102][103]
Home media[edit]
DVD/Blu-ray box sets and digital downloads of the second season were released in North America on February 19, 2013.[104] The DVD set contains a 30-minute feature covering the production of the episode 'Blackwater', actor interviews, character profiles, twelve audio commentaries by cast and crew, and a discussion about Westerosi religions by the showrunners and George R. R. Martin. The Blu-ray set additionally contains a feature about the 'War of the Five Kings' that breaks out in season two, as well as 19 animated histories of the mythology of Westeros and Essos.[105]
Copyright infringement[edit]
The second season of Game of Thrones was the most-pirated TV series in 2012.[109]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Game_of_Thrones_(season_2)&oldid=901722586'
Photo-Illustration: Maya Robinson/Vulture and Photos by HBO
Game over! Now that weâve finally learned the fate of Westeros and all of its surviving inhabitants, itâs kind of funny to recall that, once upon a time, this was a comparatively cozy little show about two rival families jockeying for power. âThe Sopranos in Middle-earth,â remember? From those beginnings sprouted a pop-culture phenomenon â and the most ambitious, expensive, divisive, and popular show in HBO history.
All of which makes ranking the showâs episodes a proposition as tricky as taming a dragon. Is an early episode that establishes the down-to-earth setting superior to a later one that injects high-fantasy magic and mayhem? Does a mid-season placeholder episode fare better than a fast-moving one that includes a real clunker of a scene? Are episode-long battles better than intimate character portraits, and if so, which episode-long battle is best? How do the blockbusters of the shortened last two seasons measure up to the slower pace of what came before? Is Shocking Death A more of a mindblower than Shocking Death B? (Or C, or D, or E?)
So, for one last time, Iâve strapped on my maesterâs chain and done my best to figure it all out, once and for all. Below youâll find a full list of all 73 episodes of Game of Thrones, ranked in ascending order of quality. Open up your third eye and youâll start to recognize certain patterns: The presence of a stinker story line (see the Sand Snakes, âWhere are my dragons?â) can cost an episode dearly. Early season âWhere are they now?â catch-ups and mid-season âWe need to fill out an hour before next weekâs gigantic massacreâ installments also have their work cut out for them. The show really packs a wallop in the showstoppers it rolls out in each seasonâs penultimate episode (give or take a week), any episode where estranged friends or family reconnect, and of course in the season finales.
In the end, the big pictureâs clear enough. Whether the individual episodes are cold as ice or hot as dragon fire, Game of Thrones aimed higher, hit harder, and took more visual, emotional, and thematic risks than anything else on television.
73. âThe House of Black and Whiteâ (Season 5, Episode 2)
Congrats to Jon Snow, newly elected Lord Commander of the Nightâs Watch! Everyone else is shit out of luck. The second episode of season five busies itself politicking with Cersei and Dany or setting up Sansa and Arya Starkâs creepy new status quos with Petyr âLittlefingerâ Baelish and Jaqen Hâghar. Thereâs little more to it than setup.
72. âThe Prince of Winterfellâ (Season 2, Episode 8)
Will Theon Greyjoy keep control of Winterfell? Will Jon Snow and his boring-ass commander Qhorin Halfhand escape the clutches of the wildlings? Will Tyrion Lannister repel the invasion of Kingâs Landing by Stannis Baratheon? WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS? The answers to these questions and more are ⦠not in this episode, which is a pure placeholder before the Battle of the Blackwater.
71. âBreaker of Chainsâ (Season 4, Episode 3)
Thereâs a lot to talk about with this one â unfortunately, most of the conversation involves saying âugh.â Daenerys gives a speech to the people of Slaverâs Bay that sounds like something out of a George W. Bush Iraq War pep rally; that makes sense in retrospect, but at the time it lacked the context required to properly make the point. And rather infamously, Jaime and Cersei Lannister ⦠well, itâs never been firmly established what happens between them. It sure looked like rape, though cast and crew alike deny that was their intent. Even if you give them the benefit of the doubt, which Iâm inclined to do â at no point does either character discuss the scene as an assault again, while Sansaâs experiences are referred to repeatedly and carefully â itâs hard to draw a different conclusion than âFolks, you fucked up.â
70. âOathkeeperâ (Season 4, Episode 4)
Iâll give them this: The slave revolt that ends with House Targaryenâs black flag flying over Meereen is pretty tight. But the rest of this episode feels strangely slapdash: the lack of follow-up to the bizarre Jaime-Cersei scene in âBreaker of Chainsâ; Sansaâs wholehearted trust of Littlefinger, a guy whoâd recently murdered a man in front of her; and the gruesome reign of rape and murder by Nightâs Watch mutineers at Crasterâs Keep, as close to unendurable as this showâs violence ever got.
69. âMhysaâ (Season 3, Episode 10)
For all of its highs (like the heartbreaking farewell between Jon Snow and his wildling girlfriend, Ygritte), and lows (like poor Aryaâs stomach-turning glimpse of her dead brother Robbâs desecrated corpse), this season finale had some out-and-out belly flops, most notably Daenerysâs awkwardly contextualized white-savior crowd-surfing on a sea of grateful brown-skinned extras. Again, later events in season eight proved this to be a critique rather than an endorsement, but even viewers favorably inclined to the showâs approach found the image too fraught to serve as a kicker for a season finale.
68. âA Man Without Honorâ (Season 2, Episode 7)
The start of a wobbly section in the second season, this installment saw Jaime kill his own cousin in a dubious and doomed escape attempt; the Thirteen (who?) get overthrown as leaders of Qarth (where?); and the introduction of Ygritte, a much better character than the obnoxious dagger-and-dick-joke machine she initially seems to be.
67. âThe Broken Manâ (Season 6, Episode 7)
Hooray! Sandor âthe Houndâ Clegane is back, and heâs brought Deadwoodâs Ian McShane along for the ride! But boo, McShaneâs pacifist character is dead before the end of the hour, and Sandor returns to his old killing ways. Over time, the Hound displays a hard-bitten humanism that proves you can teach an old dog new tricks. For the moment, though, wasted opportunities and religious communities abound. (Why didnât this episode include the magnificent antiwar monologue that anchored the section of the books that inspired it?)
66. âBook of the Strangerâ (Season 6, Episode 4)
Reunions and redundancy are the name of the game here. Although the long-awaited meetings between long-lost siblings Jon and Sansa, Theon and Yara Greyjoy, and Margaery and Loras Tyrell are touching, Ramsay Boltonâs by-the-numbers murder of the once-prominent wildling Osha and Daenerys Targaryenâs burning of yet another group of enemies (and outfit) definitely suffered from diminishing returns.
65. âEastwatchâ (Season 7, Episode 5)
Like many episodes in this section of the countdown, âEastwatchâ didnât do anything wrong, per se. In fact, moments like the formation of Jon Snowâs Magnificent Seven task force of badasses, or Sam blowing up about his tedious maester training at precisely the moment his girlfriend, Gilly, accidentally revealed Jonâs true parents, are fun. But even in those cases, let alone the sibling skullduggery between the Starks in Winterfell and the Lannisters in Kingâs Landing, itâs all moving pieces into place for the action to come.
64. âValar Dohaerisâ (Season 3, Episode 1)
Thanks to the around-the-horn style in most GOT season premieres, this episode races from story line to story line but has little chance to do anything else. For every cool moment, like our first glimpse of a giant or the return of rogue kingsguard Ser Barristan Selmy, thereâs a major dropped ball, like a massive battle between the Nightâs Watch and the White Walkersâ zombies that happens entirely offscreen between seasons.
63. âOathbreakerâ (Season 6, Episode 3)
Two of the most eagerly anticipated events in series history take place in this episode â Jon Snow returns to the land of living, and Bran Stark has a vision of his fatherâs fateful duel with the Kingsguard knight Ser Arthur Dayne years ago â but youâd barely know it from watching. Jon storms off after executing his murderers, and Branâs cut off from finding out what happened after his dad won the fight, which is pretty important.
62. âThe Wars to Comeâ (Season 5, Episode 1)
Another season premiere that exists primarily to remind us who and where everyone is, âThe Wars to Comeâ sees King Beyond the Wall Mance Rayder burned at the stake by Stannis Baratheon, Tyrion begin life on the lam after killing his father, and Daenerys topple the Saddam-like Harpy monument in Meereen. Nothing terrible, but nothing all that thrilling after season fourâs big finish.
61. âUnbowed, Unbent, Unbrokenâ (Season 5, Episode 6)
Theyâre the words of House Martell, but for the purposes of this episode, âUnbowed, Unbent, Unbrokenâ can add âUnsuccessful.â The crackerjack casting of Pedro Pascal and Indira Varma as vengeful libertine Prince Oberyn Martell and his common-law wife Ellaria Sand aside, Game of Thronesâ grasp on the southern kingdom of Dorne was always shaky, right down to that unnamed prince in the series finale. True, criticism of Ramsay Boltonâs wedding-night assault on Sansa Stark dominated the discourse. All Iâll say is that many survivors of sexual abuse, myself included, felt more validated by the scene itself than by the backlash and leave it at that. (Actor Sophie Turnerâs recent comments on the story line and the writer of the episode, Bryan Cogman, put paid to much of the criticism leveled at both at the time.) But in the end, it was the dire duel between Jaime Lannister and Bronn and the one-dimensional Sand Snakes â the worst fight scene of the series â that dragged this episode down.
60. âThe Red Womanâ (Season 6, Episode 1)
To paraphrase Chevy Chase, Jon Snow is still dead. Thatâs the main takeaway from this season premiere, which decidedly did not revive the slain Lord Commander â though it does reveal that red priestess Melisandre is a very, very old woman, and it provides further confirmation that Ellaria and the Sand Snakes kind of suck, even when they topple House Martell in like five seconds.
59. âThe Night Landsâ (Season 2, Episode 2)
This episode is named after the Dothraki term for the afterlife â appropriate, since by the end of this season, none of Danyâs Dothraki entourage would be heard from again. Notable for being the second episode in a row to end with an infantâs death, this time at the hands of a White Walker, âThe Night Landsâ also introduces Yara Greyjoy, who would have to wait four years before doing much of anything. It also features Stannis and Melisandre having sex on a table, which is admittedly pretty great.
58. âLord Snowâ (Season 1, Episode 3)
Littlefinger, Barristan, Varys, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lancel Lannister, Syrio Forel, Lord Commander Mormont, Maester Aemon, Ser Alliser Thorne, Yoren, Pyp, Grenn: A full one dozen major(ish) characters are introduced in this jam-packed episode, which takes our protagonists to Kingâs Landing and the Wall for the very first time. But the show was already getting good at adding emotion to all the place-setting, with Danyâs defiance of her awful brother Viserys and Nedâs PTSD auditory hallucination as he watches his daughter Arya learn to duel taking top billing.
57. âThe Bear and the Maiden Fairâ (Season 3, Episode 7)
âGood-bye, Ser Jaime.â Sure, Brienne of Tarthâs farewell to Jaime Lannister is short-lived â he comes back to rescue her from being fed to House Boltonâs pet bear by the end of the episode â but her use of his real name instead of the insulting nickname âKingslayerâ is one of the seriesâs most touching moments. The rest is mostly calm-before-the-storm setup for future developments for Robb, Jon, and Dany.
56. âDark Wings, Dark Wordsâ (Season 3, Episode 2)
Named after one of the seriesâs least-convincing catchphrases, this episode establishes more of season twoâs status quo: We meet the Brotherhood guerillas and the Queen of Thorns, monarch-to-be Margaery feigns interest in King Joffreyâs gruesome hobbies, and Jaime and Brienne get captured by the Boltons after a knock-down, drag-out duel. That last bit is especially cathartic, though their relationship is not nearly as rich as it will eventually be.
55. âThe Giftâ (Season 5, Episode 7)
If youâre the kind of Game of Thrones viewer who spent years wondering when itâd all come together, you might rank this one a bit higher. After all, itâs the episode where Tyrion Lannister meets Daenerys Targaryen, an event that has yet to happen in Martinâs books â and which presaged season sevenâs seemingly never-ending onslaught of dramatic reunions and first-time encounters. Elsewhere, Cersei gets arrested by the High Sparrow, while most of the other main characters remain stuck in their respective mid-season ruts.
54. âGarden of Bonesâ (Season 2, Episode 4)
One of the showâs creepiest episodes, this mid-season outing begins Daenerysâs worst story line, her misadventures in Qarth. Nevertheless, it starts strong, with the nobles who rule the city appearing at its gates like weirdos out of a Tarsem Singh movie. Back in Westeros, the horror gets ratcheted up as Joffrey goes full Baratheon Psycho on a pair of unfortunate sex workers, while Melisandre gives birth to a shadow demon.
53. âThe Queenâs Justiceâ (Season 7, Episode 3)
For an hour as eventful as this one, âThe Queenâs Justiceâ feels curiously flat â though perhaps thatâs by design. Branâs unexpected return to Winterfell as a cold and distant psychic, the less-than-triumphant conquests of Casterly Rock by the Unsullied and Highgarden by Jaime Lannister, the ignominious fates of matriarchs Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand, a first meeting between Jon and Daenerys thatâs tense rather than romantic: The episode seems engineered to thwart the charactersâ great expectations. Only crazy Euron Greyjoy, who rides into Kingâs Landing with captives in tow to a heroâs welcome, seems to be having any fun at all.
52. âThe Kingsroadâ (Season 1, Episode 2)
In its later seasons, both time and characters move so fast on Game of Thrones that some viewers have started complaining about it. But but back when the show stuck closely to author George R.R. Martinâs novels, people spent a whole lot of time just getting from place to place. The seriesâs second episode is dedicated almost entirely to the journey of Ned, his pal King Robert, and their kids from Winterfell to Kingâs Landing. Granted, we get our first glimpse of Joffreyâs true colors along the way â and our first (sob!) direwolf killing as well â but this episode is mostly concerned with establishing the look and feel of the show and its setting.
51. âThe Pointy Endâ (Season 1, Episode 8)
This episode may be the biggest bait and switch in the whole series. With Ned Stark sidelined following his betrayal and arrest, we watch Robb Stark rally the North, Khal Drogo psych up the Dothraki, and zombies menace the Nightâs Watch. But if you thought any of this would save Lord Stark â Maybe Robb will rescue him! Maybe Dany and the horselords will invade! Maybe the Watch will have him join the fight against the dead! â think again: None of these forces will be able to stop whatâs coming for Ned.
50. âSons of the Harpyâ (Season 5, Episode 4)
A thematic turning point for the series, âSons of the Harpyâ introduces the titular Meereenese insurgency, its brutality in the name of its cause matched by that of the reborn Faith Militant back in Kingâs Landing. Meanwhile at the Wall, Melisandre and Stannis hash out their own religiously rooted issues with Jon Snow and poor Princess Shireen. Fundamentalism and fanaticism remained primary concerns for the rest of the series.
49. âValar Morghulisâ (Season 2, Episode 10)
This finale contains three of season twoâs most feel-good moments, even if they all wind up being bittersweet: Danyâs mystical reunion with Drogo and the baby she lost, Sansaâs smile upon being released from her engagement to Joffrey, and Theon getting knocked unconscious by his own men. None of it was built to last, but weâll take it while we can.
48. âYou Win or You Dieâ (Season 1, Episode 7)
âWhen you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.â So says Cersei Lannister, providing both the episode and the series itself with their respective title phrases. She then proves her point by outfoxing Ned following the death of her hated husband, King Robert, whom Lord Stark had figured out sheâd cheated on with her own brother. Nedâs long walk into the throne room remains one of the seriesâs tensest moments.
47. âThe Laws of Gods and Menâ (Season 4, Episode 6)
Or: The People v. Tyrion Lannister. The trial of the imp is the highlight here, with actor Peter Dinklage finally free to let loose his characterâs rage against the society that scorned him and the family that framed him despite everything heâs done for them all.
46. âThe North Remembersâ (Season 2, Episode 1)
Key register proxifier 3.42. After its first season became a hit, Game of Thrones set the tone for its second year by starting with one of its most uncompromising episodes and introducing one of its most uncompromising characters. In this premiere, as Tyrion settles into his position as the Hand of the King, his awful royal nephew Joffrey orders the slaughter of all of his âfatherâ King Robertâs bastards, including literal babes in arms. Beyond the Wall, Jon Snow and the Nightâs Watch encounter Craster, their incestuous informant among the wildlings. And on the island of Dragonstone, we meet Stannis Baratheon, Westerosâs rightful ruler ⦠as he burns men to death at the behest of Melisandre, his sorcerous consigliere.
45. âKill the Boyâ (Season 5, Episode 5)
As the TV show began to catch up with Martinâs novels, it also started going more boldly off-book. In this case, that includes Jorah Mormont joining Tyrion Lannister in a trip through the ruins of Valyria, where theyâre set upon by the disease-ridden Stone Men, and Sansa Stark having a cathartically angry reunion with Theon Greyjoy, the man who betrayed her older brother Robb and, as far as she knew, killed her little brothers, Bran and Rickon. Some readers blanched at the changes, but it made for exciting viewing for non-purists.
44. âBlood of My Bloodâ (Season 6, Episode 6)
Arya refuses to assassinate a talented actress. Sam and Gilly visit his awful father, then steal his sword and split. Jaime leads a standoff with the High Sparrow on the steps of the Great Sept. The marvelously mean-spirited Lord Walder Frey makes a long-awaited return, as does Danyâs main dragon Drogon. But the biggest comeback is Benjen Stark, who vanished beyond the Wall way back in season one and returns as an undead guardian for his psychic nephew Bran. Basically, this episode is like a piñata stuffed with cool scenes.
43. âThe Climbâ (Season 3, Episode 6)
This episodeâs title has a double meaning. Itâs partially a quote from a memorable speech by Littlefinger: âChaos is a ladder ⦠the climb is all there is.â (Bran âthe Three-Eyed Ravenâ Stark certainly thought it was a good line.) But it also refers to the nail-biting trip up the face of the Wall by Jon Snow and the wildlings, among whom heâs gone undercover. The kiss he shares with Ygritte when they reach the top, with the sunlit vista of the North as their backdrop, was the seriesâs most romantic moment. When you watch it with the on-set romance and real-life marriage of actors Rose Leslie and Kit Harington in mind, youâll think, Yeah, I get it.
42. âFirst of His Nameâ (Season 4, Episode 5)
Decency reigns, however briefly, in this mid-season standout from season four. As kindly young King Tommen is crowned, his normally conspiratorial mother, Cersei, makes peace with various enemies, from Margaery Tyrell to Oberyn Martell. And beyond the Wall, Jonâs raiding party defeats the sadistic Nightâs Watch mutineers at Crasterâs Keep, which his daughter-wives promptly burn down, erasing its horror from the world for good.
41. âNo Oneâ (Season 6, Episode 8)
Paying off the seasons-long story line about Brienne, Jaime, and how they bring out the best in one another, âNo Oneâ reunites them only for another bittersweet farewell. Meanwhile, Tommen spikes Cerseiâs chances at acquittal for her various sins by banning trial by combat â a surprisingly sad split between mother and child, and one that laid the groundwork for explosive payback in Kingâs Landing. This emotional hour is rounded out with a dynamite scene between the Kingslayer and his prisoner Edmure Tully, and the unexpected return of Daenerys to Meereen.
40. âWinterfellâ (Season 8, Episode 1)
Theyâre gettinâ the band back together, man! The long-awaited return of the biggest show on television by all the metrics that matter reunites countless characters, some of whom have been estranged since the first or second episodes. Jon and Arya, Arya and the Hound, Arya and Gendry, Jon and Sam, Dany and ⦠pretty much everyone: Itâs a festival of fan favorites getting face to face. Key wish-fulfillment moments, like Jon and Dany going for a dragon ride together and Bran finally meeting up with Jaime Lannister, the man who crippled him, give the fan service a much needed injection of high-fantasy spectacle and down-and-dirty suffering, respectively.
39. âThe Ghost of Harrenhalâ (Season 2, Episode 5)
The title obliquely refers to Arya Stark, who befriends ace assassin Jaqen Hâghar between tense, cutting conversations with Tywin Lannister and puppy-lust ogling of Gendryâs chiseled torso. She employs Jaqen to take out various Lannister goons, but the episode is just as memorable for actual ghosts of sorts: the âshadow babyâ that murders Renly Baratheon on Stannisâs behalf, and the warlock Pyat Pree, who creepily introduces himself (himselves?) to Dany over in Qarth. The gorgeously alien icy landscapes north of the Wall are also among the seasonâs visual high points.
38. âThe Wolf and the Lionâ (Season 1, Episode 5)
One of the showâs most striking settings: the mountaintop castle known as the Eyrie. One of its most eccentric characters: the mad mother Lady Lysa Arryn. One of its most eagerly anticipated fight scenes: a street-level throwdown between Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister. And one of its most memorable not-in-the-books innovations: a heart-to-heart conversation between Robert and Cersei as they contemplate how their unhappy marriage holds the Seven Kingdoms together. This episode has a little something for everyone.
37. âWalk of Punishmentâ (Season 3, Episode 3)
One of the funniest episodes in the series. Granted, thatâs not saying a lot â things are pretty goddamn grim around here! But Tyrion and Cerseiâs game of musical chairs as they jockey for position at the Small Council meeting and young squire Podrick Payneâs unexpected prowess in the sack make for laugh-out-loud moments both petty and bawdy in turn. Still, itâs the unexpected severing of Jaimeâs hand as punishment for protecting Brienne (and generally being an arrogant aristocrat) that gives this episode its âholy shit!â moment.
36. âSecond Sonsâ (Season 3, Episode 8)
Considering the infamous wedding in the following episode, thereâs no real need for this one to be as good as it is. But Sansa and Tyrionâs arranged marriage, Melisandreâs skin-crawling sex ritual against King Robertâs handsome bastard Gendry, Danyâs bare-it-all encounter with her future ally and lover Daario Naharis, and Samwell Tarlyâs unlikely defeat of a White Walker make for an incredible cocktail hour before the red reception.
35. âStormbornâ (Season 7, Episode 2)
Like âThe Wolf and the Lionâ and âSecond Sons,â this is one of those sampler-plate episodes with a little bit of everything Game of Thrones does well. Thereâs unexpected, touching reunions between Arya, her old friend Hot Pie, and her long-lost direwolf Nymeria. Thereâs the first (and, as it turns out, final) gathering of Daenerysâs war council, an all-star team of some of the showâs coolest characters. Thereâs a truly disgusting surgical procedure performed by Sam on greyscale victim Jorah Mormont. Thereâs an all-out naval battle between Euron Greyjoy and his rival relatives, Yara and Theon. And thereâs a love scene between Missandei and Grey Worm â simultaneously the showâs sweetest, sexiest, and most psychologically complex sex scene.
34. âThe Last of the Starksâ (Season 8, Episode 4)
Game of Thrones has had transitional episodes before, often several per season in its early years. But between its lengthy running time and the short six-episode season surrounding it, this one feels like the most dramatic shift from point A to point B the show ever made. It opens with a moving funeral for those who fell during the Battle of Winterfell. The rest of the first half is dominated by a rollicking celebration, featuring a love scene between Jaime and Brienne that brings their years-long relationship to a whole new level, though it will soon come crashing back down to earth. Its second half is a bitter horror: Dany losing another dragon, this time to Euron Greyjoyâs scorpion bolts; Tyrion and Varys debating whether their queen is losing her shit; and finally a hideous face-off with Cersei that ends with the execution of Missandei, the showâs conscience along with Davos and Sam. Like all transition episodes, though, itâs incomplete without the events it transitioned into â and man, what events they turned out to be.
33. âHomeâ (Season 6, Episode 2)
This episode is best remembered for a single shot, or really just a couple of seconds: Jon Snow gasping back to life after being murdered by his own men the previous season. Itâs filled with stunning stuff: Tyrion Lannisterâs rendezvous with Danyâs dragons; Ramsay Boltonâs murder of his father and his family; Bran Starkâs psychic journey to his fatherâs childhood in Winterfell; Wun-Wun the giantâs near-single-handed defeat of Jonâs killers; Theonâs surprisingly touching farewell to Sansa; and Euron Greyjoyâs confrontation with his brother Balon on a storm-tossed bridge. If you focused solely on whether or when Jon should have come back, you missed the forest for the weirwood trees.
32. âWinter Is Comingâ (Season 1, Episode 1)
Okay, this is not one of the showâs most structurally accomplished episodes. Created after a previous pilot was significantly recast and reshot, it suffers from the need to introduce, like, 30 characters, 20 place names, and an entire world of mythology and jargon. Hereâs the thing though: All of those characters, places, mythology, and jargon are great. By beginning with a White Walker attack and ending with Jaime Lannister pushing Bran Stark â the future king of Westeros â out the window, the series premiere established the shocking stakes, both supernatural and personal, that would drive it for its duration.
31. âMockingbirdâ (Season 4, Episode 7)
Windows 7 lite review. Hot-blooded fans may remember this episode for Daenerysâs domme-ish demand that her lover Daario strip for her viewing pleasure, or for Melisandre parading around naked in front of Queen Selyse Baratheon. Those with a more vengeful streak will recall Littlefinger dumping his paranoid wife Lysa Arryn out the âMoon Doorâ for assaulting Sansa. But, for my money, itâs Arya Starkâs old friend Hot Pie, who makes the episode when he tells a visiting Brienne and Pod, âYou cannot give up on the gravy.â He means it as a cooking tip, but it certainly works as a life philosophy in this all-too-depressing world.
30. âHigh Sparrowâ (Season 5, Episode 3)
Young lust, old grudges, and a wolf in sheepâs clothing dominate this strong offering in season five. As Tommen and Margaery consummate their marriage with serious steam (on Tommenâs part, anyway), Jon Snow executes his insubordinate officer Lord Janos Slynt, the Ned-betraying, baby-killing goon who admits, âIâve always been afraid!â just before the sword falls. Of course, the episode takes its title from the religious leader played by the marvelous Jonathan Pryce â heâs ISIS with a grandfatherâs face.
29. âThe Lion and the Roseâ (Season 4, Episode 2)
Purple reign, purple reign. The marriage of sneering teen sociopath King Joffrey to his not-so-blushing bride Margaery Tyrell ends at the reception, when the mad monarch is poisoned to death, his face turning the hue that gave the âPurple Weddingâ its moniker. Beyond a much-loathed character finally getting his comeuppance, this is an emotionally involving episode from top to bottom, with Tyrionâs humiliation by his nephew, Sansaâs horror at seeing her brother Robbâs death publicly mocked, and even Cerseiâs sincere grief over her sonâs murder hitting hard.
28. âAnd Now His Watch Is Endedâ (Season 3, Episode 4)
Like one uppercut after another, this mid-season climax (a pacing technique the show frequently employed) keeps the hits coming. Theonâs strange saga of escape from captivity with the help of an anonymous âfriendâ is revealed for the sadistic prank it really is, as the Bastard of Bolton leads him back to his torture chamber. Both the lovable Lord Commander Mormont and his loathsome ally of convenience Craster meet untimely ends courtesy of a Nightâs Watch mutiny. And Daenerys has one of her most impressive moments up to that point, as she takes down the ruling class of a slave city with a single word: âDracarys.â Fire and blood, as the saying goes. Look, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
27. âThe Dance of Dragonsâ (Season 5, Episode 9)
More often than not, the penultimate episode of a GOT season served as its showstopper, but in season five, both the previous installment (âHardhomeâ) and the season finale (âThe Childrenâ) have a bigger claim on big moments. Still, Daenerysâs last-minute rescue from the Sons of the Harpy by her dragon, which she then rides for the very first time, is as epic an image as this fantasy has ever produced, while Stannisâs human sacrifice of his sweet daughter, Shireen, to the Red God is among its most difficult to endure.
26. âCripples, Bastards, and Broken Thingsâ (Season 1, Episode 4)
In which Game of Thrones truly finds its voice by letting its characters talk to each other. When newly minted Nightâs Watch member Samwell Tarly tells Jon Snow the sad story of how his father abused and disowned him, or when Littlefinger reveals to his future protégé how Sandor Clegane got those scars at the hands of his psychotic older brother, the show proves that conversations and storytelling could be among the most riveting parts of the story. Itâs a theme that the series returns to in a big way in the finale, courtesy of Tyrionâs make-or-break-moment monologue about the power of a good story to shape history.
25. âDragonstoneâ (Season 7, Episode 1)
The first episode of GOTâs seventh season ranks among its most accomplished and engaging premieres. Beginning with a cold (as in, revenge is a dish best served) opening in which Arya Stark slaughters House Frey, itâs a compelling collage of emotion and sensation â best illustrated, perhaps, by the later scene in which Arya sits down for a meal with friendly young Lannister soldiers, accepting their fellowship instead of giving in to bloodlust. Before itâs over, thereâs a gross-out comedy montage involving Sam Tarly emptying bedpans, a grim reminder of the Houndâs criminal past, a performance from Euron Greyjoy worthy of a pro-wrestling heel, and most important, a lengthy wordless sequence in which Daenerys finally reaches Westeros. âShall we begin?â Oh, indeed.
24. âBeyond the Wallâ (Season 7, Episode 6)
Kvetch about the feigned Arya-Sansa strife, the wisdom of Jonâs âkidnap a zombie and show it to Cerseiâ plan, the uncertain passage of time, and the airspeed velocity of ravens if you must. All I know is that for seven years we waited for an all-out conflagration between the White Walkers and the dragons â between ice and fire â and this episode delivers. In fantasy art like this, the spectacle speaks for itself, if youâre willing to listen.
23. âThe Childrenâ (Season 4, Episode 10)
A huge episode for reasons both large-scale and personal. At the Wall, Stannis Baratheon pulls off his finest moment: a surprise rescue of the Nightâs Watch. Far to the North, Bran Stark and his companions make a last-ditch race through an army of skeletons (!) to at last meet up with the sorcerous Three-Eyed Raven and his superhuman allies, the Children of the Forest. In the East, Daenerys chains her dragons. In the South, Tyrion murders his father, Tywin, and his ex-girlfriend, Shae. In the Riverlands, Brienne defeats the Hound, and Arya leaves him for dead. Almost every story line in the season ends with an exclamation point.
22. âThe Mountain and the Viperâ (Season 4, Episode 8)
Pretty much every Game of Thrones viewer lost their head over the trial-by-combat grudge match that pitted spear-wielding sensation Oberyn âThe Red Viperâ Martell against massive killing machine Gregor âthe Mountainâ Clegane, with the fate of Tyrion Lannister â and the truth about Lannister involvement in war crimes during Robertâs Rebellion â hanging in the balance. But if anything, the duel is even more than itâs cracked up to be. A breathless blend of widely divergent fighting styles and personality types, tied to multiple relationships and rivalries, anchored by breakout guest star Pedro Pascal and ending with the most disgusting act of violence in the showâs history? They really crushed it here.
21. âThe Watchers on the Wallâ (Season 4, Episode 9)
The climactic conflict between the Nightâs Watch and Mance Rayderâs wildling army suffers slightly in comparison with Game of Thronesâ other big battle episodes. It lacks the novelty or evenhanded rooting interest of âBlackwater,â the out-of-nowhere chaos of âHardhome,â the overwhelmingly grim intensity of âBattle of the Bastards,â the phantasmagoria of âThe Long Night,â and the fire and blood of âThe Spoils of Warâ and, especially, âThe Bells.â But letâs be clear: Itâs still goddamned amazing. Director Neil Marshall pulls out all the CGI stops â giants and mammoths and ice scythes, oh my! â and choreographs the thing to perfection. (That big swirling shot around Castle Black as, like, two dozen individual fights raged!) The Romeo and Julietâstyle death of Ygritte in Jon Snowâs arms gives it the emotional gravitas to match the spectacle.
20. âThe Old Gods and the Newâ (Season 2, Episode 6)
Speaking of emotional intensity, this episode features two of the still-young showâs strongest sequences up to that point: Theon Greyjoyâs conquest of Winterfell, culminating in his botched execution of the man who trained him to fight right in front of the crying Stark boys, and the riot in Kingâs Landing that nearly costs Sansa her life. When Tyrion slaps Joffrey for triggering the unrest, his hand does the talking for all of us.
19. âA Golden Crownâ (Season 1, Episode 6)
âThe Mountain and the Viperâ wouldnât have been the same without the debut of trial by combat way back in season one, when the street-smart sellsword and future fan favorite Bronn defeated Lady Lysa Arrynâs oh-so-honorable armored champion by playing dirty. Even more impressive, however, is the demise of first-season antagonist Viserys Targaryen â not just because the method, an improvised âcrownâ of red-hot molten gold, was so memorable, but because the show allows the profound loneliness and unhappiness that made him such an asshole shine through until the end.
18. âWhat Is Dead May Never Dieâ (Season 2, Episode 3)
A case study in how Game of Thrones depicts its charactersâ fights against the limited roles allowed to women in a deeply sexist society, this second-season standout introduces two of the showâs most fascinating players: the fearsomely talented, deeply unhappy warrior Brienne of Tarth, and the smart, sexy natural-born politician Margaery Tyrell. It also introduces Arya Stark to the idea of the âkill list,â which she adopts from Yoren, the Nightâs Watch member killed shortly after imparting his dubious wisdom to her. Elsewhere, Theon Greyjoy turns on Robb Stark by taking up his treasonous fatherâs cause, burning a letter of warning to the Young Wolf in a shot lit like something out of Rembrandt.
17. âThe Dragon and the Wolfâ (Season 7, Episode 7)
The giant-size finale of what was at the time both the seriesâs shortest and most epic season plays like a Game of Thrones superfanâs winning bingo card. Jon and Daenerys finally hook up, even as we learn for certain that theyâre related. Jaime and Cersei finally split up, as the Kingslayer realizes his sister is beyond even his concepts of morality. (He gets over it eventually.) The Stark siblings put an end to Littlefingerâs reign of error. Winter comes to Kingâs Landing as snow falls on the capital. (Just a sprinkle, as it turns out.) And the Night King unleashes his zombie dragonâs blue fire to tear down the Wall, allowing his undead army to pass through. The end is nigh, folks.
16. âFire and Bloodâ (Season 1, Episode 10)
The first-season finale is best remembered for the astonishing, mythic image of Daenerys Targaryen emerging unburned from the ashes of her husband Drogoâs funeral pyre, clad only in three infant dragons. But subtler moments stand out as well, from the nervous apprehension of Northern soldiers as they hear their lords proclaim Robb Stark the King in the North to how Emilia Clarke portrays Danyâs blend of confidence and craziness as she marches to what seems like certain death.
15. âTwo Swordsâ (Season 4, Episode 1)
The kickoff to season four was only the second episode to begin with a cold open rather than the familiar clockwork credits, the other being the pilot itself. And for good reason: With the Starks swept from the board at the end of the previous season and the Lannisters now our main characters, itâs basically a whole new show. Joining Tywin and company in Kingâs Landing (for now, anyway) is the Red Viper, who makes his debut here. But the standout sequence is the one in which the runaway Hound and his hostage-slash-partner Arya take out an inn full of Lannister goons, instantly becoming one of the most compelling and complex duos in the annals of TV drama.
14. âThe Doorâ (Season 6, Episode 5)
For a show with a reputation for callous brutality, Game of Thrones sure knows how to tear your heart out. Here, that power comes in the form of Sansa confronting her former âguardianâ Littlefinger over surrendering her to the clutches of the Boltons, detailing the trauma of rape and abuse with diamond clarity. It comes in Daenerys saying good-bye to Jorah Mormont, a flawed man but as sincere a supporter as sheâll ever have, when he reveals his (supposedly) fatal greyscale infection. And it comes as Bran Stark realizes he broke the brain of his hulking friend Hodor, whose one-word vocabulary is the result of being ordered to âHold the doorâ against the onslaught of the White Walkers and their zombie army during Branâs telepathic journey through time. Listening to the young man compulsively repeat the phrase until it blends into his familiar utterance is enough to make you cover your ears, but good luck ever getting the sound out again.
13. âThe Spoils of Warâ (Season 7, Episode 4)
An episode consisting almost entirely of moments years in the making, this mid-season climax shows Jon and Daenerys touching for the first time (something readers of George R.R. Martinâs books have been anticipating for over two decades) and Arya Stark returning to Winterfell at last. But eventually, character beats give way to hoofbeats, as the Dothraki horde and Danyâs dragon absolutely annihilate the Lannister army. The fear on the faces of seasoned warriors Jaime and Bronn is second only to the fear on our own, when we see both men take on the Khaleesi and her largest âchildâ in one-on-one confrontations where itâs impossible to root for one side or the other. It brings the war home.
12. âMotherâs Mercyâ (Season 5, Episode 10)
Stannis Baratheon deserted by his men and his Red Woman, defeated by the Boltons, and decapitated by Brienne of Tarth. Sansa and Theon jumping to freedom from the walls of Winterfell. Poor poisoned Myrcella Baratheon in the arms of Jaime Lannister, the father she acknowledged for the first time seconds earlier. Arya Stark wreaking bloody revenge against Ser Meryn Trant, arguably the worst knight in the Seven Kingdoms who isnât nicknamed after an animal or a land mass, and who is blinded for his transgressions. Varys reuniting with Tyrion as the showâs premiere platonic power couple. Cersei Lannister forced by religious fanatics to endure a walk of shame that forces us to empathize with one of the showâs most resolutely difficult characters. And Jon Snow murdered as a traitor to the Nightâs Watch by his own men. A killer finale.
11. âThe Iron Throneâ (Season 8, Episode 6)
Photo: HBO
It starts in death by fire, and ends in life amid the ice. In between, the series finale of the biggest show of the century is a surprisingly thoughtful and contemplative thing, determined to give each of its main characters an ending that suits them â none of them quite happily ever after, but none a perverse Red Wedding either. Then again, consumed by visions of a perfect world only she has the power â and the right â to bring about, Daenerys Targaryen is murdered in the exact same way Robb Stark was by Roose Bolton at that bloody celebration, and Roose was by Ramsay in turn: a blade in the heart, delivered by someone she trusted. That someone is Jon Snow, who escapes his destiny as the Last Dragon and helps bring human life back to the lands beyond the Wall. His sisters Arya and Sansa set sail for undiscovered country and take power as Queen of the North respectively. His âbrokenâ brother Bran is nominated Lord of the Six (!) Kingdoms by Tyrion, whose punishment for his crimes and misjudgments is to help the young psychic rule as his Hand. Stunning, screen-commanding performances by Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Peter Dinklage ensure that while the Iron Throne itself may have been melted into nothingness, the show it anchored will stand for years to come.
10. âThe Winds of Winterâ (Season 6, Episode 10)
In which the playing board of âthe great gameâ takes its final shape. In Kingâs Landing, Cersei Lannister eliminates all of her political enemies in one fell swoop and becomes undisputed queen of the Seven Kingdoms â but loses her son Tommen to suicide in the bargain. In the Riverlands, Walder Frey toasts to victory over his enemies â then gets killed by Arya Stark after she serves him his own sons for dinner. In Winterfell, Jon Snow is crowned king in the North by his grateful lords â and though Sansa Stark bears a more direct claim, they may well be right anyway, since heâs secretly the blood of the Dragon. And in the East, Daenerys sets sail for the Seven Kingdoms at the head of a massive alliance between the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the Ironborn, the Dornish, and the Tyrells â and, of course, her dragons. Rulers rise, rulers fall, and winter is officially here.
9. âThe Long Nightâ (Season 8, Episode 3)
Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
What to think of this literally years-in-the-making assault on Winterfell, and by extension all life on the planet, by the Night King and his undead minions? One the one hand, you have the surprise cessation of the showâs central conflict and metaphor, namely, the need for all people to unite against an existential threat. You also have the unexpected not-deaths of the vast majority of the main characters, which is the kind of move this show has trained its audience to scream, âPLOT ARMOR!â at the top of its lungs about. On the other hand, you have an astonishing, unholy wedding of Lord of the Rings-style combat and scale to breathtaking horror that tops any zombie show or slasher movie in recent memory. You also have moments of exquisite beauty and overwhelming emotion, from dragons dancing above the clouds to an ancient sorceress walking toward the dawn to meet her death in the snow. The pros donât just outweigh the cons here. Theyâre enough to lodge this thing in the Thrones Hall of Fame.
8. âA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsâ (Season 8, Episode 2)
Remember âWinterfell,â the season-eight premiere? Remember how it served up a dragon-size helping of crowd-pleasing reunions but lacked the emotional edge Game of Thrones has at its best? Okay, good. Now, remember âBlackwater,â the season-two climax? Donât worry, weâll get to that in depth just a few spots ahead. But for now, remember how that titanic battle episode opened with a lengthy, somber, occasionally wine-soaked section in which all the combatants got together and just ⦠talked? About who they are, what theyâre fighting for, what theyâre afraid to encounter, who theyâre afraid to lose? This episode â written and directed by Bryan Cogman and David Nutter, respectively, each of whom is a series MVP â combines them both to absolutely beautiful effect. From Arya and Gendryâs love scene, to Sansa and Theonâs heart-rending survivorsâ reunion, to Davos and Gilly caring for a child whoâs been separated from her family (imagine that!), to Jon and Dany realizing what his parentage really means for them both, to Jaime dubbing Brienne âa knight of the Seven Kingdomsâ in a completion of both their character arcs that had me bawling like a baby, this moving, outstanding hour is the best of both worlds.
7. âBaelorâ (Season 1, Episode 9)
This is the big one. Game of Thrones is now known for I-canât-believe-they-just-did-that shocks, and the unexpected death of Ned Stark is the daddy of them all. Killing off the undisputed main character of the series â played by Sean Bean, the showâs best-known, top-billed actor, seen on every promotional poster HBO produced â was the unmistakable sign that Game of Thrones would play for keeps. It should be noted: The artful way in which the killing is handled, with the sound fading away and the camera cutting to the grieving face of Arya just as the blade falls, is at least as important in establishing the method to GOTâs madness.
6. âHardhomeâ (Season 5, Episode 8)
The siege of Kingâs Landing, the assault on the Wall, the Battle of the Bastards: As impressive as each of these conflicts are, they were also telegraphed for weeks. What happened at Hardhome, a remote wildling settlement to which Jon Snow and his newfound ally Tormund Giantsbane led a humanitarian mission to help its people sail south, happened out of nowhere. With only the barking of dogs, the rumble of thunder, and a cloud of mist as a warning, the dead were suddenly upon the living, and the White Walkers followed. The chaos of âHardhomeâ marries cinematic combat to raw terror as effectively as television has ever done, culminating in the resurrection of countless fallen humans by the demonic Nightâs King in a gesture that feels obscene in its transgressive arrogance. Both Jon Snow and the audience leave the scene behind in stunned silence.
5. âKissed by Fireâ (Season 3, Episode 5)
This season-three highlight sees two couples bare both body and soul for very different reasons. Beyond the Wall, Jon and Ygritte consummate their relationship in a red-hot scene set in a secluded subterranean grotto. At the Bolton-controlled fortress of Harrenhal, Jaime and Brienne bathe together after their long captivity, and the exhausted Kingslayer explains the true story behind his nickname â he murdered the Mad King to save the people of Kingâs Landing, which heâd planned to level with wildfire â before collapsing in her arms. Throw in the Houndâs surprise trial by combat against the Brotherhoodâs magically resurrected leader Beric Dondarrion and the introduction of Stannisâs sad daughter Shireen and youâve got as close to a perfect episode as it gets, with nary an internet-breaking mega-event in sight.
4. âThe Rains of Castamereâ (Season 3, Episode 9)
The most shocking death in the most shocking episode â until season eight, anyway â isnât that of Robb Stark, nor his pregnant queen Talisa, nor their unborn child, nor House Stark matriarch Catelyn. Itâs your idea of what this show is even about. Orchestrated by ambitious Northern Roose Bolton and vengeful old shitbird Lord Walder Frey, this almost unbearable slaughter killed off the showâs central story line itself. With the White Walkers and Danyâs dragons still constrained to the margins of the action, the Stark-Lannister war was the seriesâs spine. It is severed here, in the most dramatic and final fashion imaginable, and the war between the Wolf and the Lion will never be waged directly again.
3. âBattle of the Bastardsâ (Season 6, Episode 9)
Impressive as it was when it aired, this breathtakingly grim battle episode has only grown in reputation as time passes: âI still think âBattle of the Bastardsâ is the greatest battle ever portrayed in television history,â says âBaelorâ and âBeyond the Wallâ director Alan Taylor, âand I think it will be for a while.â Rife with bad decisions made amid the fog of war, the titular clash pits Jon Snow against Ramsay Bolton for the fate of Winterfell, the North, and quite possibly all of humanity. Rickon Stark, Wun-Wun the giant, and Ramsay himself are just three of the countless casualties, which slowly pile up into literal mountains of corpses. The savagery is anticipated earlier in the episode, in a way, by Daenerysâs use of her dragons to ravage an entire fleet in Meereen. War: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing but an absolutely riveting episode.
2. âBlackwaterâ (Season 2, Episode 9)
During the climax of the showâs second season, everything that makes Game of Thrones great explodes in a geyser of green flame. The boat full of âwildfireâ that serves as Tyrion Lannisterâs secret weapon against the invading forces of Stannis Baratheon detonates with mind-boggling ferocity, dwarfing even what readers of the books might have imagined. Just as important as this sight are the sounds that follow: the screams and cries of burning, drowning, dying men. This is no antiseptic fireworks-display destruction. This is death. This is war.
From top to bottom, âBlackwaterâ has far more than scale and savagery in its favor. With heroic and villainous figures on both sides, it splits our sympathies right down the middle. Would Stannis have made a more merciful monarch than Cersei? Could you really root for Davos if his victory meant Tyrionâs defeat, and vice versa? Would a triumph by the tyrannical Tywin Lannister be worth it if it meant saving the lives of innocents like Sansa Stark and Tommen Baratheon? âBlackwaterâ works just as hard to show the human cost of war as it does to convey its spectacle. This isnât just the showâs best battle episode. Itâs the greatest Game of Thrones episode⦠or so I thought.
1. âThe Bellsâ (Season 8, Episode 5)
Sansa Stark: How long do I have to look?
Joffrey Baratheon: As long as it pleases me.
Miguel Sapochnik, the man behind âHardhome,â âBattle of the Bastards,â and âThe Long Night,â succeeded Neil Marshall as the showâs master of war. Returning to the directorâs chair one last time for the seriesâs penultimate episode, he turns off the dark that confounded many viewers during the Battle of Winterfell. But does he therefore dial down the carnage that occurs any time large numbers of people decide to murder one another for a cause? Oh, no. Oh, not at all.
âThe Bellsâ ratchets up the queasy terror of the last battle episode set at Kingâs Landing, âBlackwater,â by making its narrowly averted nightmare come true. This time, instead of stalling at the city walls, the invaders make it insideâwith the help of Daenerys Targaryen and the last dragon she has. And before the episode is over, thereâs barely a city left to sack. The Breaker of Chains breaks bad at last, unleashing dragon fire on tens of thousands of innocent civilians and reducing Kingâs Landing to rubble and ash.
This war crime was a long time coming, and the seeds had been planted since the start. No, Iâm not talking about the innumerable people whose execution by Dany went excused because they were nominally âbad guys.â Iâm talking about Bran falling from the tower. Viserys Targaryen and Robert Baratheon and Khal Drogo failing to survive a single season. Ned Stark losing his head. Jaime Lannister losing his hand. The Red Wedding. The Purple Wedding. The Red Viper. The death of the dragons.
Every single swerve that upended what the story seemed to be about was building to this moment: A self-styled liberator perpetrating a massacre on a previously unimaginable scale, both as an in-story act of violence and an on-screen work of filmmaking. This is the show, and it always has been. Game of Thrones forces you to look. Long may it burn.
Related
The end Game of Thrones left fans with so many open ended questions. Namely: What happens to all their favorite characters after the show?
We looked into where everyone went and what happened to them after the cameras stopped rolling and put together these post-Thrones biographies. Some of them had happy endings. Some of them didn't really do much after the final episode.
Here's where your favorite Game of Thrones ended up.
Arya Stark
Arya sailed west of Westeros with a crew of hesitant sailors that really thought she was out of her mind trying to find something other than open ocean. After sailing for a month, the crew landed on a new continent and promptly named it Westermost.
After exploring the unpopulated land for a few years, the crew returned to Westeros. Arya set off to find Nymeria and her pack in the Riverlands and the two re-bonded immediately through the Starks' predilection for warging. Arya became a wolf queen and terrorized bandits throughout the continent. No one knows what happened to her after that.
Sansa Stark
Sansa ruled the North and maintained a healthy relationship with the rest of Westeros because her brother was the king. Trade between Sansaâs people and the people of the south was booming, allowing Winterfell and its surrounding lands and bannerpeople to rebuild their strengths beyond what they had ever been in the past.
Sansa married the hottest man imaginable and he treated her with so much respect, it set a new standard for relationships in Westeros. They had several children and they all took the surname Stark, continuing the line of brutally honest and honor-bound rulers of the North for countless generations.
Jon Snow
With the threat of the White Walkers gone, Jon ordered the Nightâs Watch to meticulously melt the wall, leaving only a small portion of it remaining at Castle Black, to be converted into a tourist destination. People from around Westeros and Essos traveled to see the Wall and stay at the castle for an authentic Nightâs Watch experience, complete with mock battles and a gift shop where people can purchase souvenir dragonglass. Jon Snow made so much money he retired at the age of 40 and lived out the rest of his days on a nice waterfront property at Hardhome.
Bran Stark
Bran, able to tap into the entirety of Westerosi history, ruled the continent with unbelievable success. The economy boomed, problems were solved quickly and efficiently, and inter-family squabbles were squashed before violence ever got out of hand.
Like the Three-Eyed Raven before him, though, Bran slowly integrated his own body with the roots of a tree and ended up living underground for thousands of years. For a while, people still treated him as their king, but after a few generations of people came and went, everyone kind of forgot about him and Westeros went back to the war-torn terror land that it was always meant to be.
Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion remained the Hand of the King for 10 years until he realized that he really needed a change of pace.
As a notoriously horny man, Tyrion set out to find as many sex workers as he could, bouncing from brothel to brothel across Westeros and Essos, drinking wine like a fish drinks water. He died at the age of 55, riddled with STDs.
Drogon
Drogon carried Daenerysâs body back to their ancestral lands of Valyria, where all kinds of horrible demonic things were lurking around. Not wanting to die, Drogon hightailed it out of there and flew around Essos before heading over to the Shadow Lands where he found tons of other dragons. The place was just lousy with dragons. They all became friends.
Samwell Tarly
Samwell lived out his days with Gilly, with whom he had a dozen children. He didnât really do much as archmaester aside form offering small bits of advice here and there, which were largely ignored by the much louder council.
Brienne of Tarth
As the leader of the Kingsguard, Brienne stayed loyal to Bran, keeping her head in her service until she was sent to the north to check up on things. She ran into Tormund Giantsbane who still longed for her and managed to win her affection.
With Bran being a reasonable leader, he allowed Brienne to bring Tormund back to the south with her where the two lived happily ever after.
Gendry Baratheon
As a new lord of Westeros, Gendry took his seat at Stormâs End and ruled the land justly. Gendry never got over Arya and no other person could ever live up to the extremely high bar that she set for the rest of his love life.
Gendry never loved again and the Baratheon line ended with his death.
Yara Greyjoy
Yara Greyjoy returned to the Iron Islands and realized that she too should have demanded independence from the rule of Bran Stark, just like Sansa did. She quickly turned her ships around and went to Bran with her hat in her hand, asking for independence. Bran granted the Iron Islands freedom from the crown and Yaraâs people loved her for it.
After months of relative peace, Yaraâs long-lost uncle Victarion Greyjoy returned to the Iron Islands and tried to put his name in the ring for the kingsmoot, but unfortunately he missed the whole ordeal by a few months because word got to him too slowly. Yara caught Victarion up on everything that happened and he was floored.
Yara passed away peacefully with her wife at her side.
Grey Worm
Grey Worm sailed to Naath, Missandei's homeland, where he and his crew of Unsullied were roundly rejected because they knowingly committed war crimes at the siege of King's Landing and the people of Naath had heard about it. The Unsullied packed up again and went to Essos where they went right back to fighting in various battles and wars between the cities of the East.
SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' cast says thank you and goodbye to all the fans
Podrick Payne
Podrick served in the Kingsguard for a few years until demand for his sexual prowess became too high and the people of Westeros threatened to riot unless he was released from his service so that he could freely bless the world with his body to his heartâs content.
Davos Seaworth
Davos served as Master of Ships at Kingâs Landing until he died. He didnât really do anything exciting.
Bronn
Bronn, having no knowledge of business, taxes, or really anything having to do with government infrastructure, was quickly replaced as Master of Coin at Kingâs Landing. Bronn went back to his sellsword ways but grew sloppy in his old age, eventually meeting his demise when he was attacked by a pack of wolves.
Hot Pie
Hot Pie's baking skills became renowned throughout Westeros and Essos. His popularity grew so much that investors approached him about franchising. Soon, Hot Pie's House of Pies restaurants were popping up all over the place, and while the quality of the product diminished a bit as it expanded, it still retained that unmistakable character. Hot Pie died fat, rich, and happy.
There's so much action, death, sex and violence in Game of Thrones that it's sometime easy to forget just how damn good the writing is too.
To get you in the mood for the final season, we've rounded up some of the most memorable lines from the first six seasons.
From the honour of Ned Stark to the cold brutality of Cersei, here are some of quotes that'll be around long after the characters who spoke them are gone..
Where to Watch: Game of Thrones
1. 'The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.' â Ned Stark
Ned Stark may be long dead, but during his all-too-short time on the show he came out with some great lines. This one pretty much summed up his character: rigidly principled, honourable, and ultimately doomed in the dog-eat-dog (or lion-eat-wolf) world of Westeros.
2. 'The things I do for love.' â Jaime Lannister
Jaime Lannister is a transformed man these days, but back in Season 1 he was pretty damn unpleasant. The way he smiled tenderly at Cersei while pushing Bran out of the window was what made this line so disturbingly memorable.
3. 'I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things.' â Tyrion
Tyrion said this back to Bran back in the show's early days. The lines serves as an early indication of just how different he is from his family.
4. 'When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.' â Cersei
This one pretty much speaks for itself. It shows exactly how brutal Cersei's character (and the game to which she's referring) can be.
5. 'I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago.' â Ned Stark
There's something chillingly poignant about this Ned Stark line, which he says to Varys while locked up in the dungeons shortly before his death.
6. 'Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour, and it can never be used to hurt you.' â Tyrion
Tyrion here, giving some sage advice to Jon Snow and showing his impressive capacity for wisdom and psychological insight.
7. 'Everyone is mine to torment.' â Joffrey
Is there a line that better summed up Joffrey's character than this one? The nasty little tyrant was basically like a spoiled toddler with a very large toy box â he thought he could get away with doing anything, to anyone â and for awhile, he did.
8. 'The day will come when you think you are safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth.' â Tyrion
Tyrion may be amusing, but he can also be just as harsh as his sister when he wants to be.
9. 'The night is dark and full of terrors.' â Melisandre
A classic line that pretty well sums up Melisandre's unpleasantness â she can be okay when she wants to be, but she's not averse to birthing shadow assassins and casually burning a person or two.
10. 'You know nothing, Jon Snow.' â Ygritte
This one's basically now reached meme status, but it also has a poignant edge to it (it's the last thing Ygritte says to Jon before she dies, after all).
11. 'Night gathers, and now my watch begins' â Various members of the Night's Watch
The whole speech they give when taking the oath of the Night's Watch is pretty good, to be fair â but this line is a particularly ominous. You've got to hand it to Jon Snow and the gang â being in the Night's Watch is a lot of hard, cold, and scary work for very little reward.
12. 'A Lannister always pays his debts.' â Various Lannisters
The motto for House Lannister is impressively flexible â it can be a bribe or a threat (unless it's Cersei talking, in which case it's definitely a threat).
13. 'Burn them all!' â Aerys II Targaryen
Although he's only in the show in flashback form, the Mad King's final words cast a shadow over many of the series' main characters. For Jaime it's a haunting reminder of his 'Kingslayer' title; for Bran it's an eerie, disconnected vision; and for Cersei it's foreshadowing for her own murderous wildfire spree at the end of Season 6.
14. 'What do we say to the God of death?' â Syrio Forel
Oh, Syrio. His time on the show was painfully short, but he managed to get in a few good jabs while he was around.
15. 'There's no cure for being a c*nt.' â Bronn
Bronn may have his faults, but he certainly knows how to tell it like it is. He's referring to Joffrey here, of course.
16. 'I've seen wet shits I like better than Walder Frey.' â Brynden Tully
Another spectacular one-liner, this time courtesy of the Blackfish.
17. 'Winter is coming' â Pretty much everyone
Ned Stark was banging on about winter back in Season 1, and now â with the White Walkers plotting an imminent invasion â it's looking like people should have paid him more attention.
18. 'That's what I do: I drink and I know things.' â Tyrion
Tyrion can be wise, and he can be cutthroat, but above all he's gloriously witty and self-deprecating.
19. 'I am the dragon's daughter, and I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming.' â Daenerys
Dialogue doesn't come much more badass than this (and when you've just walked out of a roaring inferno unscathed, it's even cooler).
20. 'A lion does not concern himself with the opinion of sheep.' â Tywin
This one pretty much sums up Tywin's arrogance. Like other notable Lannisters, he saw himself as above everyone else. It made him intimidating, but also â ultimately â more vulnerable than he thought.
21. 'Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder.' â Littlefinger
It's tricky to pin down exactly what Littlefinger wants in Game of Thrones, but this quote at least reveals his philosophy â while other factions war and kill each other, he takes advantage.
22. 'Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick; a shadow on the wall.' â Varys
One of the main running themes in Game of Thrones is power: who has it, who wants it, and who plays the game to give the illusion of it. Nobody knows this better than Varys.
23. 'I understand that if any more words come pouring out your c*nt mouth, I'm gonna have to eat every f*cking chicken in this room.' â The Hound
This one's definitely reached meme status, and we don't want to over-exaggerate but it may well be one of the greatest lines ever spoken by any character in any TV show, ever.
24. 'If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.' â Ramsay
A classic Ramsay line, and pretty much a metaphor for the show as a whole.
25. 'I would let myself be consumed by maggots before mocking the family name and making you heir to Casterly Rock.' â Tywin
If you ever get the impression that Tyrion is bitter, this is probably why: his dad said things like this to him. Reminders of lines like this make that whole crossbow incident seem a little more understandable.
26. 'If you ever call me sister again, I'll have you strangled in your sleep.' â Cersei
Cersei said this one to Margaery in the middle of a crowded room, while keeping a very sinister smile on her face. She definitely inherited her dad's way with words.
27. 'A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I'm going home.' â Arya
After trying not to have a name for an entire Season, Arya finally â finally â made the decision we all wanted her to make. Let the crossing off of that list commence!
28. 'Any man who must say 'I am the King' is no true King.' â Tywin
Tywin may have been unforgivably unpleasant on occasion, but the way he shut down one of Joffrey's tirades with this line was incredibly satisfying.
29. 'Oh, monster? Perhaps you should speak to me more softly then. Monsters are dangerous and just now Kings are dying like flies.' â Tyrion
Any line that completely shuts up Joffrey is a good line, to be fair.
30. 'Jaime.. my name's Jaime.' â Jaime
Jaime says this line to Brienne in the baths when she calls him 'Kingslayer', shortly after he's opened up to her about why he really killed the Mad King. It's pretty much the first time he really lets his mask of bravado slip and we see the vulnerability hiding just below the surface (a huge turning point for his character, in other words).
31. 'I am your son. I have always been your son.' â Tyrion
A sad, bitter line that marks the end of a truly depressing father-son relationship.
32. 'I read it in a book.' â Samwell Tarly
It sounds like almost a throwaway line, but we think this one's going to be pretty damn significant in the coming Season when Sam uses those sweet books to save the Kingdom.
33. 'If I fall, don't bring me back.' â Jon Snow
They used this one in the trailer before the Battle of the Bastards, and it's resonated ever since. Absolute peak Jon Snow.
34. 'The big fish eat the little fish and I keep on paddling.' â Varys
The perfect summary of what Varys does best, straight from the Spider's mouth.
35. 'Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell.. they're all just spokes on a wheel. This one's on top, then that one's on top, and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground.' â Daenerys
A good analogy of the game of thrones from everyone's favourite warrior Queen.
36. 'Hold the door!' â Wylis/Hodor
Not only is this one of the most memorable lines in the show â it's also easily the most poignant. Oh, Hodor â you were far too pure for this cruel world..
37. 'I don't plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me.' â Lyanna Mormont
Lyanna Mormont was pretty much everyone's favourite character in Season 7. Lines like this are the reason why.
38. 'When people ask you what happened here, tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.' â Arya
This is Arya in peak badass mode, shortly after she casually dispatches the entire Frey family.
39. 'He really was a c*nt, wasn't he?' â Lady Olenna
Unsurprisingly, she's talking about Joffrey here. And the fact that Olenna Tyrell can still deliver a line of this calibre even when she knows she's about to die is testament to just how awesome a character she was.
40. 'Nothing f*cks you harder than time.' â Davos Seaworth
Davos doesn't have as many standout quotes as some characters, but this one is a gem.
41. 'There is only one war that matters. The Great War. And it is here.' â Jon Snow
Jon may be a bit surly, but he certainly tells it how it is.
The final episode of Game of Thrones' seventh season, 'The Dragon and the Wolf,' radically realigns the political landscape of Westeros. The Starks take back control of Winterfell, executing Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish (Aidan Gillen). Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) abandons Cersei (Lena Headey) after decisively defeating the Tyrells of Highgarden. A new claimant to the Iron Throne emerges, as Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) reveals Jon Snow's royal lineage and true name: Aegon Targaryen (Kit Harington).
Yet the final scene isn't about the warring kingdoms of Westeros. Instead, we end with the Night King's dragon tearing down the Wall, finally breaking the boundary between the armies of the dead and the living. When contemplating the end of Game of Thronesâthere are just six episodes left, the first premiering April 14âit's this climactic clash that will determine who sits on the Iron Throne, or if there's anyone alive left to sit on the Iron Throne at all.
How Will Game of Thrones End?
Game of Thrones probably has more fan theories than characters. By poring over the text of the books, readers have known Jon Snow's secret parentage for years. But it's also possible to overread, concocting outlandish fan theories out of scant cluesâNed Stark probably isn't coming back and it's unlikely that Bran time travels to become the Night King. Fan theories can stake out the territory of potential endings, but there's better evidence out there for how Game of Thrones will end, beginning with the words of A Song of Ice and Fire series (ASOIAF) author George R.R. Martin.
'I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming,' Martin said at the Gaudalajara International Book Fair in 2016, alluding to the dark events to come as ASOIAF approaches its endgame in The Winds of Winter. 'Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world. So this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for.'
Will the White Walkers and the Night's King win the war? Will everyone die in Game of Thrones?
But Martin also denied one popular Game of Thrones ending theory: that the White Walkers will win and everyone in Westeros will die, punished for squabbling over thrones as death approached. The ending Martin describes is not so apocalyptic, even if there will be no soaring high note to end the series. 'I suspect the overall flavor is going to be as much bittersweet as it is happy,' Martin said.
We can also look to Martin's original three-page outline he used in pitching A Game of Thrones to publishers prior to its 1996 publication. Revealed by U.K. bookstore chain Waterstones, in Martin's original outline Daenerys, Arya, Jon Snow, Bran and Tyrion all survive the event's of the series. But other details were quite different and the letter only briefly alludes to the final conflict between the White Walkers that 'bear down on the lands of the living' and the Night's Watch 'standing between them and human extinction,' so Martin's outline is a less-than-adequate guide to theorizing about the end of Game of Thrones.
Shadow Wolf Game Of Thrones NamesGame of Thrones Ending Theories
That still leaves a lot of open possibilities when it comes to Game of Thrones ending predictions and theories. When the landmark fantasy series comes to an end in 2019 it will bring answers to questions we've had since Game of Thrones first premiered in 2011, any one of which could clarify the series' final resolution.
Is Jon Snow or Daenerys Azor Ahai a.k.a. The Prince That Was Promised?
Nearly any Game of Thrones character could be the Prince That Was Promised, a prophecy connected to the reincarnation of a mythic hero named Azor Ahai, but while fan theories have made plausible arguments for everyone from Samwell Tarly to Jaime Lannister, the consensus remains on Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen. In Season 7, Daenerys' advisor Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) reiterates the prophecy, helpfully pointing out that, in the original High Valyrian language the prophecy was told, 'Prince' is a gender neutral term. It's one of the most explicit hints that Azor Ahai will either be Daenerys or someone close to her, like John.
But whether the Prince That Was Promised turns out to be Daenerys or Jon Snow, it's unlikely to bode well for their relationship. Azor Ahai's prophecy is bound up with a story of love sacrificed to victory. According to the legend, Azor Ahai forged his sword Lightbringer by plunging it into the heart of his lover. If, as some theorize, Daenerys Targaryen is this figure of destiny, then it could be Jon Snow doomed to die to empower the returned Azor Ahai to defeat his or her enemies. Or, it could be the opposite, with Daenerys sacrificing herself to 'break the wheel' of power she's come to Westeros to destroy.
As with the red comet hovering in the sky through Season 2 of Game of Thrones, it's possible the prophecy of Azor Ahai will never be conclusively mapped on to the existing characters. As with real-world prophecies like the Biblical Book of Revelation, characters may strongly believe events adhere to prophecy without the show independently confirming one way or the other. But while the true identity of Azor Ahai may not be a major reveal in concrete terms, the shadow the prophecy casts over the characters at least suggests that a big part of the final reckoning will be between Daenerys and Jon Snow.
It seems likely one of them will not survive. We already know the consequences of Jon Snow's real identity will drive a wedge between the couple. 'Daenerys's lifelong dream has been to avenge her family and claim her rightful seat on the Iron Throne,' actor Emilia Clarke told TV Insider in January. 'She truly loves Jon. Were she to find out about his title, it would cut deep.'
Will Jaime kill Cersei in Game of Thrones Season 8?
For now, it's Cersei on the Iron Throne, so any plausible theory for how Game of Thrones ends must be deal with the ruination of her despotic reign. A prophecy from Season 5, delivered in a rare flashback, gives us a good idea how.
A witch named Maggy predicts Cersei will marry the king, lose her children and be deposed by someone 'younger, more beautiful.' Two of those predictions have come true and Cersei likely believes blowing up Margaery Tyrell averted the third prediction. But like us, Cersei can't be sure of the identity of the mysterious 'Valonqar' who 'shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.' Since 'Valonqar' means 'little brother' in the High Valyrian language, Cersei suspects Tyrion.
A more likely theory points to Jaime instead. The queen's twin, Jaime came out of the womb clinging to Cersei's heel, making him the younger brother. Jaime's turn away from Cersei at the end of Season 7 could be the beginning of the end for Cersei. Jaime killed the Mad King before the events of Game of Thrones and he may just have to kill the love of his life to once again take down a tyrant.
The Bran Stark Theory: What is his connection to the Night's King?
Bran Stark's role in the Game of Thrones ending is one the biggest open questions coming into Season 8. With his ability to see through time and space, the new Three-Eyed Raven could dramatically turn the tide of the war and shape the future of Westeros. It's Bran, paired with some of Sam's research, who was able to reveal Jon Snow's true lineage, despite the death of everyone who knewâRhaegar Targaryen, Lyanna Stark and Ned Stark.
But it's more than Bran Stark's visions that could shape the Game of Thrones finale. We've also seen him interact with the past, altering future events. So far it's mostly been in a panic or by accident that Bran has gone beyond seeing the past and instead altered it. When Bran accidentally tried to warg into a younger version of Hodor (Kristian Nairn), he caused a seizure that changed the loyal Stark servant's life forever.
In Season 6, while studying under the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), Bran sees the Night King in a vision. Bran's presence in the past was previously depicted as non-corporeal and non-interactive, but this vision was different. The Night King reaches out and grabs Bran's arm.
How did the Night King see Bran? The connection between the two is likely to be an important part of the final episodes of Game of Thrones. Some fan theories have proposed complicated explanations, including one theory that claims Bran travels to the past, becomes the legendary Bran the Builder, who later becomes the Night King. Another popular theory blames Bran's meddling for Aerys 'The Mad King' Targaryen's insanity. But Bran as both cause and consequence of every event in the history of Westeros seems a tad unlikely.
Still, Bran's role in Game of Thrones Season 8 is one of the most important and mysterious factors in predicting how the series will end.
Game of Thrones Season 8 Ending Theory: What happens in King's Landing?
Thanks to set leaks and interviews with cast members, writers and producers, we expect battles in Game of Thrones Season 8 far south of Winterfell, where Jon Snow and Daenerys plan to make their final stand against the Night King. Instead, devastation will reach the capital of Westeros, King's Landing, in the south. But will the Night King take down Cersei, or could set leaks pointing to a battle in King's Landing depict events after the undead have been driven back? Does destruction in King's Landing suggest that the battle for Winterfell is lost, possibly with dire consequences for Daenerys, Jon Snow and their bid for the Iron Throne?
The fate of King's Landing presents two distinct possibilities for the end of Game of Thrones Season 8. Call it the mythic or the politic ending. In the mythic version, the magical war between the living and the dead occupies all of Season 8. This version would suggest an emphasis on more mystic characters, including Bran and the true identity of Azor Ahai. The other possibility is a political ending, in which, after uniting to defeat the Night King, the survivors must build a new order out of the destruction. This could put more of a military focus on the finale, as Daenerys and her allies besiege King's Landing, finally determined to overthrow Cersei and build their new world order.
All of these questions point down multiple pathways and inspire different ending theories for Game of Thrones Season 8. The major variablesâthe end of Cersei, the true identity of Azor Ahai, the fate of King's Landingâcan combine into a handful of most likely scenarios. Since we suspect Jon Snow or Daenerys are the fulfillment of prophecy, it's reasonable to believe the ending of Game of Thrones will involve decisions made by them. Since Bran is connected to the Night King, we can reasonably guess we'll learn more about the enemy's true motives. Since Cersei is doomed, we can predict Jaime's likely return to King's Landing, possibly with an army of new allies at his back.
No, not everyone will die in Game of Thrones Season 8âthat would be more extreme than 'bittersweet'âbut no matter how it ends or whatever your theory, the final six episodes of Game of Thrones is sure to be a bloodbath. 'It's all about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death,' co-executive producer Bryan Cogman said of the final episodes.
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