Another season ended for everyone's favorite fantasy epic, so it's time to update my list of the most unforgettable moments in Game of Thrones.
I limited this to twenty because the list would not have ended if I add them all. But there are definitely a lot that I have missed (Theon's torture scenes, Jorah and Daenerys breakup, Ned vs Jamie, all of Ghost's kills, and every scene with Lady Olenna Tyrell) , feel free to let me know in the comments the ones that you think should have been here.
20 Sansa's Wedding Night (Season 5 Episode 6)
Season 5 is chock full of horrible events one episode after the other. We saw a child burned at the stake at the order of her father (some might say that this was more unforgettable... but for me Shireen's a minor character). A teen-ager poisoned after she had a heart-to-heart with her father. And a pedophile who beats on little girls getting stabbed in the eyes. But for me, the worst / most unbearable thing to happen this season was Sansa's Wedding Night. She married the vilest living villain in the series now, and he raped her while his slave Reek was watching.
19 Valar Morghulis (Season 2 Episode 10)
Jaqhen H'ghar and Arya Stark had a very interesting relationship in Season 2 of the series. Jaqhen was doing Arya's bidding. And by her bidding, I mean he's assassinating Arya's targets. Everything culminated by the end of t he season. For Arya to escape her captors, she blackmails Jaqhen to kill more men. And in the middle of their escape, Arya bumps into Jaqhen and tells her what he really is... a faceless man. Apparently, they are the coolest people in the whole of Westeros. They parted ways in the end, but what's awesome is that there is a chance Arya's path is towards that of the Faceless Men.
18 Brienne Vs The Bear (Season 3 Episode 7)
Game of Thrones is at its best when they pair up characters. Tyrion and Bronn. Arya and the Hound. Varys and Littlefinger. Lady Olenna and whoever. Season 3's best pairing however was Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister. It was an odd pairing that started antagonistically. Brienne was tasked to bring Jaime back to King's Landing in the hopes that the Lannisters will be returning the Stark daughters back to Catelyn. But what started as antagonistic ended in friendship. In Harrenhal, Jaime went back for Brienne only to find out that she was thrown into a pit to fight off a bear. To save the lady, Jaime jumped into the pit and threatened not to come out unless she's with him. And so begins Jaime's redemption.
17 White Walkers (Season 2 Episode 10)
While technically Game Of Thrones is a Fantasy show, the series is too grounded that we sometimes forget that there are dragons and shadow creatures lurking around Westeros. But one of the more fantastical creatures of the series was finally introduced in the Season 2 finale of the show. We finally get a glimpse of what the soldiers on The Wall are finally guarding. Fucking Zombies!!! And they are scary as shit!!! Winter is coming indeed.
16 Sandor Clegane Vs Berric Dondarion (Season 3 Episode 5)
Oh I put this on the list because who does not like a fight where one of the fighters uses a flaming sword? One of the coolest scenes on television. Ever.
15 The Death of Viserys Targaryen (Season 1 Episode 6)
Viserys has been a jerk. Ever since the moment we first laid our eyes on the elder Targaryen, we knew he was an ass. He sold his sister to the Dothraki so he can build an army. He let Khal Drogo rape his younger sister all for the uncertainty of them helping him take over King's Landing. He was a vile, irrational and pretty much annoying. Not only to the viewers but mostly to the Dothraki tribe. So when the time came he demanded to have a taste of the Dothraki women, and be treated like a king, Drogo fulfilled his wish. He poured a pot of melted gold. Yes it was sick, but it was only the first of many gruesome deaths that the show has in store for us.
14 The Death of Ned Stark (Season 1 Episode 9)
This was the Oh Shit moment of the first season. The first time that we realized that no one is safe in Westeros. Not even it's lead character Ned Stark. Sean Bean was the face of Game of Thrones. And he did not even live long enough to finish the season. My jaw dropped when I first saw this episode. Just like the millions of people who have seen Game of Thrones, we cried for the elder Stark. He was the one we were all rooting for to sit on the Iron Throne, and he just got beheaded. WTF right?! But it is awesome that the show has the balls to drop it's lead star just like that. If he hadn't died, Arya, Robb, Sansa, Jon Snow and Bran, would probably just be bit players til now.
13 The Birth of the Dragons (Season 1 Episode 10)
This was what kept me from dropping the show. Watching the first season finale, I was so depressed. By that time, they have killed two of the most loved characters of the series (Ned Stark and Khal Drogo). I thought Arya alone would not be able to make me sustain my interest on the show. But then, by the end of the episode, Daenarys rose out of the fire, and with her dragons. Baby fucking dragons!!! I'm glad I stayed and stuck with this show. And we've got Khaleesi's babies to thank for that.
12 Cersei's Walk Of Shame (Season 5 Episode10)
This is a bravo moment for me because Cersei really deserved all the shit that she got for all the horrible things she's done to the show's 'heroes'. But even if it's well deserved, it was still horrible to watch. It's humiliating. De-humanizing. Just truly awful, what she had to go through in what obviously was a long walk back to the Red Keep. Imagine yourself doing that, you'd probably not last a meter without fainting. What's sadder, I guess is that it happens in real life and not just in the fictional world of Westeros.
11 The Trial of Tyrion Lannister (Season 4 Episode 6) Just read this chilling speech and tell me you're not getting goosebumps imagining Peter Dinklage's emmy worthy performance.
"I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had. Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores.
"I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it.
"I will not give my life for Joffrey's murder. And I know I'll get no justice here, So I'll let the gods decide my fate.
"I demand a trial by combat!"
Chilling.
10 How To Train Your Dragon (Season 5 Episode 9)
In terms of the cool factor, I think Daenerys takes the biggest slice in this series, mainly because she has dragons for her children. And the penultimate episode of Season 5 gave us the most chilling scene with Drogon. The last fifteen minutes of episode 9 starts with an epic gladiator match with Jorah kicking ass, followed by an ambush by the Sons of the Harpy. Everyone has a moment, and in the end, when everything looked dire, we hear an ear-piercing scream. Drogon arrives and kills a lot of his mother's enemies. And in a How-To-Train-Your-Dragon moment, Danny rides it and they fly off. I literally screamed like a little girl after seeing that ending.
9 The Battle of Blackwater (Season 2 Episode 9)
You see that flash of green destruction in the picture above. That's some shit that's both deadly and beautiful at the same time. This I think is the first time that Game of Thrones shows it's viewers that they can do Lord of the Rings style of war and destruction. When I saw this episode I remember being overwhelmed by how big the whole battle was. It's like watching a big budget movie. And then this is the episode that elevated Tyrion's hero status. He showed great leadership and made us want to root for the people of King's Landing even if their King is an idiot.
8 Hound Vs Brienne / Arya Leaves The Hound (Season 4 Episode 10)
I have to cheat on this one, these are two great moments that I had to combine since they all occurred together. It started when Brienne crossed paths with Arya and The Hound. Some witty banter were thrown and then Brienne and Sandor got into the most gnarly fight I have ever seen on television. Groins were kicked. An ear was bit off. And then we end the whole scene with Arya. Just staring at the Hound who was begging her to kill him. That look, it says more than any line would ever have. We know that The Hound is on Arya's list of people she wants to kill. But she's not going to let him die in his own terms. Instead, she leaves him to die a long and lonely death. That's dark.
7 The Battle for Castle Black (Season 4 Episode 9)
Mammoth-riding giant archers!!! That alone easily puts this moment or episode at the top of the most awesome GOT moments list. In season four's penultimate episode, we are taken north of Westeros, on The Wall where the Wildlings for some reason find it's time to finally take over the giant landmark. You can't help but cheer for the crows on this one. Jon Snow showed effective leadership, as well as that other guy who we disliked on previous episodes when he disagreed with Jon Snow's suggestions. Plus, it gave us that long seamless shot of the fight inside the wall that was just breathtaking. Oh, and anytime we see some direwolf action, you know there's no wrong in direwolf scenes.
6 Hardhome (Season 5 Episode 8)
What an incredible 20 minutes. It's intense. It's action-packed. It's terrifying as shit. And it delivers it's goal of letting us know just how scary and formidable the White Walkers are. This is close in terms of action to the Battle on the Wall from Season 4 as one of the best action set piece of the entire series. The slaughter of the Wildlings from zombies was hard to watch. We may have been introduced and attached to some of the elders, so seeing them die was quite difficult to watch. And then in the end, during the staring match between the Walker King and Jon Snow, when the King raised his hands and all of the dead came back to life, all I could think of was a resounding "Oh. Shit!!! Winter is here!!!"
5 The Viper Vs The Mountain (Season 4 Episode 8)
Oh you can tell from the picture above that this one ended nasty. All season long we know that Oberyn Martell came to King's Landing for one thing only. Revenge. He knew The Mountain did it. He knew that the Lannisters were behind it. He just wanted a confession. And when Tyrion demanded a trial by combat, the Viper knew it was his chance to finally get what he wanted. The fight was epic. It's like David vs Goliath, and the Viper had the upper hand. Miraculously, he was able to stab The Mountain in the chest. That was great until, for one moment, while showboating, he set his eyes away from the enemy. Immediately The Mountain put him down, knocked his teeth away and slowly, while confessing crushed Oberyn's skull. Along with the hopes of Tyrion winning the trial.
4 Tyrion's Revenge (Season 4 Episode 10)
For two seasons, Tyrion has been humiliated, stripped of his power, wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to death. Right now, he's one of the very few characters in the show that we consider as the hero. And with the death of Oberyn a few episodes prior, everything looked hopeless for everyone's favorite imp. Fortunately for him, he still has friends in King's Landing, and he escaped. But not before he exacts his revenge. I think his father's death was a bit disappointing, but what he did to Shae was incredibly satisfying. Hearing her neck snap was painful to watch but you can't help but think that she deserved it after betraying Tyrion twice.
3 The Death of Joffrey (Season 4 Episode 2)
The asshole king is dead. It was a long frickin' death. The turd deserved it. And it was so satisfying. 'Nuff said.
2 The Red Wedding (Season 3 Episode 9)
This was awesome. But to be honest, this is one of the most painful scenes to watch in the entire run of Game of Thrones. This effectively eliminated some of the show's biggest heroes. In a wedding nonetheless. And they spared no one. Not even the pregnant wife of Robb Stark. Not even the direwolf. And worse, they cut off it's head and sewn it to Robb's lifeless body. It is awesome because this is when GOT nails in the head the fact that no one is safe in George RR Martin's opus. Absolutely no one. Until now, I can still hear Catelyn Stark's last cry of pain.
1 Daenerys Takes Over Astapor (Season 3 Episode 4)
In total, I think I have replayed this scene like 15 times. This is my favorite scene of the entire series. It's a spectacle. It's grand. It's a perfect scene. It started with Kraznys showing off his Unsullied at the same time bad mouthing the mother of dragons, calling her a pig and bitch. He was using the Valyrian language thinking the Mother of Dragons could not understand him. But then, in a grand showing of power, Dany spoke in Valyrian, telling Kraznys that dragons are not slaves and ordering the Unsullied to kill everyone holding a whip. Dracarys. With one word ending the life of the slave master and destroyed a city. The scene ended with Dany marching out of the city finally with an army she can call her own. Epic.