This week, we’re getting fired up for the new season of Game of Thrones by looking back on the previous six, and counting down the best of the best moments. For five days we’ll be at this, kicking it off on Monday when we also reopened our brand-spanking-new forums! Yesterday we kept the party going, reaching all the way to number 61.
With today’s terrific twenty, we’re finally reaching the top 50 portion of our countdown! As always, don’t be shy about sharing your faves and your own picks along the way. Enjoy!
60. Melisandre’s True Form Is Unveiled. Episode 601, “The Red Woman”
There’s obviously shock value in seeing the lovely Carice van Houten transformed into a withered old hag. It’s also nice to see glamour magic being featured on the show. But it’s the questions this scene raises that make it stick in the memory long after the credits have rolled. How old is Melisandre? What role is she going to play in the war against winter? And what does one have to do to get magical de-aging powers like those? – Geoffery
59. Daenerys Visits the House of the Undying. Episode 210, “Valar Morghulis”
The original House of the Undying scene in A Clash of Kings is very different, with much more ammunition for crazy theory-crafting and imagery about the past and the future, which would be either inscrutable or too obvious a spoiler in the show. Game of Thrones opted instead to focus on where Dany’s choices may lead her. In the vision, she’s led away from queenship to the Wall, where the real threat awaits, and she rejects the lure of Drogo and their unborn child. The focus on character makes it a key scene for Dany’s arc, and the deeper question it raises is clear: will Dany set aside love and power to defeat the White Walkers? Now that we are finally approaching the endgame, this has become one of the key moments we will be look back on for years to come. – Luka Nieto
58. After Killing the Waif, Arya Reclaims Her Identity. Episode 608, “No One”
One of the most defining moments in Arya’s story was when she prominently displayed the maimed Waif’s face on the wall of the House of Black and White. Suspense builds as we follow Jaqen through the blood-soaked hall that makes us believe, even for a split second, that Arya was fatally bested by the Waif. The sight of her freshly cut flesh floods us with relief as Arya victoriously confronts Jaqen about the botched assassination attempt. The image of Maisie Williams brandishing Needle again as the irrepressible Arya Stark (instead of No One) is striking and a monumental joy, especially after witnessing the young wolf suffer while losing herself. The victory continues as Arya remains as wild and defiant as her house sigil by declaring her return to Winterfell. With a reunion with her pack on the horizon, Arya’s proud realization of identity serves as a milestone for how far she’s come since she first left home. – Nate
57. When You Play the Game of Thrones… Episode 107, “You Win or You Die”
Not just an endlessly quotable scene, this is the beginning of the end for poor Ned, whose insistence on always doing the honorable thing will end in his untimely decapitation. It’s a great power-play between the two characters, as Cersei refuses to apologize for something the viewer might have presumed she was ashamed to admit. The Targaryens thought twincest was wincest and so does she. Plus, you can’t help but feel a bit sorry for her when she talks about the way Robert acted toward her on their wedding night. – Geoffery
56. Sam Sees the Library of the Citadel. Episode 610, “The Winds of Winter”
It’s rare for Game of Thrones characters to get what they truly deserve (and when they do it’s usually in the context of villains suffering). But in this gorgeously scored scene, our beloved bookworm Samwell Tarly steps into the Citadel’s library, which is every bit as awe-inspiring as anyone could have hoped it to be, and complete with the astrolabe from the GoT opening sequence! Sam looks at the endless stacks of books around him and smiles. He’s found his place in the world at last. – Petra
55. Tyrion Rallies the Troops. Episode 209, “Blackwater”
“Those are brave men knocking at our door…let’s go kill them!” In the hands of a lesser actor, this monologue could be corny. With Peter Dinklage at the helm, we need never fear. I’ve always felt that Tyrion’s best two seasons are season 2 and 4…so naturally Dinklage has won Emmys for seasons 1 and 5 – go figure! It’s incredible to remember that Tyrion is rallying a bunch of men that largely do not like him, but his quick wit spins a web of loyalty and inspires the soldiers to confront Stannis’ army head on. The start of his monologue begins with him muttering “I’ll lead the attack,” under his breath, before more loudly saying it again to the group at large. I remember Dinklage saying that he ad-libbed this and the producers decided to leave it in the final edit. Chills. – SirSquinty
54. Grenn Holds the Gate Against a Giant. Episode 409, “The Watchers on the Wall”
This is a stand-out moment in an already brilliant episode, providing a chance for a minor character like Grenn to have a brief moment of glory before being smashed apart by a giant. It’s a lovely reminder of what the camaraderie and brotherhood of the Night’s Watch is really all about, and it’s touching to see Grenn’s loyalty to Jon, unfailingly following his orders even though at this point Jon’s not even Lord Commander. And now their watch has ended. – Geoffery
![20160525_ep_607_Publicity_still_15.00120338[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160525_ep_607_Publicity_still_15.001203381.jpg)
53. The Starks and Davos Face an Unimpressed Lyanna Mormont. Episode 607, “The Broken Man”
“Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark.” That badass, uncompromising refrain presaged the arrival of a badass, uncompromising young woman; seldom had any character so thoroughly endeared themselves to the audience before she even appeared on screen. When Lyanna Mormont debuted in “The Broken Man” (portrayed by an extraordinary young actress in Bella Ramsey), she quickly proved that her reputation for sharp words and a strong will was well-earned, and the audience’s adoration for her was sealed. But the Lady of Bear Island also made it clear that her past declaration of loyalty to the Starks did not necessarily mean she would follow them blindly into war now. It would take Davos, another person who had never expected to inherit such responsibility, to appeal to her hard-won sense of practicality and bring House Mormont’s fierce warriors – all 62 of them, each one worth ten from the mainland – to Jon and Sansa’s cause. With such steel in her spine, it’s safe to say that Lady Lyanna is worth even more. – Jared Kozal
52. Chaos is a Ladder. Episode 306, “The Climb”
It’s not a secret how Varys and Baelish are among the few original cast members to survive through the first six seasons of the show so far. In a way, each is putting on a performance, changing to whomever they need to be at a given moment to keep themselves alive. Here, in their best, and last, verbal battle, both show off those performance capabilities, Varys dropping the mannered, simpering affectations in his tone to grumble at Littlefinger, the other utilizing that comes-and-goes brogue that has marked Baelish’s chameleon-like nature throughout the show’s run. They also clearly show their school of thought; Varys the strict institutionalist, sacrificing for the greater cause of the government’s existence; Baelish the anarchist, who wants to upturn the chess board to see where the pieces land. How great is Littlefinger’s monologue that closes this out? It formed the basis of the season’s ad campaign, to great relish. – Greatjon of Slumber
![20160602_ep609_Publicity_still_061.00168432[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160602_ep609_Publicity_still_061.001684321.jpg)
51. Sansa Has Her Just Revenge on Ramsay. Episode 609, “Battle of the Bastards”
I never thought I’d cheer at the sight of a man being eaten alive by his own dogs. But that was before Ramsay Bolton. In an act of poetic vengeance that would make Lisbeth Salander proud, Sansa has her husband torn to shreds by the very dogs he sicced on his stepmother, his half brother and on countless innocent women. It may be sadistic… but it is satisfying. – Petra
50. Janos Slynt Refuses To Do His Duty. Episode 503, “High Sparrow”
Just one episode after being elected Lord Commander, Jon faces a test of his new authority. When assigning men to new positions in the Watch, he gives Janos Slynt command of Greyguard. Slynt refuses, telling Jon to “stick your order up your bastard ass.” Not cool, Slynt, not cool. Jon channels his inner Ned, telling his men to take Slynt outside and to bring him his sword. As Slynt spinelessly begs for his life, Jon swings the sword – putting an end to the backstabbing, bootlicking, baby murderer. And now his watch is… Oh who cares. Good riddance. – Vanessa Cole
49. Jon and Ygritte Go For a Bath. Episode 305, “Kissed By Fire”
I’d long been a fan of Rose Leslie, since the early days of Downton Abbey, so the raging hormones of a (once) teenage boy in me were very excited for this scene. I’m sure it broke the hearts of many a teenage girl to learn that Kit Harington used a #buttdouble as his ankle was broken at the time of filming. Regardless, the scene was touching, with Jon Snow firmly breaking his vows, and Ygritte letting her guard down for the briefest of moments. “You know nothin’, Jon SnoooooOoOoOoOWWWWWWW” remains one for the history books. If only they had stayed in that cave for eternity! But then, Game of Thrones doesn’t do happy endings, now does it? – SirSquinty
48. Cersei Tells a Tale of Lions as the Battle Ends. Episode 209, “Blackwater”
“You are a lion, my son. You mustn’t be afraid, for one day all the beasts will bow to you. You will be king.” Cersei’s fanciful story, with the Great Houses as beasts of the forest bowing to her son, is intended to comfort Tommen in what may be the last moments of their lives, but it takes on a prophetic tinge when viewed through the lens of six seasons. Her promise to keep him safe from the chaos and carnage we see raging outside, even as she brings poison to his lips, is similarly prophetic when one considers Tommen’s fate. Tywin’s arrival feels only like a temporary reprieve, knowing how things turned out. The richness of “Blackwater”‘s dark fairy-tale ending has only grown with subsequent viewings, and I find it more haunting every time. – Sue the Fury
![GOT509_120314_HS_DSC_7167[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GOT509_120314_HS_DSC_71671-1024x682.jpg)
47. The Burning of Shireen. Episode 509, “The Dance of Dragons”
Poor sweet Shireen, you were far too good for this world! After her touching daddy-daughter conversation with Stannis, it hardly seems believable that something so brutal is about to occur. Her heart-wrenching screams, Selyse’s change of heart, the foresight that in the end Stannis ends up dead anyway: all serve to make the scene powerful. And Kerry Ingram acts her little socks off. – Geoffery
46. Arya Tangles with Tywin in Harrenhal. Episode 207, “A Man Without Honor”
Aside from giving us a good laugh (“M’lord, not My Lord”) and a history lesson (“Aegon AND his sisters!”), this scene solves the conundrum of how to learn of a character’s innermost thoughts if he isn’t the kind of man who would ever express them aloud: by airing them to someone he doesn’t see as a threat; a mere cupbearer. Putting Arya and Tywin together was a wonderful idea from the writers, and Charles Dance and Maisie Williams make the best of it, so much so that I regret we didn’t get more of them together… and now we never will! This brief, strange pairing and the insight into Tywin’s mind are the reason this scene deserves to be on this list. – Luka Nieto
45. Robb is Declared King in the North. Episode 110, “Fire and Blood
The Young Wolf cuts a dashing and heroic figure even when circumstances are dire; fresh off his victory over the Lannisters and burning with righteous vengeance for his murdered father, he looks positively royal. And so when the Greatjon’s bellicose declaration of Robb as “The King in the North!” echoed through the summer night, it deservingly became a thrilling call to arms and a bold statement of defiance. In a more conventional tale, this scene would mark the arrival of the story’s new hero – for those blessed with knowledge and burdened with hindsight, it’s a harbinger of a fall to come. But even with the specter of fate looming on the horizon, Robb’s ascension remains a blood-tingling moment, as the mythic weight and ancient cares of the Kings of Winter descend onto this prodigious young warrior. Everyone watching – from the Northern Lords roaring approval to the apprehensive soldiers looking on from a distance to the audience glued to their screens at home – is acutely aware that they are bearing witness to something monumental. – Jared Kozal
![20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_32_00161588[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_32_001615881.jpg)
44. The Resurrection of Jon Snow. Episode 602, “Home”
The death of Jon Snow was a shock to book readers and show watchers alike, but by the time season 6 rolled around most us knew he had to be coming back. Between dropped hints like Sam’s “I’ve been worrying about Jon for years; he always comes back” and production spoilers putting Kit Harington conspicuously close to the Game of Thrones filming action, it was only a matter of time before Lord Snow rose from the dead. Most of us felt that Melisandre would be instrumental to his resurrection, and we were proven right. There is a big difference between believing and seeing, though, and the fandom collectively held its breath in the final moments of the episode. When Jon gasped, so did we…or jumped up cheering and crying, in some cases. No? Just me? – Vanessa Cole
43. The Burning of the Khals. Episode 604, “Book of the Stranger”
Fire cannot kill a dragon, but it can kill men – be they small men with their petty concerns, or the great Khals who cause the Free Cities of Essos to tremble with fear (here, they’re one in the same). Dany’s intrinsic resistance to heat and flame was established in her very first scene, and cemented when she walked into Drogo’s pyre to bring dragons back into the world. The Dragon Queen had made such liberal use of her children’s power in the past that one could be forgiven for believing that Drogon would arrive on cue to release her from her captivity. But ultimately, Dany didn’t need her dragon to save her – she proves to be a dragon herself, and reduces her enemies to ash and bone using nothing more than her own supernatural certainty, a few burning braziers, and a strategically barred door. The Dothraki follow strength, not blood, and as Dany proves her strength here, she provides irrefutable support for the idea that she, not Rhaego, is the Stallion Who Mounts the World. – Jared Kozal
![20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_7_00121897[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_7_001218971.jpg)
42. Tyrion Unchains the Dragons. Episode 602, “Home”
Just because the show is beyond the books doesn’t mean they can’t incorporate George R.R. Martin’s prose, and this scene is a perfect example. As Tyrion (and the viewing audience) waited to see if he would become dragon chow, he recounted a story from A Dance with Dragons. As a young boy he had begged his uncle for a dragon for his birthday, but he was devastated when his father (Tywin being Tywin) told him dragons had been dead for a century. Tyrion overcomes his fear to free the dragons from their chains, and you can see his awe and wonder at being in the presence of creatures that have held a lifelong fascination. Of course – in typical Tyrion fashion – he has to cut the tension with a joke in the end, telling Varys, “Next time I have an idea like that, punch me in the face.” – Vanessa Cole
41. Arya Avenges the Red Wedding. Episode 610, “The Winds of Winter”
Properly justified comeuppance for the Red Wedding finally came in season 6, in the form of cannibalistic nightmare fuel. More often than not it’s the good guys that get offed in Thrones, so it’s truly satisfying to see a character as loathsome as Walder Frey get their just desserts. Or pie, in this case. Not only did this confirm a fabulous fan theory that’s been floating around for years, Arya got to cross another name off her list. – Geoffery
We’ve crossed the halfway mark in our countdown! Where will the remaining days take us? We’ll find out soon enough…
WHERE IS THE BAD PUSSY?!
Shit better be #1 or I… I swear to the gods I will go back to… the… old… fine. I can’t do that. That site sucks.
Okay now in this list I don’t have a problem with any scene even though I would put the order way different than this.Also give it up for my boy Grenn he held the damn gate.
meh
I wonder which scene will be #1.
It’s pretty hard to think of just one greatest moment that will reign over the others, lol.
Arya-Tywin were a treat back in Season 2. I wonder if more of their scenes will find their way to our little countdown. There’s the Anyone can be killed death stare contest that confirmed once and for all that Maisie is a heavyweight acting champion. It would also be a crime to forget one of GoT’s many tear-jerkers when Tywin asks Arya what killed her father. Her response: Loyalty.
A sharp little thing indeed.
Vincent Stark,
Mountain vs. Viper
I just rewatched the Lyanna Mormont scene yesterday. Bella is fantastic!
Maybe the Nuclear Detonation of the Sept of Baelor. It isn’t technically a single scene, but the entire opening sequence of Winds of Winter is so visually and musically stunning in its almost operatic beauty that it’s hard not to consider it a single sublimely atmospheric whole.
That’s my vote at least.
Grenn. ❤
I loved Tyrion and the dragons. “It wouldn’t have to be a big dragon. It could be little….like me.” Their bird-like behaviour when he unlocked their collars (Although I always thought those pins looked precariously easy to slide out), to his previous “Dragons cannot be contained” message to Missandei and Greyworm. Just love it.
Chaos is an escalator…..
I loved the Jon/Janos scene. For me, the decisive ‘thunk’ of his mug as he rose to follow the rest outside just sealed Jon’s status to me.
Best part of Ramsay and his pups – “You can’t kill me….I’m part of you now.”
Shireeeeeeeeeeeen!!!!! Dagnabbit! ☹
Also, HOT DAMN, GWEN in that top photo!!!!
Robb, you beautiful, stupid man.
Honestly, when Arya killed Walder, she did it with such passion and joy that it just made me want her euthanised. Arya has deserved a quick painless death ever since the Red Wedding, because ever since Ned died, she has become a fucked up little girl whose entire life has been about revenge. Which, in the end, will bring her no relief from the pain of losing everyone she has lost.
Broken Wolf,
Okay then, thanks for sharing.
So your cure for being a “fucked up little girl” is euthanasia. That’s some tough love right there! 😉
I may be quite forgetful here but is the “Chaos is a Ladder” scene (#52) the only voice-over montage (toggling between the throne room and the wall as LF speaks) in the series?
Hodors Bastard,
Jeor Mormont when the NW heads under the Wall…
That’s a good guess. I was thinking maybe it would be Ned’s death, since it’s such an iconic moment.
Man oh man – that top pic! What a group of fine looking people!
I love the list but would put the iconic ‘you win or you die’ in the top ten.
Ooh so edgy. Try not to stick yourself with the pointy end on that. ☺
1×10 scene just before the Drogo funeral pyre scene.
Oh? Thanks. I’ll watch it later tonight. I like the dual metaphor/meaning within the LF speech, so well conveyed by Alik Sakharov. I guess it’s not quite a montage (like Bran’s visions) but that technique is cool.
49 and 44 need to be higher, but every one of those scenes is worthy (btw the photo you have for Tyrion at Blackwater doesn’t look like him, it looks like Theon. I could be mistaken tho.
I agree with the possibility of the sept being #1. I definitely see Blackwater, The Wall and Battle of the Bastards having some in the top 10
Hodors Bastard,
Cinematography on “Fire and Blood” 1×10 was done by Sakharov so he probably had a hand in doing both scenes while also directing “The Climb.” They’re very similarly done – Littlefinger speaking to Varys in the throne room and continues as the shot goes to Sansa crying while she and Shae watch LF’s ship sail away up to cutting to Jon & Ygritte reaching the top of the Wall. Compared to Mormont in his quarters talking to Jon as it cuts to the NW riding under the Wall.
Dracarys (sp?) and the Hound’s chickens seem top 10 material to me.
How in the world do you put any of these episodes in some sort of top 60 rank? Good gravy I do not even want to think about how much effort goes into that sort of listing of all the episodes into the top 60. Great work!!
Cersei’s Brain,
I agree… sets the tone for the whole series!!
I have a feeling that I’m going to have “issues” with many of the top 10 or 20. There are already several “great” in the first 60 that I feel are much too high (low) with “good” ones and a few I wouldn’t even include ranked better. It’s not MY list though so I’ll hold my tongue as much as possible. 🙂
ok i have a problem with arya’s incomprehensible braavos ending scene being ahead of burying needle earlier in the arc… i mean one was an incredibly touching character building moment that brought tears to my eyes. the other was “what the hell did i just watch that made no sense whatsoever”. I mean I’m as happy as anyone that Arya is heading to Westeros but the events of ep 8-9 in her arc made zero sense.
Clob,
I am a sucker for good emotional scenes so I hope to see a lot of small intimate moments between characters at the top. For example, 3×05 Kissed by Fire could by itself fill a lot of those high places: Jaime’s confession to Brienne, lord Karstark’s execution, Arya’s heartbreaking Could you bring back a man without a head? Not six times… just once.
They’ve already listed 4 scenes that are in my top 10!
QueenofThrones,
I agree. Never understood what they tried to say there. It would have made sense if Arya had actually been on the verge of truly losing her identity and becoming no one, only to find herself again at the very end. The way they filmed it over Seasons 5 and 6, Arya was never in any danger of abandoning her “Starkness” after she hid Needle, so the supposed triumphant rediscovery and embrace of who she really is fell totally flat. That scene is probably the only time in GoT that I actually didn’t understand what the hell was going on. Why is she suddenly Arya now? Why did Jaqen let her go with a knowing smile? What lesson, aside from changing faces, did she learn at the House of Black and White? Speaking back, how could she take a sip of poison back in 6×04 and not die if she wasn’t No one? Ugh.
ash,
That photo is quite certainly Peter Dinklage lol
ash,
I just finished watching 6.10. I have changed my mind: the sept might be in the top ten, but the last scene when they ships are sailing and the dragons flying above them, thats it. So says I.
My favorite scene in that list is Robb becoming The King in the North… it was unexpected and I like it as much as Jon’s King in the North scene.
I think HBO will post the season 7 first episode title Friday June 29th 2017
GeekFurious,
Which site? You mean PopUps are Coming.net?
I agree with you about the needle scene needed to be higher up on the list. I may very well be wrong, but I have some ideas that might answer your question
I think the purpose of the scene wasn’t to show that Arya was back to a stark, she never stopped being a stark. It was to tell Jacquen that she is not ‘no one’ she doesn’t want to be part of this, and she’s going home. He looks at here that way because he knows that, and lets her go with his blessing.
The poison she took in season 8 to cure her blindness did that because at that time she said ‘a girl has no name’ after Jaquen asked her many times. so he allowed her to heal.
Finally they don’t show it (I wish they did) but in the books she is also given training in languages, poisons, fighting and observation skills The ‘Kindly Old Man’ would ask her ‘tell me three things that I didn’t know” wenever she came back from her travels. It would have been better if we saw more of that.
Vincent Stark,
Which scene will be #1? Like I’ve said, I’m pretty sure there’s a clear frontrunner, and it’s going to be difficult for any challenger to knock it from its perch.
It’s got everything: Suspense. Comedy. Great writing. Great acting. Perfect symmetry in opening and closing scenes. Beautifully choreographed action. Iconic lines. And poultry.
Mr Fixit,
This may have been in the scene selected: I liked the little exchange during the history discussion when Arya talks admirimgly about Visenya Targaryan and her VS Dark Sister; Tywin observes that most girls are interested in Jonquil with flowers in her hair; and Arya has that comeback line: “Most girls are idiots”, that cracks up Tywin.
Is thst the only time he ever laughed on the show?
Clob,
I’m learning: A post from an unfamiliar name + inflammatory content = presumptive troll.
Vincent Stark,
The anguished expression on Arya’s face pressed to Yoren’s chest makes Ned’s death scene impossible for me to rewatch. It’s difficult for me to rank tragic scenes among “the best.” I know they’re worthy. I just can’t…
I see Shireen’s death is in today’s segment. Same reason. Too horrific.
I mean if we’re guessing the top scenes it must be a combo of Red Wedding, Ned’s beheading, The Cept exploding, Jaime pushing Bran, Dany hatching the dragons… Jaime bath with Brienne in top 20 somewhere too…and of course me showing my hand to the Iron Bank…
In no order, I’m expecting Ned’s death, Red Wedding, Night King/Hardhome, Dany birthing the Dragons, Jon staring down cavalry charge, Cersei blowing up Sept, Mountain vs Viper, Hold the Door, & Tower of Joy reveal to make top 10.
Leaving Jon named KitN, Tyrion crossbow to Tywin, & Dany’s first flight from fighting pits fighting for the last spot in the top 10. My sleeper pick (& personal fave) is Hound/Arya & those fucking chickens…
That’s a solid roster
Good to see the scene #50 when Jon executed that slimy, ass licking turd (and coward) Janos Slynt for insubordination has made it into the list. A character I took an instant dislike to from the first moment he appeared on GoT.
Like as when Joffrey, Meryn Trant and Walder Frey got their comeuppance, I’m sure there were a few cheers from the viewers when Janos Slynt’s head got removed from his body 😉
Jaehaerys the Icedragon,
“Sleeper pick”? It’s the front runner!
The episode title, “Two Swords”, should be changed to “(Think I’ll Take) Two Chickens”
I’ve got three other candidates still in the running fof #1, but they’ve up agsinst a juggernaut.
I would put the ARya/Tywin scenes Top 10. Truly some of my favorite scenes. Beautifully acted and written.
Hodors Bastard,
Shireen talks about Aegon the conqueror and shifts to Dany leading unsullied in kissed by fire
Well I believe the same thing…
I only have 6 more scenes of dany that is not yet mentioned out of which 2 must really make top 5 moments..
I will surely be disappointed if one of the two scenes doesn’t take away the no 1 spot…
Vincent Stark,
I cant see any other scene taking the number 1 spot…sure Ned’s death and red wedding and Jon getting stabbed are all surprising and shocking ..
dany hatching dragons remains the most impactful and unique event of the entire series ..
dragonbringer,
Yep, that’s my number one as well. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that it at least makes it into the Top 5.
dragonbringer,
Oh my yes. STill think the ships will make it to #1 but that has to be in the top 10. And thanks for posting some of the book sections – its been a while since Ive read them all, and Im enjoying reading these parts. This one in particular is just so well written, and the show did an amazing job of adapting it.
Mr Fixit,
Arya also learned how to mix ingredients to make poisons. It was a very short scene when she was still blind.
I believe that Jacquen always knew Arya wouldn’t really become No One. When he gave her the coin he told her that if she went with him to Braavos and became a Faceless Person, she could cross the names off her list one by one. That doesn’t sound like he intended her to be No One, i.e., just a servant of the House of Black and White and the many-faced God.
ash,
The pleasure is mine ..that particular line about night coming alive with music of dragons is one my favorite lines and remains the best ending that we have seen in 5 books ..
And the show did an awesome job bringing it into screen …Emilia ,Ian glen ,vfx baby dragons were all just perfect and Finally Ramin Djawadi’s yet another beautiful track for dany ..
When you say ships are you talking about dany’s armada ..I believe it should make it into top 10 ..
My top 25 is
25)King’s arrival at Winterfell
24) oberyn vs mountain
23) Dany locking up Xaro
22) aemon revealing his identity
21) jeor’s speech about going behind the wall
20) any scenes of tyrion and tywin from season 1..
19)Tywin’s entry in Battle of blackwater “battle is over ,we’ve won”.
18) dany killing drogo
17) master luwin death and bran and rickon departing winterfell
16) Jon and others finding the direwolves
15)Dany naming Tyrion her hand
14) shireen’s death
13)hodor’s death
12)oberyn becoming tyrion’s champion
11) dany taking flight for the first time
10)Jon at hardhome
9)cersei blowing up sept of baelor
8 ) Jon getting resurrected/his watch ending
7) dany’s Armada setting sail for westeros
6) Tower of Joy /KiTN
5) Dracarys at astopor
4)Jon getting stabbed
3) red wedding
2) Ned stark’s beheading
1) dany hatching dragons
Its funny I started writing my top 10 which changed into top 20 and then 25..while writing this I came to realize how hard difficult it must be for the admins to make a list out of so many iconic moments …
Vincent Stark,
HODOR
Nooooo – Tyrion and the Dragons has got to be in the top 10! I watch it from time to time, because it is just such a beautiful scene…
Btw, can you do a few statistics after the 5 days are over? Like – what season had the most moments in the top 100, which episode did, which season ranked highest etc.? 🙂 Or will we have to do them ourselves?
I’m pretty shocked to see the original King in the North scene so low. Would have pegged it for Top 20. Same goes for Jon’s resurrection.
Arya Walder scene is in my top 20. so satisfying
ash,
It’s just beautiful in’it? Gave me goosebumps first two times I watched.
Are you talking about… Bad Pussy???
Mr Fixit,
And why did Jaqen say “a girl is no one” when literally everything she’s done up to that point has shown the opposite?
It’s a line that only exists to set up Arya’s rebuttal, but it makes no sense that he would say that.
When Arya asserts her identity it was a stunning cultural/philosophical moment, IMO. A complete rejection of Eastern mysticism and Buddhism — the idea that you have to empty yourself and become “no one” in order to unlock the mystery of the religion (in this case the powers of assassination) — that’s why Jaqen assumed she had become no one, he thought emptying your true self was the only way to master death. Truly amazing cultural moment that reasserts the primacy of an individual self. I’ve also wondered if it means also that all her murders from now on have the tacit approval of the many-faced God — if he approves of the deaths on her list, in other words.
Sean C.,
My comment just below yours answers the question. didn’t even see yours first. lol.
joey,
i really hope not
I just rewatched 6×08 and am slightly baffled that the ending scene with Arya and Jaqen made this list. It was already clear to everyone that Arya wasn’t No One and the dialogue was unnecessary. I’d have liked the scene much better if it had just been Jaqen following the blood trail in the Hall of Face and finding the Waif’s face, leaving Arya’s fate slightly unknown until she kills Walder Frey.
My top 10:
1) Ned’s death (most important scene and still extraordinarily beautiful)
2) Sept explosion
3) Tower of Joy
4) Dragons hatching
5) Red Wedding
6) Dracarys in Astapor
7) Jon’s stabbing
8) Mountain vs Viper
9) Hardhome ending
10) Hold the door
Hodors Bastard,
Yara did it once also.
Dee Stark,
Yara actually did it twice ..once in mhysa season 3 and once in season 4..
Cersei telling story to tommen at blackwater may as well counted as one ..
ROBB!!!!! <3<3<3
That should have been MUCCCCCCCCCCCHHH higher in my opinion!!!!!!!
dragonbringer,
Yeah and also when Arya and the Waif were training/interviewing in season 6 Ep04
Which, by the way, is an amazing scene and I really hope it makes it on the list… Maisie was fantastic in this scene.. the score, the directing… Arya reveals the Hound was OFF her list <3
Eek!
Dee Stark,
I agree ..I also like the scene between Robb and Theon in season 1 …when Robb asks maester luwin to send ravens to the lords of north and theon asking whether he is afraid…
dragonbringer,
So many good ones 🙂
OHH another one I hope makes the cut is the scene when Cat is walking through the Stark camp after Neds death and she walks over to Robb who is taking his anger out on a tree. I cry just thinking about that. And then Robb leaves, and Cat breaks.
Shireen’s sacrifice is stunningly filmed, beautifully written and acted, and Ramin Djawadi’s accompanying score (“Forgive Me”) is absolutely haunting. It’s a masterful scene in every respect, especially once you revisit the earlier seasons and realize just how extensive and perfectly it was foreshadowed from the very beginning. (“You will betray your family … you will betray everything you once held dear” and “Women scream when they give birth. Afterwards, they are filled with joy.”/”Afterwards they aren’t ash and bone”.) It’s also the single hardest scene for me to rewatch in the entire series, and I doubt it will ever be topped. I have a strong stomach for violence and horror in art, but the first time I watched that sacrifice that was the only time when I’ve ever felt physically ill watching this show that I love so dearly. The way that Shireen’s screams turn from screams for help to screams of pain and then stop entirely … I couldn’t shake it for days.
Dee Stark,
Robb’s ascension to King in the North would make my personal Top 10 – which is why I jumped at the chance to write about it for this list! Jon becoming King in the North in the Season 6 finale would make my own Top 10 list as well – I think that the two scenes compliment one another beautifully. In the grand scheme of the overall story, Jon’s rise is more significant, but it derives at least part of its incredible power from the way it mirrors – and is contrasted with – Robb’s earlier declaration, so I may have to give that one the slightest of slight edges (it’s absurdly close, though). In the interest of fair disclosure, I’m an unapologetic Robb Stark fanboy.
A scene that should easily be in the top 20 list is the final scene of a season 5 episode called The Gift…
Cersei taughts Margerie Tyrell in her cell and walks towards the High Sparrow with a smile. The high Sparrow tells Cersei that he knows all about her and Lancel’s activities and Jamie’s too.
Cersei is thrown in a cell which makes Cersei what she currently is… It is an unexpected twisted scene.
This is a very good choice. It’s one of the hardest scenes to rewatch. 🙁
# 54 – looking back now, it’s a bit of a slap in the face to all the night’s watch brothers who sacrificed their lives to keep the wildlings and giants out, just for Jon to let them all in after.!I realise that wasn’t the foreseeable plan at the time, and maybe I’m a just a bit slow at realising this, but it just hit me know while reading over Grenn’s sacrifice.
Very well said… and there are no kings in the North… Robb was the first.
Vincent Stark,
I know 🙁
Umm…not to quibble, but there have been many Stark KitN. It’s not just a book thing. Torrhen Stark bent the knee to Aegon to save his land from being scoured, which made Robb’s title even more special…it was the return of the KitN after 300 years.
I’m thinking Cersei destroying the Great Sept of Baelor and Hodor’s death will be near the #1 spot. The music alone from the Sept explosion deserves the #1 spot 🙂
43rd and 41st deserve higher spots.
Hodors Bastard,
From the show?
I cant remember him being mentioned in the show.
These better be at the top:
The Purple Wedding (Season 4, Episode 2: “The Lion and the Rose”)
Cersei Blows Up King’s Landing (Season 6, Episode 10: “The Winds of Winter”)
Tyrion Demands Trial by Combat (Season 1, Episode 6: “A Golden Crown”)
Jaime Lannister’s Hot Tub Confession (Season 3, Episode 5: “Kissed by Fire”)
Cersei’s Walk of Shame (Season 5, Episode 10: “Mother’s Mercy”)
The Battle of the Bastards (Season 6, Episode 9: “Battle of the Bastards”)
Oberyn Martell’s Death (Season 4, Episode 8: “The Mountain and the Viper”)
Mother of Dragons (Season 1, Episode 10: “Fire and Blood”)
Jamie Pushed Bran Out the Window (Season 1, Episode 1: “Winter Is Coming”)
The Death of Ned Stark (Season 1, Episode 9: “Baelor”)
Battle of the Blackwater (Season 2, Episode 9: “Blackwater”)
The Red Wedding (Season 3, Episode 9: “The Rains of Castamere”)
Got to be quick today, so here goes:
Melisandre’s real age: talk about looking different without make-up! Good thing Tormund didn’t take a liking to Mel, and try to slip into her bed at night. Surprise! I don’t think this will be a “one and done.” I think Mel is going to make use of this talent to slip around Westeros, maybe even back North. In the meantime, I still want that ruby necklace.
Dany’s vision – I’ve been mesmerized by this scene since I first saw it. It is why I believe Dany won’t take the Iron Throne. She reaches, but doesn’t touch, instead answering the call of her dragons. The scene with Drogo was welcome – I wanted more Drogo in any way he could be shown. And I still say that thing hanging in the decimated throne room when she first walks in looks like a web with a big old spider in it. Foreshadowing a greater influence by Varys, maybe?
Yay Arya, you made it out of Braavos alive somehow, which meant that story was done, and the effing Waif was no more. She made it back to Westeros as a dedicated Stark with some new talents. Maisie did an excellent job of making something out of that quirky story line.
Tyrion’s victory at the Blackwater was a game changer. It showed Tyrion’s excellent brain and bravery, and changed Stannis’s whole story. If Stannis had taken KL without Mel, he would have stayed in KL and not been available to go north to help Jon. Here we got to see that Tyrion would make an excellent Hand.
Grenn – I couldn’t believe they killed off Pyp AND Grenn. Grenn held the gate.
to be continued…
It’s just a fun fact from both Show and Book lore. I thought Bran or Robb mentioned it in S1 or S2 but the history is detailed in the S1 Bluerays (Stark Lore by Dave Hill). Personally, I thought the KitN scene had much more emotional impact when you look at it from that perspective. The house lords are remembering and cheering that fond northern memory with Robb’s rise. 🙂
Some thoughts:
1) Arya in 608; an arc summed up in one line – A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I’m going home. And this was always on the cards, because the one thing she couldn’t throw away when she joined the House of Black and White was Needle, the only physical object she had left at that time which tied her to Arya Stark of Winterfell.
2) You win or you die; still one of the most iconic lines in Thrones. I love this scene as a whole – Cersei’s proud admittance that Jaime is the father of her children, the clear hatred she has of Robert born of his love for someone long dead, Ned’s mercy in warning her as a way of trying to spare her the lives of her children.
3) Sam at the Citadel; Sam’s reaction to the library is all of our reactions. This is where he was meant to be, and he knows it. The lack of promotional material for Sam’s season seven arc has me really excited for it.
4) Tyrion at the Blackwater; Tywin may have come charging in alongside the Tyrell army, but Tyrion was instrumental in winning the Battle of the Blackwater for House Lannister. And this is a great speech in which he reminds the people of King’s Landing that the are ultimately fighting for themselves.
5) Grenn; 409 was full of beautiful moments and this was one of them. After getting rid of Slynt and essentially putting Jon in command of the Wall, Grenn goes down to hold the gate. The recitation of the Night’s Watch vows as Mag the Mighty approaches the men Grenn leads is haunting and spine-tingling.
6) Lyanna Mormont; I loved this scene. There are so many amazing things about it – from Lyanna’s determination that her loyalty doesn’t come for free and she must be convinced that Team Stark’s cause is just to the differing tactics Jon, Sansa and Davos use to try and convince her. She is a strong young woman, and won’t allow her age or gender to be used against her. But, if I’m honest, the moment that turns me into a pile of goo every time I re-watch it is when Jon calls her by her name. Every time I hear him call her Lady Lyanna, all I can think of is that’s your mother’s name!
7) The Climb; a stunning speech by LF. Chaos is a ladder – it completely sums up who LF is in one line.
8) Janos Slynt; Janos really gets his comeuppance here, and I love that it is through this moment Jon asserts his authority over the Watch. As is the case with Arya’s killings of Meryn Trant and Walder Frey, this is about Northern justice Ned Stark-style. Jon passes the sentence and he swings the sword. If Tyrion could have foreseen Janos Slynt’s fate when he sent him off to Castle Black, I don’t think he would have been too bothered. After his betrayal of Ned Stark, Janos felt the pointy end of a sword wielded by the son of a Stark.
9) The Cave; this was beautifully filmed – mostly because we don’t see everything that happens between them. And Jon Snow proves he knows quite a bit more than nothing (sorry, had to get that line in!) to Ygritte. It is clear from the way they both are in this scene that the feelings they have for one another are real. And in the wider context of season three, it is interesting to look at the evolution their relationship undergoes from the beginning of this episode (pre-cave sex) and the end of the next one (when Jon kisses Ygritte after they reach the top of the Wall – the first time he initiates anything between them).
10) Cersei; this scene was simply beautifully played. For all we hate her, it is clear that Cersei is willing to do anything to protect her children. It will be scary to see her when her desire to protect them is no longer restraining her.
11) Shireen; one of the most tragic deaths in Thrones as Shireen is effectively sentenced to death by the person she trusts most in the world, her father.
12) Arya & Tywin; all of their scenes together were so layered, so well-acted and amazingly crafted. I love thinking of Tywin, who thought himself so strategically brilliant, being out-foxed by a girl-child.
13) Robb; the Greatjon’s speech is intense, and reflects the idea – given to us earlier in the season – that the Northerners are a people apart. Kingship is not something I think Robb ever craved (any more than I think Jon did before his KiTN scene), and there is such a sense of hope about what their Young Wolf can achieve.
14) Jon; one of the most anticipated moments in the show – how is it not higher?! There were probably 1001 theories about how it was going to happen, but when it did I cared more that it had than how it came about. And so not fair that it happened at the end of an episode so we had to wait a full week to see the aftermath. So much of season six was about Jon Snow, and this scene was beautifully crafted. I love that Ghost was the only one left in the room with him – a hand tip to the closeness of their relationship. Ghost was the only one who never truly gave up on Jon coming back.
15) Burning of the Khals; Jorah once told Daenerys that she would only have a true Khalasar when she proved her strength. And walking unburnt from the pyre of the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen is a pretty decent way of showing strength.
16) Tyrion and the dragons; we didn’t get to see much of Tyrion in season six, but this scene in 602 is stunningly shot and Peter Dinklage is amazing in it as Tyrion shows what can be achieved by reading as much as he does.
17) Frey Pies; as with her killing of Meryn Trant a season before, there is a great sense of Northern justice about this. The inspiration of the Rat Cook – synonymous with the Night’s Watch (an institution closely tied to the North) – aside, as was the case with Meryn, Arya tells Walder Frey who she is and that she has sentenced him to death, though she doesn’t quite use those words. And then she carries out the execution herself. Arya’s murder of Walder Frey brings closure on an arc which begun with the Red Wedding. As of this murder, the three architects of the Red Wedding – Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton and Walder Frey – are all dead, and Winterfell has been returned to House Stark.
Excellent scenes all around, with 52 and 57 standing out to me.
Littlefinger’s “ladder” speech is stunning; not only is the associated musical theme one of the best in the show’s history in my opinion, it is also a superb turning point for Baelish as a character. Up until that point, it was still possible to dismiss him as merely a obsequious man who betrayed Ned to get Catelyn but the monologue reveals the burning intensity and passion of his hunger and his rejection of the existing “order”. The speech (and the conversation about the nature of the realm that leads up to it) recalibrates our expectations, retroactively validates Varys’s assessment of Littefinger as one of the most dangerous men he has ever known while also bringing into question the Spider’s own dubious philosophy. The acting is excellent, with both Littlefinger and Varys dropping the act they routinely present their “masters” and facing each other truly : the mutilated former slave from Myr and the scarred boy from the Fingers.
The speech is sinister, glorious, tense and, worst of all, mostly true. And it is a pure show creation. Brilliant !
“You either win or you die…” Like with the ladder speech, it is a fantastic snapshot of two characters’ mindset and personalities. Ned tries to maintain his holier-than-thou and principled self-image even when confronted with the reality of his BFF’s emotional and physical abuse; he openly threatens Cersei and her children but feels thoroughly uncomfortable with the consequences of his action. Then as ever, the Stark patriarch tries to impose a black-and-white pattern onto a situation that is nothing but a wide variety of greys. He will not budge.
As for the Queen, she is so profoundly arrogant she refuses to be pitied, cornered, shamed or intimidated; so in pure Cersei fashion, she unwisely doubles down and ups the ante. Because the Lioness only knows three tactics : escalation, escalation and escalation. She will never desist, especially if someone threatens her children.
The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Love it !
Can’t believe Arya killing Walder is so low on the list. Easily a Top 5 moment for me, I cheered immensely when the old git got his comeuppance!
reyn,
This list is about moments, scenes, not entire episodes or sequences, like the battle sequences you list. Even if some of these moments appear in the list (some already have), they won’t appear in their entirety.
dragonbringer,
..
Yes thats the one. Its not just the excitement of finally going to Westeros, or see all the fine ships, its the dragons. TB said earlier how much the dragons have looked like birds, that its obvious they were trying to go for that. They look so real, skimming the water, playing, almost dancing in the sky. So bird like, so amazing.
firstone,
Cersei taughts Margerie Tyrell in her cell and walks towards the High Sparrow with a smile. The high Sparrow tells Cersei that he knows all about her and Lancel’s activities and Jamie’s too.
Cersei is thrown in a cell which makes Cersei what she currently is… It is an unexpected twisted scene.
Oh yes, just watched that the other day – Karma’s a bitch, aint it.
Alba Stark,
Hadn’t thought about that but yeah, I did some fist bumps for those (tho when Ramsey killed his father, I just knew what he was going to do next. I almost cried when he tells her ‘I’d rather be an only child’
Alba Stark,
Oh i loved it too. Others complained that it was too quiet and unspectacular, but I thought it just right. Loved that it was Davos how was there for him. My only problem was later, when no one really talked about it (except Tormund and Ed’s comments later).
Luka Nieto,
Yeah I kinda figured that – they are moments, and its those that make the show so amazing. I am enjoying everyones ideas of what should on the list, and reading their comments about scenes. I started to make my own list but there are just too many to count (hell I’d probably get to 100 all by myself!). Im just going to keep reading and enjoying.
Sorry for all the posts, I do it this way so I can find my way back to where I was reading. Wish this site had posts numbered so it would be easier. Guess I can ask that on the forum
Roose was cold and calculating, but we never saw him display anything near the sadism Ramsay did. I think we all knew what was coming when Ramsay summoned Walda, given the show established child-murder (even for very young children) early on, but until the hounds were released there was still that tiny bit of doubtful hope.
His murder of Walda and Roose’s baby alone was enough for me to completely justify Ramsay’s end.
Jaehaerys the Icedragon,
Everyone loves the chicken scene so much (understandable) that no one has mentioned the revelation that he was alive. I was totally expecting it when I saw the name of the episode before it aired, but the people with whom I watched it (none of whom are book readers) pretty much freaked. My daughter hollered in glee, one of my bff’s literally caught her breath before she started chanting OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod, and my husband said “He’s alive??? YEAAAHHH!!!”
So, yeah. Imho, the chicken scene was fun but not unexpected. The Return was waaayyy more impactful.
Black Raven,
Just finished a rewatch a couple of weeks ago. When Slynt refused Jon’s command, Saner Half turned to me and said, “He needs to DIE. Now. No ifs, ands or buts.”
It is completely true that we saw little of Roose’s sadism in action but I would argue that what little we found out about was enough.
Roose raped a woman underneath her husband’s hanged corpse; he raised Ramsay to be a brutal and morally void henchman (“My mother taught me not to throw stones at cripples. But my father taught me, aim for their head”), training him like his son later trained his own dogs; he emphasised his bastard son’s illegitimacy to ensure his obedience; he found amusement in making Jaime believe Cersei had died; he narrated the story of Ramsay’s conception to Ramsay himself (worst episode of How I Met Your Mother ever !)…
Tywin was cold and calculating. Roose was savagely cruel but understood the political necessity to restrict his sadism to a small circle, presenting the rest of the world with a much more acceptable face.
I am tempted to believe each of Roose’s sons was raised to embody one facet of his dual personality : Domeric was the mild-mannered, dutiful Northern lord while Ramsay was the vile beast.
If anything, this is part of Ramsay’s tragedy. He was his father’s creation, like his hounds were his. And both were destroyed by what they engineered. Victor Frankenstein would empathise 😉
ACME,
Roose had another son? Totally missed that, and if its the books, that was probably one of those details that I skipped over…
Wolfish,
I thought the chicken scene humorous but yeah,Id much rather the return be higher up the ladder.
There’s a conversation in Dance where Roose tells someone that Ramsay killed Domeric, though the official cause of death was sickness of bowels.
ash,
Ha ! Don’t worry, Domeric is a “blink and you’ll miss him” kind of character. He died about a year before the story began, I think, of a sickness of the bowels but everyone believes he was killed by… I’ll let you guess 😉
Such great scenes, all of them!
ACME,
Alexis,
Hee, thanks. That saves me rereading 6000 pages….
These are fine, but I do question lumping individual moments under one banner–Arya and Tywin for example–when they are separate moments in a series of scenes. The Chaos is a Ladder scene is only the best and most memorable of several Varys-LF exchanges. Tyrion and Tywin also have an equally superb series, but the Death on the Privy conclusion is the standout.
I think the final three must be pivotal, game-changing moments, preferably in this order: 1) Birth of the Dragons 2) Ned’s execution 3) Jon’s resurrection. Somewhere around 4 – 7 I’d put the show’s supreme comic moment: Hound and Arya eat mor chiken.
Broken Wolf,
Excellent job of trolling. For Arya, killing Walder after feeding him a few son fingers achieves major justice too long delayed. Considering what she saw and heard after the Red Wedding, I think she went about it in a most business-like and long-game manner. How could she not resist quietly exulting in achieving her goal? Sheknows every Frey man participated in the near genocide of her House and that to this day (remember the boasting at the dinner with Jaime) they’re still proud of it. She’s all about justice. Even Ned and Oberyn called vengeance justice. But she’s nuanced enough to have desisted from vengeance/justice in many cases and removed names from her List. The Mycahs, Lommys, Syrios, and Lady Cranes of the world as well as her family and friends are lucky she’s been around and able to bring some justice to their killers. When at last Westeros is at peace and law and order are restored and hopefully rightly enforced, she can turn in her badge as Law West of the Narrow Sea and get on with her life.
Stark Raven’ Rad:
If anyone here has ever mentioned this, I might have missed it…
I always found it interesting that, while wearing the serving-girl face, Arya smiled flirtatiously at Jaime (she had obviously figured out it was expected), but didn’t kill him. She could have easily struck a serious blow to House Lannister. But that’s not how she operates in the world. Cersei is the one on her list, and she’s not going to kill someone else just to hurt Cersei. It’s an application of morality that is both admirable and naïve.
Mr Fixit,
Kissed By Fire is an amazing episode; I think it has no fewer than five all-time great scenes. Besides the three you mention (Arya with Beric & Thoros, Jaime and Brienne in bath, and Karstark’s death), all dark and beautiful in different ways, I’d add Arya and Gendry’s emotional moment about family, and the final scene with Tywin’s shocking plans for Cersei and Tyrion. Each is so superbly written.
Arya offing Walder was one of the best moments of the whole show, it had me screaming at the screen in wrathful joy!
Very true. And also very ironic.
Cersei is on Arya’s list for having ordered Ned’s execution, which we know she neither did nor was even aware of before it happened. Conversely, Jaime is not on the list even though we know he was the one who pushed Bran out of the window.
In a beautifully paradoxical way, Arya has put the wrong twin on her list.
On a sidenote, and without the smallest desire to give any credence or credit to Broken Wolf’s offensive (or troll-ish, or both) statement, I really do not think turning people into pâté is justice. Not even in Westeros.
Killing the three main Freys made sense, considering the death penalty is part of the judicial arsenal in the Seven Kingdoms. Arya could have assassinated them efficiently, swiftly and dispassionately. Stab, stab, stab, done. That would have qualified as justice.
The Frey Pie, with its elements of mutilation, desecration and cruelty, was revenge. Pure, unadulterated, visceral revenge.
From a purely emotional standpoint, it is entirely possible and even normal to understand and empathise with Arya’s pain and her desire to see those who brutalised her family suffer a thousand deaths.
From an intellectual and moral standpoint, conversely, one may feel both horrified and sad witnessing Arya make her own wish come true.
I agree with you here… It’s very telling how we tend to excuse or rationalize acts of cruelty as long as they are performed by our favorite characters. Yes, both Meryn Trant and Walder Frey (well, most of the Freys, I daresay) deserved punishment. No question there… Yet, the brutal and almost ritualistic way in which Arya killed them is hard for me to condone (even if she is dispatching horrible human beings.) And something similar could be said about Sansa feeding Ramsay to the dogs.
I understand that in Westeros, justice and revenge are often very hard to separate. But after cheering those executions (and I confess I did), one should feel both appalled and sad for our favorite characters.
Interesting…I watched the scenes referenced but most were just voice overs of scenes within the same context…not really two separate scenes with similar metaphors, like The Climb scene.
1) Yara scenes: Not really, just Yara speaking over scenes of similar context
2) Joer Mormont under the Wall: Not really…same context
3) Shireen talks Aegon: Close but its just Targ and Targ (I like the history vs present contrast though)
For some reason, The Climb’s dual metaphor context is unique, imho.
A Dornish Tyrell,
I couldn’t agree with you more.
Ramsay Bolton, Walder Frey and Meryn Trant were not “essentially” bad in that what made them villains was not their “essence” but their actions. They found pleasure and/or relief in beating up defenseless people, they mutilated corpses, they psychologically abused their victims, they fed humans to dogs… And season six showed us Jon, Sansa and Arya do just that.
Horrible people are as horrible people do and the same goes for their humane counterparts. So when the “good guys” start copying (or even topping) the bad ones’ misdeeds, why do we still think of them as good ? Simply because they suffered first ?
Walder, Ramsay and Meryn deserved to die by Westerosi standards of justice. Hell, I wanted them to die ! However, the methods used to attack and kill them were unnecessarily cruel, brutal and vicious.
Now, I do not believe the Stars are going to turn “evil” but I do think the writers intended for the viewers to question the righteousness of the protagonists’ actions, Arya’s perhaps even more so considering the Frey Pie was her second display of bloody retribution after Trant. I have no doubt that she will come back from this (it is never too late to, as per Brother Ray) as she proved herself capable of in her beautiful interaction with Lady Crane. But as things stand right now, I find myself unable to lionise her and her siblings’ actions, regardless of the fact that the people they attacked truly were massive pieces of “shift”.
No pile of bodies, no matter how horrifically mutilated, is going to “fix” what was done to them and they are going to have to reconcile themselves with that, I think.
Gotta agree with that. It did feel like one long segment, all parts dependent on the whole. A beautifully crafted piece.