Watchers on the Wall Awards: Best Death Scene of Season 6

bestdeath

Today in the Watchers on the Wall Awards finals, we’re taking a look at the most ghoulish of prizes: Best Death Scene. And this being Game of Thrones, there was no shortage of contenders. Season six was particularly ruthless, knocking off a huge number of people, including heroes, villains and characters who have been with us for many years.

But only five scenes can fight it out for the award for Best Death Scene. (You can find the detailed results of the preliminary round poll HERE.) The finalists in the category are:

  • Walder Frey gets his just desserts, thanks to Arya
  • Hodor holds the door
  • Lancel, High Sparrow, Margaery, Loras and everyone else goes up in green flames at the sept
  • Tommen commits suicide after witnessing the destruction of the sept
  • Ramsay is fed to his own dogs

Final round rules: Cast your vote for the winner in our Best Death poll. In the finals, unlike the preliminaries, fans have one vote to cast in each category. At the end of 72 hours (Monday 9/12/16 at 2PM EDT), the death scene with the most votes will be the winner! The results of the poll will be revealed during the live Watchers on the Wall Awards ceremony, which will take place in early October. Specific date to be announced in the near future!

Best Death Poll:

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

86 Comments

  1. While I personally found Ramsay’s death the most satisfying on a primitive level of craving retribution for his sadistic awfulness, from a visual storytelling perspective I decided to vote for Tommen’s suicide. I loved how matter-of-fact, understated and poignant it was: a perfect stillpoint of drama. Sometimes less fuss is more of a punch to the gut than characters screaming in pain and terror. As with Thorne’s death speech, it takes grace and class to embrace utter defeat with equanimity. So, although I’m no monarchist, here’s a wee curtsy to the late king!

  2. Hodor’s sacrifice was profound and desperately sad and heroic. “Best”? No. It was as moving as anything I have ever seem on TV, though.

    Other nominees were shocking or satisfying, but Hodor, wow, I had something in my eye.

  3. Had to go with Ramsay even though I wanted to pick Hodor! Ramsay’s death was the most satisfying thing that I think has ever happened in the Seven Kingdoms.

  4. Of this list, I choose Ramsey’s Death because it was the perfect death for him. He deserved it more than anyone in the series ever did and it was the perfect way for him to go. Poetic Justice. This was set up for years…since Tanseys death. The expression on Sansa’s face as she walked away was priceless…the exact same expression when she learned that Joffrey was to marry Margery. I was never so happy to see someone go on this show with the exception of maybe Joffrey. The method…perfection.

    The music to the whole wildfire/sept was brilliant and one of the all time best scenes in the series. Every actor in that was brilliant. Actually every aspect was brilliant

    Hodor’s death was the most heartbreaking/tragic because he was an innocent saving people he loved.

    Great to see Walder Frey meet an appropriate end…but to me something was missing from the scene.

    Tommen…tragic but mild by the standards of this show. He was an innocent and maybe he realized he couldn’t hold true to who he was and exist in Kings Landing.

  5. They were all really good deaths. But Hodors is the only one that affected me. So much so I had to stop for watching for a couple of minutes because i was crying so hard. Im still scarred.

  6. Wow, what a tough group to choose from!

    Purely from the feeling of schadenfreude, I really enjoyed Ramsay’s and Walder Frey’s deaths.

    Tommen’s death was the most poignant of them all.

    The explosion of the sept was the most visually gratifying of them all.

    But the one that hit me the hardest in the guts, and forever changed my perspective on a simple phrase, was Hodor holding the door. So that one wins for me.

  7. This is a tough one … Hodor’s was the most shocking and upsetting, and Tommen’s was definitely tragic … Walder Frey’s was great fun and the explosion of the sept took out so many people at once that it’s hard to see as one death…

    So for me, I think the best, most visceral, satisfying jump-on-the-couch-and-cringe-and-cheer-at-the-same-time and well-deserved death was Ramsey’s at the hand of his beloved wife – Sansa.

    Rest in Poop, Ramsey!

  8. I can imagine Hodor will win this because everybody loves Hodor but the best death scene was by far the wildfire that decimated the sept and every poor soul in it.

  9. So hard to decide between Hodor and Ramsey. One so emotional and one so satisfying.

    Ultimately, I went with Hodor.

  10. I ultimately went with Hodor.

    In terms of satisfaction, it would have been Walder or Ramsey, in terms of spectacle, it would have been the Sept, but Hodor’s death felt like a complete game-changer. The implications for Bran, for Hodor’s entire existence leading up to that point, and for Westerosi history were huge enough for it to surpass everything else.

  11. Hodor. Really tough choice. The Sept was amazing and took out so many instantly, but the whole emotion and reveal behind Hodor….oof.

    All very effective, really. Tommen’s was just sad. Ramsay’s just proved that he really is part of Sansa now. Walder’s…..well. Eye for an eye (or throat for a throat). Sons for a son. But yeah, Hodor. Still think there has to be some fallout for Bran next season, surely he will mourn the loss of his most loyal friends, Hodor and Summer.

  12. Sept Explosion. That sequence has easily become one of the most iconic moments of the whole series (along with Ned’s execution, birth of dragons, Red Wedding, Mountain vs. Viper). So, even though basically all the other death scenes were incredible, there’s no real competition here (although Hodor’s death takes second spot by a landslide).

  13. Hodor. No other character has been given a more heroic death. Not Ned the protagonist, not Robb the Young Wolf, not the all powerful Tywin. Their endings were very mundane for the world they live in. Not Hodor though. Hodor’s death, and what led to his death, was incredibly depressing, moving and beautiful in its sacrifice and determination. If we are speaking of production value, no other character has had a better death moment.

  14. Great list of nominees. I think I voted for the hanging of the mutineers instead of Walder Frey. But I, can’t complain about his inclusion. Walder Frey had a great, satisfying death. He was such a fun and despicable character, and it was great to see Arya be the one to kill him. It’s also the perfect end to her arc, seeing the scary combination of the Faceless training with her passionate hatred of her enemies. Like many of the other satisfying revenge scenes, it is also a bit unsettling, as it should be. Arya seems less and less human, and the inclusion of the “Frey pie” was haunting and disturbing (and a great callback to the Rat Cook story from the Season 3 finale).

    What I loved about the explosion of the sept is how it gave proper sendoffs to so many characters. Loras’ trial; Mace’s emotional reaction to that trial; having Lancel be the one to discover the wildfire; the High Sparrow’s slow realization that he’s doomed (I’ll miss you, Pryce); and, of course, everything to do with Margaery, the biggest casualty of the scene. I loved how her character was the first one to realize the danger of staying there, how she very publicly abandoned the mask she had worked so hard to create, and of course how she was restrained from leaving by the very people she had allied herself with. While Cersei always rebelled against the designated role for women, Margaery found a way to gain power and influence through that role. She was better than anyone at convincing powerful men to want what she wanted, but that meant she was dependent on them for her power and survival. That strategy was what brought her to the Sept that day, where she would meet her end. Very poetically fitting end for Margaery, and her final scenes in particular make this a competitive option.

    Tommen had a very sad and surprisingly emotional death, in my opinion. Very well directed scene. I think I said this in the Preliminary Round, but the way they focus on the destruction for such a long time before Tommen reenters the frame was brilliant. It reflects, in a way, Cersei’s mindset. She was so focused on revenge that she blinded herself to how that would affect Tommen. His reentry into the frame and eventual demise reminded us all of one of the more tragic consequences of that explosive scene.

    Ramsay maybe had the most satisfying death of the year. Being fed to his own dogs was not only poetic justice for everything he has done, but like the Walder Frey death, it made the death scene a bit unsettling as well. I’m glad that the show gives us these cathartic revenge killings, but also shows how that has an effect on the killer, in this case Sansa. Loved the dialogue between the two, and the slow buildup to that first bite from the hound, and Sansa’s smile while Ramsay screamed in the background. One of the best scenes of the year, certainly a worthy nominee.

    But Hodor is the clear winner here. Not only was it the most heartbreaking death of the year (I cried both times that I watched it), but the going back and forth between his death and his “origin” was unique, effective and powerful. How many times do the final scenes with a character also serve to explain that character? Very rare, making Hodor’s already heroic and tragic end all the more special and worthy of the win.

  15. Although I cried for Hodor and the sept scene was amazing, there is no death that is more tragic than a suicide. Plus, that prolonged shot of the open window and the silence…a masterpiece. So, Tommen for me. I never cared for him like I did when he died.

  16. As much as I enjoyed watching Ramsey get his via his own dogs and Walder being offered his own boys before Arya offed him, the best death scene has got to be:

    HODOR (Hold the Door!!)

  17. To me the choice was between Hodor and the sept explosion but went with Hodor because the whole scene and reveal was just amazing.Not to mention the great sacrifice that his death was

  18. “You raised me to be strong… and I wasn’t. But I want to be. Help me.”

    Best Death: Tommen Baratheon

    Honorable Mention: Hodor

  19. It’s difficult to choose the “best” death scene because they could all be the best for different reasons.

    In terms of the most moving death, for me, it was Hodor’s . Watching Hodor die was profoundly sad. To know he spent the majority of his life mentally altered by Bran, uttering only one word, and that one word being the last word he heard before sacrificing himself to save Bran, was mind blowing. I was in tears.

    The most gratifying death was Walder Frey’s. Watching Arya feed him his sons and slit his throat, was definitely payback for the Red Wedding and the brutal deaths of her brother and mother, which ultimately set her on the course she took.

    Although it was also gratifying to see Ramsey get his just desserts, his was not the most gratifying, but it was the goriest. Giant dogs ripping off Ramsay’s face was an eye closing moment for me, but, I must admit, I had a Sansa smile on my face when he met his end.

    The most brilliant and amazing death scene was, without a doubt, the Sept exploding. The music, the way the segment was shot, the special effects, the loss of so many characters at one time, was absolutely genius.

    The most shocking and unexpected death was Tommen’s. Although I didn’t expect him to survive Season 6, I did not forsee Tommen committing suicide in the manner he did, in what was a remarkably shot scene.

    As I could only pick one, I chose Hodor’s death as it emotionally impacted me more than the others.

  20. Best Death Scene: Tommen

    All five of these death scenes provoked a reaction in me – though for different reasons. With Walder Frey, I felt that his murder was karmic justice for what he did to the Starks, and I also feel that it brought an end to a story arc that began with the Red Wedding. Jon may have been given credit for avenging it, but I feel it was much more a Team Stark effort – and Arya played her part in that. And I’m glad that the last thing this man saw was a Stark avenging their family.

    Similarly, I feel a sense of justice in Ramsay’s death. After his torture and mutilation of Theon and what he put Sansa through, the only sadness I had in Ramsay’s death was the knowledge that the acting talent of Iwan Rheon would no longer be seen on GoT. Sansa now understands what the Hound told her in seasons one and two about the satisfaction that can exist in a person when killing – and it was karma that one of Ramsay’s weapons was turned on him.

    The Sept of Baelor explosion, in which about half of the remaining KL cast was killed, cost us Margaery and Loras (and others, but they are the two I will really miss) and was one of the greatest set pieces in GoT to date. The acting was amazing, and while I have often thought that the show emphasized Mace’s oafishness a bit too much, I loved him in this scene – it was clear just how much Mace loves his family, and for the first time I felt like they brought over the book canon of Loras being Mace’s favorite.

    The hardest one for me to not vote for was Hodor. I was literally in bits on my floor watching this scene. The acting, direction, score, editing………..it was all amazing, and the way in which Wyllis became Hodor set up his death from such a young age was heartbreaking. For someone who only ever had one line, Kristian Nairn acted the hell out of that part and 605 was no exception.

    My actual first choice – the execution of the Night’s Watch mutineers – did not make it through, but ultimately of those that did I went for Tommen. The aging-up of Tommen really worked, as a result of both the excellent performance of Dean-Charles Chapman and the retention of a naivety and innocence in the character. Tommen was too sweet for this world, and was always a pawn – never a player – in the game of thrones. It is a kick to the gut that in the end, when he finally did seize the initiative and act, it was to end his own life. Tommen was manipluated by his family and advisers all the way through – the only thing he actively chose to do was end his life. And that made his suicide break my heart twice over.

  21. Tough call between Walder and Hodor, but had to go with Hodor since the title is “best scene“. White Walkers attacking the TER’s lair, timey wimey revelations and Hodor’s sacrifice together make an incredible scene. It left me shocked for hours and the sadness came later.
    Arya slitting Frey’s throat had me shouting at the screen and waving my fist 🙂 So good!

  22. The Great Sept as an ash mausoleum, the most tense, tragic and well done collective death scene in the GOT after RW.

  23. Ramsay had a perfectly nice end for his character, but its seeming inevitability and slight obviousness lessened the impact. Walder’s death was an interesting surprise, but it wasn’t particularly exciting or emotionally involving- which probably was a very intentional choice to keep it low key, but still not a great death in my opinion. The Green Trial similarly gets points for shock value but was more a great sequence than a great death for the characters it took. Conversely, I am tempted to vote for Tommen’s because it was such a beautifully shot and preformed little sequence. Where the green death felt to me like a big in your face season finale moment, Tommen’s fall felt more…Shakespearean? If that makes sense? (I don’t have a problem with the TV show having deaths in the former category, mind you, they just don’t stick with me as much.) That being said, I have to go with Hold the Door as the perfect mix of tear spinning, shocking revelations, and appropriateness for the character (how else could Hodor die but sacrificing himself for Bran?), the three ingredients for a perfect death scene.

  24. Ugh, this was a difficult choice to make. Walder’s and Ramsay’s deaths were long overdue and soooo satisfying. And while Hodor’s death wasn’t as graphic as theirs, it was incredibly sad. All 3 will go down as some of the most memorable in GOT.

    In the end, I voted for Walder Frey’s death. It was a long time coming. I’ll never forget his grinning from ear to ear as he watch his defenseless guests get butchered, or how he enjoyed taunting a dying Robb and a desperate Catelyn, or how disgusting he was addressing in Talisa. And even after he got his revenge, he was still a petty delusional little man. I was giddy when he realized he’d eaten his sons and then when actual fear crossed his face and he tried to flee. And then Arya revealing who she was and how her Stark face would be the last thing he’d see – just perfection. I don’t think they could’ve come up with a better death for Walder Frey than the one we saw.

  25. Wow, this is really hard, I think because the scenes are for the most part very different.

    The sept is one of my favorite scenes of the entire season. It’s gorgeously shot, the music is stunning – I just love it. But the deaths in that didn’t affect me all that much – I’ll miss the Tyrells but I have never felt as much for them as for, say, the Starks.

    Tommen is also a great scene, and beautifully done. It was also a total shock to me when it happened. But again, I’m not really gonna miss the marshmallow, you know?

    The Sansa and Arya scenes are actually pretty similar, in that they are exacting sweet, sweet revenge. For me the Arya one is better because the minute I cheered I saw the look in her eye and started to get very, very worried about the path she is on, and whether she can ever come back from it.

    In the end, the Arya is a close second. But Hodor… I don’t know that any other scene affected me emotionally as much as this one all season. Hard not to vote for that!

  26. For me this was a no brainer… Ramsey Bolton and with Walder Frey coming in second place.

    Other deaths such as Hodor and Tommen were tragic, but the two mentioned above were despicable characters who had it coming for years 🙂

  27. For me, that entire sequence of the sept explosion, along with the gong and music and Cercei’s calmness was extraordinary. I personally think that was the best 1st 20 minutes I have ever seen, TV or movie. The direction was beyond amazing. The score moved my spirit and soul, I have listened to Light of the Seven over and over. Sad for Margery but it’s unbelievable how Lena Headey actually made me feel sorry for Cercei instead of hating her guts. That’s acting to the core. And then add in the torture of Septa Unella, priceless. Shame, shame, shame. I’m on my 3rd viewing of all seasons and learn something new every time. By far, the best cinema ever!

  28. Death scene – I’m still thinking on this and what it means. Best acted death? Best filmed or cgi-d? Most emotional for the viewers? Between Tommen, the sept and Hodor, for me. I’ll vote later.

  29. Boy, this was a tough vote. I eventually had to go by process of elimination:

    – Walder Frey: Great poetic justice, but I already voted for him as best guest actor.
    – Ramsay Bolton: Also great poetic justice, but I already voted for him as best actor.
    – Sept of Baelor: Made me shout at my screen and cry, but it’s gonna be my vote for best dramatic scene, because there is so much more to that scene than just the actual death scene.

    That left me with Hodor and Tommen. Ultimately, I voted for Hodor, because to me a good death scene is one that grips me emotionally, making me shout “please don’t die” at the screen and cry when it’s over. Bonus points for scenes that are deeply unsettling on a more subliminal level and Hodor’s death was exactly that. His death was the only one in the entire series that was absolutely and irreversibly unpreventable. If it hadn’t happened, Hodor would never have been Hodor. The fact that Bran realized that Hodor’s disability and ultimate death were essentially his fault only drove home the tragedy of this scene. Kristian Nairn did an outstanding job. I hope only good things will come his way.

    As for Tommen, his death is kind of a weird mixed bag for me. The creepy, unsettling element is definitely there upon rewatch, but his scene did not make me curse and cry. It made me laugh. That said, Dean Chapman did an excellent job playing Tommen and I wish him all the best 🙂

  30. Hodor. Hands down. That’s one of the best death scenes for anything ever.

    My snarky response –because I feel it’s the lone black eye of an otherwise tremendous season– is all of the one stab deaths; Areo, Prince Doran, Lancel, Roose Bolton, did I miss anyone? It’s the lone black eye comparatively because of another person who took the most brutal stabbing and lived.

  31. I voted for Hodor holds the door, with the destruction of the Sept taking a close second place. Both are among the most memorable scenes that the show has ever given us. From a craft perspective, I think that the sequence that opened the finale may be the single best scene in Game of Thrones’ illustrious history, I know I’ll be voting for it in several other categories in these awards. But I feel compelled to respect the raw emotional power of Hodor’s sacrifice, which still tears me up each and every time I watch it. It’s very, very close.

    Tommen’s suicide, Ramsay’s evisceration, and Walder’s just desserts are all incredibly powerful scenes as well. I think all of the nominees here comfortably stack up among the very best death scenes in a show famous for them. That’s fitting for a season in which we said goodbye to so many beloved long-time cast members. A record 26 actors received Curtain Calls this year, and of course, the actual number of the dearly departed is even greater.

  32. Wait…. Best as in the most satisfying or best as in the most emotional? ahhhhh Most Satisfying is Ramsey but most emotional is Hodor! Not sure, but my gut says Hodor!

  33. Hodor was brutal, made me feel really bad.
    But I love Tommen’s death from an artistic point of view. The direction of that scene is perfect. The framing of the shot, the timing of the scene, where it sits in the episode, how sudden it comes. It’s brilliant directing. Many people could have directed Hodor’s death with a similar result, but Tommen’s death is a work of art and therefore my choice.

  34. Alba Stark,

    Yep. My thoughts exactly which is why I chose Tommen. The others moved me in different ways, but his death indeed was the only time he made a decision on his own. And the way it was shot was perfect.

    Tho seeing Ramsey and Walder’s deaths were extremely satisfying, I must say.

  35. Ramsey was the most satisfying, so I went with it, but Hodor was the most tragic to me, I vacillated for a long time between the two, it was a difference by 1 millimeter in measurement terms.

    I had the same problem between Sophie and Lena, went with the girl I root for Lady Sansa.

  36. Tough call, but I picked…

    Sept-splosion!

    The build up, the music, the payoff.

    Fantastic!

  37. The Sept blowing up was unbelievable, but finding any of it fitting in the “Best death” category is tough. Maybe the High Sparrow could fit. Or possibly the whole prelude for Margaery.

    Hodor did have an impact on me, yes…

    … but not as large as Tommen’s dive. Tommen must get my vote in this case.

  38. For me, the best deaths are the emotional ones, so “Hodor holds the door” gets a vote from me (although I can admit that watching Sansa witnessing Ramsay being torn apart was a satsfying one).

  39. This was tough! All of these scenes were glorious. In the end, I had to go with Hodor because of all the sobbing I did …

  40. Gotta be in-sept-tion.

    As much as I adored (gross?) Ramsey’s face being eaten and Tommens perfect fall.

  41. This is a tough one. Is the Best Death the most satisfying one, the most emotional one, the most unexpected, the most dramatic?

    I choose Hodor’s death. I didn’t expect it to happen and it incredibly sad and horrific. Hodor was a gentle soul who sacrificed himself for his friends and, most likely, a crucial piece of this story.

  42. Hodor’s death had the biggest affect on me, so voting for Hodor’s death.

    I don’t even know why Ayra killing Walder Frey is on here, boring and lame.

    How many times are we going to see Arya slicing someone’s throat and smiling, getting really old. D&D need to be a little more creative.

    Let along how unrealistic it is how she slowly slices someone’s throat as that person makes no attempt with their hands to stop it. Who would just flay their hands around as their throat is getting slit? Dumb…

  43. Hodor! though Tommen’s death was moving and beautifully done.

    I loved the concept of killing off Frey and Ramsay, but the way it was done was anticlimactic. The Sept of Baelor going down was incredibly well done, but for me the visuals drowned out the emotional impact of the deaths.

  44. I voted for Tommen’s death. I knew he was going to die, but the scene itself caught me off guard. The matter of fact manner he removes his crown and then silently steps out the window was heartrending.

  45. Picked the sept one because wildfire and exploisons.
    As much as i loved to see our favorite villains ala Ramsay and Walder finally dying a horrible death, there isnt really much that can top the wildfire scene.

  46. The sept explosion is EASILY my favorite GoT (extended) scene, but there’s so much more going on than a death. I don’t feel Best Death is the category fit for honoring everything that went right in that scene.

    Hodor’s scene, on the other hand, for me at least, centered entirely around his death. While there were of course many other elements at play (and RIP Leaf </3), it's the manner of Hodor's death that sticks with me. To me, the death of Marg/the High Sparrow are only peripheral to the power grab that was the Green Trial.

    I felt like I had to justify my decision to myself 🙂 go Hodor! Hoping KL pulls out the win for Best Dramatic Scene.

  47. Difficult. Knowing Hodor would win and probably should, I used process of elimination. After waiting all season for Tommen to die, it was no surprise. Nicely done, though. Ramsay was due his comeuppance, but the whole season led up to it. The poetic justice of death by dog and the final perpetrator were delicious, however. But no surprise. The Sept explosion was spectacular and gorgeously filmed, scored, acted, costumed, etc. Many of us thought the High Sparrow would die this season, maybe with the lower sparrows too. But killing Margaery and Loras and Kevan and Mace, plus Pycelle and Lancel and half the toffs of the capital–that was hard to envisage. It was minimally foreshadowed by vague allusions between Cersei and Qyburn to rumours, which most here guessed was about wildfyre stores. Wonderful, epic, and plausible, I almost voted for it. So why pick the killing of Walder Frey?
    As a devoted book reader and Stark bannerman, I’ve been very frustrated that after five books and seasons, three of the four perpetrators [more about that shortly] of the Red Wedding were still alive and thriving. Tywin and Roose were done by their own sons. But not a single Stark had avenged Ned’s murder, much less the RW. Walder returned as his usual cantankerous, boastful self. I thought Jaime might give the old gaffer the pointy end, but the moment passed. And since Arya had such a great final line to utter in “No One”, she seemed done for the season. Luckily, she instead did the midnight flit with a jet pack, nicking a face or two from Jaqen’s collection. (That girl could steal the balls off the Titan of Braavos!) So we get to see masked/unmasked Arya (payoff of the HOB&W story), kill Walder as he ironically stuffs his mouth with bits of son-meat at the very spot from which he supervised the Red Wedding and in the manner that Catelyn was killed (all payoff for the Red Wedding). Arya taunts the master taunter with her identity a day after he told Jaimie the Starks would mock him no more. (Sapochnik could even have ended it by showing his blood mingling with a faint stain on the floor where Catelyn had stood, but didn’t.) So this was my pick due the scene’s considerable surprise, timeliness, fulfillment of plot set-ups, appropriateness, excellent execution(!) AND the Frey Pies Easter egg to readers.
    This my theory about the 4th perpetrator. It’s possible, even likely, that on the show the Red Wedding was suggested and maybe even outlined by Littlefinger. He’s certainly capable of it. In this case, he had motive, means, opportunity, and Machiavellian genius . In Renly’s camp he had told Catelyn that he’d loved her since boyhood and fate seems to have presented this chance… . She didn’t let him finish his sentence, but he surely would have said “to be together”. After her rebuff, he asked (threatened), “Do you want to see your girls alive again?”. By the NEXT episode he’s jet-packed to present a proposal to Tywin at Harrenhal . The scene begins with Tywin’s war council and shows his frustration at being beaten by Robb, who also holds Jaime prisoner. While Arya dodges LF’s gaze to avoid being recognised, LF discusses taking advantage of chaos (which Tywin mocks) and then proposes a match between Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell. Tywin:”What other brilliant insights have you brought me today?”. LF mentions defeating Stannis and Robb Stark and more and then Tywin says “What else?” Arya leaves, so we hear nothing they end up saying. In LF’s next scene, several episodes later, Joffrey presents him Harrenhal and its riches. Tywin’s forte was military strategy. LF’s forte was treachery and ambush. Together those are deadly. At some point, I think Tywin gave up on the battlefield solution and approached Walder and Roose. Perhaps he arranged the gift of Harrenhal because it’s where Littlefinger had given him the keys to the kingdom. Probably we’ll never learn if this conjecture is true, but then we did learn that LF induced Lysa to kill Jon Arryn, which would make Robert seek Ned’s help and lead to Ned leaving Cat and the safety of Winterfell, and so on and so on. Chaos is a ladder and the long game of revenge is sweet.

  48. There’s only one scene that stopped me in my tracks and stuck with me for days on end: Hodor holding the door. In my opinion it’s actually better suited for Best Dramatic Scene, but since I fear it might not take the big one, I had to vote for it here already.

  49. So many good death scenes it was hard to choose but I went with Hodor´s…that was a beautiful,sad, haunting scene and it had me bawling my eyes out every single time I saw it 🙁

  50. I went with Hodor for the sheer pity of it all. Like others I felt a certain gratification with the deaths of Ramsay and Lord Frey. There was poignancy in Tommen’s death too – he was just too young or otherwise unsuited to be a king and after Cersei bumped off so many people in the Sept (I’m kind of sorry we never got to see a face off between her and Margaery) I’m back to thinking – what a b***ch – or is that an insult to female dogs?

  51. For me, there are only two contenders.

    Walder Frey’s and Ramsay’s deaths, while glad they got their karma, left me feeling uncomfortable about revenge and those who exacted it. The green trial was spectacular and I loved how smart Marg knew something was amiss.

    But the ones that actually made me cry.

    Tommen. So poignant, and so beautifully filmed, with the removing of the crown and the view from the window… wait… wait… wait… Stepping on the windowsill and plunging, with no hesitation whatsover. Finally Tommen did something for himself. Poor wee soul, he wasn’t cut out to be a king, manipulated by his mother, wife, high sparrow, whomever. All he wanted was to do right and play with his kittens Ser Pounce, Whiskers and Boots.

    Hodor. I was a blubbering mess afterwards. His disability, his loyality, his friedship, his protection. In a strange time-loop Bran destroyed his life forever. It’s so poignant it hurts. And makes you angry. By what right does the wolf appropriate the life of a loyal servant?

    I had a really difficult time deciding between Tommen and Hodor but went with Hodor in the end. Hodor’s death was a real gut punch and I cried more than at Tommen’s or Maester Aemons’s (my previous record) deaths.

  52. I started to read the nominees, got to Hod– in the second choice and went “OK, that’s it.” I was done. No question. Hodor holds the door. That just… no words. I don’t see how anything competes. At all. In anyway. Hodor hodoring.

    Yeah.

  53. I’d love to pick Ramsey’s as it was so justified, but the CGI just wasn’t working for me.
    I love the Sept explosion, but those people didn’t grab me emotionally.
    The horror of the wights everywhere, inescapable, unstoppable, even by the Raven; and poor brave, heartwarming, loveable Hodor living out the horror that plagued him his entire life was just a perfectly executed sequence IMO. Easy choice.

  54. Huh. I’m surprised at all the Sept love. There wasn’t a single character in that whole storyline I cared about. I guess it was a nice effects scene but otherwise it was ehhh to me. Good riddance to the whole King’s Landing plot, I say. I wish Cersei had been in there too! Since Ned left town it just hasn’t been the same for me. Haha. Hodor is the clear winner in my opinion. Looks like it could be a close call between the two. Interesting.

  55. Tommen’s suicide is best death scene for me, with the Sept explosion for second place.

    The story that Hodor’s name foreshadowed his death was very nicely constructed, but I don’t think his actual manner of dying was that spectacular; but, his loss is impactful.

    Ramsay getting eaten by his dogs….yawn. Been there, done that. Too glib, too symmetrical, too cute.

  56. Tommen’s swan dive out of the tower wins. People predicted it, but I thought they’d be wrong. Part of me thought Tommen was going to last until the end and be elected since he didn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body.

    Walder Frey’s death with Arya was a little “overcooked.” GOT can do better.

    Hodor’s death was good but the whole wight wallwalking scene was corny. GOT can do better.

    Ramsey fed to his own dogs was also good, but well foreshadowed. Plus I was sad to see him go, like I was with Joffrey. The bad guys are almost as important to me as what Jon does. So in a way this death was special because Jon was involved. 2nd place.

    Green flames of death at the Sept was unexpected to me, due to the number of characters that ate it in a blink. Even though it was well foreshadowed, I was caught off-guard. The effects didn’t do it for me, though. GOT could have done better there.

  57. Best death for me means moved me most, emotionally – or perhaps that should say, ‘surprised me and made me cry’.

    Arya killing Walder Frey – nah. Too little, too late, somehow. Found it only mildly satisfying.
    Ramsay being fed to his dogs – I couldn’t really feel any satisfaction over his death, not after everything he’d already done.
    Septsplosion – beautifully shot, hauntingly scored; but you could see it coming from episodes beforehand, same as Cerseis descent into madness. Fascinating to watch, and I never knew I had come to care so much about Margaery untill she didn’t make it out in time, but not enough to get my vote in this category.

    Tommens suicide – no dialogue, no music; it left me gasping for air and has haunted me since. Did not want to see it may be coming. I mean, for such a young and innocent boy, death by violence from your political enemies is bad enough. Death by suicide….ugh. It fit the story, can’t even try to toss this one on the ‘done for shock effect’ pile. Almost got my vote.

    Voted for Hodors death, in the end – was much moved by that one too (who wasn’t…). What decided me in the end was Hodor has been with us way longer then Tommen.

  58. Hold the Door, without a doubt. All amazing choices and incredible scenes, but Hodor’s death was all in one: shocking, unexpected, sad, tragic, and made me cry like a baby. Rest In Peace our beautiful and brave giant.

  59. This should be “who gets 2nd best death?”. Anyone who doesn’t vote for Hodor hates children, puppies and eats baby seals and dolphins.

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