Today, we’ve come to a major category in the Watchers on the Wall Awards finals: Best Dramatic Scene of Season 6. Game of Thrones never lacks for dramatic moments, but this past season took it to new heights. with long-awaited revelations and reunions, shocking power plays and of course, many many deaths.
There was a long list of nominees in the preliminary round for this award, but with almost 10,000 votes from WotW readers, we narrowed it down to the top 5. Watch the finalist scenes, tear up, take a deep breath, and cast your vote for Best Dramatic Scene. Your finalists are:
In the battle, Jon is nearly crushed, finds the will to live again, and breaks through in a rebirth.
The trial begins, and Cersei destroys the sept of Baelor with wildfire.
Jon and Sansa reunite tearfully, and catch up afterward.
The Night King attacks the cave, Bran wargs, and Hodor holds the door.
At the Tower of Joy, young Ned finds his sister Lyanna has just given birth.
The complete results from round 1 voting in this category can be viewed here!
Final round rules: Cast your vote for the winner in our Best Dramatic Scene poll. In the finals, unlike the preliminaries, fans have one vote to cast in each category. At the end of 72 hours (Monday 9/19/16 at 9PM EDT), the 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!
THE KIT IN THE TOWER!
Voted for ToJ of course.
The Sept. What an absolute masterpiece of filmmaking.
Hodor!
I voted for Cersei & her wildfire attack on the Sept of Baelor. It was a very hard decision because of Hodor, that was my second choice.
Um there are more or less three Jon scenes in here.How am I supposed to do this??
As emotionally effective as the Hold the Door scene was, the Sept destruction sequence was absolutely magnificent. It was a masterpiece of editing, scoring, and directing and is one of the greatest scenes in television recently.
Very close choice between Hold the Door and Jon nearly being crushed.
Ultimately went with Hold the Door because that whole cave and warging sequence was longer than that particular part of the BotB and had a lot more going on with it (as well as the major deaths of named characters!)
My Vote: The trial begins, and Cersei destroys the Sept of Baelor with wildfire.
Winnowing down all of the incredible options in the preliminary round to only five selections was an impossible task, and all five nominees that ultimately made it through are breathtaking in their own way, comfortably earning their place amidst the greatest moments Game of Thrones has ever given us. In any other year, I would be thrilled to vote for any one of them. No matter which one emerges victorious, I’ll be happy, because it will be a profoundly worthy winner.
But in this specific case, I’m not going to second-guess my own instincts. With respect to craft, execution, and sheer audacious ambition, I consider the opening sequence of “The Winds of Winter” to be the best scene in the show’s illustrious history. That was my opinion when the finale first aired two-and-a-half months ago, and it hasn’t wavered since. So that’s my choice.
Close Second: All of them. Seriously. If this were a ranked ballot, I would happily devote a considerable amount of time towards formulating an exact ranking. But since it isn’t, I’d rather devote that time to watching those scenes all again. In fact, I think I’ll go do that right now …
For best DRAMA it has to be Hold the Door
Jon and Sansa’s reunion. That brought tears to my eyes and even made the staff members cry according to the director. I know it probably won’t win but to me it was awesome.
It’s pointless for me to try to distinguish my comment when Jared nailed it. This is dead on. They’ve never succeeded so well in such a prolonged dramatic sequence like this. It’s such a masterwork of editing, scoring, acting and dialogue and direction. It’s so brilliant. That the TOJ, Jon being crushed and “hold the door” can be considered less than this is amazing given that they rank too as among the best moments of the series put on film as well. Amazing.
Despite the beyond-irritating music at the beginning, it has to be the Sept, in no small part due to the wonderful Natalie Dormer. ❤
Same for me ?
For every reason already stated, Cersei’s trial
The best piece of cinema the show ever put together
This one is a serious no-brainer … HODOR!!!
“Hold The Door” is. without a doubt, the most dramatic scene of Season 6! I know I’m not alone in feeling this so I predict a landslide victory for this one!
Wow this was incredibly hard to choose from but once again I voted for The Night King attacks the cave, Bran wargs, and Hodor holds the door.. If it were up to me, this sequence would probably win every award lol!
Unfortunately there are 3 Jon scenes to choose from and I think it will end up costing him, though my favorite from his scenes is probably Jon finding the will to live.
The scene that moved me the most among these five, by far, was the least spectacular: two Starks reuniting.
I voted for Hodor.
Impossible decision, came down to sept vs battle. I voted for the battle, as it affected me more emotionally, though the King’s Landing montage was incredible, too.
It was really hard to choose between Jon’s emotionally bracing battle scene and the attack by the Night’s king. Had to go with the Battle of the Bastards because if that doesn’t get Kit Harrington an Emmy, nothing will.
For pure suck-me-in dramatic effect, I have to go with Jon’s crush. I was seriously unable to breathe during that whole sequence! Spectacular!
They are going to split the votes, unfortunately. There were too many Jon scenes to choose from. The KitN scene did not even make the cut. The sept explosion is almost certainly going to win this. I voted for the ToJ mainly because the emotional impact of this scene was more than any other, for me. Hold the door, Jon finding the will to live and the Jon-Sansa reunion were all extraordinary scenes and they all come joint second for me.
The Sept explosion scene was probably the best executed one in the show’s history so far. But maybe because I knew what was coming and the fact that Margaery was the only character I really cared about among the casualties, it did not have the same emotional impact for me.
Oh, c’mon!!!! This is too hard. I haven’t being able to cast my vote because each and every one of them moved me deeply but in different directions.
The destruction of the Sept made me seat on the edge of my seat… again. The build up was incredible, I shared Maergery’s desperation
Jon being crushed left me gasping for air. “C’mon Jon, c’mon… get out of there” (Many years ago I was almost crushed at the entrance of a concert, so you can imagine my pulse rate went through the roof with this).
Hold the Door made me cry… again. Really, really heartbreaking.
Jon and Sansa’s reunion was heart-warming. Left me wanting to give them both a hug.
And the Promise me Ned made me say “yassss” once again… It was a huge pay off after years of wondering….
Jon’s re-resurrection and the Sansa-Jon encounter I could put in a second tier, but the other three scenes, are just too powerful…
In the Hold the Door – Bran becomes the three-eyed raven, we see what presumably is the death of the childre of the forest, we see the previous three-eyed raven, Summer and Hodor die… and we realized that the mark on Bran’s arm can be dangerous for everybody if it attempts against the magic in the Wall.
In the ToJ scene, we learn an information that could presumably completely alter the Game of Thrones. If Lyanna and Raegar wed, then Jon is the rightful heir to the throne… We understand Ned’s plight and the sacrifice he made to protect his nephew and the consequences of this.
In the Sept, we see how Cersei obliterated the enemies, some of which she had supported initially… and we loose Maergery, one of the few truly clever people in Westeros… (I’m still in mourning).
So which one?? Still don’t know… Ugh
Hold the Door !!
Tower of Joy. R + L = J confirmed at last…
same here. The Sept was a magnificent scene, but for some reason it comes second (for me) in every poll. I guess that is because I was amazed, but not emotionally touched (except the Tommen scene). So I voted for the battle. I was holding my breath while watching (good thing it didn’t last too long!).
Hold the door. What a powerfully dramatic punch. Whoever would have that thought that the reason behind “Hodor” would provide such an emotionally devastating wallop?
Voted for the Sept explosion. The direction, editing, music, everything made it one of the most uniquely and masterfully crafted sequences in the entire series. There is a very small handful of scenes throughout the series that surpass it overall, but not in execution. Just incredible.
I was going to write a nitpicking of the other scenes, but they are honestly all great too. I was particularly fond of the Sansa-Jon reunion. One of two times I cried this season.
Very well said. I applaud the filmmaking in the sept scene, but in terms of emotional impact it didn’t move me nearly as much as the others. Hodor did, but it was more the death than anything else, so I voted for it in the Death Scene category. The Tower of Joy scene, with its exquisite music and the fade over from the baby to Jon was the only other scene here that made me tear up, so kudos to them for making this have such an emotional impact.
Had to go with Hodor.
Such a difficult choice! This season really was amazing. All of these scenes deserve to win!
But The trial begins, and Cersei destroys the sept of Baelor with wildfire. really stands above the rest as Jared already so adequately put it.
Really close second was Jon and Sansa reunite tearfully, and catch up afterward. That scene still gives me the warm fuzzies.
Gah. Most difficult category yet. With most of the others, I’ve been quickly left with a clear winner, or two to agonize over…
First impulse: Jon fighting his way out of the press of bodies. He had no choice in being resurrected, but now he’s making one – in a very primal, instinctive way, which made it breath-taking to watch. An uplifting moment of sorts, at thesame time, brutal. Confusing. Confronting. What does this say about so-called civilization? Brilliant.
But Hodor! No. If Hodor hadn’t died, that scene would’ve had not so much drama. So that’s a best death, not best drama.
Huh. So what’s ‘best dramatic scene’ again? How to judge that? By how moved I was?
Well. Tower of Joy did very little for me in that regard – to me, the interwebs confirmed what it revealed years ago already, and in the narrative of the show, so many other things happened that I had too little emotion invested. I imagine I’ll feel different upon seeing Jon learn of his heritage, but for now, ToJ felt more of an investment in future developments.
Jon and Sansa reuniting moved me lots. Such a happy moment. N then you realize what both of them have to tell each other in the catching up. Ouch. But, given the other options – single note ish, like Hodor holding the door. Which was perhaps the biggest gut punch the show delivered, ever.
Screw ‘perhaps’. It was.
However.
As I was typing I realized what I’d hooked onto: the word ‘scene’. As opposed to ‘moment’. Every one of these had drama, emotional impact, brilliant acting…but the begin of the trial and the sept exploding had so many notes, so many small moments of that, so many shifting emotions while being a single story. You see Cersei being prepared, and because nothing is being said, you’re left to wonder what she’s going through. Then Tommen, same. Then Margaery, trying to navigate the devil/High Sparrow and save her family and queenship from a fanatic and realizing she has less control over him then she’d hoped she had. Then Qyburn and Pycelle, and the doubt: he’ll be doing this to become grand maester, but to whom? Cersei or the other faction? The joy of seeing that sneaky old bastard die. Oi, joy over someone dying, shouldn’t feel that, should I. Then the creeping realization of what’s about to happen. Realizing how much the Tyrells love each other. Hoping Margaery gets out. Wow that bell bounces like a boss. Cerseis contained smirk you sympathize with and then you hate her for it. Tommens face. Which set up the next scenes, the fall out.
So I’ll go ahead n vote for attempt at trial, and how it didn’t go through. Yep.
So many amazing moments, such an amazing season. But for me the best dramatic scene has to be The Tower of Joy.
I was bawling my eyes out… A breathtaking scene, with excellent performances and heartbreaking music. It was better than I imagined and is my favorite scene of the whole show. The Prince that was Promised!
“Cersei destroys the Sept of Baelor with wildfire” is the best scenes in GoT’s history.
I went for the ToJ, but so many great scenes in Season 6 in this list and those that didn’t make the cut. What matters more to me than which wins, is that the writers proved those who thought they can’t do excellence without the book material wrong!
Best Dramatic Scene:
The trial begins, and Cersei destroys the sept of Baelor with wildfire.
Honorable Mention:
The Night King attacks the cave, Bran wargs, and Hodor holds the door.
The one scene that made my heart skip a beat. The one that stopped me in my tracks when realization set in of how absolutely brilliant this multi-season overarching story line was crafted. The one that made me, a grown man, cry tears of joyful sadness – bucket loads of sadness for the dramatic life of Wyllis/Hodor and his horrific death, but also joy for Hodor finding peace in fulfilling his higher purpose. No matter how masterful Septageddon was made, in terms of pure drama, nothing comes close to Wyllis holding the door.
Yes so glad that the Sansa Jon reunion scene made it!!!!!!!!
Had to vote for that as its the scene that choaked me up the most. It won’t win but a stark reunion guys come on its what we have all wanted for years lol
OT Iwan Rheon will be going to the Emmys too! https://twitter.com/iwanrheon/status/777065770366996480
And I saw on Instagram that Maisie already arrived in LA and Sophie will be there in a few hours. Now we need a Kit and Lena update!
ghost of winterfell,
Yeah I know the votes are going to split but hey look at the bright side.Among all those scenes and there were a lot of them three of his got through in the final round lol.The sept is probably going to win and I understand why it was a very spectacular scenes.I also voted for ToJ as it was one of only two scenes in the history of game of thrones that made me skip a tear and it gives me chills everytime I watch it.Jon getting crushed in battle is a very close second I practically flipped a coin.
I voted for the destruction of the sept but Hodor was my close second.
didi,
For me, “hold the door” was so powerful not just because of his death, but also the fact that ever since Bran warged into him when he was a boy, his entire life has been leading to this one moment, when he would be sort of forced to sacrifice his life to save the boy who made him what he is. Who knew Hodor would turn into such a tragic character.
Rhaenys Stark,
I saw someone mention on twitter that they met Kit yesterday night in Belfast. So he was still there as of yesterday. Maybe he will fly directly to LA from there.
Jenny,
True. I am not complaining 🙂 .
Wow, the most difficult choice so far. I went for the Jon crushing, since that affected me physically, the sheer claustrophobia the scene invokes. I can certainly accept the Sept scene or Hold the door winning. Both are beautiful scenes.
I went with the ToJ scene though as has been rightly observed it was very close run. This is slightly off-topic but Starz or Showtime (I get them mixed up) are going to make a series The White Princess and Michelle Fairley will be playing Margaret Beaufort and Essie Davies will be playing Elizabeth of York’s mother. I don’t think even these two sterling actresses will be enough to get me to watch it though – I tried The White Queen and had to switch channels, though some folk have said they enjoyed it in a “so bad it’s good” sort of way (visible zip fasteners in late medieval dresses!).
At the Tower of Joy, young Ned finds his sister Lyanna has just given birth- to Jon Snow, the cut implies.
No brainer for me – Hold the Door!
Sure, the other options are very good to great dramatic scenes, but the Hodor reveal and death scene was a true gut punch as you realized that this character you thought you knew was not at all who you thought he was and may actually have been the most tragic character in the whole story. Plus, it gave new insight into Bran’s power and how his warging into the past may be affecting current and future events.
Interesting looking at the preliminary results – it was the longest and hardest category for everyone, but even with that, the five finalists really did rise to the top. Unfortunately it didn’t make this final any easier…
Kyrenna,
This. Yes – I was going to choose Hodor, but you are right, it was the moments that made the scene so dramatic, so many of them, that it must be the Sept. Sorry Hodor and Jon.
The Tower of Joy should win in a landslide!!!
It is a great scene plus it means so much to the whole Game of Thrones story and it’s main character/hero.
Jon Snow is the song of Ice and Fire and the Tower of Joy proves the Ice part.
So I voted for the TOJ, but the most dramatic scene was the one right after that, after the camera shifts to Jon’s eyes.
Why wasn’t the Jon Snow KITN scene in this list? When the lords take turns apologizing after Lady Mormont spanks ’em in front of the whole dining hall? White Wolf! KITN! That was my favorite.
Joey,
There was a preliminary round that narrowed the options down to these final 5. The KITN scene was in the preliminary vote but didn’t make the top 5. The results of that round are in a link in the main post.
I hove voted for “The trial begins, and Cersei destroys the Sept of Baelor with wildfire.”
It was a masterpiece, the music, the editing, the acting…..loved it.
Such a tough choice as all of these scenes affected me emotionally…
BUT
The opening sequence and build up to the sept explosion had me on the edge of my seat. The music still gives me chills. Simply the best dramatic sequence I’ve seen on television, and maybe ever. Perfection.
Best Dramatic Scene: At the Tower of Joy, young Ned finds his sister Lyanna has just given birth – to Jon Snow, the cut implies.
When I have voted in all categories up to this point, I have given positive comments for all nominees – but in this category, there is truly an argument to be made for each and every one of these scenes being the best of season six. Like many of those who have commented above, I agree that it is a shame that three Jon-related sequences probably means the vote on him will be split; that said, I think it also shows how strong a season it was for the character of Jon Snow, and for Kit as an actor. I have re-watched all five of these scenes numerous times since they aired, and picking just one was a near-impossible task.
The entire battle sequence for Battle of the Bastards is the best I have ever seen on television. It was a cinematic portrayal on a television budget and although I felt that it would be bad writing to kill Jon off only a handful of episodes after bringing him back to life, there was so much tension created around whether or not Jon would ultimately survive. Looking back on season six as a whole, I see Jon’s resurrection in 602/603 as Melisandre and – more so – Davos deciding that Jon should live again; when Jon pulls himself up through the crush, it is almost as if in this moment Jon himself is deciding to live again. Everything in this scene just works perfectly.
The opening scene of 610 was spellbinding viewing, and re-watching that and all other scenes from 609 and 610 makes it all the more disappointing that Miguel Sapochnik won’t be directing any season seven episodes. Everything just flowed naturally, cutting back and forth between the Sept of Baelor and the Red Keep, and the music was stunning; the build-up to the explosion can be felt in it, and although I knew it was coming, there was still a niggling doubt that Cersei would be able to pull it off. It is, without a doubt, the best opening sequence I have ever seen for an episode of GoT, and although I have not selected this as my final choice, I would not be shocked if it won. The music, the acting, the writing, the editing, the direction……..it all just worked.
One of my favorite aspects of season six was the Stark family reunions, starting with that of Jon and Sansa. Prior to season six, my top pick for a reunion was Jon and Arya, but in a way I think that Jon and Sansa worked even better because of the tension that existed between them from childhood. Of all six of them, Jon and Sansa were the least close; I don’t mean to argue that they hated each other, just that Jon was closer to Ned’s other children. And that sibling tension/rivalry worked amazingly well later on in the season. For Sansa, who had escaped from the horror of Ramsay, and for a newly-resurrected Jon, an emotional reunion with another person of Stark blood – something neither had experienced since season one – was just perfect. I am sooooooo looking forward to more Stark reunions in season seven!
For me, there were three huge pay-offs in season six for questions that had been around since season one – and all three were related in some way or another to origins and identity. One of them I will address below; the other two were the origins of the White Walkers and the origins of Hodor. Hold the Door will, I think, go down in the fullness of time as one of the most iconic GoT sequences in the history of the show. In a season that featured scenes like the others in this category, I think sometimes it gets a bit lost among dragon-led battle, the mass-execution of half the KL cast and all things Jon Snow. And it shouldn’t get lost – Hodor may only ever have said one word, but Kristian Nairn’s performance and the music, direction and editing made this one of the saddest GoT deaths. I was in bits watching this, and still am when I re-watch this.
Origins and identity – in 610, GoT answered a question that viewers had been asking since 101; who is Jon Snow’s mother? As someone who has waited YEARS to see inside the room that Ned sadly recalls smelling of blood and roses, I ultimately couldn’t not pick the Tower of Joy. It was stunningly put together, and the acting, writing, direction and music were just perfect. For someone who had less than three minutes of screentime, Aisling Franciosi portrayed perfectly the fear that Lyanna felt in dying, her delight in seeing Ned again, and her desire for him to carry out her final wish – that he might protect her baby son. It was heart-breaking to watch, and to see the moments in which Bran comprehends just why his father found it so difficult to talk about Lyanna, and who her child became. The final part of the scene – in which the baby opens his eyes and it cuts to the present-day Jon Snow, about to be made King in the North – is informed not by words, but by the climax of a beautiful yet sad musical piece tying the two together. So much of this scene informs the actions and emotions of the Ned that we met in season one and it somehow feels right that season six – in dealing so much with Jon’s rebirth, also deals with his origins and his birth at the Tower of Joy.
I don’t know what to pick
Lol! Me neither 🙁
At the moment, Jon&Sansa and BotB have about half the votes of ToJ and Hodor, which themselves have about 2/3rd of the votes of the Sept… (based on the comments) Maybe this can help you and other on-the-fence people to decide what scene to give your votes to? 😉
Well this one finally gave me a struggle but I ended up going with the battle scene. Sansa is kind of rubbing me the wrong way or I would have voted for the reunion. Maybe next year there will be an Arya and Jon reunion I can vote for without feeling resentment toward either character. Haha.
Thank you! That is helpful, friend 🙂
They are ALL good for VERY different reasons, but I went with Hold the Door.
Jon & Sansa is the Stark reunion we’ve been waiting for, R+L=J is finally confirmed, the BotB was incredible, and the sept explosion was a masterpiece.
My vote may be wasted, but in the Drama category, nothing got to me like the sequence in the cave. 3ER, Summer, the last of the Children, and then Hodor. It was scarring 🙁
I agree, that was powerful in and of itself – the tragedy that was Hodor’s life leading up to this one moment. Still, somehow I feel I wouldn’t have teared up if he hadn’t died. Screamed at the screen at Bran, most likely. But the culmination, the ultimate tragedy of it, for me, was that his transformation started his death. He’s been awaiting death, so to speak, since he was a kid. So this is, without discussion, the most powerful death scene (and if it doesn’t win that category in a landslide, I’ll probably lose some of my faith in this community).
That said, without the death its dramatic arc doesn’t feel quite whole whereas, to me, the Jon reveal was both touching and devastating, while at the same time concluding story arcs and starting new ones. It felt like I was witnessing something enormous (which is a rare thing in a TV show). I also blame the music – man, I’m a sucker for a good, climactic piece of music.
Ultimately I think they’re all deserving winners.
Oh Pigeon, no, I’m so sorry you didn’t like that opening music, I thought it was entrancing, but I love piano anyway. It was different than anything else ever done before on the show, and by the music alone, the viewer was clued that the sequence was going to be something unusual and spectacular. I voted for the Sept scene as best special effects.
But for best dramatic moment, I have to go with Jon rising from the muck to be reborn again. I can’t even imagine how they got all those close in shots of the struggle, or how Kit managed to remain calm and not panic, while having to show near panic as he clawed his way out. To me it WAS a rebirth scene, he’s almost dead down there, yet claws his way out, consciously and by his own design and purpose. We’ve seen three “birth” scenes of him now, his natural, bloody birth, his back-to-life saga by Melisandre’s devices, and this one. He chose to live, he fought to live. I think it will have great impact on his development down the line.
I also chose this one because, from all accounts, things like this did happen on real battlefields. We were told of battles in the Civil War, where bodies were piled as shown, where men were crushed by each other. That’s true drama, no special effects. It wasn’t an easy choice, every scene listed was excellent, but I went with Jon.
So are we all awaiting it, no? We become aware of our mortality at a very young age, and spend the rest of our lives in fear of it. We taunt it, defy it, bargain with it, deny it. If we are lucky, we learn to squeeze every last bit of energy from every minute we live, to fuel our momentum toward progress, and the momentum of those around us. Human momentum is what keeps this world running. If we allow any entity, whether politician, government, or lifestyle to hinder or deny those things that fuel human well-being, then we are hastening our deaths.
That being said, beloved Hodor managed to live well into his fifties, I think. He was older than Ned and lived a few years after Ned’s death, so that’s how I figured it. These days, I consider 50 to be still young. So, while his death was tragic, and believe me I cried, I didn’t pick it as my favorite. The “Jon beating death once again” scene is the one that got to me. Then, a few minutes later, he stands in front of charging horse soldiers, and nods in acceptance if he is to die again. What a scene, what a season.
Tar Kidho,
Absolutely nuffing comes close to Hodor scene scene didn’t sleep again that night! Sadness almost did m in!
A bit OT for fellow UK peeps: Aisling Franciosi will (reportedly) be back in the third season of The Fall later this month 🙂
I just started to catch up with Ripper Street from season 1 and it’s a constant spot the GoT actor show!
Ser Not Appearing in This Series,
Is The Fall worth watching? I’ve been searching for a show to binge until TWD, HTGAWM and Westworld start.
No scene has ever moved me like the young Hodor scene….So that one has my vote.
My vote goes to the destruction of the Sept of Baelor. I was on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, hoping and praying and begging for Margaery or at least a few of the other dozens of people to get out, and I was completely crushed when everyone died. Perfect suspense. I also love how the effects of that scene were felt even much later (Tommen jumping out the window, the sept still burning when Jaime arrived).
Completely OT, but for the ones that are interested;
The first reviews for Westworld are coming in and they are really positive!
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/16/westworld-reviews
Good for HBO! They have a lot riding on this.
Rhaenys Stark,
Well it is probably not worth starting with season 3 as it is an ongoing story so you’d need to watch from the start. “Roose Bolton” and “Barristan Selmy” were in it the first season too. Gillian Anderson is excellent naturally.
I enjoyed it, it’s well written quite tense and highly rated, but it is a procedural detective/serial killer/psychological show and there are plenty of those around so if you don’t like that kind of show it won’t appeal. It does take you to parts of Belfast the cast of GoT won’t visit in their off-time 🙂
The Wolves of Winter,
Yes!! 😀 I’m really excited for this show. Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris are two of my favorite actors.
Ser Not Appearing in this Series,
Oh okay I see. I may check it out, thank you 🙂
I don’t see how anyone can vote for anything other than the Green Trial. Don’t get me wrong, the other nominees are superb, but none of them come close in all-around cinematic excellence in my opinion.
In my book, it is without a doubt the best sequence this show has produced, and they will be hard pressed to top it.
The Wolves of Winter,
I was going to check Westworld out anyway because of the strong cast but those reviews now have me hyped. Really looking forward to it now.
Plus, I did not know that Ramin Djawadi was doing the music for Westworld! Can’t wait to hear what he comes up with for a western / sci-fi show.
Rhaenys Stark,
Lord of Coffee,
I am excited for this as well. It looks good in the trailers and they have a great cast! (Anthony Hopkins, Ed motherfucking Harris and Evan Rachel Wood.) And the reviews so far are great as well. Hopefully for HBO the viewing numbers will also be good.
I don’t know if it’s “the best”, but Jon and Sansa certainly was up there with Hodors scene as the two most gut wrenching scenes. Tower of Joy was a foregone conclusion (despite how wonderful it was), but those two scenes I did not see coming and they still both bring tears to my eyes. Voted for Jonsa scene because there are two Starks in it
Number 1 for me is JON’S CRUSH.. there were other people being crushed too. I vote for all the poor bastards who die fighting other people’s wars and nobody gives a fuck. Technically it was a masterpiece. It also moved me emotionally..I haven’t seen anything so utterly sad in a long, long time…not anything fake, anyway.
Second is the SEPT EXPLOSION. This isn’t about my feelings, because, truly, I didn’t care much about the highborns and the Sparrows. It’s about it’s creative construction and the technical difficulty. Shoutout to all the stunt actors who worked on that and all the poor slobs in the background setting up the rigs, over and over again.
Tower Of Joy fight…WOW! The Lyanna tower of Joy scene…wtf with the blood placement on the pillows?…did she push the baby out of her forehead?
If I could, I’d unvote for Sansa and Jon’s reunion. There’s no basis whatsoever for the kind of emotion Sansa depicts. The actor/director/writers are lying to me, and you lie to your audience only when you don’t respect them. Well, it’s either they’re lying or the red-headed heifer is lying. We didn’t see Jon and Sansa share two words with each other, before season 6. They didn’t share a look, a smile, a touch…we didn’t even see them in the same room together. Rickon is the only other sibling he didn’t interact directly with, but I know their relationship is warm only because JON is protective and caring and he risked his life attempting to save Rickon. Any connection with Sansa is circumstantial and you have to mostly construct it it in your mind, defending it by building a case like a damn criminal attorney.
It’s as deep and emotional as a meeting between Edd and Pycelle would be…pfft.
🙂
“Promise me…”
The Sept Scene is by far the best in dramatic tension. But it is not only this, it is the execution, the music, the acting and the impact it has on the whole story.
Lord of Coffee,
Western/sci-fi? What is this thing? I have to check that out!
Sounds like Firefly to me 😉
https://youtu.be/rE-RU1hU75g
HAHAHAHA guys Nikolaj
Sou,
Ser Not Appearing in this Series,
Westworld is based on a movie from the seventies written by Michael Crichton. He also wrote Jurassic Park so that might give you an idea of what to expect from Westworld. Crichton liked to explore that theme of people believing they can control technology. It’s not really like Firefly.
While I love the Sept scene, the music is awesome, the scene that really packs a punch for me is the reunion between Jon and Sansa.
Thronetender,
didi: He’s been awaiting death, so to speak, since he was a kid.
So are we all awaiting it, no? We become aware of our mortality at a very young age, and spend the rest of our lives in fear of it. We taunt it, defy it, bargain with it, deny it. If we are lucky, we learn to squeeze every last bit of energy from every minute we live, to fuel our momentum toward progress, and the momentum of those around us. Human momentum is what keeps this world running. If we allow any entity, whether politician, government, or lifestyle to hinder or deny those things that fuel human well-being, then we are hastening our deaths.
That being said, beloved Hodor managed to live well into his fifties, I think. He was older than Ned and lived a few years after Ned’s death, so that’s how I figured it. These days, I consider 50 to be still young. So, while his death was tragic, and believe me I cried, I didn’t pick it as my favorite.
But Hodor’s entire “life” was spent waiting for that moment when he was to hold the door and save Bran. That’s no life. In effect, Willis died the day Bran warged into him in both present and future and the vision of his future horrible death overcame him. Yes, the remaining shell of Willis now known from that day as Hodor lived on, but the happy fun-loving boy with a crush on Lyanna was gone forever. That was the tragedy of that scene and why it, more than any other scene this season, still sticks with me.
Gotta be hold the door
Tower Of Joy. They nailed it.
My pick: The sequence of the Tree Eyed Raven, the Children of the Forest and Hodor all meeting their demises. (The scene in the same episode with Dany instructing Jorah to find a cure and return to her side was another personal season 6 fave).
Second place: Jon and Sansa together again at last.
Hodor holding the door was probably the most dramatic moment in all of television for the year. Absolutely breathtaking from start to finish.
Cersi destroying the Sept and Jon’s coming forth in battle were also amazing.
Not having voted yet, I’m wavering between the Battle of the Bastards and the Sept of Baelor. Despite the significance of ToJ and the emotional and plot resonance of Hold the Door, they are not landmarks of filmic achievement. Sansa and Jon was cheaply emotionally satisfying but rather mawkish. Anon said it best–it was as emotional as a meeting between Edd and Pycelle. Yes two Starks were brought together for mutual refuge, but they’re as different as chalk and cheese. They’d never been close before and they probably will never be close after this season.
Battle was IMO the show’s best example of cinematic, EPIC film-making. It transcended the small screen and ranks up there with classic mediaeval battles of cinema. (My two favourites are the Battle on the Ice from Alexander Nevsky and Agincourt from Olivier’s Henry V. The 2015 Macbeth also had a terrific battle.) That aerial shot of Jon buried by bodies and bursting forth was brilliant. But I found the rescue by Vale troops a let-down–there was hardly anything to it. The first 10 minutes of Winds of Winter was one of the best montages I’ve ever seen. Everything came together, bonded and propelled by the haunting music. The parallels of the characters as they donned their carefully considered outfits was brilliant. You could practically read their thoughts. The toying with audience hope and fear and suspense, the build-up of tension, the final orgasmic explosion–this is something you see in film classics and award-winners.
I look forward to more comments. Maybe they’ll help me make up my mind.
https://instagram.com/p/BKeuE93A7XZ/
Emilia Maisie and GRRM
Sophie (who was definitely cutting it a bit close for these events by only flying out the day of), who is still blonde, for those following #HairWatch2:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKevNFtBuDF/
Sean C.,
It looks more and more likely that she will be wearing a wig.
Harington not present? Has he even reached LA?
ghost of winterfell,
Kit is already in LA. He was at an event tonight. Variety has pictures on their Twitter.
Dee Stark,
Of course GRRM has arrived. He pretty much ignored the show all last season now that they have moved past his unfinished narrative, but he’s sure to show up for awards show parties isn’t he? lol!
What’s your beef with GRRM? Should he perhaps tweet like any fanboy how amaze-balls every scene in every episode is? Here’s his most recent not-a-blog post:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/499097.html
Pretty clear to me that his feelings about the show don’t match at all with your unfounded assumptions of his feelings…
El-Bobbie,
Ah OK thanks. I’ll check it out.
Lord of Coffee,
Yeah. He never defends the show from his sycophants.
Linda is his co-worker ffs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKfmgKwADeX
Mother of dragons with 011 !
Stark Raven’ Rad,
I don’t know if you have voted yet, but what I do is try to spread out my votes, because the scenes overlap across the different categories.
Like I have already voted for Hodor in Best Death and will vote for BoB in Best Action. Because the entire battle (including Jon being trampled) I see as one big piece and the action and stuntwork is top notch. I voted for Mereen in best VFX.
I have voted for the Sept here because of the amazing dramatic build-up to the explosion.
You might vote differently of course, but maybe this helps a little. 🙂
Lord of Coffee,
I don’t think GRRM has any issue with the show. He is always praising it.
Tar Kidho,
I don’t read his blog but I read elsewhere that he never mentioned the show once on his blog all last season. Since you do seem to read it maybe you can confirm if that is true.
Just because he wrote the books doesn’t mean I have to worship him. In interviews and public appearances he always comes across to me as a bitter, grumpy, fairly unpleasant man. He’s clearly unhappy that the show has passed him but he only has himself to blame for that. And as Mau said he sits back and does nothing as his gang of sycophants trash the show that made him rich and leak spoiler after spoiler.
Oh and don’t worry, I’m not saying he’s my bitch, lol! At this point I honestly don’t care if he ever finishes the books because the show is providing the ending.
Lord of Coffee,
Some good points about linda though!
You read somewhere else that he never mentioned the show once this season on his not a blog (check his first ever post that explains the name!) and you don’t like him in interviews. Ok. Oh, and he also doesn’t send out press releases to tell Linda to shut up? What a nasty nasty man!
Anyway, to spoon-feed it to you, he wrote two short posts just prior to the season in which he shared his excitement. In the second he asked to direct comments to the GOT fan sites:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/483411.html
How dare he show up at the Emmy’s!
For me, this choice came down to two contenders, Cersei blowng up the Sept and Hodor holding the door.
Jon being crushed seemed to be a very real portrayal of the horrors of a medieval pitched battle, but did not elicit the depth of emotion the other scenes did.
Sansa and Jon reuniting was extremely touching, but did not touch me as much as the Sept or Hodor episodes.
The revelation of Jon Snow’s parentage in the Tower of Joy was wonderfully done. Cutting from the baby’s face to Jon’s was masterful,, and, I must admit, I was teary eyed, but the reveal of Jon’s parents was a bit anticlimactic as most fans figured it out a long time ago.
The opening segment leading up to the Sept explosion was absolutely brilliant. The music, the acting, and the direction created such feelings of foreboding and tension, I was on the edge of my seat, and Tommen’s demise was completely unexpected. However, no matter the brilliance of that sequence, it did not produce the emotions and mind blowing revelations Hodor’s episode did.
“The Door” was the most dramatic moment of the entire season for me. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire scene. I was angry when Summer died and the few remaining Children were slaughtered, but, when the circumstance behind Hodor’s name and mental disability was revealed, I was left reeling. I was shocked, saddened, angry, and could not help but contemplate the colossal effect Bran’s psychic abilities could have on the entire story. No other scene, no matter how magnificent it was, had that kind of effect on me, and is the reason I voted it the best dramatic scene of Season 6.
Thank you, Wolves. I went with the Sept too, for that reason plus one. We recently spent time with a friend who was head nurse at a hospital that received a lot of victims after a major terrorist bombing. Her description of the scene was harrowing. Considering that kind of devastation and all those innocent people, plus its importance as a plot turn, AND the artistic brilliance of its presentation, I had to vote for the Sept explosion.
Whoa – projecting much? I’ve never seen or read an interview where GRRM comes across as bitter, grumpy or unpleasant, despite the haranguing to which he is constantly subjected by impatient fans. Quite the opposite, in fact: He seems like a fairly jolly, good-natured personality. I am always struck by his almost-girlish-sounding giggle, which seems so odd coming out of a guy who looks like Santa Claus.
If you read Not a Blog you would know that he sometimes expresses discouragement or frustration with his writing process. But never once have I seen him badmouth the show. When he mentions it at all, it is always with praise and a sense of pride that his ‘baby’ has been embraced by a wider audience than his readership. He acts excited anytime it gets an award or a nomination. And the only times he comes anywhere near complaining about the changes that the showrunners have made to his story are when an interviewer asks him a leading question like, ‘Which characters do you most wish were stll alive in the show?’
GRRM is in a no-win situation. If he goes to the Emmys he is accused of being starstruck or avoiding writing. If he doesn’t go, he would be accused of boycotting or negativity toward the show. If he spent time ‘defending’ the show against its critics (definitely not his job), people would ask him ‘Why are you doing this instead of writing TWoW right now?’ Or they would call him a hypocrite for acting like a project that he’s associated with is somehow immune from the same criticism to which any other artwork is fair game.
There is a huge middle ground between ‘worshiping’ an artist and casting everything that they do in the most negative possible light.
Firannion,
My thoughts exactly Firannion! (and thanks for taking the time to write that – I couldn’t muster anything else than a snarky reply)
I know the Sept scene was brilliant filmmaking. Breathtaking. But I voted with my heart — the Tower of Joy actually gave me a chill down my spine. I was waiting for this for so long.
God, these 5 are exactly the ones I chose in preliminary round. This will be so hard to choose!
What should I choose….?!
…!
……………….!
OK, I’m up to final two. “Sansa and Jon reunite” and “Tower of Joy”.
………..!
OK, I’ve made my decision. The Tower of Joy was a long-awaited scene and a very powerful one, but in my opinion, it cannot beat Jon/Sansa reunion scene. As opposed to Anon’s and Stark Raven’s Rad’s opinion, the fact that those two were never shown together on screen before, made the scene even better for me. It is my favorite (positively) emotional scene in GoT, one of the best emotional scenes I’ve ever seen in any TV series (except maybe LOST) and like I said many times before, I couldn’t stop rewatching it weeks after the episode aired and I still occasionally rewatch it. So yes, that scene deserves my vote.
Tower of Joy…for all the good reasons and more!
Stark Raven’ Rad,
You’re welcome. That is terrible, can’t even begin to imagine.
Cersei wrecking sh*t was easily the most shocking thing for me all season, but I couldn’t vote against “Hold the Door”. That was easily the most emotional I’ve EVER felt after an episode of television and I’m a grown-ass man…