Dozens were nominated but only five survived our competitive first round of voting for Best Dramatic Scene at the Watchers on the Wall Awards! A mere handful of votes separated some of the nominees, with major and beloved scenes missing the cut by just a hair. But this category celebrates the very best of the entire season of Game of Thrones, and the competition is fierce. Now it’s time to choose our final winner, out of the five scenes that topped them all in round 1! Did your favorites make it in? Let’s find out!
The final nominees for Best Dramatic Scene are:
On the field of fire, Jaime charges Daenerys and Drogon
Olenna Tyrell accepts her fate and sends Cersei a message on her way out of the world
Winter comes for House Frey (with a little help from Arya)
Dany’s dragons arrive and scorch the wight army until the Night King takes Viserion down
Cersei delivers her revenge on Ellaria and Tyene Sand in the dungeons
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 (Wednesday 12/6/17 at 8PM ET), 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- specific date to be announced in the near future!
Cersei/Ellaria/Tyene scene. best acted scene of the season.
Gigi,
Absolutely. Not only was it Lena at her best, but everyone was phenomenal.
Dany’s dragons arrive and scorch the wight army until the Night King takes Viserion down
QOT FTW!
Field of Fire. Jaime was an idiot but the scene was beautifully shot. And my favourite (Jaime leaving Cersei and heads North) didn’t make the cut, so it was down to this and Olenna’s scene. Great as that was, I liked the ‘holy shit he’s gonna die’ aspect on FoF.
Pigeon,
Jaime’s departure might very well have gotten my vote if it had been nominated. It’s possibly the scene I’ve rewatched the most and it’s consistently amazing.
For me it’s “Winter comes for House Frey (with a little help from Arya)”. Because of the continuation of the callback to Brans rat cook story and the sort of Red Wedding reenactment, which gives the scene a lot more meaning for me than the other contenders. And it makes Arya an even more grey character.
Totally unrelated, but I just saw this on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcLAHwEnZD0/?taken-by=divadeej
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcFJWehBoOp/?taken-by=daniellita17
Gendrys buzz cut is back confirmed for S8 it seems.
Pigeon,
Totally agree with you!
I love it, and voted for it in the first round (it got a good number but not quite enough!) From the expressions changing on his face, to the way he said “I don’t believe you”, the walking away, stopping to cover his hand with a glove while sitting armorless on his dark horse, and seeing the first few snowflakes fall, well damn. Nicolaj/Jaime really got me this season.
Jaime’s scene would have been a lot better had I not read every leak. 🙁
the Jaime leaving KL scene could have been a lot better if they had executed Cersei’s command to Gregor to kill him and why Cersei didn’t actually go through with the kill etc. With the way they executed it, it just seemed like the Mountain was malfunctioning which confused a lot of people and I don’t think that’s what they were aiming for.
If the scene was a minute longer and they had executed that aspect better, it would have been 50x better.
the tyrion/cersei scene was far superior and i think deserved to be over the jaime/cersei one in this category
I changed my mind seven times between the Queen of Thornes – Jaimie scene, the Dragons arriving North of the Wall and Cersei and Ellaria. In the end voted for the latter.
The acting was amazing.
The Olenna scene was the only scene I voted for that got in (they all came pretty close though), so that’s what I’ll be voting for by default. I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised by this lineup, even if they’re all still good scenes.
You see, when Jaime told Cersei “I don’t believe you,” I took that to mean he knew Cersei was just trying to manipulate him from leaving, but he was done being manipulated by her, so he called her bluff. Due to her arrogance, Cersei most likely thought there was no way Jaime would ever actually walk out on her, so she didn’t think she would have to do any more than intimidate him. I had been waiting for a moment like this since season 5, and it didn’t disappoint. One of my personal favorite scenes of the season.
Torn b/w Olenna Tyrell and the House Frey scene, but in the end went with the best cold open of the series ever!
Cliohna,
Watching the scene outside the Red Wedding when Sandor whisks a dazed and helpless Arya away from the carnage gives the cold open to S7 that much more resonance.
When people ask you what happened here, tell them: “The North remembers.” Tell them: “Winter came for House Frey.”
– Arya Stark
The thing is, that we as an audience were given no indication that Cersei was bluffing. With the Tyrion scene, she didn’t give the order but with Jaime she did give the order and the mountain didn’t kill jaime because reasons????
I feel like they rushed it, it should have gotten the same amount of time and conflict as the cersei x tyrion scene and it just wasn’t. it also doesn’t make sense why jaime thought cersei was bluffing when she gave the order
Gigi,
I’m surprised to hear there was confusion over that. I thought it was pretty clearly conveyed in the scene that it was Cersei who lacked the conviction to do the deed, as much as she felt like she should, and that’s why the Mountain didn’t carry it out in the end.
Not an easy choice. All those clips were worthy of the title: ‘Best Dramatic Scene’.
I gave my vote to Cersei taking her revenge on Ellaria and Tyene. The acting was brilliant from all three actresses with Lena at her best. For me, one the most powerful and heart wrenching scenes in S7.
Winter came for House Frey. No contest.
My vote is not based on my personal feelings, I’m just trying to be objective with the category.
If I was voting the one I enjoyed the most I would go for Jaime charging. Or if I was voting the one that meant the most to me I’d vote Arya’s. But since it’s “best dramatic scene” I have to vote Cersei delivering her revenge. Amazing drama there.
Gigis,
I still do not know what “I don’t believe you” was supposed to mean, or why the Mountain began unsheathing his sword but didn’t follow through.
Azor Asshai,
How was it “pretty clearly conveyed in the scene that it was Cersei who lacked the conviction to do the deed…”??? And how did she communicate her lack of resolve to the Mountain? I did not hear her say “Stand down” or motion to him.
I am not challenging you. I am just curious. I’ve rewatched that scene several times and I’m still perplexed.
Ten Bears,
exactly. overall i liked podeswa’s directing this season but he did a poor job in this aspect for that scene. it is unclear what exactly was going on in cersei’s mind in that moment and also why jaime didn’t believe her? if i was him, i would believe her lol. he’s going to go to jon and dany and tell them her entire plan with the golden company. really don’t know what D&D were going for there. i have no idea what to expect from cersei in regards to her feelings for jaime in the last season. is she going to hate his guts and try to kill him for real or just let him tell jon and dany all her plans? no idea. its a shame because it could have been fixed with just a little more breathing room in the scene
They’re all great scenes, but for me the obvious winner is:
Winter Came For House Frey
It’s an amazing scene that’s among my favorites of the whole series.
I get what you all are saying. I wish it was more clear, but when she nods the first time Gregor didn’t fully unsheathe his sword, he only lifted it a few inches out of the scabbard. It’s possible they had an understanding that a first nod is threaten and a second nod is kill.
Anyway, as far as the vote I went with the season opener/Arya scene. Even though the execution of the poisoning was a little awkward both David Bradley and Maisie were incredible in that scene. And Maisie’s delivery of the last line seals the deal for me.
Dear Ladies and honorable Sirs,
I found this vote difficult becauese of the different amounts of time the scenes had to develope. Personally, I had to choose between Jaime charging Daenerys at the field of fire and the scene in the North. But whereas the whole action on the battlefield took place in about 2 minutes (even less) the clip at the lake went over nearly 9 minutes, showing scenes from the Hound saving Tormund, the moment of silence when Jon realizes there is no space to fight, the arriving of the dragons..etc; in fact that was a lot of scenes and therefore not adequat to the topic (for me); thats why I chose the battlefield, becauese dramatic contains an element of time as well. And to the discussion about the Jaime/Cersei scene – thank God it was NOT that explicit – thats exactly what I like in GoT – there is nearly always more than one possible reason…
I will be left in disbelief if Lena Headey doesn’t win an Emmy for this Season, for this scene alone. Every single word out of her mouth during that scene was perfect. And she was complimented by Indira’s phenomenal performance (Guest Actress?? For Emmys???)
Had to rewatch both that scene and Olenna’s. So hard to pick.
For me “high drama” is not the same as “action scene”, so that ruled out two of the options.
Then we come to the acted scenes:
– Olenna and Jaime really had a very strong scene together, with lots of delicate acting, and far-reaching consequences. One for the connoisseurs.
– Winter coming for House Frey was well-acted (esp. by David Bradley), but for me lacked in high drama because it was clear what was going on from the first second.
– Cersei delivering her revenge was extremely well-acted, and filled with visceral pain, hatred and fear.
In the end, for me, it was a toss-up between Jaime-Olenna and Cersei’s revenge. I’d be happy for either of them to win, but considering that we already had a rather similar Cersei revenge scene the year before, I just had to vote for the subtlety of Jaime-Olenna.
Queen of thorns it is
That was a hard choice. All of them are great. I tried to step back and really look at just the acting. If I was voting on best revenge or the the most clever way to kill the enemy, it would be hands down Winter comes for House Frey.
Then I had it down to Cersie or Lady Olenna. It wasn’t easy. Cersie was raw, so vulnerable. She almost makes you forget that everything she does is evil. She had me practically rooting for her revenge. Yes, I agree the sands were not that likeable. The acting done by Indira Varma (Ellaria) was just as good, better if you consider she had no lines.
The scene with Jaime and Lady Olenna was amazing, as well. I could feel his respect for her. You could see that everything Lady Olenna was saying, he was listening. You could also see when he had enough of listening to her truth. Olenna was getting to him. Then the look on her face when she knew she was getting the last laugh. Then we see Jaime realizing she was getting the last bit of revenge before she died. EPIC!!
PLEASE forgive my play by play. Nobody reading this needed it. It was just so fun visualizing it as I tried to word it. All the scenes choosen were great for different reason. The best of the best! I will be happy no matter which scene wins.
Jaime charging at Dany for me, I hadn’t read the leaks so was genuinely shouting and on the edge of my seat throughout. I was not even sure myself who I actually wanted to survive. I found it genuinely chilling and a beautiful scene between the tension, cgi, Tyrion’s point of view etc.
The majority of WotW’s has spoken. Of the 5 (where my own favorites sadly aren’t featured) I will have to go with Cersei and Ellaria’s scene.
Azor Asshai,
I agree!
Melissa-Mel of Winterfell,
Please: Never apologize for providing a cogent explanation of your reasoning. I enjoyed reading your commentary.
So…Did you end up voting for Olenna going out in style? Because I preferred Olenna’s dignified departure to the bug-eyed, whimpering of Ellaria. Though for me, nothing could beat Arya’s cold – and I mean cold – open to S7e1.
Ten Bears,
Totally agree.
Also when you think about how many Stark people got slaughtered in and outside of the castle at the RW, it was just the right amount of Winter. Only the man who were directly responsible for the actions of the RW were killed. That’s in line imo with Aryas recent “growth”, that she took the Hound from her list and seemingly Ilyn Payne too (although it could very well be that D&D just don’t want the viewers to remember him, lol). So she spares the people who follow an order and do the deed. But I don’t know why she should forget about Melisandre, Thoros and Beric. Maybe because she realized they did not kill Gendry, like Sandor actually killed Mycah? Anyway, that gives me reason to believe she will eventually pass on the Mountain, maybe even Cersei, and let Sandor do his thing. (Because what did Cersei really do to hurt the Stark family, with the exception of Lady of course, it was mostly Joffrey and Tywin and they are already dead.)
Now I’m rambling…, but wouldn’t it be nice if Sandor and Arya had a scene in S8 where he’s grumpy and tells her to go on, try to kill me because of her “precious” butchers boy. And she goes no, you gave him the gift of mercy. Joffrey, the sadistic little shit, excuse me, would have probably tortured him some more, like “it hurts just a little bit” before he got him executed. And she would know that, like the Waif knew the Hound wasn’t on her list anymore. She could finally see through his verbal crap and read him, something like that. Only to say at the end “I still hate you. You killed my friend”. But oh well, a girl can dream, right? 😛
I like that idea very much..it could even go further…to her really attempting to kill him but could not…and that could be her way from a child soldier to a human being showing to be vulnarable – I bet Nymeria would like that…
Ernesto Soriano,
Sadly I think for the Emmies (in this series at least) Lena Headey’s cards have been marked (British slang for saying someone has made the decision she’s not going to win) but I will be delighted to be proven wrong. Granted I haven’t always seen the actresses in the shows to whom she has lost out in previous years.
I wasn’t that struck with how the Dorne plot was changed in adaptation from the books [I haven’t minded some changes in adaptation – there were even more Greyjoy brothers in the book and I for one am not weeping into my cocoa about their omission]. However with the show having decided for whatever reason to go in a different direction with show Ellaria and Sand Snakes than to their book counterparts I think this scene was well executed. Also although she didn’t really get the chance to show her acting chops till this her final scene Rosabell Laurenti-Sellers (I thought) showed that she could be more than just a nice girl, bad pussy.
Olenna Tyrell accepts her fate via Jaime, and sends Cersei a message on her way out of the world –
Legendary Olenna Tyrell playing the Game of Thrones until her end.
NCW nailed his part too
Tar Kidho,
Totally agree. Which for me means deciding between Jaime and Olenna, Arya and the Freys or Cersie and the Sands. And while I originally was going for Arya, after rewatching the clips realized that Cersie’s scene rises to the top. so thats what I chose.
Ten Bears,
Totally agree with you here. The cold open was just too good not to vote for… plus I felt like that scene was the most “dramatic” of the ones chosen here. From everyone’s instant confusion of what was happening to the realization once the wine gets brought out.
The Ellaria/Tyene scene was amazing too, and very dramatic, but I’d rather that win Best Death Scene which I think it will anyway.
I personally liked the cold open from season 1 episode 1 and season 4 episode 1 better than this year’s cold open, but it was still pretty awesome.
“Winter comes for House Frey” was ok, but I really didn’t think it was all that great. We already saw her take out Walder at the end of season 6, so to me, it took a lot of the excitement out of this scene. It felt more like wrapping up loose ends than anything particularly exciting or dramatic.
“Cersei delivers her revenge” was a well-acted scene, but in all honesty, am I supposed to remember season 7 for the scene when the remaining Sand Snakes die? Meh, I don’t think so. I think more dramatic and memorable scenes can be found where more important characters are impacted.
“Dany’s dragons arrive” was a great scene. I’ve been waiting to see dragons in the North, especially to take out The Army of the Dead, however, I didn’t choose this scene as my vote. Viserion getting killed kind of bummed me out, so even though it was dramatic and exciting, the death of Viserion provides a “bittersweet” aspect that made me unable to vote for this scene.
My vote really came down to the last 2 options, and I had a hard time deciding…
“On the field of fire, Jaime charges”, almost got the vote. This scene was intense, dramatic, and involved the possibility of a major character dying, so this scene certainly fits the bill. However, this was only a small part of an entire battle that was by far the most dramatic part of the season. If I could vote for the entire Field of Fire battle as the most dramatic scene then it would’ve gotten my vote. Instead, since I already voted for the Field of Fire for best action sequence and there was another scene that I thought was ultimately worthy of my vote for best dramatic scene for season 7, I went with:
“Olenna Tyrell accepts her fate”. This was one of the few dramatic scenes in season 7 that was actually given some time and space to breathe. It didn’t feel rushed, and it involved a partial resolution to one of the most dramatic scenes in the entire show’s history, the regicide of Joffrey at the Purple Wedding. It involved great acting, rich character history, earned drama, and witty dialogue. There just wasn’t another scene in the entire season that had all of those aspects, so that’s why this one got my vote.
Well dangit!! I was hoping that the pap shots of him showing up with longer hair meant he’d be back to his original style. 🙁
—
I still wanted to vote for Lyanna/Rhaegar marriage + AeJon/Daenerys #epicboatsex scene for this category. 😛 Oh well…
Clob,
Maybe we should’ve added an “Epic boat scene” category.
Jonaerys boat sex
Euron attack on the Sand Slugs
Gendry proves to Tyrion and Davos that “he’ll do”
Theon whoops some Ironborn ass on the beach
I know, the last two are stretches for boat scenes, but I had to make do.
Clob,
… plus:
While it didn’t earn a spot it WAS one of the most major storyline scenes on the show. Yes, most viewers knew the parentage truth and expected the ‘coupling,’ but it was still the first time there was spoken confirmation while characters were figuring it out for the first time, as well as introducing probable issues for the Targaryen relationship.
Me too. Although he did not have the right hair color yet in these photos.
Mr Derp,
Ha! Good idea!
I suppose a couple more could have been nominated… The wordless scenes of Daenerys’ group first rowing toward Dragonstone and the group approaching KL for the Dragonpit meeting. Hmm… there were a lot of ships/boats in S7 weren’t there.
Well you did, I’m laughing. I love the category already. 😀
Clob,
I also preferred his longer hair. Now he looks like he was in the army.
Unexpectedly, I voted for Jaime. A beautiful act of bravery and despair.
My Vote: Dany’s dragons arrive and scorch the wight army until the Night King takes Viserion down
My favorite moment of the entire season, and one of my favorite moments of the entire series. When Dany soared in over Jon’s head, her dragons breathing torrents of fire as Ramin Djawadi’s epic score swelled in triumph … I stood up, pumped my fist, and legitimately screamed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched that scene. Even with the tragedy of Viserion’s death falling soon after, it remains stirring and triumphant. Dragons and White Walkers. Fire and Ice. It’s a promise seven years in the making, fulfilled at last. It’s epic fantasy at its very finest.
Close Second: Cersei delivers her revenge on Ellaria and Tyene Sand in the dungeons
Perhaps the single best acted scene of the entire season. Lena Headey was in her element, effortlessly carrying a nearly five minute scene where she was practically the only one speaking. And Indira Varma was phenomenal, even sans dialogue. This scene just missed the top spot here, but I’ll be voting for it in at least two other categories.
And because I loved the others as well …
On the field of fire, Jaime charges Daenerys and Drogon: The madness, the heroism, and the fury of Jaime’s desperate charge all shone through one of the most indelible moments of the year. The image of a gallant hero charging a fearsome dragon has been immortalized on screen many times before, but never quite like this. A perfect ending to one of the finest and most thrilling battle sequence this show has ever produced.
Olenna Tyrell accepts her fate and sends Cersei a message on her way out of the world: Dame Diana Rigg departed the show with one of her very best scenes. The way that she turns the tables on Jaime is masterful, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s silent acting as he realizes that she’s telling the truth is a perfect complement to Olenna’s final twist of the knife.
Winter comes for House Frey (with a little help from Arya): Perhaps the best opening scene for any of Game of Thrones’ seven seasons to date. The final demise of House Frey was deliriously satisfying to witness, and both David Bradley and Maisie Williams played Arya’s cold satisfaction with appropriate relish.
Well Field of Fire and Viserion’s death may well get accolades in other categories (battle, VFX, …). Freys’ end has the speech going for it, Olenna has Olenna herself dying, so I went with Cersei’s revenge.
That was a beautiful scene, very well acted, that ended the Dorne plot on a very high note. (Also I don’t readily see what other categories it might take, maybe best death?)
So, Cersei’s revenge it is.
EDIT: Also I can’t make the results from the first round work for me. The Pie chart doesn’t seem to fit with the individual results and colors.
That was my favorite scene of the season too. Too bad it didn’t make the cut.
I voted for Cersei’s revenge on Ellaria and Tyene.
You bet. I was fist pumping for half the episode. Yeah, I knew who it was but he’ll, it still gave me chills.
Wow…I don’t know. I know what I picked back in the beginning, but having watched the season multiple times….guess I’m hashing it out as I write this.
I initially wrote in the “Winter came for House Frey” cold open. I love that scene.
Cersei’s scene with Ellaria…when her voice broke during the line “Why did you do that,” I was blown away. Great scene and Cersei’s one and only justifiable homicide.
Dany arriving with her dragons to save the day was an amazing thing to see, but it was expected.
Olenna accepted her fate like the pro she is, but I voted for her having the “Best death.”
Ok…going with Jaime charging Dany on the field of fire 2.0. I don’t think I took a breath during that scene.
And……done.
Cersei delivers her revenge on Ellaria and Tyene Sand in the dungeons – This was a tough pick for me (partly because none of the five I shortlisted in the prelims made it through!) but I chose this scene because it was ultimately a very human drama with brilliant acting performances and great dramatic tension.
Close runners-up – Olenna’s death and Arya’s removal of the male Frey line.
This is horrible news.
Easy. Viserion down.
and attitude/personality. Maybe he shot later scenes first? He has no reason to hide his hair anymore, does he? Time has passed. I guess that’s the point. Gendry isn’t even Gendry anymore. These poor characters. This poor story. Survival qualifies as a happy ending.
Rygritte,
I do not prefer the buzz cut either.
But I understand why they would want to do it, I assume because of continuity. Gendry trusted Jon with his secret, but I guess he and Davos still want to keep his head down in S8, just to make sure. I wonder if they integrate Brienne and Gendrys book meeting in some shape or form. If it is any indication then she will recognize his features (although show Renly and Gendry do not look so much alike, but oh well).
They already have except they changed it to a meeting between Gendry and Tyrion :“`(
Out of all the leaks, I’m most shook by Gendry’s buzzcut.
Agreed. The ‘institutional’ look is decidedly unsexy (army, prison, mental institution: all pretty much interchangeable as institutions that want to suppress individuality and rebelliousness along with headlice).
Didn’t anybody on GoT learn anything from the fact that Viggo Mortensen has never looked nearly so hot again since he stopped being Aragorn?
Omg that’s it! I was wondering what happened.
Oh now come on. Viggo is mighty fine no matter what! And he is the sweetest to his fans, he really is. Beautiful man.
*thoughts meander off somewhere*
Same with Sean Bean though, really.
Field of Fire and it’s not even close.
No contest. I didn’t read any of the other comments, and it could have A LOT to do with being a mother, but for me, the Cersei-Ellaria scene was visceral–painful, horrifying and triumphant all in one. A perfect distillation of the good vs evil question so central to GoT. Spectacular acting all around.
I love the scene with Cersei and Sand Snakes, it’s probably my favorite one from the season, but I voted for Jaime charging at Daenerys because that scene really made me feel big emotions.
Firannion,
”Didn’t anybody on GoT learn anything from the fact that Viggo Mortensen has never looked nearly so hot again since he stopped being Aragorn?”
I beg to differ. Two years after LOTR Return of the King, Viggo Mortsensen was wickedly hot in “A History of Violence.” Check out his two love scenes with Maria Bello: in the first, he’s all wide-eyed and innocent as Maria Bello (as his wife) entertains him with a cheerleader role-playing seduction. Contrast that with the second scene, later in the film, on the staircase….
And let’s not forget his faceoff with William Hurt.