We’ve reached a new section of the Watchers on the Wall Awards preliminary voting this week. We have one more day left of voting on Best Guest Actress, and with that, we now move on to Scene categories for a refreshing change of pace.
Keeping things in a festive mood, today we’re celebrating the best of Game of Thrones season 5’s death scenes. We gathered up your suggestions for the character-ending scenes that made you squeal, cry or cheer the most, and present them to you now as your preliminary nominees for Best Death Scene.
There may be some debate over whether characters like Jon’s scene (or Stannis or Myrcella or fill in the blank here) should be included, since the season finale left some cliffhangers. But we’re not here to nitpick, we’re here to celebrate. All the scenes are included; vote as you wish.
The Standard Rules: This is the preliminary round! Narrow this selection down to the top 5 contenders. In order to find your top 5 picks for Best Death Scene we’re asking that each of you select up to FIVE nominees from the poll. You can choose fewer if you like, but you cannot choose more than 5.
At the end of 72 hours (Saturday 8/29/15 at 4:00PM EDT), whichever five scenes have the most votes will continue on to the final round. (Note: in the finals, you will only have one vote to cast in each category!)
The results will be revealed when it’s time to vote for the final winner of Best Death Scene, in a few weeks. Debate the possibilities and vote for your favorite choices
*Reminder: you may choose up to five nominees in this poll!*
Perpetual shout-out to everyone who has been voting up a storm, and to Greatjon for his awards-season support!
This is actually harder than I thought it would be. I went with:
-Shireen
– Aemon
– Slynt
– Trant
– Stannis (I know a lot of people aren’t happy with this one but I thought it was pretty darn perfect)
Master Eaton (we all guessed what was the pun for back in 2014)
Jon Snow
Meryn Trant
Shireen Baratheon
Stannis Baratheon
Too many good options! Had to leave out Jon Snow (hair watch courtesy), Trant,Selmy and Stannis which I wanted to select but stuck with Myranda, Shireen, Karsi, Mance Rayder and Maester AEMON
Aemon’s was the best death. Any other death is just another death on GOT.
Jon
Mance
Shireen (Still mad)
Barristan
Slynt
Barristan
Shireen
Jon
Karsi
Aemon
If I were a betting girl, I’d put my money on Shireen
Janos Slynt
Meryn Trant
Stannis Baratheon
Shireen Baratheon
Jon Snow
Shoot – I forgot about Ryder. Mods, can I switch him for Barristan?
Roocat,
I agree with you. Those final words sumed Stannis’s character, just perfect.
Mossador: so bloody emotional
Shireen: great acting, great scene.
Stannis: those final words …they where so damn Stannis…..
Aemon: so damn sad
Mance: Hinds is a god damn god of acting.
Jon
Aemon
Meryn
Shireen
Stannis
It was a tough one. There were a couple of others that I was tempted to vote for, but I didn’t have space. I guess that shows the strength of the category. Not sure who my #1 choice is yet between three of them, but hopefully at least one will progress to the final round.
I cant believe Selyse isnt here!
1. Maester Aemon.
2. Barristan Selmy.
3. Jon Snow.
4. Stannis Baratheon.
5. Janos Slynt.
Also, you should’ve added Selyse.
Tough ro nominate five… easier to nominate just one…
Jon, Stannis, Shireen, Janos and Mance.
Maybe that’s why I loved the North parts more than any other in this season, these feels…
Meryn Trant may have the sixth place in my top, his death was disturbing, but oddly satisfying
Selmy — went down painting
Slynt — most satisfying
Karsi — Shocking! I thought she was going to be a regular
Aemon — Poetry
Myranda — A nice comeuppance.
“Egg! …Egg. I dreamed that I was old.” for the win.
Karsi
Shireen
Stannis
Mance
Aemon
Janos Slynt loses his head- I really liked how pitiful they made Janos in the end.
Maester Aemon dies a natural death- Just nice and somber.
Meryn Trant is finally crossed off Arya’s list- I liked how brutal they made it, and I would consider this getting nominated/winning a sort of tribute to Ian Beattie.
The sacrifice of Shireen Baratheon- Just Terrible
Stannis urges Brienne to do her duty- Didn’t love the set up, but still a great scene. I like that they kept in low key.
I would vote:
Aemon.
Shireen.
Myrcella.
Selyse (if it was there).
Trant’s death was disgusting, imo. Hated the guy, but no Arya fan either – and this scene didn’t make it better; didn’t leave me satisfied, just disturbed.
We took the nominees from the readers. So you should have.
Great Master – The dragons were actually scary and the CGI was amazing. Shades of the Mad King
Janos – Great scene, great acting. The moment Jon solidifies his place as the lead in the series.
FtW – The sheer shock of the moment, plus the beautiful music while Jon’s blood soaks the snow…did not disappoint.
Shireen – Brutal, those screams,did not sleep well afterwards.
Mance – 5th choice thanks to Hinds’s amazing acting, you could feel the flames.
Have to say that it was hard to choose, many amazing scenes included in the list.
– Stannis
– Jon
-Barristan
– Shireen
– Maester Aemon
Barristan.
Mance.
Shireen.
Janos.
Aemon.
Jon Snow,heartbreaking! Impressive
Shireen
Sir Barristan
Stannis
Janos Sliny
Most horrifying: Shireen & Karsi
Most satisfying: Myranda & Janos Slynt
Master tearjerker: Jonno Snowflake
Honorable mention to Tarryn Mant for dying very horribly and shoutout to Quentyn Martell for not existing and therefore avoiding best and worst death in the books.
I voted for:
Rhaegal and Viserion – I’m a little partial to dragons, what can I say?
Slynt – I don’t care Jon said “Olly, bring me my sword,” instead of “Edd, fetch me a block.” I thought the whole scene was very well done, and that moment of Jon channeling Ned from Season 1 episode 1 set it over the top, for me.
Aemon – I knew it was coming, and I knew I would cry (and I’m not one to cry over a television show, but it fucked me up in the books, too). Sure enough, the moment I heard him say, “egg,” the tears started, and they didn’t stop until…I don’t know, I missed the next couple of scenes because I was just too upset.
Mance – Hinds was so brilliant in that scene, and everyone else involved nailed it, too.
Myranda – She just so needed to die. My only complaint was she didn’t suffer; it was too quick.
Arya getting her revenge on Trant was tough not to vote for, as was Shireen. There was no way I could vote for the Shireen burning scene, though. No, not because
, but because it was just so horrendous. The acting was phenomenal from all involved, but I just couldn’t do it.
This was actually quite difficult, more so than I expected, because A) Jon isn’t dead, goddamit, and B) as well-shot as Shireen’s death scene was, I can’t bring myself to vote for it, because of how upsetting I found it.
So…
1. Janos Slynt – because GoT tends to do well by finding ways of humanizing its worst people before they die, like Joffrey, and we see Janos, finally, responding with his true nature, admitting his feelings.
2. Barristan Selmy – Great photography as we see him bathed in light after taking out the first Harpy, and he goes down like a champ.
3. Stannis – Go on, do your duty.
4. Maester Aemon – Heartbreaking.
5. Myranda – It’s rare that a death of a baddie on GoT is satisfying, because in most cases, you’re invited not to revel in someone else’s life being taken, but to react in horror at the taking of a life in general. Like Janos, or Joffrey, or Tywin Lannister. There are a few exceptions – Styr, for example, or Myranda. So yes, it’s nice to see and hear her head go splat.
Jon: Not sure if this needs to explained, it was just great… I mean as a scene… Jon dying is not great. Unless he comes back as something even better.
Meryn: It was extremely gruesome and perfect example of how far has Arya gone from that wild but still innocent little girl of season 1. Graphic violence as its best.
Slynt: If you ask me this was one of the best moments at the Wall in season 5 and that tells a lot since the Wall was extremely strong this year. The music, acting of both Kit Harrington and Dominic Carter, everything is great. And I didn’t have a problem with certain line missing, because the scene worked well without it.
Mance: The build up to it was good, and the scene was executed very well. The shots of everyone’s faces, looking as Mance burned, were nice.
Mossador: Looks like I have love for public execution scenes 😀 Anyway this was a very well made scene, and Reece Noi nailed it with his acting.
Maester Aemon, Janos Slynt, Meryn Trant, Mance Rayder and, in my opinion not only the best death but also the best dramatic scene in S5: Shireen.
Myranda isn’t dead. She broke the fall with her face.
This is way too difficult! So many well-executed deaths. Hm, no pun intended. I’ll have to think about this…
Barristan Selmy goes down fighting. Unexpected and exhilarating. A great end for a great warrior.
Jon dies…for the Watch. Even knowing it was coming, it was incredibly emotional. The Olly beat didn’t work for me, but everything else did, especially the cruel Benjen hype just before the scene. It completely made me forget what was about to happen…
Meryn Trant is finally crossed off Arya’s list. Though we had been expecting it for months… The raw savagery of it is what got me. It was cold blooded and savage at the same time; a strange and frightening mix.
Poisoned Myrcella dies in her father’s arms. The only one of these deaths that actually had me screaming at the screen: “No, no, no, no!”. I wanted Jaime to reveal the truth to Myrcella and accept his fatherhood the whole season, so that scene already was an automatic win to begin with… And then she fully accepts him as her father, revealing that somehow she always knew. Up there with Stannis and Shireen in episode four, this was one of the most beautiful scenes in the whole season, which almost made me tear up… And it was succeeded by one of the most gut-wrenching deaths; the best death of the season for me, no doubt. Hopefully it’ll make it to the finals so that I can vote for it.
Stannis urges Brienne to do her duty. Another surprise, and a close second favorite of mine, in large part due to the wonderful acting and Stannis’s fitting last words; the best last words in Game of Thrones. “Go on, do your duty” tells us a lot about Stannis: he’s down to business, a man of few words, impatient, and focused on duty above any other virtue. Whatever people think of the preceding off-screen battle, I hope most of us can at least agree these were fitting last moments for this wonderful character.
Shireen and Myranda. The first so sad and brutal. The second so sweet and wonderful!
Mance sorta overacted the hell out of the arrow shot, I found myself laughing after Jon shot him. That reaction was too much.
All in all, a great season for the Faceless God in GOT. Narrowing it down to 5 is pretty hard.
The deaths at the wall were quite moving, although using Benjen to lure Jon out of his office was a hit below the belt. 🙁
Also, I am a conscientious objector regarding the death of Selmy. Too soon, too soon,oh bold one! RiP. Sound the attack! will be forever relegated to my imagination.
Shireen – still gives me chills
Jon Snow … until Jon rises again
Aemon – dies of old age, in a warm bed … never done before on Got!!
Mance – the terror in his eyes, and then the thud, and the nod to Jon
Myranda – best sound effect: THUD!!
This is quite a “kill list” we have made. Thanks, mods, for keeping this voting experience going over the summer and into the fall!
I am not going to disclose my votes because reasons… (death, where is thy sting?).
However, I will say that I have read each comment that included a simple list out loud in Arya’s voice.
This is good therapy for being GOT-less for however many I-am-not-counting-them months. 🙂
Having read the comments it seems Myrcella won’t make the finals… Oh bugger 🙁
My thoughts exactly. Best (???) Death Scene has never been my favorite category, and this year I’ll only be nominating one: Maester Aemon’s. Heartbraking as it was, at long last it was a peacefull death of a natural cause.
Ser Barristan
Janos
Jon
Mance Rayder
Shireen (writing wise I hated it, but the performances and music were A grade)
rip barristan. gone way too soon!
Am I the only one who, when Olly said “It’s one of the wildlings you brought back. Says he knows your Uncle Benjen. Says he’s still alive”, forgot momentarily about Jon’s assasination and thought “Varamyr Sixskins”?
im with the greatjon can’t vote for shireen just too horrific and sad ( it is this years best though) I still can’t bring myself to re watch it. Slint getting beheaded was satisfying and Selmy went out like a hero.
Aemon
Aemon
Aemon
Aemon
Aemon
Loved Peter Vaughn and Aemon’s last minutes were so bittersweet-
Aemon
Karsi
Shireen
Slynt
Stannis
Definitely gotta have The Trant in there.
That was a brutal brutal death scene.
I was also super pissed about Stannis dying, especially considering Martin let slip that he is still alive in TWOW!
That being said his death scene was very well done.
This was actually more difficult than I thought it would be but went with
– Mossodor – the whole scene was so tense, the build up was great. One of my favourite Dany scenes in the show
– Slynt – Similar to above insert Jon instead of Dany
– Aemon – it was quite “nice” (not the best word I know) to see someone die of old age – and it showcased Peter Vaughan’s acting who was not often centre of his previous scenes
– Shireen – it was horrific but the acting from all players involved was immense and I was actually stunned by the scene
– Mance (it was the one episode where I “got” Ciaran Hinds as Mance and was actually sad he wasn’t glamoured though I hated that twist in the book
Selmy
Aemon
Myranda
Shireen
Janos
Barristen for me. Went down like a champ.
Janos, Karsi, Aemon, Mance, Stannis. Those all felt ‘right’, if sad. I thought Barristan, Mossidor, and Jon were all wonderful in themselves, but I disliked how they went out, or who took them out.
Stannis (big surprise),
Shireen (horrible),
Myranda (satisfying),
Jon (sad),
Karsi (so well done and sad).
I went with:
Master Eaton – Death by dragons is always awesome 😉
Karsi – Loved the character, so seeing her die and then get turned into a wight was pretty chilling and sad.
Maester Aemon – The fact that it was a natural death, made it a bit sadder to me and more unusual for GoT.
Myranda – I was so glad to see her die.
Shireen Baratheon – Most heartbreaking death of the season for me… 🙁
Top 5 (for me 🙂
-Shireen – I like how the scene was executed and how each character was portrayed, a little over kill in the beginning, but once Shireen begins to suspect what is happening, the rest is so well done, her screams for help, Selyse’s wavering faith and awakening, Stannis resolve to duty, Mel’s face, the different reactions in the crowd in general. Just great.
– Stannis – the buildup in the beginning when he learns of his wife’s suicide, and troop desertion, and the realization that this battle means his death and his facing it as his due. His last line, was great.
– Aemon – a natural death is right, is was a fine performance well scripted, and just hit all the right notes.
– Slynt – this was as satisfying as it was in the books.
– Trant – the 5th was hard to choose, but Trent got my vote due to the article I read on how much work he put into that scene, made me look at it differently… and koodles to the actor, he really put his all in that scene. It is brutal and merciless, but he was also brutal and merciless when he had all the power.
Others:
– Mance – like the actor and character, but the other deaths resonated more with me
– Mossador – the buildup was great, the punishment was understandable, though not politically savvy – but I guess there just wasn’t enough for me to care over much.
– Karsi – too cliche, I’m older so perhaps I’ve just seen a variation of this too many times for it to be as effective on me as it seems to be with others. It was very predictable and thus it lessened its impact on me.
– Selmy – seemed underwhelming over all, and didn’t make sense – he should have never left Dany’s side.
– great master – who? jk, yeah – shocking i guess but soon forgotten
– Myranda – didn’t like the character, waste of screen time – only good thing is she won’t be taking up more minutes with nothing
– Mycella – wish they had done more with the character during the season to make me care more. But that aside, the execution was poor, the obvious over long kiss, the 2 minute conversation that resolved everything with hugs and kisses just in time for her to die a quick and painless death… would have been more interesting to have a few issues unresolved, or to leave her lingering and prolonging the inevitable.
– Jon – not sure if he is gone completely… but that issue aside and the fact that a beloved main character is being murdered. I didn’t like how it was executed either, the tease with Benjen, the traitor sign, the over stabs by all these random watchers ( I wish over the course of the season they would have more a few more of them at least recognizable ). The impact of Olly as the final betrayer was lost since we all saw it coming… would have been better if they wrote him like he really did like and trust Jon, but finally came to the conclusion that he needed to kill his friend/mentor “for the watch”. A lot of the impact in the books was the fact that the men stabbing him were not necessarily Jon’s enemies, Jon respected them and sort of understood their actions. Here Jon looks stuned, confused, bewildered and pleading…eh. Hope he is is resurrected just so he can get a better death, lol.
This is the first time I’ve found myself making use of the “up to” five option – I only picked four. I’m not just trying to be a toxic show hater, honest; I just disliked either A) the way some of the death scenes were executed nopunintendedhahahhaa or B) disliked that the deaths happened at all.
I wasn’t impressed with Barristan being killed off, full-stop. Myranda’s death, as much as we wanted it, left a bitter taste in my mouth because this sudden moment was how Theon randomly stopped being Reek and I felt it wasn’t truly earned (bla bla, rehashed complaint, bla). I don’t have a problem with Stannis dying but I thought everything about his death was too rushed. And I disliked Jon’s death because the show made it feel like an illogical plot-point to me.
Then there are other death scenes like Karsi’s or Mossador’s which I thought were perfectly good, but it would just feel wrong to put them on the same level as the ones I’m about to name, because I really, REALLY liked the ones I’m about to name:
4. Janos Slynt execution – Stunningly good performance from Dominic Carter – and Kit Harrington was great, too. Very mixed feelings seeing Slynt finally silenced, but only after admitting how terrified he’d always been; an execution scene done right.
3. Maester Aemon passes away – just a beautifully emotional moment all round, with good writing.
2. Shireen burning – I don’t care if this was a part of Stannis’s rushed demise, I thought the craftsmanship of this scene was utterly sublime. Every artist involved was fantastic, particularly Kerry Ingram and Ramin Djawadi.
1. Mance Rayder death – Again, acting and music were astonishing. The atmosphere created by the set was beautiful. And the escalating sense of dread was very, very real. Strong start to the season.
Mance–Complex, its finality surprising to book readers, excellent buildup, Jon’s gesture, and most of all, Ciaran Hinds’ acting gave you an inkling of what it was like to experience death by fire. His slight nod of gratitude for the arrow was rad.
Shireen–So much, well everything Stannis, hinged on this. It was much speculated on, but in the end there was no Davos to the rescue, just a too-little-too-late effort by Selyse and her husband’s grim, implacable resolve. Kerry Ingram pulled off her part superbly. But Stannis, who carried so many fan hopes and desires, doomed himself. Who would have guessed that doom would be resolved so quickly?
Meryn Trant–He got the death he deserved and Arya proved how deadly she and her revenge could be. It was satisfying and horrific at once.
Jon–We readers knew it was coming, but it was well done. What rung false was the way Jon fell for the ruse of Benjen news. And what offended me is that the nobler (and more Caesar assassination-like) motive of most of the knifers–For the Watch–was simply discarded for revenge for betrayal. I never thought Jon might not return in some shape or form, but his demise was a cheap trick that made the assassins look like villains rather than men of the Nights Watch trying to do their duty.
Karsi–After expertly building her layers up in only a few scenes, she died for the reason so many from Ned forward died–reluctance to harm children. It was the one death we really mourned in the massacre at Hardhome.
1. Maester Aemon because he was such a class act and his death was sad but beautiful. I will miss him.
2. Stannis for understating the best line in the series, “Go on, do your duty.” What an awesome actor.
3. Shireen who presented a spine chilling performance, left me a puddle of goo, a very Shakespearean scene.
4. Selmy, hated to see him go but they gave him a hero’s ending.
5. Janos, I was sooooo waiting for his comeuppance.
Although Jon’s death scene was excellent, even though as a Sullied I knew it was coming, I couldn’t vote for him because I truly believe he is not gone forever.
This was really hard, I didn’t realize there were so many good death scenes in S5.
Tar Kidho,
To me, the ‘best’ death scene is the one that made the most impact on me, which is why one of my choices was Shireen. Horrible to watch (and I hid my face towards the end), but the impact stayed with me till, well till now really. Karsi and Mayder are up there as well.
Master Eaton
Mance Rayder
Ser Meryn Trant
Shireen Baratheon
Stannis Baratheon
Honorable mention to Dominic Carter for Janos Slynt and the guy that played Mossador. Normally I would vote the death that have a bit more emotional impact, but Master Eaton being burned to a crisp and ripped apart by Rhaegal and Viserion was just epic and all I needed from the chained dragons in S5.
Tough to say which was “best”. Shireen’s was the most affecting scene of the series so far, IMO! so I’ll probably vote that way in the finals. Aemon’s death was powerful, as well.
I’m one of those who will be just fine if Jon doesn’t come back, but since I think it’s a foregone conclusion that he will, I don’t really consider his scene worthy of advancing. I do think it was properly included here, though, since it is technically a “death scene”.
My votes went for the deaths of:
Jon: So tough to watch my favorite character stabbed to death. I know it was coming and still it was very painful…
Maester Aemon: because it was wonderful to hear him call his younger brother, and for the rarity of a natural death!
Janos Slynt and Myranda: I know this is a terrible thing to say, but both were satisfying: shut up and get out of here!
Shireen Baratheon,I wouldn’t call it the “best” but the most heartbreaking, painful and terrible to watch.
If I had a couple of more votes I would have loved to vote for Stannis and Karsi. His death was the culmination of a series of awful decisions, but confronted with stoicism. Hers was painful, I fell in love with the character in 10 minutes, and her expression when she saw the children was amazing: how could a loving mother kill a bunch of wight children? Terrible dilemma.
You can argue, but I choose the best deaths
Slynt
Snow
Karsi
Master Aemon
Shireen
The coolest ones were in the north.
Selmy
Slynt
Aemon
Selmy
Slynt
Aemon
Trant
and
Shireen…for the win!
Maester Aemon (great performance by Peter Vaughn)
Mance Ryder (great performance by Ciaran Hinds, a horrible fate for the character)
Jon Snow (who died, so Jon Targaryean / AA can come back)
Shireen (no shock value, just tragic and awful to watch. The scene succeeded because of its dramatic intensity.)
Janos Slynt (a brilliant Jon Snow moment, Dominic and Kit were great!)
Shireen
Mosador
Trant
Rhaegal and Viserion’s master BBQ
Karsi
They were all seriously dramatic moments
Damn this one was really tough.
Janos (I was pretty much clapping gleefully during this.)
Karsi (Could have been a new fav but nope lol!)
Aemon (So great and touching…)
Shireen (I don’t want to talk about it. *tries not to cry, cries a lot*)
Stannis (Right the f*ck on Brienne)
SO tough to pick because seeing Myranda fly from that wall made me just as happy as seeing Janos die… but I was waiting for his time since day one because of the books. I thought they got it pretty close to the book version of his death. Others I could have easily picked were:
Barristan (somehow I thought if it were to happen it would be… more flashy?)
Jon (not dead)
Mance (Just for Ciaran Hinds’ facial expressions alone. They were intense)
Dragon’s dinner time (Because dragons)
I also liked Stannis’s death. He faced his death like a man and his final line couldn’t have fit his character more perfectly.
However, these are my personal picks:
Jon – I knew it was coming, but it still destroyed me. This will probably be my pick when the final round begins.
Shireen – Just really tragic and sad all around. Major props to Kerry for her highly convincing acting during it.
Aemon – Also really sad, but I’m glad he got to go peacefully at least. Peter Vaughan really delivered. Plus they kept the Egg line!
Ser Meryn – Holy shit, that was brutal. I know he deserved to die, but… damn.
Janos – Fuck this guy, he deserved it.
Meryn Trant’s was by far the best for me, if only for the lighting, directing, and symbolic parallel with Arya’s punishment.
Stabbing out Trant’s eyes wasn’t put their just to make it squeamish, but it and her equation of him as “no one” is a clear parallel with her subsequent punishment, whereby they ‘take’ her eyes and equate her with being “no one”.
This is a great scene that really proves that D & D can create amazing (semi)show only scenes.
I picked the deaths that were most powerful or emotionally resonant for me. So even though there were several pretty cool deaths for minor characters, I just don’t care enough about characters like Janos Slynt or Myranda to put them in my top five, good death scenes though they were.
So my picks are:
Jon Snow: His death is somewhat diminished since he will almost certainly be back next year. But he definitely died in that scene, and I think even after he comes back, we will look back at this moment as so sad, tragic and powerful, especially the betrayal of Olly. Probably won’t vote for it in the final round, but I do think it is very deserving of being in the top five.
Stannis: Seeing Stannis’s life crumble around him provided the perfect buildup to his death at the hands of Brienne, poetically connecting his later struggles to his “original sin” in using blood magic to kill Renly. I love the expressions on Stannis’s face when Brienne asks him if he has any final words; I don’t know what he was thinking, but Dillane made me so curious, and that bit of acting alone puts his death in my top five.
Shireen: Will probably get my final vote. So tragic and heartwrenching and powerful. I’ve never been affected more by a scene on this show, if I’m going to be honest.
Aemon: What a wonderful sendoff to a minor character who has been around for so long and managed to earn so much respect from the surrounding characters and the audience. The fact that it was a natural death makes it unique and worthy of nomination.
Mance: His death was not only a great character moment for Jon Snow (like Slynt’s), it was also a beautiful farewell to a cool character. All the buildup to it was so well-acted and directed it’s impossible to leave it off my list.
Luka Nieto,
Honestly, it’s the one death on this list I really disliked. I love the idea of Jaime admitting his parenthood to Myrcella and/or Tommen. But Myrcella’s reaction just didn’t ring true to me at all. That development would, realistically, be way more difficult for Myrcella to grasp and deal with, and it would certainly complicate the relationship between her and Jaime, as opposed to removing all complications for a seemingly bright and near-perfect relationship for the future…right before she dies. Felt really manipulative to me.
Jon, Janos, Aemon, Mance, Barristan. Stannis didn’t have the death scene which he deserved.
Hodor Targaryen,
In my own litle universe, I always tought, Myrcella being much smarter then Joffrey and Tommen( there is evidance of that in both the show and books), always had her doubts, about Robert. I like the idea that she knew that Jaime was her father.
So that scene, for me atleast, confirmed my theory,that Myrcella knew the truth.
And so her reaction seems very natural/normal too me
That was actually tough. Jon was epic, but so many others were better! Besides we will get to vote for Jon after next season too.
-Barristan
-Slynt
-Jon
-Trant
-Shireen
Honourable mentions: Karsi, Mance Rayder
Lot harder than I expected.
Went for:
Janos
Jon
Shireen
Stannis
Barristan
But I can’t get my head around the fact that I was not able to vote for Trant and Karsi in the preliminary round… Too many great scenes!
Shireen’s was the most impactful. Indeed I won’t watch that scene again as I found it too harrowing. Does that make it the best? Possibly. But there was something poetic and beautiful about the deaths of both Aemon and Stannis – both scenes benefitted from excellent script and acting. So those two get my vote for sure. Beyond that, the Mossador scene and Janos scenes were both excellent, and for cheap thrills I’ll go for Trant. Can’t bring myself to vote for Shireen, even though I respect the scene on an artistic level.
Selmy’s was one of the greatest disappointments for me. Not only to lose one of my favourite secondary characters, but I personally thought it wasn’t very well choreographed. I know we are spoilt with Hollywood fight scenes these days, but his skills as a swordsman had been espoused for five seasons and it felt like a massive anti-climax.
Still debating… I am aware we are supposed to judge the art of creating a powerful scene, but imo one can’t compare two different things (regarding the emotions involved). I cheered when Trant, Slynt and Myranda were killed, I mourned for Karsi, Mance, Jon (although since I read ADWD I have been waiting for Jon to come back), even for Myrcella (but mostly because of Jaime). I was heartbroken when Shireen died although I had known it would come (as a European, I read about Shireen’s burning on WotW before watching the episode). I would have liked two categories: best pleasant death and best unpleasant death. What do you think?
Shy Lady Dragon,
I know what you mean, but the great thing about GoT is that there is ambiguity in nearly everything. So you may have cheered with Trant and Slynt, but I found them pretty disturbing. For Trant we are seeing this previously sweet young girl act as a ruthless (one could say even sadistic) killer. Whether the death was justified or not, we should question ourselves when we cheer because of that. With Slynt, he was so pathetic at the end I took no satisfaction out of it, despite the fact he was responsible for the most-upsetting-scene-in-GoT-before-Shireen(TM) when he killed the baby.
I think the only black and white cheer-worthy one was Myranda.
Ross,
I fully agree with you about the grey area and its unique charm.
I also found Trant’s and Slynt’s death disturbing, but I was glad that justice had been done. I have longed for justice since Ned’s execution – to say nothing about Red Wedding! I am afraid that there will be no justice at the end, at least not for many people…
I do love Arya, but for a long time I have seen her as a vigilante without any mercy (pun non-intended). And I think she still can have sweet, generous feelings – for Jaqen and even for the Hound.
Miranda’s death was a masterpiece! But visually speaking, the Rhaegal and Viserion killing was perfect.
My votes: Janos Slint, Viserion and Rhaegal burning the great master, Myranda, Aemon (sigh) and.. For the Watch.
It was undeniably satisfying! But I didn’t like the build-up before the pay-off. Her dialogue “Oh you’re going to let me decide…” / “Let’s get started shall we?” felt really clunky. Also I didn’t believe she would dare to do anything without Ramsay’s say-so, so it didn’t ring true. The pay-off was good though!
Not complaining, Sue, but I really miss Rattleshirt’s death right here. Immediate and without fanfare. Part of what I like about another show that many here like to bash to prove how much they love GOT.
I can’t believe no one nominated it.
It’s pretty hard to choose the best death as each had the most of something. Either most brutal (Meryn Trant), most surprising, most ‘deserved’ etc.
But the title being “Best Death Scene“, I went with those deaths that were part of great scenes around them: Mance’s burning, Shireen’s burning, the dragons were well done in the master burning (and Daenerys was a true mad Targaryen – well, almost), decapitation of Janos Slynt (the whole Wall sequence in that episode was great and I wasn’t entirely sure whether Slynt would die or not till the very end) and the (hopefully – but unlikely at this point) death of Jon Snow.
I’m just sad I didn’t have place for Maester Aemon here.
Also I have no idea which 5 will get to the finals.
I voted not for the deaths I enjoyed, but for the ones I found heart-wrenching… the ones which stayed with me for quite a while:
– Shireen (those screams!!)
– Jon
– Maester Aemon
– Karsi
– Stannis (I am not and never will be a Stannis supporter, but his death made me feel compassion this fallen man).
I went with the Janos Slynt death. The rest of them were either meh or sucked in my opinion.
Off-Topic Otto,
That’s cryptic Otto – about the show people love to bash. I know I have said I don’t like “Once Upon a Time” in the past but that was like making a statement – not having a go at people who like it. I’m sure I like some shows that are anathema to other viewers. Or is it “The Walking Dead” you mean – I have never seen that so can’t judge it. I suppose there is always going to be a well performed scene that doesn’t make it to the middle or final rounds because there are so many good scenes.
Stannis – You can’t get more Stannis than that
Ser Barristan – Died like the badass he was
Shireen – Shocking
Myranda – Very satisfying
Trant – Damn brutal. Almost as brutal as Oberyn’s death, my favorite ever
My top three: Slynt getting his (he was so smug at Ned’s execution); saddest ever — Karsi being taken out by the child wights; and most, shockingly horrifying and heartbreaking — the sacrifice of Shirreen.
I’m of the siesta,
Make that “broken” man. Stannis Baratheon’s arrogance and ambition have been all but the complete undoing of House Baratheon. And yes, I hope he gets an Emmy for it.
Shy Lady Dragon,
I like that idea – pleasant death, considering the circumstances and a just desserts death as in “all things being equal”. Even though the death of Shirreen Baratheon was a climatic event, the sweet satisfaction of seeing Slynt get what he so richly deserved was a little scary, and then Arya got Trant. You gotta hand it to the surviving Stark kids — when they get revenge, they Get Revenge. Wonder when Sansa will start down this path. Should be fun.
Barristan Selmy – I didn’t think this was an underwhelming scene at all and although it ended in his death, it was great to see Selmy finally back in action.
Janos Slynt – The pity I felt for him at the end made me feel like he was worthy of a vote.
Meryn Trant – One of the more gruesome deaths.
Shireen Baratheon – What can be said has been said.
Stannis Baratheon – Despite my vote, I am still firmly in the ‘Stannis is alive’ camp. But, if this was indeed his death, he was Stannis to the end. Dillane’s acting was fantastic and his groan was powerful on its own.
Hi, I’m new around here, so hello everyone!!
Shireen Baratheon– great scene (even if I think it destroyed Stannis as a character)
Aemon– poetry
Trant– great to see Arya go all Tarantino on him
Jon– it was good, it lacked all the context of the books, like Jon being basically king of the wildings by this point, but it was good, especially the Olly/Brutus betrayal
Slynt– very well done, I bet that people that didn’t read the books thought Jon would forgive him
and I disliked Selmy’s death, from the fact that the unsullied couldn’t match guys with daggers and without armor, that it was too heroic (more fit to lord of the rings than GoT), and that the character and actor didn’t get the screen time or role they deserved
Riverhawk,
Right!
But will she be strong enough to oppose the Boltons or at least Ramsay? She hasn’t proved much by now.
Keeping my fingers crossed for Sansa!
I half expected Jon to utter “Et tu, Olly?” as he collapsed.
Such a low blow using Benjen’s name to draw Jon out. May Ghost remember!
O_o,
Loved that Olly gave the final blow, you could see Jon’s sadness, that he failed that litle boy aswell
The way she dispatches him leaves you in no doubt about Arya’s state of mind.
In the books,
[spoilers] it’s pretty clear she has PTSD. [/spoilers]
That doesn’t always come across onscreen. We’re too busy seeing her be bold, daring and kick-ass. The savage brutality of how Meryn goes, though, called back to my mind the immense amount of trauma she has been through, and how it has changed her. I found Meryn’s death nauseating, but I also still voted for it as the death of the season just because of how chilling it was.
O_o,
I enjoyed your Tarantino reference. Very well put!
Selmy….random Master….Mance….Meryn….Shireen. Almost voted for Myranda, but my god, a little girl got burned.