Game of Thrones: 20 Scenes To Make You Want To Rewatch
Warning: contains spoilers for Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 (and – curveball – The Shield pilot).
Game of Thrones fans have been voting on their favourite scenes and moments. Vote in the comments below to make us want to re-watch Game of Thrones even more. The final results and rankings lay no claim to definitiveness.20. Bran’s Window of Opportunity
S1 E1, Winter is Coming
Game of Thrones’ first ever episode ends with a mission statement that is every bit as shocking and provocative as Vic Mackey’s execution of a fellow police officer at the close of The Shield‘s pilot. Even though ‘Winter is Coming’ never stopped nailing its gritty, blood-soaked colours to the mast, there was something about a small boy witnessing an incestuous embrace and then being pushed from a high window to his apparent death that seemed to say, ‘Yeah, you ain’t seen nothing yet.’ And my Gods we hadn’t.
19. Here There Be Dragons
S1 E10, Fire and Blood
Prior to that, the show had been dealing primarily with dynastic wrangling and political intrigue. Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen emerged from a pyre of flames adorned with dragons.
18. Hodor Begins… and Ends
S6 E5, The Door
Little did we know that his ‘name’ had been a harbinger of his doom all along, and that his death would be so deeply tragic and traumatising.
17. Slayer and the Bear
S3 E7, The Bear and the Maiden Fair
Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) ran the gamut from swaggering villain to anti-hero to beloved fan favourite. Nowhere was his arc of redemption more transformative than when he was with Brienne of Tarth. Jaime’s selfless zeal with which he leapt – weary and one-handed – into a bear-pit epitomised his humanity.
16. Wight and Wrong
S7 E7, The Dragon and the Wolf
The long-awaited confrontation between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen set the stage for all the plot-collisions and dovetails that would come later in the season.
15. Dragon-mounted Massacre
S8 E5, The Bells
14. Tywin Lannister has Left the Building
S5 E1, The Wars to Come
13. The Hound Gets His Pound of Flesh
S6 E8, No One
Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) is what you get if you combine Sean Connery and Malcolm Tucker. He’s a terrible brute, but noble and code-driven in his own way. Sandor’s blunt quips are legendary, but never better than when he coolly observes to a gurgling, dying victim.12. Tyrion’s Big Gambit
S2 E9, Blackwater
11. The Walk of Shame
S5 E10, Mother’s Mercy
Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) found herself trumped and usurped by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). The cold dignity with which she undertook her forced ‘Walk of Shame’ made you respect her, even admire her. Just a little.
10. Here Come the Fireworks
S6 E10, The Winds of Winter
9. Double Dragon
S7 E6, Beyond the Wall; S7 E7, The Dragon and the Wolf
When Viserion was speared by the Night King, his dragon dropped impotently into the drink like a vast scaly stone. When he re-emerged, undead and under the control of his new master, he took down the Wall in a jet of blue fire.
8. I Now Pronounce You… Dead
S3 E9, The Rains of Castamere
The scene cemented the show’s place as an icon of popular culture. It also served as shorthand for everything fans loved about the show: its tragic grandeur, unflinching brutality and thrilling unpredictability.
7. Snow has Fallen
S5 E10, Mother’s Mercy
No one expected Jon Snow to ever die. The question left hanging after season five was: ‘Is Game of Thrones bluffing?’. And that delicious doubt made the wait for season six all the more agonising. It’s hard to banish that doubt when you remember the entry below.
6. Ned’s Dead, Baby. Ned’s Dead
S1 E9, Baelor
5. The Red-eyed Wedding
S4 E2, The Lion and the Rose
Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) was such an entitled, unhinged, universally despised king that the field of suspects in his very public poisoning included anyone who’d ever met him. Kudos to Jack Gleeson for bringing this cruel and callous character to life.
4. Hardhome Hits Home Hard
S5 E8, Hardhome
3. Olenna’s Final Toast to Joffrey
S7 E3, The Queen’s Justice
She revealed that she had poisoned Joffrey before meeting her maker. As Olenna so succinctly put it: ‘He really was a c***, wasn’t he?’.
2. The Eyes Have It
S4 E8, The Mountain and the Viper
Game of Thrones should have ended with Oberon Martell’s eyes thumbed backwards through his skull until his head literally caved in. His was a death, and a death scene, that lingered rather too long in the mind’s eye. Not to mention the stomach.
1. Feudal Family Feud
S4 E6, The Laws of Gods and Men
Peter Dinklage delivers an epic, jaw-dropping, electrifying speech that’s rarely bettered on the show. His grand finale is a demand for trial by combat, which elicits stunned gasps.
