With the “Game of Thrones” finale just around the corner, we at Dhaka Tribune Showtime have been listing 10 of the most memorable moments from the fantasy epic TV show. In the first part of this feature, we mentioned five of the 10, and were barely able to reach season two.
As with any such list of this kind, there is bound to be some debate and disagreement. Picking just 10 memorable moments from a show as packed with excitement as “Game of Thrones” was extremely difficult, and all the choices are based on our personal perspectives. To try and miss as few of our reader’s favourites as possible, we have thrown in some honourable mentions.
The Kingslayer loses his hand
Jaime “the Kingslayer” Lannister is among the most complex characters in the show. Initially appearing to be as evil as his twin sister Cersei, Jaime’s constant conflict between loyalty to his family’s ruthless objectives and his own sense of honour soon becomes apparent. A pivotal moment in his character arc takes place in episode three of season three, when he attempts to bribe Roose Bolton’s henchmen to stop them from raping female warrior Brienne of Tarth. Jaime succeeds in his effort, but loses one of his most prized possessions- his right hand, which he had used to become one of Westeros’s finest swordsmen.
The sadistic Joffrey meets his end
Undoubtedly one of the most hated characters on “Game of Thrones,” many fans rejoiced when the tyrannical King Joffrey drank from a poisoned chalice and died a horrific death. His constant abuse of first wife Sansa Stark and blatant love of cruelty without purpose endeared him to no one, except his mother Cersei. Joffrey’s cruelty finally catches up to him, as Tyrell family matriarch Olena poisons him to ensure he does not end up marrying her daughter Margery. However, any joy fans may have felt is short lived, as the lovable Tyrion Lannister is blamed for the murder.
The Imp finally gets his revenge
Tyrion’s relationship with his father Tywin was always strained, to say the least. Blamed for killing his mother (as she died while giving birth to him) and seen as an embarrassment because of his height, Tywin rarely treated Tyrion like a son. A lifetime of mistreatment finally comes to head when Tyrion is betrayed by his lover Shae in court, and finds out his father is responsible and employing her services as a prostitute. Enraged at the betrayal, Tyrion strangles Shae in his father’s bedroom, and then kills Tywin himself with a crossbow.
The Mountain and the Viper
One of the many likable characters killed off in “Game of Thrones” is Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne. Oberyn travels to King’s Landing seeking revenge for his sister Elia and her children, who were brutally murdered by Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in events before the show. The prince finally gets his chance in Tyrion’s trial by combat for the murder of Joffrey, as Cersei selects the Mountain as her champion. After an epic battle, Oberyn appears to be on the verge of winning. However, in his zeal to extract a confession from the Mountain, Oberyn loses focus and the gargantuan Ser Gregor trips him, confesses, and promptly rips his skull into pieces.
Cersei’s ‘walk of shame’
The ruthless Queen Cersei does not have many low points in the show, but one of them is her walk of shame. After being accused of incest by the High Sparrow, a leader of a religious cult, Cersei is imprisoned and continually tortured until she confesses. Her punishment is to walk stark naked from the prison to the Red Keep at the palace, while the public jeers and throws rotten vegetables, rocks and fecal matter at her. After finally reaching the keep, Cersei breaks down into tears in a rare show of emotion.
The resurrection of Jon Snow
By the finale of season five, the honourable Jon Snow had emerged as one of the few voices of reason. Having seen the horrors of the White Walkers beyond the wall, he strives to unite the Night’s Watch with long-time enemies the wildlings, as he realizes that humanity stands little chance while divided. However, some his followers are unable to accept the uneasy truce and they betray him, stabbing him in the back both literally and figuratively. After waiting for a full year to find out what happens next, fans finally breathed a sigh of relief when Jon was brought back to life by the blood magic of Melisandre, a red priestess, in the opening episode of season 6.
Arya crosses the Freys off her list
After Ned Stark’s death, his younger daughter Arya winds up on a lonely and treacherous road to revenge. She is captured and escapes on multiple occasions, eventually ending up in the city of Braavos, the home of legendary assassins known as the Faceless Men. Arya had previously met and been assisted by one of them by the name of Jaqen H'ghar. Jaqen takes Arya under his tutelage, but she flees before completing her training.
In the season six finale, Arya returns to Westeros and makes a stop at the Twins, the land of the traitorous Freys who betrayed her family by murdering her mother and eldest brother at The Red Wedding. She uses her newly acquired skills to serve Walder Frey his own sons as meat pies, before slitting his throat.
The Wall burns down
The Night’s Watch had been guarding The Wall for thousands of years according to the lore of “Game of Thrones.” However, it all came crashing down in spectacular fashion in the season seven finale. The Wall was 300 miles long and 700 feet tall, and it was built it with the sole purpose of keeping the White Walkers away. Unfortunately, its constructors did not factor an undead dragon in their calculations, and the wall was melted in seconds when the Night King resurrected Daenerys’s dragon Viseryon.
On Sunday, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” will air the finale of its last season, bringing closure to its fans after eight long years. After these honourable mentions, keep your eyes glued to our pages, for the remaining five most memorable moments of “Game of Thrones.”
