The Most Shocking Moments of 'Game of Thrones'

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com

Admit it—barely an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones goes by without at least one moment that shocks you into a weeping, crumpled-up little heap on the floor. Author George R. R. Martin, the man who wrote the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of fantasy novels upon which the show is based, has a special talent for brutal, unpredictable storytelling that leaves no character safe from harm, no matter how beloved they are.

In fact, it seems like the more beloved a Game of Thrones character becomes, the closer they come to the chopping block.

But Game of Thrones isn’t in the business of empty shock value. The most intense moments of the show are so shocking because they upend viewers’ expectations of how a story would normally play out. Bad things happen to good people, and often, the villains get exactly what they want because they refuse to play by the rules.

And sometimes, it’s hard to even tell who the heroes and the villains really are in this morally gray, complex fantasy world. It’s precisely this quality that leaves viewers with the sense that they’re not merely watching a show—they’re watching life unfold, with all of its imperfections and meaningless tragedies.

So, let’s celebrate one of the popular shows of all time by taking a look at some of its most deeply shocking moments.

Bran's Fall

HBO

This scene set the tone for Game of Thrones, setting the show apart from the average fantasy.

In this episode, viewers find young, good-hearted Bran Stark doing what he loves best: climbing the steep stone walls of an abandoned tower within the walls of his ancestral home of Winterfell. But when the 10-year-old boy reaches the tower window, he catches Cersei, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, engaged in a shocking, incestuous tryst with her twin brother, Jaime Lannister.

Upon being found out, Jaime grabs the boy as Cersei exclaims, “He saw us!”

After a brief exchange, Jaime releases his grip on Bran and, for a moment, it seems that everything will be well.

But you have to remember—this is Game of Thrones.

And so, after a moment's pause, Jaime nonchalantly remarks, “The things I do for love,” and shoves Bran out of the window, seemingly to his death.

And this is only the first episode—we're just getting started.

The Execution of Ned Stark

HBO

Game of Thrones veterans could have spotted this scene a mile off, but when viewers were all fresh-faced and naïve, no one could have imagined Sean Bean’s honorable Ned Stark losing his life at the end of the first season. After all, the show was about him, wasn’t it?

How wrong we were.

As viewers quickly learned, Game of Thrones doesn’t follow the traditional model of one invincible protagonist, or even one special group of people. It’s a sprawling history of an entire realm, and history protects no one—not even the important people.

Ned quickly worked his way into the hearts of viewers everywhere as the first season went on. He was a beacon of goodness, and a breath of fresh air in an otherwise oppressive and hopeless world.

And so, of course, Ned is executed in front of his own daughter when he challenges Joffrey’s right to rule.

This scene is shocking, but it is also important. In killing a major protagonist and symbol of the “good guys,” the show’s writers showed that Game of Thrones was throwing the rule book out the window. From here on, viewers knew that anything could happen to anyone, and that tension has gone on to sustain the show for season after season.

The Red Wedding

HBO

Even people who don’t know anything about Game of Thrones have heard of the Red Wedding. It was the moment that was talked about for months, and that had people all over the country falling from their couches in utter, teeth-gnashing despair.

The Red Wedding is the massacre arranged by Lord Walder Frey, done as an act of revenge against Robb Stark for breaking his marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey.

The scene begins when Robb, his pregnant wife, his mother, and a group of his men attend a wedding feast at Lord Frey’s home. Robb believes that Frey is ready to ally with him, and that they will soon all be attacking their enemies at Casterly Rock, the stronghold of House Lannister.

But the merriment turns to ominous dread as Frey’s musicians begin to play “The Rains of Castamere,” which is a testament to the destruction of a house which once opposed the Lannisters.

What followed is now one of the most famous scenes in history, wherein the Starks are slaughtered. Robb is riddled with arrows, his pregnant wife is stabbed to death, and his mother’s throat is slit. The rest are finished off by a slew of hidden blades.

In the span of a couple minutes, nearly all of our favorite characters were gone forever.

The Death of Oberyn Martell

HBO

If there’s any stomach-churning scene in Game of Thrones that’s hard to watch—and there are a lot of them—it’s this one.

Oberyn Martell was a charismatic member of the ruling family of Dorne. Called the Red Viper, he is famous for his skill as both a lover and a fighter.

Oberyn seeks justice for the rape and murder of his sister at the hands of Gregor Clegane, and agrees to be Tyron Lannister’s champion in a trial by combat so that he can face his enemy.

Clegane has an appropriate nickname—he is called “The Mountain That Rides,” because of his ridiculously fearsome size and strength. The Viper proves far too fast for the Mountain throughout the fight, and it seemed that Oberyn had won, calling out Clegane’s guilt over the death of his sister as he stabs the huge man with his spear.

But when Oberyn’s arrogance and pride get the better of him, he begins to stalk around Clegane’s unmoving body, coming with arm’s reach. In a sudden movement, The Mountain trips Oberyn, pulls him to the ground, and crushes his head with his bare hands before passing out.

This moment was so shocking because it turned the typical revenge narrative on its head—Oberyn’s quest remained unfinished, and Clegane lived on in the end.

That’s exactly the thing Game of Thrones is famous for.

The Sacrifice of Shireen

HBO

If there’s a scene in Game of Thrones that, perhaps, takes things too far, it’s the murder of Stannis Baratheon’s daughter by her father’s own hand.

Stannis has been a popular character throughout the show, earning the nickname, “Stannis the Mannis.” But as the story wore on, Stannis began making larger and larger sacrifices to achieve his goal of ruling the kingdoms, especially since the introduction of the red-haired religious zealous, Melisandre.

It is she that tells Stannis that the Lord of Light will show good fortune on his military campaign if he sacrifices his poor, crippled daughter. And so, still gripping a simple, wooden toy, the young girl is strapped to a stake and burned to death, as Stannis watches on.

Stannis’s wife, Selyse, who has rejected Shireen throughout the show because of the girl’s damaged face, come around at this moment, and tries to convince Stannis to stop the sacrifice.

He doesn’t, however, and in a moment that agonized viewers everywhere, he kills his daughter. Some might say that this was shockingly out of character for the strong-willed Stannis, but his time with Melisandre has obviously changed the character viewers so loved.

"Hold the Door"

HBO

“Hold the door.”

If there’s one instantly-recognizable phrase that induces weeping in even the most hardened Game of Thrones veteran, it’s this.

Hodor has been one of the most beloved faces on the show since day one. A mentally handicapped giant of a man, Hodor is capable of saying only his own name, but has a heart of gold.

But in season six, we found out why poor, sweet Hodor can only say “Hodor.” Weeping ensued.

When Bran Stark and his companions are pursued by hordes of the undead wights, Bran uses his newfound psychic powers to control Hodor, using the man’s prodigious strength to close a door between the humans and the undead.

Unfortunately, when Bran psychically reaches back in time to connect with a younger Hodor—whose name is actually Willas—present Hodor is being killed by the wights, even as he is being commanded to "hold the door." Because of this link, young Hodor of the past experiences the death of his future self, shattering his mind, the phrase “Hold the door,” slowly becoming garbled, morphing into “Hodor.”

Every time innocent Hodor ever said “Hodor,” throughout the show, he was reliving a little piece of his future death.

That’s dark, sad and shocking, even for this show.

The Destruction of the Sept of Baelor

HBO

In this episode, Cersei kills everyone.

Well, not everyone, but pretty close.

Cersei is schedule to be put to trial at the Great Sept of Baelor for the murder of King Robert I, as well as for committing incest. She is, unwisely, permitted to return to her home in the Red Keep while waiting for the trial to take place.

And so, with Cersei being Cersei, she arranges for the enormous store of a magically explosive compound called wildfire to be detonated beneath the Great Sept of Baelor, where the trial was to take place.

At the trial are gathered the majority of Cersei’s enemies, including the popular Margaery Tyrell. When Cersei’s absence is noted, Margaery immediately knows they’re all doomed.

"Cersei understands the consequences of her absence, and she's absent anyway,” she says.
“Which means she does not intend to suffer those consequences. The trial can wait; we all need to leave."

Set to one of the greatest pieces of television music in the past decade, the flame is lit in the bowels of the sept, and vibrant, green flames burst up through the floor, consuming everyone inside and annihilating the building. With it went the entire leadership of the Faith of the Seven, as well as most of House Tyrell.

Clad in all black and watching the flames rise from her balcony, Cersei smiles and drinks from a goblet of wine, cementing herself as one of the greatest television villains ever.

6 Lessons From Frank and Claire Underwood

It really is 'One nation, Underwood.' Read next feature >