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Post by greendemon on Mar 16, 2019 13:25:06 GMT 1
I have something of a Game of Thrones obsession. I absolutely love the show and have rewatched the whole thing from the start of Season 1 multiple times; usually as a refresher before the start of a new season, but sometimes just for the sheer joy of revisiting what is, for me, one of the best things that has ever been on television. There have been breathtaking moments throughout the show's history: the epic, CGI-laden set-pieces, of course, but also the smaller scenes between two key players quietly trying to understand, undermine or just plain destroy one another. And, since I love a good ranked list but haven't done one on here in a very long time... I've thought about doing something like this for a few years now, but it never really seemed like the right time. Arguably it still isn't, given that we haven't seen Season 8 yet and that will undoubtedly shake this up a bit, but in terms of hype value, the month leading up to the start of the final season seemed like a good opportunity. If I wasn't going to do it now, I probably never would have. So, in this thread I will post my ranked list of my favourite fifty sixty* moments in Game of Thrones to date - mostly for my own self-indulgent enjoyment, but hey, if you get a kick out of reminiscing about GoT too, don't let me stop you. A few points: - I've deliberately used the vague term "moments". Most of the entries on the list are short scenes, a few are sequences of scenes covering the same event across different episodes, and some are entire episodes on their own. One or two might be running across multiple seasons which is kind of cheating, but it's my list, so there. - I decided not to do an episode ranking as I think this way makes for a "cleaner" list, as episodes tend to cover multiple different things going on across Westeros and Essos (and if you can remember exactly what happens in every episode, you're an even bigger GoT nerd than me...) - I came to the series through the books. While I overall prefer the TV show, I can't promise there won't be occasional references to the books, and while I've tried to take the TV show on its own merits, some things might be lower than expected because for me they never had the same "shock value". - This list is up to date to the end of Season 7 and is therefore spoilerrific. Also, I will be posting YouTube clips of every entry on the list; needless to say, this is GoT, so please don't watch these if you are squeamish about nudity or graphic violence (and please don't watch them at work!!) First post of the list to follow later today! * - because who can choose just fifty?!
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Post by greendemon on Mar 16, 2019 13:31:31 GMT 1
Top 10: 1 Hardhome (S5E8 - Hardhome) 2 The Red Wedding (S3E9 - The Rains of Castamere) 3 Battle of Blackwater (S2E9 - Blackwater) 4 Battle at the Wall (S4E9 - The Watchers on the Wall) 5 Cersei blows up the Sept of Baelor/Light of the Seven (S6E10 - The Winds of Winter) 6 Hold the Door (S6E5 - The Door) 7 Tyrion’s trial for the regicide of Joffrey (S4E6 - The Laws of Gods and Men) 8 The Battle of the b*st*rds (S6E9 - The Battle of the b*st*rds) 9 Cersei’s walk of atonement (S5E10 - Mother’s Mercy) 10 The Wall falls (S7E7 - The Dragon and the Wolf)
11 Daenerys frees the Unsullied and sacks Astapor (S3E4 - And Now His Watch Is Ended) 12 Field of Fire (S7E4 - The Spoils of War) 13 Arya as Tywin’s cupbearer (S2E5 - The Ghost of Harrenhal/S2E7 - A Man Without Honor) 14 The Purple Wedding (S4E2 - The Lion and the Rose) 15 Mother of Dragons (S1E10 - Fire and Blood) 16 “Chaos is a ladder” (S3E6 - The Climb) 17 Resurrection of Jon Snow (S6E2 - Home) 18 Tyrion kills Shae and his father (S4E10 - The Children) 19 Arya and the Hound (S4E1 - Two Swords/S4E10 - The Children) 20 Tyrion’s first trial by combat (S1E6 - A Golden Crown) 21 The Night King kills Viserion (S7E6 - Beyond the Wall) 22 Execution of Ned Stark (S1E9 - Baelor) 23 “Love is the death of duty” (S1E9 - Baelor) 24 The Mountain and the Viper (S4E8 - The Mountain and the Viper) 25 “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” (S7E3 - The Queen’s Justice) 26 “The Queen mustn’t know” (S2E3 - What is Dead May Never Die) 27 Stannis sacrifices Princess Shireen (S5E9 - The Dance of Dragons) 28 Brienne and Jaime in the baths (S3E5 - Kissed by Fire) 29 Opening scene (S1E1 - Winter is Coming) 30 Varys and Littlefinger (S1E5 - The Lion and the Wolf) 31 Jon Snow and Ygritte (S2-S3) 32 “I dreamed that I was old” (S5E7 - The Gift) 33 “Help was not promised, lovely girl. Only death.” (S2E8 - The Prince of Winterfell) 34 The Tower of Joy (S6E3 - Oathbreaker/S6E10 - The Winds of Winter) 35 Sansa and Tyrion’s wedding feast (S3E8 - Second Sons) 36 “I will be your champion” (S4E7 - Mockingbird) 37 Varys’ sorcerer in a box (S3E4 - And Now His Watch Is Ended) 38 A golden crown (S1E6 - A Golden Crown) 39 Sansa feeds Ramsay to his own dogs (S6E9 - Battle of the b*st*rds) 40 Brienne vs. the Hound (S4E10 - The Children) 41 Winter comes for House Frey (S7E1 - Dragonstone) 42 Daenerys burns the Khals (S6E4 - Book of the Stranger) 43 Lyanna Mormont meets Jon Snow, Sansa and Davos (S6E7 - The Broken Man) 44 Tywin refuses to make Tyrion heir to Casterly Rock (S3E1 - Valar Dohaeris) 45 “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention” (S3E6 - The Climb) 46 A gift for the gods (S4E4 - Oathkeeper) 47 Robert and Cersei (S1E5 - The Lion and the Wolf) 48 "Your sister" (S4E7 - Mockingbird) 49 Jaime loses his hand (S3E3 - Walk of Punishment) 50 Podrick's visit to Littlefinger's brothel (S3E3 - Walk of Punishment) 51 Sansa accepts Brienne's service (S6E1 - The Red Woman) 52 Fighting pits of Meereen (S5E9 - The Dance of Dragons) 53 Three Blasts (S2E10 - Valar Morghulis) 54 “You don’t know cold” (S1E4 - Cripples, b*st*rds and Broken Things) 55 A spider in the garden (S3E4 - And Now His Watch Is Ended) 56 Cersei is imprisoned by the High Sparrow (S5E7 - The Gift) 57 The Kingslayer becomes a kinslayer (S2E7 - A Man Without Honor) 58 Khal Drogo promises Dany the Iron Throne (S1E7 - You Win Or You Die) 59 The Rat Cook (S3E10 - Mhysa) 60 “Your meat… is bloody tough!” (S1E8 - The Pointy End)
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Post by Jordan on Mar 16, 2019 15:47:10 GMT 1
Will look forward to seeing this
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Post by greendemon on Mar 16, 2019 16:21:49 GMT 1
OK, let's get started!
60. “Your meat… is bloody tough!” (S1E8 - The Pointy End)
Whenever I watch Season 1, I’m left thinking it’s a real shame we don’t get to see more of Clive Mantle as the Greatjon. Though he only appears in a handful of scenes, he steals most of them, bringing real personality to an otherwise largely forgettable crowd of nameless northern lords. His first appearance is in this scene, which takes place at Winterfell shortly after Robb calls his banners with the intention of marching on King’s Landing. An argument between the Greatjon and his liege lord over battle plans escalates alarmingly quickly when the big man draws his sword, only to have two of his fingers torn off by Grey Wind. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind too much!
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Post by greendemon on Mar 16, 2019 16:23:04 GMT 1
59. The Rat Cook (S3E10 - Mhysa)
This scene might have been higher had the eventual pay-off - the Frey Pie scene with Arya killing Walder Frey in Season 6, which isn’t on this list - been better executed (I’m still sad that when Arya went to catch up with Hot Pie she never asked him “so I hear you know something about pies…”). Nevertheless, it’s still a very good, creepy scene, with Bran - who, as he reminds us, used to love a scary story - telling his friends an old folk tale about what happens to those who breach the sacred code of hospitality. Coming as it does in the episode immediately following the Red Wedding, it’s pretty clear what the implication is…
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Post by o on Mar 16, 2019 16:45:48 GMT 1
Looks like this will be great fun!
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TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,560
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Post by TheThorne on Mar 16, 2019 23:48:54 GMT 1
Ah so Greendemon can make a personal chart hehe
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Post by greendemon on Mar 17, 2019 2:42:58 GMT 1
58. Khal Drogo promises Dany the Iron Throne (S1E7 - You Win Or You Die)
This may be the lower ranked of Khal Drogo’s two entries on the list, but it’s undoubtedly Jason Momoa’s moment of glory in Game of Thrones. By this point it’s been pretty well established that Drogo has no interest in helping either Targaryen sibling reclaim the Iron Throne - until he learns how close Dany (and their unborn son) came to death from an assassination plot orchestrated by Robert Baratheon’s agents. Drogo’s rage-filled speech, riling up his khalasar to cross the Narrow Sea and invade Westeros - a concept totally alien to Dothraki culture - and promising Dany’s child her family’s “iron chair” is at once glorious and mildly terrifying. And, if you’re Daenerys, sexy af.
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Post by greendemon on Mar 17, 2019 2:44:24 GMT 1
57. The Kingslayer becomes a kinslayer (S2E7 - A Man Without Honor)
Rarely did the saying “never meet your heroes” hold more true than for poor Ser Alton Lannister, Red-Shirtiest of His Name. This unfortunate chap, scion of a minor branch of House Lannister, finds himself sharing a makeshift cell in the Stark camp with none other than Jaime Lannister. Like just about every other young knight in the Seven Kingdoms, he’s in awe of the Kingslayer, and the two of them have this wonderful conversation reliving That Time when Ser Alton squired for Jaime, and how much better he was than Jaime himself when he squired for the great Barristan Selmy, “a painter who only used red”. You can feel the admiration and respect Alton has for Jaime, his eagerness to help him escape… which only makes what follows more horrible.
It’s hard to argue that anything could be worse than pushing a ten-year-old boy out of a window. And yet, there’s just something so crude and callous about Jaime in this scene that it feels like this is the closest he gets to pure evil. This is the rock-bottom point from which his redemption arc begins.
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Post by Jordan on Mar 17, 2019 13:03:49 GMT 1
The last couple of scenes I'd almost forgotten about - but they are gooduns!
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Post by greendemon on Mar 17, 2019 14:47:52 GMT 1
The last couple of scenes I'd almost forgotten about - but they are gooduns! I almost forgot about Jaime killing his cousin to escape when I started compiling this - I'm glad I remembered!
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Post by greendemon on Mar 17, 2019 14:49:39 GMT 1
56. Cersei is imprisoned by the High Sparrow (S5E7 - The Gift)
Cersei is probably the ultimate love-to-hate-her character for me. She’s cruel, jealous, proud and vindictive, and all things considered, a pretty unpleasant person, yet somehow I always seem to find myself delighting in her victories almost as much as her setbacks. I out-and-out hated her in the books but the way she’s portrayed in GoT - a combination of the writing and Lena Headey’s excellent (and underrated) acting - makes her seem entirely human and relatable. She is also (as in the books) often not as clever as she thinks she is. Having elevated the High Sparrow to a position of power, giving him the authority to impose judgement on the Tyrells, it never occurs to her that the same powers could be used against her until she comes to gloat over Margaery’s imprisonment. There’s brilliant acting all round here from both Headey and Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow, but my absolute favourite bit is watching the smugness on Cersei’s face melt into fear and rage as she realises what’s about to happen (did I mention how underrated I think Headey is?). I also think this is one of the scenes that gets better with hindsight, because of course now we know exactly how Cersei gets her revenge.
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Post by greendemon on Mar 17, 2019 15:15:35 GMT 1
55. A spider in the garden (S3E4 - And Now His Watch Is Ended)The Queen of Thorns has to be one of the most enjoyable minor characters in the show. I love almost all her scenes but I really wanted to highlight this one from Season 3, which is when she meets Varys for the first time and the two discuss ways to outmanoeuvre Littlefinger’s plot to marry Sansa Stark. It’s not often that someone gets the better of Varys in a verbal exchange but all of her comebacks are razor-sharp. “What happens when the nonexistent bumps up against the decrepit?”
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Post by Jordan on Mar 17, 2019 15:18:20 GMT 1
This thread has inspired me to think of my favourite scenes, and this one occurred to me at some point this morning. I'd place it a bit higher than you have (mostly because Cersei is my favourite character - books and show - and you're right, Lena has a proper pair of acting chops on her!). In the show at least, this event was a real turning point for her. She's wised up a great deal and is currently winning in far more of her schemes, and even when she loses, she has a well thought out back-up (e.g. Golden Company... maybe).
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Post by greendemon on Mar 18, 2019 1:36:59 GMT 1
54. “You don’t know cold” (S1E4 - Cripples, b*st*rds and Broken Things)
Ser Alliser Thorne’s chilling monologue from Season 1 had to feature on this list (though if you google “Ser Alliser Thorne speech” you are more likely to end up with his rather more successful motivational pep-talk before the attack on the Wall in Season 4). Say what you like about him, Thorne has Been There and Seen Some Things, and although he clearly enjoys leaving both Jon and Sam visibly horrified, there’s no doubt that he genuinely fears the winter. His delivery of the line “you will die, like flies” is magnificently creepy.
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Post by greendemon on Mar 18, 2019 1:39:10 GMT 1
53. Three Blasts (S2E10 - Valar Morghulis)
Given all that has been seen of the White Walkers in recent seasons, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when we didn’t know they were commanding entire armies of wights against the Night’s Watch and wildlings alike. Way back in Season 2, the War of the Five Kings was still raging, and the main substance of the story concentrated very much on the political and military movements around King’s Landing. This scene - the very last of the season - was a well-timed callback to the opening scene of the pilot episode and serves to finally bring the threat of the White Walkers into the fore. The whole sequence is horror-movie-by-numbers and is a little cheesy for it, but the first time you see it it is pretty damn great, and the moment when the third blast sounds is genuinely scary.
Best finale of any Game of Thrones season to date? No, but you can probably guess which two beat it...
(Oh and I hate myself a little for even thinking this, but Sam should probably be dead. I know we’re meant to think he was left alive to warn the others, but… well, let’s just say that seems excessive given the circumstances.)
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Post by greendemon on Mar 18, 2019 1:48:16 GMT 1
This thread has inspired me to think of my favourite scenes, and this one occurred to me at some point this morning. I'd place it a bit higher than you have (mostly because Cersei is my favourite character - books and show - and you're right, Lena has a proper pair of acting chops on her!). In the show at least, this event was a real turning point for her. She's wised up a great deal and is currently winning in far more of her schemes, and even when she loses, she has a well thought out back-up (e.g. Golden Company... maybe). I'm glad this is getting you to look back on the show too Agree with you about Cersei. I feel that she never truly felt threatened before this - she was aware of threats to her and her children, of course, but she never really believed anyone would dare move against her, especially in so brazen a way. Whatever else may happen, she isn't going to let herself be caught out like this again. The further down the list I got, the more fluid the ranks are - I think I could have ranked this one a lot higher on a different day. There's just so much to love about this show!
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Post by greendemon on Mar 19, 2019 18:35:53 GMT 1
52. Fighting pits of Meereen (S5E9 - The Dance of Dragons)
I feel a little like this scene should probably be higher: it’s easily one of the most complex and dramatic sequences the show has ever produced. Gladiators! Dragons! Assassins! The redemption of Ser Friendzone! Hizdahr dies! What’s not to like? Unfortunately, I struggled to appreciate it the first time around, because I was still reeling from the scene immediately before this (which is a good candidate for the most shocking and horrible thing that’s ever happened on GoT). But actually, in terms of sheer spectacle, it's pretty great. I’m a big fan of the dragons and Drogon’s long-awaited return is easily my favourite part of this scene. For anyone who hasn't read the books, this is also the end point of Dany's plotline as published to date, so there was a genuine sense of not knowing what happens next.
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Post by greendemon on Mar 19, 2019 18:37:05 GMT 1
51. Sansa accepts Brienne's service (S6E1 - The Red Woman)
I almost didn't want to post a video with this one, as it's one of the more difficult scenes to appreciate in isolation. It represents the culmination of a trajectory Brienne has been on explicitly since the start of Season 4, but in real terms since she first swore herself to Sansa's mother in Season 2 and is charged with escorting Jaime Lannister to King's Landing to exchange for Sansa and Arya. In the intervening time, Catelyn has been killed and Brienne has successfully tracked down both Stark sisters, only for them each to reject her protection - a decision which proves particularly fateful for Sansa, who in this scene has just escaped the clutches of Husband-of-the-Year Ramsay Bolton. Brienne’s arc from Season 4 onwards is less interesting than it could have been - I don’t think I’ll ever be convinced that the showrunners’ decision to leave out Lady Stoneheart was the right call - but it’s hard not to be moved by this rather lovely moment, with Sansa at her absolute lowest point, finally accepting the protection of the woman carrying a Valyrian steel sword made from the one her father once wielded.
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Post by Smurfie on Mar 19, 2019 18:57:09 GMT 1
Absolutely loving this thread - thank you greendemon for this inspired countdown and whetting my appetite for more GoT. Brienne is totally one of my favourite characters but get the feeling (and my apologies at this stage - I have not read the books) that it felt like there was a massive chunk missing from her journey, so your 51 is high on my list. I know for certain which are my top 3 moments - and one is enhanced by the excellent Ramin Jiwadi soundtrack that went with it - so really interested to see if they feature on your list. One is probably the most amazing pieces of TV I have ever watched!
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