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My Top Five 'Game of Thrones' Moments

The Best Moments from TV's Best Show

By SamPublished 5 years ago 11 min read
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It’s sad to say, but Game of Thrones is coming to an end. I’ve been re-watching my favorite show with a friend who is playing catch-up for the highly anticipated finale premiere. Reflecting on it, I realize there are some truly amazing moments in this show. Every episode has something that just takes my breath away. There are some moments that stand out though. To celebrate the incredible run that Game of Thrones has had, I’ve picked out my top five scenes. Whether it be for the acting, the way it advanced the plot, or how bad ass it was, each scene holds a special place in my heart. Hopefully, this last season is filled with even more incredible scenes to shock and awe us. It’ll be a sad goodbye, but I’m excited to see what they have in store for us. For now, we get to look back and appreciate some of the best things about TV’s biggest show.

5. "My name is Jaime."

Jaime is one of the most interesting characters to me. He was an absolute bastard in the beginning of the series, yet has become one of the most well liked in the current season. He’s had an amazing journey. From season one, we have seen him realize how horrible his family can be and take a stand to do what he thinks is right. Whether it be sending Brienne to protect the Stark daughters, or standing up for Tyrion, he’s evolved into someone completely different.

The moment that seemed to be a switch for Jaime’s character is that iconic hand chop. Jaime has always been valued by both himself and others as a formidable fighter. Once his right hand was cut off in season three, Jaime reached rock bottom. He was captured with Brienne by the Boltons and left unable to do basic things like eating dinner. Jaime always put on a carefree, snarky facade to his enemies, and so his scene in the bath with Brienne gave us insight that we hadn’t seen before. In this moment, Jaime gives the full story on why he became the Kingslayer. He was sworn to protect his king, but everyone reaches a breaking point. Jaime reveals that the Mad King wanted him to behead his own father, all while planning to blow up all of King’s Landing with wildfire. Jaime stabbing the king in the back saved the entire city, including his father and Robert Baratheon’s forces.

The story itself makes you finally feel a little bit of sympathy for Jaime. He’s depressed and practically rambling about how he knows everyone hates him. You can see a peek into how miserable Jaime was in the service of the Mad King. The scene is so simple. There’s no music for a significant portion of it, just Jaime recounting an incredibly painful memory. When the music comes in, it’s so perfect for the scene. It’s tragic to hear that Jaime really did the right thing, but he was judged immediately for his action. He never got a chance to explain, and so he gave up and accepted his fate as the Kingslayer. He’s either looking away, or has his eyes closed, as if he’s seriously reliving a traumatic experience. Brienne’s face, seeing her realize Jaime had good reason for what he did, is the perfect touch to tug at your heart. The end of the scene has him feverish, and about to pass out, begging to be called Jaime and not Kingslayer. I loved seeing a human side to Jaime, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau deserves all the praise for how well he played that scene.

4. Stark Sisters for the Win

Anyone who knows me knows that Sansa Stark is my favorite character. She starts off as a frightened, manipulated girl and grows to take part in one of the most satisfying plot twists in Game of Thrones history. Seeing her and Arya team up to finally kill Petyr Baelish was one of the most satisfying things in the world.

Baelish attempted to drive a wedge between the sisters, once Arya arrived back at Winterfell, in order to keep Sansa on his side. Little did he know, the Stark sisters knew his game from the moment he started playing. I honestly wasn’t expecting it. When it looked like Sansa was about to charge Arya for betraying her family and the North, when she turns to Petyr and speaks his name, it sent chills down my spine. He looks shocked. Arya is smug and plays right along, saying, “My sister asked you a question." It ends with Sansa declaring she’d learned from Baelish’s deceptions and having Arya slit his throat.

This is satisfying on every level. Baelish screwed over the Starks and caused their father’s death. Sansa gets to throw it in his face and call him out for everything he’s ever done to her and her family. His death has been one we’ve wanted for a while, as all he’s done is mess with everyone else’s lives. The cherry on top is the fact that Sansa and Arya are working together in this scene. Historically, the sisters argued and fought all the time. After being separated for nearly seven seasons, they get to reunite and act like a well-oiled machine. It was cathartic to watch.

3. "Hardhome"

If there’s one thing Game of Thronesdoes extraordinarily well, it’s those battle sequences. We have the loot train attack, the wildlings vs. the Wall, and of course the Battle of the Bastards. However, my favorite of these scenes is a brief moment in “Hardhome," the episode where we are really introduced to the power of the White Walkers.

A big part of what makes the fight scenes so memorable, are that they often include Jon Snow. Everyone loves Jon. He's easy to like. Though sometimes he can be a bit too honorable, he’s a great fighter and it’s always fun to watch him in battle. “Hardhome” involves Jon recruiting wildlings to come with him back to the Wall; Winter is coming and they will all die if they stay too far north. Though Jon has trouble convincing the wildlings, he gets through with the help of some uninvited guests.

The White Walkers in this episode come out in full force. Who can forget the iconic entrance of the Night King, giving the best “come at me bro” challenge in history. While epic, it wasn’t what really put me on the edge of my seat. That moment comes when one of the White Walkers joins the fight, and finds himself face to face with Jon Snow.

This scene doesn’t last too long, not as long as the others on this list, but it’s such a standout for me nonetheless. After thoroughly getting beat down by the White Walker, Jon claws his way to his sword, a Valerian steel blade, and turns just in time to attempt to defend himself.

This short five second moment is awesome. The White Walkers shatter normal weapons, and naturally, it looks like Jon’s will break as well. However, Jon’s sword hits the Walker’s weapon with an eerie clink that reverberates as the music cuts out. Both he and the Walker look shocked before Jon quickly uses the opportunity to slice through the Walker. It’s awesome for so many reasons. It tells us that Valerian steel can withstand the White Walkers, and it’s Jon’s first Walker kill. The unexpectedness of it and the sound the steel makes are heart-stopping. You hold your breath when it happens. I only started to really like Jon Snow a few seasons in, and seeing him kill a White Walker was a satisfying moment that made me cheer at my TV.

2. "I want her to know it was me."

I. Love. Olenna. Tyrell. Olenna is a badass old lady with a quip for everything. Every scene she’s in, she steals. She fears no one and has no trouble going toe-to-toe in verbal matches with everyone from the great Tywin Lannister, to her own family. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Tyrell matriarch this past season, but not without a final word to Jaime Lannister. Jaime gives her poison to peacefully end her life after the Lannisters overtake the Tyrell home. Olenna has a lot of great lines here. From the simple and direct, “He was a cunt, wasn’t he,” about King Joffrey, to her finally admitting to her hand in said King’s murder.

Olenna is so matter-of-fact in her delivery. She sips the poison, knowing it will give her a peaceful end, and then flips the scene by saying how disgusting and vicious the poison was that Joffrey drank. She admits she’d never seen how the poison worked, and rubs it in how horrible and graphic it was to watch. It almost sounds innocent in the way she says, “Not at all what I intended.” Jaime’s face absolutely falls, and he realizes he gave a peaceful death to his son’s killer.

After seeing House Tyrell totally destroyed by Cersei, I was more than happy to see her get the last word in to Jaime. Even in the end, she was on top. It’s my second favorite line in the show when she looks Jaime in the eye and says, “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” This is one of the best mic drops of all time. It made her death feel right; it wasn’t sad, but it was empowering. Later on, when Cersei finds out, the anger on her face brings a smile to my face. The fate of the Tyrells was horrible to watch. I really enjoyed them on the show. Olenna deserved to land that final jab to the Lannisters, and she certainly made it count.

1. "I wish I was the monster you think I am."

It’s not a secret to anyone that Peter Dinklage is arguably the best part of Game of Thrones. Tyrion Lannister is a dynamic character. He’s smart and funny, makes us cry, and we all want him to be happy. My favorite scene in this show is, unfortunately, the moment that puts him at rock bottom, much like my number five moment for his brother. There are many things to appreciate about the ending of Tyrion’s trial. In a plot sense, maybe not... Tyrion’s lover Shae lies about him and tells everyone he killed Joffrey. We know it’s all totally fabricated, and seeing his girlfriend of a few seasons turn on him and break his heart is difficult to watch. That’s part of the beauty of the scene though. Tyrion slumps where he stands and you can see all the fight in him that’s been there for three and a half seasons get snuffed out.

The best part of this is easily the moment when Tyrion whispers he’ll confess to his demand for a trial by combat.

All of Tyrion's frustration that has built up from the beginning comes to a head here. His family, mainly his father and sister, hate him and wished he’d never been born. They’ve lied to him, humiliated him, and refuse to give him credit for any of the good he’s done for the Lannister family. In this public trial, Tyrion gets to call out his father for the wrong he’s suffered throughout his life. He says he is guilty of “being a dwarf” his whole life. This is a side to Tyrion we hadn’t seen before. There’s so much anguish and rage in his voice and his face while he speaks that hurts to hear from a favorite character. There are so many iconic lines that every Game of Thrones fan will remember, from “I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had,” to that horrible admission, “I wish I was the monster you think I am.”

I adored the layers to this part. Tywin’s furious face at Tyrion’s outburst is practically cathartic. The Lannister father always gets what he wants, and what he wanted was Tyrion neatly out of the picture. By making a scene, Tyrion defied his father’s authority, something that has seldom happened to Tywin Lannister. I’ll never get over that stare-down between father and son, and how happy I was for Tyrion in that moment, even if it didn’t mean that he was necessarily safe.

There’s also the matter of what this says about Tyrion’s character. There’s a reason his “monster” line is my favorite. Tyrion might be the best suited to run Westeros. He’s kind when needed, stern when needed, and is one of the smartest characters in the series. I think he would be a great ruler. He knows everyone thinks he’s a monster. Despite that, he can’t just go along with it. Jaime adopted the name “Kingslayer” because it was what the people called him. Tyrion, on the other hand, refuses to let his moniker force him to act like a monster. He will do what needs to be done, and try the best he can to be fair. Though I’m not optimistic about Tyrion sitting on the Iron Throne, I hope he survives. He would be a great person to have in power to some degree, maybe as the Hand of the King again.

Game of Thrones has been a staple of TV for years, and it will be sorely missed. We’ll see what other moments the final six episodes will bring us. With such an explosive battle on the horizon between the living and the dead, the final fight for the throne, and other iconic meetings and moments on the horizon, I’m sure we’ll be talking about it for a long time after it’s over.

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