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** Bran does this, with disastrous consequences, in season 6. [[spoiler: While warging without the aid of the Three-Eyed Raven, he sees the Night King, who is able to mark Bran and render the tree vulnerable to invasion from the White Walker army.]]
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** Bran [[spoiler:Bran]] does this, with disastrous consequences, in season 6. [[spoiler: While warging without the aid of the Three-Eyed Raven, he sees the Night King, who is able to mark Bran and render the tree vulnerable to invasion from the White Walker army.]]
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** Bran does this, with disastrous consequences, in season 6. [[spoiler: While warging without the aid of the Three-Eyed Raven, he sees the Night King, who is able to mark Bran and render the tree vulnerable to invasion from the White Walker army.]]
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** Though the jury's still out on whether she's bisexual or entirely lesbian, Yara Greyjoy is a well-respected, battle-hardened ironborn reaver who happily partakes of pretty women.
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* BigGuy: They don't come much bigger than Gregor Clegane. They don't call him The Mountain for nothing. In the books, he's even ''bigger,'' towering at near eight feet tall.
** In his prime, Robert Baratheon was a big bruiser on the battlefield. He routinely would cave in steel breastplates with his fearsome warhammer.
** In his prime, Robert Baratheon was a big bruiser on the battlefield. He routinely would cave in steel breastplates with his fearsome warhammer.
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* BeautyIsBad: Although the series as a whole deconstructs the tie between beauty and morality, being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond and attractive]] are trademarks of the Anti-Villain Lannisters, whose [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen most]] [[TheCaligula evil]] members are considered the most beautiful and whose TokenGoodTeammate happens to be the least. Furthermore, Jaime's turn away from {{jerkass}}ery more or less corresponds to his dishevelment.
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* BeautyIsBad: Although the series as a whole deconstructs the tie between beauty and morality, being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond and attractive]] attractive are trademarks of the Anti-Villain Lannisters, whose [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen most]] [[TheCaligula evil]] members are considered the most beautiful and whose TokenGoodTeammate happens to be the least. Furthermore, Jaime's turn away from {{jerkass}}ery more or less corresponds to his dishevelment.
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* BlondesAreEvil/BlondGuysAreEvil:
** The Lannisters. Although some later subvert it, others continue to play it straight.
** Viserys Targaryen also plays this straight.
** The Lannisters. Although some later subvert it, others continue to play it straight.
** Viserys Targaryen also plays this straight.
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* BigBadShuffle: The multiple storylines that occur indepedently of each other, as well as the shifting morality and power structures of the various noble houses and other factions, results in there being several central villains at a time. Among the top contenders across the series are Tywin Lannister (the head of House Lannister and thus an enemy to the Starks and Baratheons), Littlefinger (actively instigated the War of the Five Kings), Roose and Ramsay Bolton ({{Evil Overlord}}s of the North and enemies of the Greyjoys), the High Sparrow (religious fanatic who is taking over King's Landing), Mance Rayder (the leader of the Wildlings planning to attack the Night's Watch), and most unquestionably, the White Walkers, who are plotting to invade Westeros and KillEmAll.
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* BigBadShuffle: TheBigBadShuffle: The multiple storylines that occur indepedently of each other, as well as the shifting morality and power structures of the various noble houses and other factions, results in there being several central villains at a time. Among the top contenders across the series are Tywin Lannister (the head of House Lannister and thus an enemy to the Starks and Baratheons), Littlefinger (actively instigated the War of the Five Kings), Roose and Ramsay Bolton ({{Evil Overlord}}s of the North and enemies of the Greyjoys), the High Sparrow (religious fanatic who is taking over King's Landing), Mance Rayder (the leader of the Wildlings planning to attack the Night's Watch), and most unquestionably, the White Walkers, who are plotting to invade Westeros and KillEmAll.
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* BigBadEnsemble:
** [[ThePatriarch Tywin Lannister]] and [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] head the Lannister faction, [[spoiler:though Joffrey's assassination does nothing but tighten the Lannister grip on the throne, showing that Tywin is and has always been the true threat. Then he gets killed by his son Tyrion, making him a DiscOneFinalBoss.]]
** Littlefinger is another top contender, since he [[spoiler:masterminded the entire War of the Five Kings, orchestrated Joffrey's assassination with Olenna Tyrell, is Lord Protector of a rich, fertile region that isn't suffering from war deprivation and now has VillainWithGoodPublicity courtesy of Sansa Stark]].
** Balon Greyjoy becomes one in Season 2 when he invades the North for revenge and conquest. He has become something of a DiminishingVillainThreat since he has only one other appearance after that and the Ironborn [[spoiler:are driven away from Moat Cailin, allowing the Boltons to take military possession of the North]].
** Mance Rayder has gathered a massive horde of Wildlings to attack the Wall, but he's actually [[AntiVillain trying to save his people]] from the [[BiggerBad White Walkers]].
** Roose Bolton is the BigBad in the North after Season 3.
** [[BiggerBad The Night's King]].
** [[ThePatriarch Tywin Lannister]] and [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] head the Lannister faction, [[spoiler:though Joffrey's assassination does nothing but tighten the Lannister grip on the throne, showing that Tywin is and has always been the true threat. Then he gets killed by his son Tyrion, making him a DiscOneFinalBoss.]]
** Littlefinger is another top contender, since he [[spoiler:masterminded the entire War of the Five Kings, orchestrated Joffrey's assassination with Olenna Tyrell, is Lord Protector of a rich, fertile region that isn't suffering from war deprivation and now has VillainWithGoodPublicity courtesy of Sansa Stark]].
** Balon Greyjoy becomes one in Season 2 when he invades the North for revenge and conquest. He has become something of a DiminishingVillainThreat since he has only one other appearance after that and the Ironborn [[spoiler:are driven away from Moat Cailin, allowing the Boltons to take military possession of the North]].
** Mance Rayder has gathered a massive horde of Wildlings to attack the Wall, but he's actually [[AntiVillain trying to save his people]] from the [[BiggerBad White Walkers]].
** Roose Bolton is the BigBad in the North after Season 3.
** [[BiggerBad The Night's King]].
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* BigBadEnsemble:
** [[ThePatriarchBigBadShuffle: The multiple storylines that occur indepedently of each other, as well as the shifting morality and power structures of the various noble houses and other factions, results in there being several central villains at a time. Among the top contenders across the series are Tywin Lannister]] and [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] head the Lannister faction, [[spoiler:though Joffrey's assassination does nothing but tighten the (the head of House Lannister grip on and thus an enemy to the throne, showing that Tywin is Starks and has always been the true threat. Then he gets killed by his son Tyrion, making him a DiscOneFinalBoss.]]
**Baratheons), Littlefinger is another top contender, since he [[spoiler:masterminded (actively instigated the entire War of the Five Kings, orchestrated Joffrey's assassination with Olenna Tyrell, is Lord Protector of a rich, fertile region that isn't suffering from war deprivation Kings), Roose and now has VillainWithGoodPublicity courtesy Ramsay Bolton ({{Evil Overlord}}s of Sansa Stark]].
** Balon Greyjoy becomes one in Season 2 when he invadesthe North for revenge and conquest. He has become something of a DiminishingVillainThreat since he has only one other appearance after that and the Ironborn [[spoiler:are driven away from Moat Cailin, allowing the Boltons to take military possession enemies of the North]].
**Greyjoys), the High Sparrow (religious fanatic who is taking over King's Landing), Mance Rayder has gathered a massive horde (the leader of the Wildlings planning to attack the Wall, but he's actually [[AntiVillain trying to save his people]] from the [[BiggerBad White Walkers]].
** Roose Bolton is the BigBad in the North after Season 3.
** [[BiggerBad TheNight's King]].Watch), and most unquestionably, the White Walkers, who are plotting to invade Westeros and KillEmAll.
** [[ThePatriarch
**
** Balon Greyjoy becomes one in Season 2 when he invades
**
** Roose Bolton is the BigBad in the North after Season 3.
** [[BiggerBad The
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--->"And now his watch is ended."
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** [[spoiler: Hodor sat out Season 5 and returned for a couple episodes and a flashback in Season 6 before being (apparently) killed off.]]
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Yoren's talking about crossbows versus swords. He kills the crossbowman with a sword. Bows never come up.
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* BowsVsCrossbows: When Arya is being sent north to the Wall, Yoren, a recruiter for the Night's Watch, mentions that he hates crossbows because "they take too long to reload!" [[PreMortemOneLiner spoken as he kills a crossbow-wielder mid-reload]].
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* BowsVsCrossbows: When Arya is being sent north to the Wall, Yoren, a recruiter for the Night's Watch, mentions that he hates crossbows because "they take too long to reload!" [[PreMortemOneLiner spoken as he kills a crossbow-wielder mid-reload]].
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GameOfThrones/TropesA | '''Tropes B''' | GameOfThrones/TropesCToD | GameOfThrones/TropesEToF | GameOfThrones/TropesGToK | GameOfThrones/TropesLToO | GameOfThrones/TropesPToS | GameOfThrones/TropesTToZ |
[[Series/GameOfThrones Back to the main article]]
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[[Series/GameOfThrones Back to the main article]]
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* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler: Polliver]], [[spoiler: Rorge]], [[spoiler: Biter]], and [[spoiler: the Lord of Bones]] all reappear solely to be killed.
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* BackForTheDead: BackForTheDead:
** [[spoiler: Polliver]], [[spoiler: Rorge]], [[spoiler: Biter]], and [[spoiler: the Lord of Bones]] all reappear solely to be killed.
** [[spoiler: Polliver]], [[spoiler: Rorge]], [[spoiler: Biter]], and [[spoiler: the Lord of Bones]] all reappear solely to be killed.
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** [[spoiler: Osha has about 5 minutes of combined screentime between the episode she returned and the episode she died.]]
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** [[spoiler: Osha has about 5 minutes of combined screentime between the episode she returned and the next episode when she died.]]
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** [[spoiler: Osha has about 5 minutes of combined screentime between the episode she returned and the episode she was killed.]]
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** [[spoiler: Osha has about 5 minutes of combined screentime between the episode she returned and the episode she was killed.died.]]
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**[[spoiler: Osha has about 5 minutes of combined screentime between the episode she returned and the episode she was killed.]]
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natter
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* BeastAndBeauty: Not surprising, as GeorgeRRMartin wrote for ''Series/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
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* BeastAndBeauty: Not surprising, as GeorgeRRMartin wrote for ''Series/BeautyAndTheBeast''.BeastAndBeauty:
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** Brienne and Podrik ride to Sansa's rescue and slay all of the Bolton trackers.
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** Jaime lives for fighting until well into the series. You can see his eyes light up when he face off with Ned, and he even spends his captivity verbally sparring with his captors and generally acting like a [[SigilSpam caged lion]]. When he finally gets a sword in his hands again, his face lights up and he spends a few moments just savouring the fight to come.
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** Jaime lives for fighting until well into the series. You can see his eyes light up when he face faces off with Ned, and he even spends his captivity verbally sparring with his captors and generally acting like a [[SigilSpam caged lion]]. When he finally gets a sword in his hands again, his face lights up and he spends a few moments just savouring the fight to come.
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** Yara's is introduced invoking SurpriseIncest on Theon as a cruel prank when he returns home.
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** Yara's Yara is introduced invoking SurpriseIncest on Theon as a cruel prank when he returns home.
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** Cersei has been cruel and hateful to her little brother [[MaternalDeathBlameTheChild since his birth]]. As related by Oberyn Martell, she called considered him monster and openly abused him even as a baby.
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** Cersei has been cruel and hateful to her little brother [[MaternalDeathBlameTheChild since his birth]]. As related by Oberyn Martell, she called considered him a monster and openly abused him even as a baby.
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* BiggerBad: The White Walkers to the War of the Five Kings and the villainous characters responsible for it (Tywin, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Balon, etc.). Their threat overshadows any other in the setting, but most factions aren't even aware of them and facing lesser but more immediate enemies.
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* BiggerBad: The White Walkers to the War of the Five Kings and the villainous characters responsible for it (Tywin, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Balon, etc.). Their threat overshadows any other in the setting, but most factions aren't even aware of them and are busy facing lesser but more immediate enemies.
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** Joffrey seems to truly think of himself as a magnificent and heroic king, constantly boasting of crushing his enemies even though his faction's success is entirely founded on the competence of his uncle and grandfather despite of Joffrey's ''interference''.
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** Joffrey seems to truly think of himself as a magnificent and heroic king, constantly boasting of crushing his enemies even though his faction's success is entirely founded on the competence of his uncle and grandfather despite grandfather, and ''in spite'' of Joffrey's ''interference''.interference.
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** Sansa is ecstatic about living at the royal court and being betrothed to the crown prince... until she realizes it a DeadlyDecadentCourt and her prince is TheCaligula.
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** Sansa is ecstatic about living at the royal court and being betrothed to the crown prince... until she realizes it it's a DeadlyDecadentCourt and her prince is TheCaligula.
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** Jon and Ygritte's relationship kicks off when he spares her life.
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** Jon and Ygritte's relationship kicks off when he spares her life. Also because Ygritte, as a Wildling, treats being defeated and spared as interest in her.
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* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: Ramsey's mistress Myranda draws Sansa a bath, telling her she must want to be clean and fresh for her new husband. The dark implications of the trope are present even though Sansa is a noble woman (and not a dirty poor girl) who agreed to marry Ramsey. Her decision was not exactly voluntary and after the haunting midnight wedding, Ramsey rapes her and forces Theon to watch.
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** Oberyn is one the most skilled warrior in the realm, but is also mentioned to have studied at the Citadel, where maesters are trained.
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[[folder:B]]
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[[/folder]]
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[[folder:B]]
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler: Polliver]], [[spoiler: Rorge]], [[spoiler: Biter]], and [[spoiler: the Lord of Bones]] all reappear solely to be killed.
* BackFromTheBrink: After a crushing defeat that leaves him low on men, materiel, money, and suffering from depression, [[spoiler: Stannis]] returns in fine form at the end of Season 4, thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank and a rousing victory that gives his forces a much-needed morale boost and a new base to renew his campaign for the throne.
* BackFromTheDead:
** The wights.
** [[spoiler: Lord Beric]] is resurrected within moments of being killed and later mentions that it's the ''sixth'' time.
* BackhandedCompliment: When Hizdahr waxes philosophical about traditions that will go on long after they are all gone, Tyrion declares, "My father would have liked you."
* BackToBackBadasses: A three-way version with Jorah, Daario, and Grey Worm in Yunkai. Jorah and Daario even get in a CombinationAttack on Daario's final enemy.
* {{Badass}}: '''Several.''' The Starks, the Baratheon brothers, Daenerys, Khal Drogo, The Mormonts, Tywin Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Syrio Forel, The Greyjoys, The Hound, Loras Tyrell, Brienne, Jaqen H'Ghar, Daario, The Unsullied, Oberyn Martell, Sand Snakes, the Night's Watch as a whole, the Wildling army.... and so on.
* BadassAdorable: Arya, particularly in Season 1.
* BadassAndChildDuo: Arya and the Hound, though Arya is far from helpless. Hostile at first, they stick together because he wants a ransom and she has no better plan of her own but they eventually begin to grudgingly respect each other.
* BadassArmy: The Unsullied are considered the finest soldiers in the world. They are trained TheSpartanWay UpToEleven from childhood and conditioned to be robotically loyal and immune to fear and pain. The ''Histories and Lore'' segment concerning them explains that 3,000 of them once defeated 50,000 Dothraki in the open field to save the Free City of Qohor, though only 600 survived.
* BadassBaritone:
** Tywin Lannister thanks to the magnificent voice of Creator/CharlesDance.
** Roose Bolton has a deep, smooth, dispassionate voice.
* BadassBeard: Pretty much every adult male character at one point or another, in one form or another.
* BadassBoast: Tons.
** The words of most noble houses are one, such as House Baratheon's "Ours is the Fury," House Greyjoy's "We Do Not Sow," and House Martell's "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken." One exception is the Starks' "Winter is Coming," but Robb manages to make it one when he declares winter is coming for Tywin Lannister. Even the Tyrell's "Growing Strong" is one, regardless of Olenna's snarking: while other factions suffer from war and weather, the Tyrells and the Reach steadily grow in food, wealth, and strength.
** Ned declares that even if the Dothraki do cross the Narrow Sea, he and Robert will simply toss them back into the sea.
** Daenerys puts Viserys in his place by declaring, "I am a ''khaleesi'' of the Dothraki. I am the wife of the Great Khal and I carry his son inside me. The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you ''have'' hands!"
** On first seeing the Eyrie and hearing that it's supposed to be impregnable, Bronn offhandedly says "Give me ten good men and some climbing spikes, I'll impregnate the bitch".
** Tyrion delivers one on behalf of his brother in "The Wolf and the Lion".
--> '''Lysa:''' These men are knights of the Vale. Every one of them loved Jon Arryn, every one of them would die for me.\\
'''Tyrion:''' If any harm comes to me, my brother Jaime will see that they do.
** Arya delivers one to a pair of gold cloaks [[BadassAdorable twice her size]]: "My father is Hand of the King. I'm not a boy, I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell, and if you lay a hand on me my father will have both your heads on spikes. Now, are you going to let me by or do I have to [[IronicEcho smack you on the ear to help with your hearing?]]"
** Khal Drogo gives an entire RousingSpeech composed of this:
---> "I will take my ''khalasar'' west to where the world ends and ride the wooden horses across the black salt water as no ''khal'' has done before! I will kill the men in iron suits and tear down their stone houses! I will rape their women, take their children as slaves, and bring their broken gods back to Vaes Dothrak."
** When insulted by several guardsmen while armed with only a wooden sword, Syrio Forel declares, "I am Syrio Forel, and you will be speaking to me with more respect." Soon after he declares his YouShallNotPass intent with one: "The First Sword of Braavos does not run."
** Greatjon Umber is made of these. His very first line is, "For thirty years I've been making corpses out of men, boy! I'm the man you want leading the vanguard," soon followed by, "The bloody Wall will ''melt'' before an Umber marches behind a Glover!"
** Even after discarding most of his armour, Barristan Selmy tells the ''Kingsguard'' that, "Even now I could cut through the five of you like carving a cake!" and ''everyone'' takes him seriously.
** When told the CrapsackWorld is due to men like him, Jaime declares, "There are no men like me. Only me."
** Gendry puts a stop to Hot Pie's bullying by declaring, "You know, I've been hammering an anvil these past ten years. When I hit that steel it ''sings''. You gonna sing when I hit ''you''?"
** Daenerys gets a couple in "Fire and Blood". When Mirri declares she will not hear her scream, Daenerys replies, "I ''will'', but it's not your screams I want. [[CallBack Only]] [[BloodMagic your]] [[EquivalentExchange life]]." Later, during her RousingSpeech, she declares, "I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen of the blood of Old Valyria. I am the Dragon's daughter, and I swear to you that those who would harm you will die ''screaming.''"
** When urged to seek shelter south of the Wall because the cold winds are rising, Craster declares, "Let them come. My roots are sunk deep."
** When Littlefinger mocks Cersei's {{Twincest}} with the claim, "Knowledge is power," Cersei demonstrates how her guards would kill him without question and replies, "''Power'' is power."
** Melisandre, unharmed after deliberately drinking poison, declares, "[[CatchPhrase The night is dark and full of terrors]], old man. But the fire burns them all away."
** In response to being called a "boy" by Jaime, Robb declares, " You insult yourself, Kingslayer. You've been defeated by a boy, held captive by a boy, and maybe you'll be killed by a boy." Que an intimidating snap from his [[CanisMajor enormous direwolf]].
** On being told he will be thrown into the sea the next time he makes a threat, Varys replies, "You might be disappointed with the result. The storms come and go, the big fish eat the little fish, and ''I'' keep on paddling."
** "The Prince of Winterfell" features one from Tyrion to Cersei: "I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think you're safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you will know the debt is paid."
** When Catelyn tries to dissuade Rickard Karstark from demanding the head of a prisoner who killed his son with the advice that wise men do not make demands of kings, he declares that father's who loved their sons do.
** Robb: "If she accepts these terms I'll give her peace; if not, I will litter the south with Lannister dead."
** The Hound pairs this with EnemyEatsYourLunch during his tense conversation with Polliver:
---> '''Hound:''' I understand that if any more words come pouring out of your cunt mouth, I'm going to have to eat every fucking chicken in this room.\\
'''Polliver:''' You lived your life for the king; you gonna die for some chickens?\\
'''The Hound:''' Someone is...
** Grand Maester Pycelle of all people gets one in the ''Histories and Lore'' for Season 4 when discussing the possibility of a second attempt to conquer Westeros with dragons.
---> "If [Daenerys] were so foolish as to march on Westeros, she would not find (as her ancestor Aegon did) seven disparate kingdoms frightened by her strange beasts. She would find a continent united by Lord Tywin Lannister, who extinguished her own father's flame. And we have known dragons now. ''We have seen them die.''"
** Black Lorren's declaration to Theon that, "I've been reaving and raping since before you left Balon's balls, Captain."
** Mance Rayder's declaration that, "I'm going to light the biggest fire the North has ever seen!"
** Beric Dondarrion's mission statement: "That's what we are: ghosts, waiting for you in the dark. You can't see us, but we see you. No matter whose cloak you wear—Lannister, Stark, Baratheon—you prey on the weak, the Brotherhood Without Banners will hunt you down."
** Oberyn Martell marks his arrival in the capital by declaring to Tyrion, "Tell your father I'm here, and tell him [[IronicEcho the Lannisters aren't the only ones who pay their debts]]."
** Stannis' declaration, "I will not become a page in someone else's history book," qualifies even if he utters it in frustration at being unable to back it up.
** Barristan is completely serious when he mentions he's "won more single-combats than any man alive."
** Ser Alliser Thorne gives on in "The Watchers on the Wall": "Tonight we fight! And when the sun rise, I promise you, Castle Black will stand! The ''Night's Watch'' will stand!"
** Sam Tarly produces a very casual one when Gilly asks why he's not training: "How many brothers can say that they've killed a White Walker and a Thenn? I might be the first in history." Later, in "The Gift", he gives it again: "I killed a White Walker. I killed a Thenn. I'll take my chances with you."
** In "High Sparrow", Littlefinger declares that the last time the Vale and the North fought together they brought down the greatest dynasty in the history of Westeros.[[note]] He neglects to mention they were only half of a four-way alliance with the Riverlands (now decimated by war) and the Stormlands (now controlled by the Lannisters following the Battle of Blackwater).[[/note]]
** Cersei's declaration that, "House Lannister has no rival," definitely sounds badass, even if she is the [[BelievingTheirOwnLies only one]] who believes it.
* BadassBookworm:
** Tyrion specifically compares his mind to a sword, but is still able to kill men with [[ShieldBash kite shield]] and [[AnAxeToGrind battle axe]].
** Samwell, whose only knowledge of the world comes from books, becomes the first person in thousands of years to [[spoiler: kill a White Walker.]]
** Oberyn is one the most skilled warrior in the realm, but is also mentioned to have studied at the Citadel, where maesters are trained.
* BadassBureaucrat:
** Tyrion during his stints as acting Hand of the King and Master of Coin.
** For all his faults, and perhaps because of some of them, Tywin is a true genius with political intrigue and public administration.
** The Braavosi banker Tycho Nestoris is played by Creator/MarkGatiss of Series/{{Sherlock}} fame for a reason.
* BadassBystander: Hobb, a background extra who gets passing mention as Castle Black's cook, gets a scene fighting off wilding raiders with kitchen utensils during the siege of Castle Black.
* BadassCape:
** The Kingsguard are identified by their voluminous white cloaks. In the case of Sandor Clegane, the fact he is wearing such a cloak in "Fire and Blood" is the [[AllThereInTheManual only way]] to know he's been raised to the Kingsguard (without accepting knighthood, no less).
** Members of the City Watch of King's Landing are known colloquially as "gold cloaks" because of their conspicuous [[ShapedLikeItself gold cloaks]].
** Climatic conditions allow characters from the North to wear magnificent fur cloaks on most occasions, [[CombatPragmatist outside of battle]].
** {{Defied}} by [[CombatPragmatist Bronn]], who insists a cape [[CapeSnag slows you down]] in a fight.
* BadassCreed:
** The Night's Watch oath:
--->"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."
** And the customary eulogy for a black brother?
--->"And now his watch is ended."
** The ironborn express their faith in the Drowned God with the refrain, "What is dead may never die, [[BackFromTheDead but rises again]], [[CameBackStrong harder and stronger]]."
* BadassDecay: Happens a lot InUniverse as part of the overall CrapsackWorld.
** The Night's Watch was once a highly regarded [[TheOrder Order]] and a veritable army that safeguarded the northern border of the realm. It has now dwindled to a token militia of less than a thousand men, mostly convicted thieves and rapists, who are severely under-equipped and can barely afford to maintain ''three'' of their nineteen castles.
** The Kingsguard was once admired as the finest examples of chivalry and combat skill in the realm. Now they are mostly comprised of mediocre fighters and unchivalrous brutes.
** Invoked and {{discussed}} in-universe by Robert Baratheon, who was a mighty warrior in his youth but by the beginning of the series is living on past glories, too fat for his armour, and spends his days [[BigEater feasting]] and [[TheAlcoholic drinking]].
** Jaime goes through this {{in-universe}} as he is captured, out-fought, and finally crippled, losing ''all'' of his prodigious skill as a swordsman. By Season 4, even the majority of his family regard him as a has-been.
** Invoked by Littlefinger regarding the Lannisters; [[spoiler: with Tywin and the sheer power of his will gone, all that remains is one-handed Jaime, weak-willed Tommen, and dowager queen Cersei.]]
* BadassFamily: The Lannisters, Starks, Baratheons, and Targaryens all aspire to embody this trope, in various flavors and with various levels of success. The Cleganes, Umbers, and Mormonts seem to produce nothing ''but'' badasses.
* BadassGay:
** While Loras' homosexuality earns him plenty of disapproval and even abhorrence, ''nobody'' doubts his skill and courage as a warrior.
** Oberyn is a Badass Bisexual whose tendency to bed men as well as women doesn't stop Tyrion from worrying about "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Red Viper]]" leaving a trail of destruction when he shows up in King's Landing.
* BadassGrandpa:
** Ser Rodrik Cassel shrugs off a sword wound and defeats men half his age.
** Ser Barristan Selmy is past sixty and white-haired, but still considered one of the finest knights in the realm.
** Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch.
** Tywin Lannister is practically the only man in the kingdom who can intimidate his grandson King Joffrey.
** Rickard Karstark has reached his elderly years, but it hasn't stopped him from kicking ass in the War of Five Kings.
** [[AbusiveParent Whatever]] [[ParentalIncest else]] [[DomesticAbuse he]] [[WouldHurtAChild is]], Craster's badassery is evidenced by InUniverse MemeticBadass Qhorin Halfhand suggesting there's no shame in being beaten by such a "tough old goat" and his ability to hold his keep by himself in a culture where taking from others is a way of life.
* BadassInCharge: More often than not.
* BadassInDistress:
** Brienne when she's tossed into the [[BearsAreBadNews bear pit]] in Season 3.
** Ghost when he is caged. [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu How he was moved from a trap to the cage is never explained]].
* BadassMustache: Oberyn has one.
* BadassPreacher: Thoros of Myr mixes combat with spreading the good news about the Lord of Light.
* BadassPrincess: Daenerys slowly becomes this over Season 1.
* BadassLongcoat: Jaime pulls this off with a duster practically whenever he's not wearing his armor or in captivity.
* BadBadActing:
** In "Valar Morghulis", the Lannisters and Tyrells enact a scene for the court that screams of being rehearsed, from the stilted dialogue to Joffrey anticipating Cersei's next line. Margaery participates enthusiastically, but Loras' body language oozes contempt and he even messes up one of his lines with a FreudianSlip that Renly belonged to him as much as his sister.
** Also, Grenn when he fakes being beaten by Sam in the training yard.
* BadBoss:
** [[spoiler: Ramsay]] ambushes his own men to further a GoodCopBadCop illusion he ''himself'' breaks in the very next episode, meaning he essentially killed five of his own men ForTheEvulz.
** Littlefinger occasionally shows his true colours to his sex workers.
* BadFuture: Dany gets a glimpse of this in the House of the Undying. [[spoiler:The Red Keep is in ruins, winter has come (and hasn't left for a long time), everyone's dead, and snow sits on the Iron Throne]].
* BadLiar: Hot Pie.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Thoros of Myr is affable, polite, and generally a good man, but his primary ability is [[{{Necromancer}} necromancy]].
* BaitAndSwitch:
** Tyrion's description of the Wall in "The Night Lands":
---> "I found it surprisingly beautiful... in a brutal, horribly uncomfortable sort of way."
** Tyrion's confession in "The Laws of Gods and Men" quickly shifts into an angry TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
** In "High Sparrow" it initially seems Jon might put Alliser Thorne in charge of the latrines, but instead that job goes to a random steward and Thorne is named First Ranger.
** Alliser Thorne initially moves to interfere in [[spoiler: Janos' execution]] but then steps aside.
** Jon is taken aback and pauses when [[spoiler: Janos Slynt]] begs for mercy, then carries out the sentence anyway.
** In "Kill the Boy", Ramsay subverts the expectations of both Reek and the audience by saying, "I forgive you."
** ClingyJealousGirl Myranda baits Sansa into the back of the kennels in what seems like an obvious trap to MurderTheHypotenuse, but it turns out to be a face-to-face encounter with Reek.
** Near the end of "Kill the Boy", [[spoiler: Tyrion]] is pulled deeper into the water by a stone man as the screen FadesToBlack as if to create a cliffhanger to the episode. After a long pause, we fade back in for a final scene as Tyrion regains consciousness after being rescued.
** In "The Gift", Reek is sent to give a signal to Sansa's supporters outside Winterfell. Unfortunately, he obediently reports to Ramsay instead.
** Tyrion's attempt to break his chains is interrupted by someone looming over him, but rather than a guard it's another pit fighter who obligingly breaks the chains with his ''[[SinisterScythe arakh]]''.
** When Jon returns to the Wall with thousands of wildling refugees in "The Dance of Dragons", known wildling-hater Alliser Thorne looks down on them with contempt for several moments before ordering the gate opened.
** Hizdahr arrives a bit late to the dais in "The Dance of Dragons" and says something very suspicious about ensuring everything goes according to plan, but his subsequent actions soon prove he had no involvement in the subsequent ambush.
** Arya is about to carry out her first assassination for the Faceless Men when her attention is diverted to one of the men on her personal hit list.
* BaitTheDog:
** Viserys' more sympathetic and tragic side is shown briefly during the bath scene with Doreah, in which he waxes nostalgic about the family and heritage that were stolen from him. Unfortunately, Doreah inadvertently asks the wrong question and Viserys reverts to his usual snide cruelty.
** After saving Arya from the Mountain, employing her as his cupbearer, and generally making the audience smile at their semi-friendly interactions, Tywin leaves her with the Mountain again, regardless of his [[WouldHurtAChild less-than-stellar record with children]].
** Jaime's friendly chat with and subsequent murder of [[spoiler: Alton Lannister]].
* BalanceOfPower: The [[{{Realpolitik}} only way]] to stay in power is to maintain one of these. Before the conquest, the Seven Kingdoms were relatively stable despite frequent warfare because of this trope. Then Aegon the Conqueror broke the deadlock and united them using dragons. Then the dragons died out and eventually Robert's Rebellion overthrew the Targaryens by uniting five of the nine factions against them. Then Joffrey's ascent annihilates the equilibrium into half a dozen warring factions.
* BalancingDeathsBooks: Jaqen H'ghar invokes this trope when he offers Arya three kills for saving him and two others from dying in a fire.
* BaldOfAwesome: Prince Doran's bodyguard Areo Hotah.
* BaldOfEvil:
** Regardless of his actual morality, Ser Ilyn Payne is terrifying executioner with a shiny dome.
** Polliver, the sadistic soldier and TortureTechnician.
** Theon's [[TheBrute brutish]] crewman Black Lorren.
** Styr and the other Thenns combine this with ritual scarification to make them ObviouslyEvil.
** Janos Slynt is pretty much of the epitome of the combination of this trope with BeardOfEvil.
* BallisticDiscount: Taken UpToEleven in "And Now His Watch is Ended" when [[spoiler: Daenerys buys an entire slave army in return for a dragon. The hitch is the slaves become totally obedient to Dany the moment the deal is made. And they're already inside the city walls]].
* BanditClan: The clansmen Tyrion recruits in the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon make a living raiding and preying on travelers along the road to the Vale.
* BandOfBrothers:
** Jon, Sam, Pyp, and Grenn by the end of Season 1.
** Beric's men are called the ''Brotherhood'' Without Banners for a reason.
* BarbarianLonghair: The Dothraki never cut their hair unless they are defeated in battle. A little neater than most examples, as unless they have no victories to their name at all they keep it braided.
* BarbarianTribe: The Dothraki, the wildlings, and the hill tribes.
* BarBrawl: Sandor gets into one when some of his brother's men want to haul him back to King's Landing for a reward.
* BarehandedBladeBlock:
** Catelyn saves her own life by using her bare hands to keep an assassin's dagger from her throat.
** Sandor grabs hold of a ''[[AbsurdlySharpBlade Valyrian steel]]'' blade during a duel in "The Children".
** In "Sons of the Harpy", Jaime inadvertently catches an opponents blade with his golden hand, trapping it long enough to kill his opponent.
* BareYourMidriff: Daenerys in Dothraki garb and again with [[http://larb.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/got1-e1400607957431.png this dress]] she wears in "Mockingbird".
* BestialityIsDepraved:
** The in-universe bawdy song "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" can be taken this way, though the subtext is clear that it's a bear of ''man'' (i.e. [[TheBear large and hairy]]) who wins said maiden.
** Tormund attempts to lighten the mood before battle by playing TheMunchausen and regaling the others with the time he fucked a bear.[[note]]In the novels, Tormund counts "Husband to Bears" among his many humorous titles[[/note]]
* BeastAndBeauty: Not surprising, as GeorgeRRMartin wrote for ''Series/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
** Brutish burn victim Sandor Clegane seems to equally hate and love Sansa for being a pretty little idealist.
** Jaime and Brienne, the handsome knight with a bad reputation and the ugly woman with a stubborn code of honour.
* BeastOfBattle:
** The Targaryens rose to power by introducing [[DragonRider dragon riding]] to Westeros.
** Robb goes into battle with his direwolf Grey Wind at his side.
** Mammoths are among the forces brought to bear against the Wall in "The Watchers on the Wall".
* BargainWithHeaven: Catelyn sees her family's misfortunes as divine punishment for her inability to uphold a vow to raise Jon Snow as her own.
* BashBrothers: Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon were fostered together by Jon Arryn and fought this way in two wars. When Robert found himself pinned down at Stoney Sept, Ned led the RoaringRampageOfRescue. It's ''very'' SeriousBusiness when Ned declares, "I will ''not'' follow you now," in "The Wolf and the Lion".
* BastardBastard: Bastard children, particularly boys, are often mistrusted because the Westerosi concept of InTheBlood holds that because they are born of lust and deceit (i.e. adultery) they are predisposed to those traits in addition to having a vested interest in their trueborn siblings' demise. Jon [[HeroicBastard averts it]], but Ramsay and Joffrey play it absolutely straight.
* BastardUnderstudy: By the end of Season 4, [[spoiler: Sansa]] becomes this to Littlefinger, impressing him by willingly protecting him with manipulation techniques while gaining some leverage against unwanted advances.
* BathtubBonding: While at first it might look like a simple BathtubScene in a series notorious for its {{Fanservice}}, the scene between Jaime and Brienne in "Kissed By Fire" quickly becomes a pivotal moment in their CharacterDevelopment.
* BathtubScene:
** Viserys [[{{Sexposition}} elaborates]] on dragons and Targaryens while sharing a bath with Doreah.
** Daenerys' final scene in "Second Sons" has her being bathed and tutored by Missandei, but it also serves the plot when Daario arrives to [[spoiler: pledge his allegiance]].
* BatmanGambit:
** Robb frees a Lannister scout with misinformation about his movements to fool the proud and proactive Lord Tywin into mistaking a diversion for his main advance, allowing Robb to defeat and capture Jaime instead. [[WorthyOpponent Even Tywin is grudgingly impressed]].
** Tyrion [[FeedTheMole feeds each member]] of the Small Council a different plan with instructions not to tell Cersei, knowing that Cersei's first reaction will be to confront him with the version given to her by the culprit. Varys sees through Tyrion's gambit immediately, but the culprit doesn't.
** Daenerys' plan in Astapor is founded on the knowledge that Drogon will never allow himself to be given away but Kraznys and the other slave masters will mistakenly believe anything can be bought or sold.
** During Tyrion's trial, Tywin seems to have been counting on Jaime's BigBrotherInstinct to draw him into offering to give up the Kingsguard in exchange for helping extract a FalseConfession from Tyrion and send him to the Wall.
** Ramsay preys on the Ironborn's penchant for petty cowardice at both Winterfell and Moat Cailin, offering pardons and safe passage to those who surrender, driving them to betray any leader who refuses. Then they get flayed anyway.
** Tywin encourages disunity in Daenerys' court by having a pardon for Jorah fall into the hands of Barristan Selmy, who can be relied upon to take it to his queen.
* BattleBallgown: Cersei sports one of these during the Battle of Blackwater as a strange political statement. She continues the fashion afterward, as Margaery clandestinely mocks in "Valar Dohaeris."
--> "Isn't the Queen's gown magnificent? The fabric, the embroidery, the ''metalwork''? I've never seen anything like it."
* BattleButler: Sam consoles Jon about his appointment as a steward rather than a ranger in part by pointing out one of his duties would be to squire for the Lord Commander in battle. Circumstances also conspire to give Jon plenty of opportunity to get in more than his share of ass kicking.
* BattleChant: Tyrion inspires the Mountain Clans in "Baelor" and Lannister soldiers in "Blackwater" with {{Rousing Speech}}es. They respond by chanting, [[NWordPrivileges "Halfman!"]]
* BattleDiscretionShot:
** As Tyrion marches off to the Battle of the Green Fork, he is trampled and knocked unconscious, only waking up after the battle is over.
** Given the immense size of the wildling army, the battle against them in "The Children" counts as one.
* BattleTrophy:
** For the ironborn, ARealManIsAKiller so his ornamentation should only come from slain foes. This is known as the paying the "iron price" in contrast to the effeminate "gold price."
** The clanswoman Chella daughter of Cheyk, whom Tyrion recruits in Season 1, wears a necklace of dried human ears and can be seen adding to her collection after the Battle of the Green Fork.
* BawdySong: "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", a humorous song describing a sexual tryst between the eponymous bear and maiden.
* TheBeard: In Season 2, Margaery is shown to be well aware of her role, much to Renly's surprise. She tries to persuade him that even if he'd rather sleep with her brother, he still needs to father an heir to strengthen his position (and to make her a more convincing beard).
* BeardnessProtectionProgram:
** Barristan Selmy grows one during his ChekhovMIA.
** Roose Bolton sports one in "The Lion and the Rose" after having to smuggle himself into his own lands. The next scene includes him shaving it off.
** [[spoiler: Tyrion]] grows a hybrid between this trope and BeardOfSorrow for Season 5.
* BeardOfBarbarism: A few, most notably Tormund Giantsbane, whose luxuriant growth is perhaps the most impressive in the show.
* BeardOfEvil: Since beards are nearly omnipresent, many evil characters grow these.
* BeardOfSorrow:
** [[spoiler: Tyrion]] grows a hybrid between this trope and BeardnessProtectionProgram for Season 5.
** Doran Martell is introduced sporting one as part of his general dishevelment, which is understandable since he has just learned that he's outlived all his siblings even though he is by far the eldest.
** Loras has one in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", likely since his captors didn't let him shave.
* TheBeautifulElite: Just about every character, partially because just about every one is some kind of nobility. The notable aversions from the books, such as Tyrion and Brienne, are also treated with AdaptationalAttractiveness.
* BeautifulSlaveGirl: Missandei is played by Creator/NathalieEmmanuel.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: {{Played with}} constantly.
** Many characters admired or trusted for their beauty—such as Cersei, Joffrey, and Margaery—are actually villainous, cruel, or manipulative while more honorable and compassionate characters like Tyrion and Brienne are mocked or despised for their unattractiveness.
** Other characters play it straight. More heroic characters like Daenerys, Sansa, Robb, and Jon Snow are quite attractive and villainous or anti-villainous characters like Styr and the Hound are ugly or disfigured.
* BeautyIsBad: Although the series as a whole deconstructs the tie between beauty and morality, being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond and attractive]] are trademarks of the Anti-Villain Lannisters, whose [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen most]] [[TheCaligula evil]] members are considered the most beautiful and whose TokenGoodTeammate happens to be the least. Furthermore, Jaime's turn away from {{jerkass}}ery more or less corresponds to his dishevelment.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished:
** In the books, Daenerys' hair is burned off in her OutOfTheInferno moment, but here it's as fireproof as the rest of her—and not even a bit sooty.
** Loras provides a rare male example in "Blackwater" when he removes his helm and doesn't appear to be a scratch or speck of dirt on him despite being fresh from battle. He even does a mild HairFlip of his [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4qbcj850i1qk4ih5o1_500.gif perfect, curly hair]].
* BearerOfBadNews: Roose Bolton delivers most of the bad news for Robb: that [[spoiler: Winterfell]] has been seized and later that it has been sacked, that [[spoiler: Bran and Rickon]] are presumed dead, and that [[spoiler: his grandfather Lord Hoster]] has died.
* BearsAreBadNews: Locke's idea of entertainment is to throw Brienne into a bear pit with a wooden sword and no armour and see how long she lasts.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Most of Melisandre's actions are motivated by her understanding of the visions in her flames.
* BecauseImGoodAtIt: This is why Tyrion refuses Shae's proposal that they leave together; despite his severe setbacks, he loves the game too much.
--> "I belong here. All these bad people are what I'm good at: out-talking them, out-thinking them. It's what I am, and I like it. I like it more than anything I've ever done."
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe:
** Brienne has a crush on Renly because he's the only man who recognizes her worth regardless of appearance or gender and, as revealed in "High Sparrow" was the only one to show her genuine kindness when others made fun of her at a feast.
** Jon and Ygritte's relationship kicks off when he spares her life.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor:
** Sansa is ecstatic about living at the royal court and being betrothed to the crown prince... until she realizes it a DeadlyDecadentCourt and her prince is TheCaligula.
** Arya seeks a life of adventure away from the restrictions of being a highborn lady until she's forced to become a NobleFugitive in the war-torn Riverlands. Then all she wants is to reconnect with her family.
** In the ''Histories and Lore'' featurettes, Bran notes that he always loved Old Nan's scary stories, but not anymore because he's in one.
** Catelyn prayed for the gods to take away Ned's bastard son, but repented when he fell ill and wasn't expected to live.
** Gendry wishes he had a family, but things don't go well when Melisandre takes him to his nearest living relatives.
** [[spoiler: Oberyn]] wants nothing more than to face [[spoiler: the Mountain]] in single combat and force a public confession for his murder of Princess Elia and her children. Unfortunately, he gets both [[spoiler: as Mountain crushes his skull]].
** Maggy, the witch Cersei confronts in her flashback in "The Wars to Come", remarks that "Everyone wants to know their future... until they know their future."
** Shireen adamantly tells her father she wants to help in "The Dance of Dragons". Unfortunately, she doesn't know that involves [[spoiler: burning her alive]].
* BecomingTheMask:
** Originally serving as TheMole in hopes of a royal pardon, Jorah gradually develops a BodyguardCrush on Daenerys and becomes her closest advisor in her mission to restore the Targaryen dynasty.
** Several characters note that Jon shows signs of this after his time as a FakeDefector with the wildlings, especially when he refers to them as Free Folk rather than wildlings. Tormund even goes so far as to suggest Jon will never be a true "kneeler" again.
* BeingEvilSucks: [[spoiler: Theon]] discovers this when he captures Winterfell, but presses on regardless because he believes he's gone too far to turn back.
* BeingGoodSucks: Many characters who try to do the right thing end up suffering for it, but this gets {{deconstructed}} later in the series when it turns out being the DoomedMoralVictor can also lead to HundredPercentAdorationRating and the UndyingLoyalty of one's subjects. This is perhaps best exemplified by ''ten-year-old'' Lyanna Mormont's declaration: "Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is ''Stark''."
* BelievingTheirOwnLies:
** Joffrey seems to truly think of himself as a magnificent and heroic king, constantly boasting of crushing his enemies even though his faction's success is entirely founded on the competence of his uncle and grandfather despite of Joffrey's ''interference''.
** Making honest feelings do dishonest work is one of Cersei's many gifts. Oberyn and Tyrion even [[DiscussedTrope discuss]] this after Cersei brings up her daughter in a blatant attempt to gain sympathy.
* BelligerentSexualTension:
** Between Jaime and Brienne.
** To an extent, Sansa and The Hound.
** Robb and Talisa show an undeniable attraction to each other even as they argue about the death and destruction his campaign has wrought.
** Jon and Ygritte, in addition to being from [[StarCrossedLovers opposing factions]], spend a large portion of their relationship sniping at each other about their cultural blind spots.
** Between Irri and Rakharo in Season 1. Unfortunately, the subplot had to be dropped in Season 2.
** Jaime's frustrated declaration, "You're a hateful woman. Why have the gods made me love a ''hateful'' woman?!" certainly places his relationship with Cersei in this territory.
* BeneathSuspicion: Tywin must consider Arya this to keep her around during top-secret war councils even after penetrating her SweetPollyOliver disguise and her lies about being a lowborn southerner.
* BeneathTheMask:
** Renly is much more insecure during his private moments.
** Varys drops the SissyVillain act when he gets really serious.
** In private (and once when confronted by Tywin in a deleted scene), Pycelle drops his infirmity, elderly befuddlement, and {{Rambling Old Man Monologue}}s to reveal a virile, cunning man playing a part to [[ObfuscatingStupidity avoid unwanted attention]].
** In "The Gift", the High Sparrow declares it his intention to strip away the "finery" of the great houses and see them judged for what they truly are. More subtly, the same episode removes the High Sparrow's own mask: he is still a man of simple conviction and extreme piety, but his affable humility diminishes through his conversation with Olenna culminating in an implied threat and when he [[spoiler: arrests Cersei]] his posture, expression, and eye contact become much more confrontational, revealing the fanatic zeal that lets the apparently gentle old man command the violent Faith Militant.
* BenevolentBoss:
** Tyrion treats his meek squire Pod quite well.
** Varys sells Ros on entering his employ by mentioning that his "little birds" are paid quite well and not abused on a whim.
** In "Two Swords," Olenna motivates her handmaidens by rewarding the one who finds the best necklace for Margaery with the second-best necklace.
* BerserkButton:
** King Robert has hated the Targaryens ever since he seized their throne. The very mention of them can be enough to send him into an angry rant.
** If you even attempt to harm his wife or unborn child, Khal Drogo will conquer your kingdom, kill your men, rape your women, enslave your children, tear down your stone houses, and drag your broken gods back to Vaes Dothrak.
** Tyrion's seems to be the mistreatment of women judging by his reaction to Joffrey's abuse of Sansa and Cersei's treatment of Ros.
** Insubordination for Tywin, particularly from his children.
** Cersei does not react well to attempts to separate her from her children.
** The Hound hates knights, so ''never'', under any circumstances, call him "ser."
* TheBerserker: In battle, Tormund and Styr both scream and howl while delivering powerful blows.
* BestFriendsInLaw: Renly's political marriage to his boyfriend's sister not only gives him the forces needed to press his claim to the throne, but also an excuse to keep Loras close. Margaery even offers to let Loras help with the consummation.
* BestHerToBedHer: Jaime taunts Brienne by suggesting boys tried to force themselves on her when [[HugeSchoolgirl she was young]] and that she secretly wished one of them could overpower her. Her only answer is that none ever succeeded.
* BestServedCold:
** Yoren gives a monologue in "The Night Lands" about his long wait to kill the man who murdered his brother.
** Arya keeps a list of those she intends to take revenge on and even checks a few off it.
** The climax of Varys' OriginStory monologue is him opening a large crate containing the sorcerer who castrated him all those years ago. It's easy enough to guess what happens next.
* BetterAsFriends: Arya gets totally m'lady-zoned in "Kissed By Fire".
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow:
** After being continuously shuffled from bad to worse, Sansa finally decides this in "The Mountain and the Viper".
** This also seems to be Arya's rationale for not escaping from the Hound.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: In "Blackwater", Cersei procures a vial of nightshade for herself and Tommen if the Red Keep should be breached. She also adds a touch of TakingYouWithMe by having Ser Ilyn Payne present to kill Sansa and the other highborn women holed up in the castle as well.
* BetweenARockAndAHardPlace: The simultaneous wildling attacks in "The Watchers on the Wall" force Ser Alliser Thorne to choose between leaving the Wall or the castle itself in the hands of a lesser commander.
* BewareTheHonestOnes: Stannis is feared by schemers like Varys and Littlefinger because his sense of righteousness and refusal to compromise make him much less amenable to their unhindered scheming. Cersei also says it when she declares that her first defence after losing the battle would be to seduce the victor but this would be useless against Stannis.
* BewareTheNiceOnes:
** Daenerys is one of the most compassionate people in the show, particularly to the weak and helpless, but if you cross her you should be prepared for a [[PayEvilUntoEvil horrible death]]. She even uses her enemies' impressions of her as a naive young woman to her advantage on several occasions.
** Arya is sweet and nice at the beginning of the series, but learns to take vengeance dead seriously. When Jaqen offers to kill three people for her, she takes him up on his offer.
** At first glance, Varys is a effeminate sycophant, but the reality is very different.
** Although always gentle and now frail with age, Maester Aemon shows just a touch of the Targaryens' fiery temperament when he recalls the downfall of his family to Jon in Season 1.
** Subverted by Hodor, who is such a GentleGiant that even being baited with spears does not provoke him. [[spoiler: He only uses violence when Bran hijacks his body and forces him to do it against his will.]]
* BewareTheQuietOnes: In an unexpected moment of boldness, Sansa attempts to push Joffrey off the wall.
* BeyondTheImpossible:
** According to Melisandre, resurrecting Beric six times should be impossible, even for a red priest.
** While wargs are common beyond the Wall and there are legends of them further south, Jojen claims Bran is the first one in history to be able to warg a human being.
* {{BFG}}: The ballistae mounted on Stannis' ships and the top of the Wall are definitely a medieval equivalent.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Starks' ancestral greatsword Ice is described as "absurdly large" and contains enough Valyrian steel for ''two'' longswords.
** The Mountain is strong enough to wield a greatsword ''one-handed'' which gives him a phenomenal reach when paired with his massive size.
** The Hound carries one on his back for open battle, but keeps a normal longsword at his hip for the quick draw.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Arya is often mistaken for a boy, especially when she dresses like one. This comes in very useful in her SweetPollyOliver escape from King's Landing.
* BigBadassBattleSequence:
** The episodes "Blackwater and "The Watchers on the Wall" are almost entirely composed of the Battle of the Blackwater and the Battle of Castle Black respectively.
** The titular evacuation attempt in "Hardhome" is somewhat unique in having much less build-up than its predecessors "Blackwater" and "The Watchers on the Wall".
* BigBadEnsemble:
** [[ThePatriarch Tywin Lannister]] and [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] head the Lannister faction, [[spoiler:though Joffrey's assassination does nothing but tighten the Lannister grip on the throne, showing that Tywin is and has always been the true threat. Then he gets killed by his son Tyrion, making him a DiscOneFinalBoss.]]
** Littlefinger is another top contender, since he [[spoiler:masterminded the entire War of the Five Kings, orchestrated Joffrey's assassination with Olenna Tyrell, is Lord Protector of a rich, fertile region that isn't suffering from war deprivation and now has VillainWithGoodPublicity courtesy of Sansa Stark]].
** Balon Greyjoy becomes one in Season 2 when he invades the North for revenge and conquest. He has become something of a DiminishingVillainThreat since he has only one other appearance after that and the Ironborn [[spoiler:are driven away from Moat Cailin, allowing the Boltons to take military possession of the North]].
** Mance Rayder has gathered a massive horde of Wildlings to attack the Wall, but he's actually [[AntiVillain trying to save his people]] from the [[BiggerBad White Walkers]].
** Roose Bolton is the BigBad in the North after Season 3.
** [[BiggerBad The Night's King]].
* BigBadWannabe:
** Viserys Targaryen tries to amass an army to take back the Seven Kingdoms from King Robert, but despite marrying off his sister to Khal Drogo he never gets any respect from the Dothraki due to his arrogance and disrespect for their customs. He gets fed up with waiting on Drogo to fulfill his promise, and [[spoiler:is killed after he threatens both Daenerys and Drogo's unborn son.]]
** Cersei plays the game well enough during Robert's reign and Joffrey's ascent, but her attempt to be the [[TheManBehindTheMan power behind the throne]] fails spectacularly when Joffrey throws off her control and throws a SpannerInTheWorks. This prompts her father to sideline her in favour of Tyrion until he himself can take the reins and relegate her even further despite her superior rank as Queen Regent.
** While undeniably monstrous, Joffrey is only a threat because his title allows him to frequently make [[StupidEvil stupid and sadistic decisions]] without fear of repercussions while [[GuileHero his uncle]] and especially [[DragonInChief his grandfather]] provide the real strength to his faction.
** Balon Greyjoy declares himself king, but none of his fellow prospective kings given him the same consideration they given each other, and with good reason since all his attacks prove little more than annoyances that his enemies ignore until they can deal with at their leisure. The biggest threat the Greyjoys ever pose comes from Theon and Dagmer going rogue with a single ship.
* BigBrotherBully:
** Viserys has browbeaten Daenerys emotionally and physically all her life.
** Renly claims Robert and Stannis both bullied for possessing zero aptitude for warfare. Robert was more passive but certainly no kinder to Stannis, never giving him credit for his many accomplishments and staunch loyalty.
** Tommen reveals in Season 4 that his brother Joffrey threatened to serve him his pet cat in his food.
** Gregor Clegane's response to his little brother playing with his toy was to push his face into a brazier.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** Robb gives a [[MySisterIsOffLimits disapproving look]] at Sansa's attraction to Joffrey in "Winter is Coming", stands his ground against three outlaws to protect Bran in "A Golden Crown", and even breaks his stoic demeanor when confronting a man who murdered two captive squires, yelling "''They were BOYS!''"
** Jon's protective streak for his half-siblings convinces Bran to avoid him, because he knows Jon would insist on interfering with his important mission in the name of protecting him. Jon also takes on this role for Sam and later Olly, his sworn brothers.
** Despite being the youngest of the Stark children, Rickon reveals in "The Rains of Castamere" that he sees it as his job to protect his crippled brother Bran.
** Gendry steps up to protect Arya almost immediately.
** Jaime is the only one to consistently defend his little brother Tyrion. His violent ambush of Ned Stark is motivated by Tyrion's abduction, Cersei and Oberyn both mention him defending Tyrion even as a child, and he is the only major figure to publicly support Tyrion during Season 4, which culminates in him [[spoiler: defying both Tywin and Cersei to free Tyrion prior to his execution]].
** In the backstory, Ned's big brother Brandon rode right into the Red Keep to demand a duel with Prince Rhaegar after his sister Lyanna was abducted. Unfortunately, the Mad King had him arrested and executed.
* BigBudgetBeefUp: Each year since Season 1.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** The Hound saves Ser Loras from Gregor Clegane during the Tourney of the Hand.
** Tyrion saving Catelyn from a mountain tribesman in "The Wolf and the Lion".
** Tyrion saving Sansa from Joffrey's physical abuse in "Garden of Bones".
** The Hound saves Sansa from AttemptedRape in "The Old Gods and the New", complete with heroic music.
** Bronn saves the Hound when he becomes transfixed by a [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes burning]] man.
** Podrick when he saves Tyrion in "Blackwater".
** [[spoiler:Tywin Lannister and Loras Tyrell arriving just in time to save King's Landing from being overrun by Stannis Baratheon.]]
** Barristan saves Daenerys from an assassin in "Valar Dohaeris".
** [[spoiler: Ramsay]] saves Theon from his pursuers.
** Jaime returns to Harrenhal just in time to save Brienne from the bear pit in "The Bear and the Maiden Fair".
** The Night's Watch's counterattack on Craster's Keep is perfectly timed to save Meera from a NearRapeExperience.
** [[spoiler: Stannis]] and his army coming to the rescue in "The Children".
** When Brienne returns to save Pod from his attacker in "The House of Black and White".
** In "The Gift", Ghost turns up just when things are looking most grim for Sam and Gilly.
** "The Dance of Dragons" is full of them. First, Jorah is saved from death in the pits by another opportunistic fighter, then he throws a spear to kill the Son of the Harpy behind Dany, and finally [[spoiler: Drogon]] arrives at the last moment to save Dany and her followers from being overrun.
* BigDamnKiss:
** Jon and Ygritte after their ascent of the Wall in "The Climb".
** Sam and Gilly have their FirstKiss as he prepares to go into battle in "The Watchers on the Wall".
** Missandei and Grey Worm in "Kill the Boy".
* BigEater: Late in Season 3 and early in Season 4, Sandor Clegane develops a habit of immediately taking advantage of any food left by the people stupid or unlucky enough to get in his way. Justified as he has a very large body to maintain on a very unreliable diet.
* BigFun: For all his flaws, Robert's boisterous amiability among fighting men is the main thing holding his kingdoms together. In the ''Histories and Lore'' segments, Stannis—who is usually very critical of his brother—admits and praises Robert's gift for inspiring loyalty with his carousing.
* BiggerBad: The White Walkers to the War of the Five Kings and the villainous characters responsible for it (Tywin, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Balon, etc.). Their threat overshadows any other in the setting, but most factions aren't even aware of them and facing lesser but more immediate enemies.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed:
** Hodor's package is Osha-approved and [[MaleFrontalNudity shown to the audience]].
** Tyrion also claims this is his one gift of size.[[note]]This is TruthInTelevision since many forms of dwarfism manifest by stunting the bones while tissues such as the genitals grow to normal size[[/note]]
** {{Subverted}} by Pod in Season 3. While discussing his status as a SexGod, Ros reports that he's not especially endowed.
* TheBigBoard:
** Stannis' council chamber on Dragonstone contains a table carved and painted in the shape of Westeros, around which he plans his maneuvers.
** Robb's map layouts and carved sigils to mark troop deployments gets the most close-ups of any map.
** Roose and Ramsay also strategize around one in "Kill the Boy".
* BigLittleBrother: Since Loras is several inches tall than Margaery it's easy to assume he's the older sibling as in the novels, but writer [[WordOfGod Brian Cogman]] has confirmed Margaery is the elder Tyrell child on the show.
* BigLittleMan: Tyrion is introduced talking face-to-face with Ros. It's not until she stands up that we see Tyrion is a dwarf.
* BigNo:
** Cersei when Tyrion arranges for her daughter Myrcella to be shipped off to Dorne.
** Brienne yells this in "The Ghost of Harrenhal" after [[spoiler: Renly]] is stabbed through the heart.
** Maester Luwin reacts this way to Theon's display in "A Man Without Honor".
** Stannis' attempt to rally his routed troops at the end of the Battle of the Blackwater quickly devolves into this.
** Brienne's desperate screams as she is about to be raped by Locke and his men in "Walk of Punishment".
* BigOlEyebrows:
** Creator/EmiliaClarke (Daenerys), especially because they don't match her platinum blonde wig even slightly.
** Creator/MaisieWilliams (Arya) and Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran) are both growing these as they age.
* BigScrewedUpFamily:
** The Lannisters are a textbook example. Sitting at the centre of a DeadlyDecadentCourt of FeudingFamilies, they are [[{{Fiction500}} rich]], [[{{Pride}} proud]], and [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] with a talent for [[TheChessmaster scheming]] and [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]] held together only by ThickerThanWater. As one of the Great Houses, they have a TangledFamilyTree from [[ArrangedMarriage political marriages]] and [[YourCheatingHeart adulterous]] {{twincest}}. Their [[AbusiveParent abusive]] [[ThePatriarch patriarch]] Tywin is also a Magnificen tBastard and a WellDoneSonGuy to each of his children: Cersei the LadyDrunk SmugSnake [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queen]], Jaime the BrilliantButLazy JadedWashout, and Tyrion TheUnfavorite DepravedDwarf. Beyond all this is the matter of Cersei's son Joffrey, Westeros' latest [[TheCaligula Caligula]].
** The Baratheon brothers. Robert considers Ned as more of a brother than either Stannis or Renly, a fact he laments. Stannis in turn declares that he didn't love Robert any more than Robert loved him, and both Robert and Stannis belittled their youngest brother Renly for his squeamish disposition.
** Craster reigns over his own twisted clan with an iron fist by [[ParentalIncest marrying his daughters]] and [[HumanSacrifice sacrificing his sons to the White Walkers]], which takes on the feel of a {{Cult}} when he refers to himself as a "godly man" and his wives call a new son "a gift for the gods."
** The Freys are the largest screwed up family on the continent. Their current patriarch Walder Frey is past ninety and has fathered more than two ''dozen'' legitimate children as well as numerous bastards, many of whom have children and grand-children of their own. And only ''one'' of them can be the heir.
* BigSisterBully:
** Cersei has been cruel and hateful to her little brother [[MaternalDeathBlameTheChild since his birth]]. As related by Oberyn Martell, she called considered him monster and openly abused him even as a baby.
** Yara's is introduced invoking SurpriseIncest on Theon as a cruel prank when he returns home.
* BigSisterInstinct: Meera Reed is fiercely protective of her little brother Jojen.
* BigSleep: [[spoiler: Robb's direwolf Grey Wind]] dies this way after being shot multiple times. [[spoiler: Judging by the majority of reaction videos, this actually hit a lot of people harder than the human deaths that followed]].
* BilingualBackfire: Kraznys mo Nakloz finds out the hard way that Daenerys could speak Valyrian all along.
* BilingualBonus:
** In "Breaker of Chains", the Meereenese champion challenges Dany by shouting a [[ConLang Valyrian]] translation of the famous taunts from Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail.
** "Orel" means "Eagle" in several Slavic languages, a fitting name for a warg who uses an eagle.
* BitchInSheepsClothing:
** Cersei and Joffrey both deceive Sansa with this in Season 1.
** Ramsay is revealed to be capable of this when he puts on a sane and cheerful façade for Littlefinger in "High Sparrow".
* BiTheWay:
** Margaery implies in "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" that as well as having her fair share of men, she has at least experimented with women.
** Oberyn Martell and his lover Ellaria Sand are [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced]] selecting a male and female prostitute for themselves.
** Sansa Stark, [[http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg5jpnsKZKo according to Sophie Turner]].
* BizarreSeasons: The seasons last for years. Summer officially ended in the Season 2 premiere, but [[ArcWords winter is still coming]]. This is increased by the show's expanded time frame: in the books, autumn lasts roughly two years but the show has expanded it to more than three.
* {{Blackmail}}: Tyrion turns Lancel into his [[TheMole mole]] within Cersei's inner circle by threatening to expose that Cersei has been using him as a bedwarmer.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: There are very few, if any, 100% heroes but there are definitely a few utter villains (Gregor, Ramsay, Joffrey).
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity:
** Melisandre believes in a constant struggle between the good force of Light and the evil force of Darkness. Consequently anything that doesn't align with the Lord of Light is evil and must be destroyed because if half an onion is black with rot, it's a rotten onion.
** Daenerys shows signs of this during her SlaveLiberation, particularly in Meereen, when she starts dealing out vengeful punishments to the ruling class with the rationale that it is justice because they deserve it because they are evil.
* TheBlacksmith:
** As an apprentice smith, Gendry upholds his father's [[InTheBlood family tradition]] of wielding [[DropTheHammer hammers]].
** The Smith is one of the male aspects of the God of the Seven, symbolizing industry and craftsmanship.
* BlackComedy: Although the series is very bleak in tone overall, it does not take itself seriously enough for there to be no laughs. Especially when much of the humour stems from making light of all the horrible things that happen.
* BlackSheep:
** Tyrion for being a dwarf whose birth [[DeathByChildbirth killed his mother]].
** Jon, to a lesser degree, for being a bastard raised along with his trueborn siblings.
** Theon among the Starks for being a hostage and among the Greyjoys for being raised in a different culture.
** Sam for being the fat, timid, and bookish son of a great warrior.
** Renly is viewed as something of an embarrassment for being the NonActionGuy from a family of famous warriors.
** The Blackfish got his nickname after being called the black sheep of a family whose sigil is a fish.
* BladeOnAStick:
** Oberyn, like most Dornishmen, favours a spear in open combat. This trope form half of his House sigil along with ThePowerOfTheSun.
** Grey Worm, and the Unsullied in general, can kick some serious ass with their spears and phalanx formations.
** Doran Martell's immense personal guardsman Areo Hotah wields an opulently bejeweled glaive.
* BlasphemousBoast:
** The illusion of Drogo in the House of the Undying explains his presence by saying, "Maybe I told the Great Stallion to go fuck himself and came back here to wait for you." Dany admits that sounds like something he'd do.
** Littlefinger delivers one to the face of several religious zealots in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken":
---> '''Littlefinger:''' [[AtLeastIAdmitIt We both]] [[BeliefMakesYouStupid peddle fantasies]], Brother Lancel; mine just happen to be entertaining.
* BlatantLies:
** When Robb asks how his mother treated Jon while visiting Bran's sickbed in "The Kingsroad", Jon says, "She was very kind."
** Tyrion has to struggle manfully to call his borderline-retarded jailer a "smart man" in "A Golden Crown".
** Renly's response to being asked if he has ever fucked a Riverlands girl is a vague, "Once, I think." Later, he blames his [[TheLoinsSleepTonight inability to perform]] on wine, but [[TheBeard Margaery]] knows better and tries to accommodate.
** Lancel's account of Robb's victory at Oxcross includes accusations of cannibalism and using sorcery to conjure an army of wolves.
** Sansa's continued refrain that she is loyal to Joffrey, her OneTrueLove, even moments after being stripped, beaten, and threatened on his orders.
** Brienne is a BadLiar whenever it comes to denying her affection for Renly.
** Margaery telling Joffrey in "Dark Wings, Dark Words", "The subtleties of politics are often lost on me." Also, her claim in "High Sparrow" that being called queen feels strange.
** Joffrey's boasts of saving the city and winning the war in "Two Swords" rather than the truth that he damaged troop morale by retreating at a critical time.
** When Jaime asks Loras if he is looking forward to his wedding to Cersei, the young knight hesitates for a moment before replying "Yes, very much."
** Tyrion's trial in "The Laws of Gods and Men" is full of these, particularly when Pycelle calls [[TheCaligula Joffrey]] "the most noble child the Gods ever put on this good earth," and when Cersei inverts the truth to claim Joffrey fought bravely in the Battle of Blackwater while Tyrion plotted to kill him.
** The High Septon tries to pass off his brothel visit as tending the souls of the common people in "High Sparrow".
** Ironically, this is what Cersei does by declaring the charges of fornication, treason, incest, and murder against her to be this trope.
* BlindfoldedTrip: How Arya, Gendry, and the Hound are taken the Brotherhood Without Banners' headquarters under the hollow hill.
* BlingOfWar:
** The Kingsguard armour is incredibly ornate, in striking contrast to the [[BoringButPractical utilitarian]] armour worn by Ned Stark and his household guard. Ned lampshades this as a taunt to Jaime, "Very handsome armour; not a scratch on it." However, this is motivated more by his distaste for Jaime than the armour itself since he speaks nothing but praise of Barristan Selmy, who wears the same armour.
** Loras' [[InvokedTrope literal]] [[KnightInShiningArmor shining armour]] has small wrought [[SigilSpam flowers and vines]] covering every inch, which is {{justified}} in that it is tourney armour and tourneys are all about ConspicuousConsumption. It gets modified for actual battle in Season 2.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tp1hbf_y2E This featurette]] reveals that Renly's armour (which includes velvet) was the most complicated costume created for the first two seasons of the show.
** Joffrey's armor and gilded sword. His crossbow is adorned with gems as well.
** While acting as Hand of the King, Tyrion gets a lavish suit of armor cleverly adorned with golden hands.
** {{Deconstructed}} by [[CombatPragmatist Bronn]], who refuses to wear the flashy attire of the City Watch because [[CapeSnag a cloak slows you down]] and [[HighlyConspicuousUniform gold prevents concealment]].
** Prince Doran Martell's personal bodyguard Aero Hotah wields an large, bejeweled glaive.
** Sandor notices Oathkeeper's garish hilt and pommel and is quickly able to figure out who made it and gave it to its wielder.
* BlondesAreEvil/BlondGuysAreEvil:
** The Lannisters. Although some later subvert it, others continue to play it straight.
** Viserys Targaryen also plays this straight.
* BloodBrothers: A Dothraki ''khal'' and his bloodriders share everything until the day they die.
* BloodFromEveryOrifice: [[spoiler: Joffrey]] dies this way.
* BloodFromTheMouth: Usually restricted to {{justified}} cases where characters have suffered respiratory injuries, such as [[spoiler: Ser Hugh]], [[spoiler: Lommy]], and [[spoiler: Polliver]] who are all stabbed in the throat and [[spoiler: Jeor Mormont]] who is stabbing the back, presumably finding a lung. Not to mention the characters who die from blades entering or exiting via the mouth itself. Victims of poisoning tend to play it straight, however.
* BloodKnight:
** Jaime lives for fighting until well into the series. You can see his eyes light up when he face off with Ned, and he even spends his captivity verbally sparring with his captors and generally acting like a [[SigilSpam caged lion]]. When he finally gets a sword in his hands again, his face lights up and he spends a few moments just savouring the fight to come.
** Robert is an example of what happens when one of these becomes a king with no enemies to fight. As Renly points out, Robert loves his killing and became king because he used to be good at it.
** The Dothraki are an entire race who live this trope. They invoke DuelToTheDeath so frequently that a Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair.
** The Hound tells Sansa that "killing is the sweetest thing there is."
** Gregor Clegane doesn't seem to aspire to any calling higher than {{RapePillageAndBurn}}ing his way across Westeros.
** Robb shows a hint of this when he declares, "The Lannisters have been running from us since Oxcross. I'd love a fight. The men would love a fight. But I don't think we're going to get one."
** Ramsay's response to a raid on his home is to declare, "This is turning into a lovely evening," and charge the enemy [[MadeOfIron shirtless]] and [[AxCrazy smiling]].
** Daario declares that killing enemies and consensual sex are the greatest pleasures in life, an understandable worldview for a man who kills people for a living. In "Mockingbird", he even complains about acting as a glorified watchman.
** Styr looks like he's having the time of his life when he's carving up Night's Watch with his massive axe.
** Areo Hotah remarks in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" that facing off with Jaime would have been a good fight once.
* BloodLust: Joffrey seems to only enjoy inflicting pain and death.
* BloodMagic:
** Mirri Maz Duur knows it, calls it by name, and warns Dany that it has a [[EquivalentExchange terrible price]].
** Melisandre uses it to (apparently) kill Stannis' enemies, though the circumstances surrounding their deaths are sometimes ambiguous.
** The witch Maggy, who predicts Cersei's future in "The Wars to Come", needs to taste her blood to do so.
** [[spoiler: Shireen]] is sacrificed because of their king's blood in an attempt to end a blizzard.
* TheBluebeard: Ramsay has a penchant for killing lovers who bore him, as Myranda is pleased to explain and enumerate for Sansa.
* BlueBlood: The majority of characters are some form of nobility, from ancient and powerful houses like the Starks and Lannisters to recently promoted ones like the Seaworths and Cleganes.
* BluffTheImposter: Some Stark soldiers call out Brienne and Jaime on their ruse that Jaime is a common thief by demanding they both say his name at the same time.
* BlunderCorrectingImpulse: Edmure is charged with ending his father's funeral by lighting the floating pyre with a flaming arrow. After he misses three times, his uncle Blackfish pushes him aside and hits on the first try.
* BluntYes: This is the High Sparrow's response when Olenna incredulously asks if he really intends to punish Loras for merely "shagging some perfumed ponce" and Margaery for defending her brother.
* BodyguardBetrayal:
** This is what earned Jaime his infamous sobriquet: the Kingslayer. He deeply resents that everyone is glad the monstrous Mad King is dead, but still despise him as TheOathbreaker for killing him because he was a Kingsguard.
** When the gold cloaks turn on [[spoiler:Ned]] at the end of "You Win Or You Die".
** During the Battle of Blackwater [[spoiler:Tyrion]] is attacked by one his Kingsguard escorts.
** Through a bit of duplication magic, this is how Pyat Pree kills [[spoiler: the Thirteen]].
** The parting between [[spoiler: Tyrion and Bronn]] can be seen as a very [[DownplayedTrope understated version]] since it concerns a bodyguard refusing aid in a time of need because he's received a better offer.
** Ralf Kenning is rewarded with an axe to the head when he refuses to surrender to Ramsay.
* BodyguardCrush:
** Jorah develops one for Daenerys. Viserys is the first to mention it in "A Golden Crown" and both Daenerys and Jorah circuitously acknowledge it in "The Ghost of Harrenhal".
** Renly was the object of affection for both Loras (a reciprocal same-sex example) and Brienne (an unrequited gender inversion) while they were members of his Kingsguard.
* BodyguardingABadass: The Dothraki follow only the strongest, so their leader the ''khal'' must, by definition, be more badass than his bloodriders.
* BodyHorror: The disease greyscale causes flesh to calcify and crack, eventually expanding to organs and causing insanity and death.
* BoisterousBruiser: King Robert Baratheon, Greatjon Umber, and Tormund Giantsbane.
* BoisterousWeakling:
** Joffrey seems to have picked up Robert's boisterousness without any of the bruiser to back it up.
** Hot Pie projects strength this way, but is mellow enough once Arya gets to know him.
* BolivianArmyCliffhanger: [[spoiler: Samwell]] is last seen surrounded by wights in the Season 2 finale.
* BolivianArmyEnding: Syrio Forel is last seen preparing to duel a fully-armed knight with a broken wooden sword.
* BondageIsBad: As Gendry discovers in "Second Sons".
* BonusMaterial: The DVD and Blu-ray releases have many standard bonus features like and {{Deleted Scene}}s, DVDCommentary, but perhaps the most interesting are the ''Histories and Lore'' segments, a series of lectures by various characters (complete with ([[UnreliableNarrator unreliable narration]]) on the history and customs of the setting.
* BookDumb: Davos is illiterate until Season 3, but still an intelligent character.
* BookEnds:
** Season 1 opens with the reawakening of the EvilIsDeathlyCold White Walkers and closes with the rebirth of the KillItWithFire dragons at opposite ends of the world. The season also begins and ends with a new generation re-acquiring their ancestral CoolPet: the Starks discover a litter of direwolf pups in "Winter is Coming" and Daenerys hatches her dragons in "Fire and Blood".
** {{Inverted}} by the Season 2 finale and Season 3 premiere: "Valar Morghulis" and "Valar Dohaeris" are traditional Valyrian call-and-response ArcWords that translate to "All men must die," and "All men must serve."
** The episode "Two Swords" opens with the loss of one important sword and the recovery of another.
** In their scene in "Oathkeeper", Cersei opens by snarking at Jaime for calling her "Your Grace" but ends with a curt, "That will be all, Lord Commander."
** {{Lampshaded}} by Mance in "The Wars to Come" when he points out that his first and last meetings with Jon involve one of them as a prisoner of the other.
** The first and last shots of Hardhome, [[spoiler: showing its population alive and well and then showing them reanimated as wights]].
* {{Bookworm}}:
** Tyrion claims, "My brother has his sword and I have my mind," though he proves [[BadassBookworm no slouch]] with [[AnAxeToGrind an axe]] himself.
** Sam always wanted to be a wizard, prefers being a steward, and uses "I read it in a book" as his {{catchphrase}}.
** When Davos refuses the book she offers him, Shireen gets a looks that scream, "How could anyone refuse a book? Books are awesome!" Since it's all she seems to do, she's probably more well-read as a teen than half the nobility of Westeros.
* BoomerangBigot: Brienne sneers with particular disdain that Jaime is acting like a woman. While she clearly respects some women, such as Catelyn, Brienne has spent her whole life turning her back on traditional feminine pursuits and behavior.
* BoomHeadShot: Theon's rescuer kills the leader of his pursuers point-blank with an arrow to the face.
* BoringButPractical:
** Armour whenever ArmorIsUseless is {{averted}} or {{deconstructed}}.
** The utilitarian armour of the Starks and their bannermen and soldiers.
** The Lannisters and Tyrells don't have dragons like the Targaryens, the power of a god like Stannis, or even pet direwolves like the Stark children, but they do have ''gold'' and ''arable land'' respectively, which they parley into tremendous military and political clout.
** The typical armoured hack-and-slash fighting style of Westeros can be described this way in comparison to some of the more elegant styles from Essos. It may not be as energetic as the Dothraki, as precise as the Unsullied, or as graceful as the Braavosi Water Dance, but it is just as effective.
** Roose's strategy to remain behind Winterfell's high walls and let Stannis' forces waste away from cold and deprivation. To inject some action into the narrative, Ramsay prefers to take the fight to Stannis with twenty picked men.
* BoringInsult:
** Young Cersei calls the witch Maggy this in "The Wars to Come".
** Olenna describes the High Sparrow's "man of the people" act as dull, but seems disconcerted when as she realizes it really isn't an act.
* BornInTheSaddle: The Dothraki worship the Great Stallion (and the Mother of Mountains), have [[LanguageEqualsThought 14 words for horse]], express many things in horse-metaphors, and believe that a man who cannot ride is no man at all. Viserys even asks the [[BestialityIsDepraved obligatory question]] about how much they love their horses.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: "This is not the day I die," is Jojen Reed's catchphrase in the books. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: Oberyn]] is not prophetic, so it is not nearly as accurate.
* BossBanter: Karl can't seem to shut his mouth during his fight in "First of His Name".
* BothSidesHaveAPoint: In "The Wars to Come", Jon urges Mance to bend the knee to Stannis to save his people by earning them a place south of the Wall, but Mance argues his authority comes from a respect that would evaporate the moment they see him kneel and any leader that gives a damn about his people wouldn't ask them to die for a foreigner.
* BottleEpisode: Subverted by "Blackwater" and "The Watchers on the Wall", which are easily the most expensive episodes of the show and required more than their share of their seasons' budget despite focusing on one area instead of the usual FourLinesAllWaiting.
* BoundAndGagged:
** After Jaime's failed escape, Catelyn orders, "Take him back to his cell. Bind him with every chain you can find," then adds "...and ''gag'' him!" when he continues to snark at her.
** Tyrion is treated to this after his capture in "The High Sparrow".
* BountyHunter: Cersei offers a lordship for whoever brings her Tyrion's head, leading to the death of at least one innocent dwarf.
* BoyishShortHair: Brienne's makes an interesting contrast to Ser Loras' [[TheDandy opulent curls]].
* BraidsOfAction: Daenerys gradually adopts this hairstyle over Season 1 as she becomes a stronger and more confident until she has a thick braid in the season finale. This is likely related to the Dothraki custom of warriors braiding their hair and cutting it off when defeated as a mark of shame.
* BraidsOfBarbarism: Dothraki men only cut their hair when they are defeated in combat, so undefeated warriors like Khal Drogo have long braids.
* BrainBleach: The look on Theon's face when he realizes the woman he attempted to seduce, and even groped, was his big sister Yara!
* BrainsAndBrawn:
** Tyrion to Bronn and the Hill Tribes initially. [[CharacterDevelopment Later]], Tyrion shows some skill for violence and Bronn his own brand of cleverness.
** Bran to Osha and Hodor, though Osha has her own brand of cleverness.
** Tyrion also alludes to this with him and his brother, although Jaime is by no metric dumb.
* BrainyBrunette:
** Talisa is a highly competent nurse and fully capable of engaging Robb in a debate.
** Margaery is a very adept conversationalist and manipulator.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Theon]], to the point of TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Sansa hits most of the characteristics in Season 1, but later [[BreakTheCutie grows out of it]].
* BreadAndCircuses:
** This is the Tyrell's political philosophy. Their lands, the Reach, are the breadbasket of Westeros and the heartland of chivalry (the circus, as it were). They win over the smallfolk of King's Landing by providing food and Olenna comments that a royal wedding is just the sort of distraction needed to keep the common people contented.
** This is also one of the arguments in favour of Daenerys reopening the fighting pits, which is fitting for an {{Expy}} of Roman GladiatorGames.
* BreadEggsBreadedEggs:
** Tyrion is very fond of this peculiar conjunction:
*** He asks Bronn, "What is it you want, Bronn? Gold? Women? Golden women?"
*** He criticizes Joffrey with, "We've had vicious kings, and we've had idiot kings, but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a ''vicious idiot'' for a king!"
*** After being chided for bedding harlots and drinking with thieves, Tyrion retorts, "Occasionally, I drank with the harlots."
*** When Shae is teasing him, he declares, "This is cruel and unfair. Cruelly unfair."
*** When Varys confronts him with the choice of drinking himself to death or traveling to Meereen, Tyrion asks if he can drink himself to death on the way to Meereen.
** Oberyn Martell gets in on the act in "Two Swords" when he sneers at a couple of Lannister guardsmen about their "gold, and lions, and golden lions."
** Ser Alliser Thorne going over his latest batch of Night's Watch recruits: "Raper, thief, raper, thief ''and'' raper..."
** The Martell sigil is a sun transfixed by a spear; their seat is a castle called Sunspear.
* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Tyrion to Shae in "The Lion and the Rose".
* BreakTheBadass: Locke's intention in [[spoiler: cutting off Jaime's sword hand]]. It works for awhile.
* BreakTheCutie:
** Sansa starts out blindly loyal to her fiance, but [[spoiler: having her daddy's head chopped off]] cures her of that.
** Arya's PluckyGirl nature initially obscures the effects of the massive amount of grief, trauma, and anger she undergoes, but as time goes on she grows much colder and more ruthless.
** Rickon begins the series happily laughing with his brothers when Bran fails at archery, but becomes a confused and sullen child who wanders the crypts with his enormous direwolf and insists no one will come back.
** Ros in Season 2. First she sees a baby murdered and receives AnOfferYouCantRefuse to stop sobbing about it, then she's forced to torture another girl into an AmbiguousSituation, then she's beaten and held hostage to Tyrion's good behaviour. By the end, she's willing to become an informer for Varys.
** Poor Tommen in "Sons of the Harpy" is torn between the controlling women in his life and his attempts to restore harmony are rewarded with an [[LysistrataGambit enraged wife]] and being called a bastard and an abomination.
* BreakTheHaughty:
** Throughout Season 3, Theon is tortured to insanity by [[spoiler: Ramsay]].
** Jaime remains completely unbroken by months of captivity, but that all changes when he loses [[spoiler: his sword hand]].
** In ''The Mountain and the Viper", [[spoiler: Oberyn is cool and generally badass the entire fight against Gregor (and for that matter, the whole season), but in the moments leading up to his...gruesome death, Gregor has him so utterly broken he's screaming like a child.]]
** By "Hardhome", confinement has turned [[spoiler: Cersei]] into an absolute mess desperate enough to suck water off the floor, but she still refuses to confess and insists she will see her tormentors die.
* BreastPlate: Cersei wears one built into her dress in "Blackwater" that is obviously as a fashion statement rather than for protection. When she wears a similar gown to supper in "Valar Dohaeris", Margaery "[[StealthInsult compliments]]" her on the metalwork.
* BreathWeapon: The dragons have the standard ability to breath fire.
* BrickJoke:
** In "The Kingsroad", Tyrion mentions he wants to visit the Wall so he can "piss off the edge of the world." He goes through with it, to Jon Snow's amusement, near the end of "Lord Snow."
** Also, the possibility of a Dothraki invasion:
--->'''Daenerys:''' If my brother was given an army of Dothraki, could he conquer The Seven Kingdoms?\\
'''Mormont:''' [...] King Robert is fool enough to meet them in open battle. But the men advising him are different.\\
--\\
'''King Robert:''' Only a fool would meet the Dothraki in the open field. [[note]]He does, however, go on to explain that it would be necessary to do so for political reasons, and to avoid scorched earth warfare.[[/note]]
** Tyrion promises his jailer Mord all the gold in his purse to tell Lysa he wishes to confess, and delivers on the promise once he reclaims said purse and his freedom.
** Daenerys reprimands two members of her ''khalasar'' for discussing how best to steal a giant golden peacock from their host in Qarth, but in "Valar Morghulis" two men can be seen behind Dany as she departs Xaro's house... carrying a giant golden peacock.
** In Season 2, Tyrion complains about all the JerkassGods and asks, "Where's the god of tits and wine?" In Season 3, while even more drunk than usual Tyrion proclaims himself this particular god to annoy his father.
** Hot Pie's direwolf bread improves exponentially between "Breaker of Chains" and "Mockingbird".
* BriefAccentImitation:
** Olenna tries out a Northern accent for the Stark motto "Winter is Coming" when pointing out how much more inherently badass it sounds than "Growing Strong".
** Ygritte teases Jon several times with a guttural voice modeled on his own.
* BrilliantButLazy: Despite his prodigious skill with a sword and a certain cunning when he bothers to use it, Jaime has few tangible accomplishments beyond his infamous kingslaying and shows no greater ambition than to be a member of the Kingsguard. By contrast, his father, sister, and brother all aspire to powerful positions such as Hand, Regent, or Lord Paramount.
--> '''Tywin:''' You're blessed with abilities few men possess, you're blessed to belong to the most powerful family in the Kingdoms, and you're still blessed with youth. And what have you done with these blessings? You've served as a glorified bodyguard for two kings: one a madman, the other a drunk [...] I need you to become the man you were always meant to be. Not next year, not tomorrow... now.
* BringMyBrownPants:
** King Robert [[MadeMyselfSad makes himself sad]] reminiscing about his first kill when he recalls that the dying all [[NoDeadBodyPoops shit themselves]].
** Hot Pie wets himself when he realizes not even StaringDownCthulhu affects whether or not he is selected for torture.
** Salladhor Saan tells two prostitutes a variation of the trope-naming joke, only for both to [[LampshadeHanging beat him to the punchline]].
** Sam [[AttackOfThePoliticalAd publicly shames]] Janos Slynt by reminding everyone how after the battle he found Janos cowering "in a puddle of his own making," which is either a slight fabrication on Sam's part or an afterthought of the writers since their was no evidence of this at the time.
* BritishAccents: The show did its best to mirror the accent distribution of Britain in early seasons, but this drops off quite a bit in the name of practicality.
** Ned Stark, a prominent northerner, speaks with Creator/SeanBean's native Sheffield accent, while southerners like Cersei and Joffrey speak with more of a London/RP accent, as do the exiled royals Daenerys and Viserys. Though it does not match geographically, Creator/MarkAddy's Yorkshire accent excellently characterizes Robert's affinity for Ned and alienation from the rest of the court.
** Characters from the Vale have a tendency toward more Celtic accents such as Irish or Welsh.
** The ironborn, not counting House Greyjoy, speak with a West Country "pirate" accent.
** Wildlings from the far north generally speak with northern English or Scottish accents, though Tormund sounds slightly Nordic and Styr has a hint of Russian.
** Non-British actors like Creator/PeterDinklage and Creator/NikolajCosterWaldau have varied success with their British accents but are at least fairly consistent.
* BrokeEpisode: An arc played out in later seasons, where the War of the Five Kings has devastated the economy of Westeros and even the wealthy Lannisters are severely strapped for cash under the looming threat of the Iron Bank of Braavos.
* BrokenBird:
** Arya's experiences change her from a PluckyGirl TomboyPrincess to a borderline psychotic killer obsessed with revenge.
** Sansa goes through both BreakTheHaughty ''and'' BreakTheCutie only to end up as the protegée of [[spoiler: Littlefinger]] the Magnificent Bastard.
** Cersei's descriptions of how she once loved Robert and her shattered hopes of a happy marriage place her in this trope.
** {{Averted}} by Gilly, whom Sam notes remains totally unbroken by all the horrible things that have happened to her in her life.
* BrokenPedestal:
** Jon's discovery that the Night's Watch is an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores rather than the ancient and noble order he believed them to be. He is even more disappointed to learn the Lord Commander turns a blind eye to Craster's depravity because he's [[EnemyMine too valuable an asset]].
** Sansa idolizes Cersei ("I'll be a queen just like you!") until the events of "Baelor" and "Fire and Blood".
** Daenerys always assumed (as her brother believed) that the rumours about her father's madness were just MaliciousSlander until Barristan explains they are true.
** Olly clearly idolizes Jon but is definitely not pleased to learn Jon really means to ally with the wildlings since his entire village was slaughtered by them.
* BrokenTears: Sansa after she hears about [[spoiler: the Red Wedding]].
* {{Bromance}}: In "The Wolf and the Lion", Cersei snarks that she's sorry Robert's "marriage" to Ned Stark didn't work out.
* BrotherSisterIncest:
** The Targaryens had a penchant for marrying brother to sister to preserve the purity of their bloodline, which may be tied to their [[RoyaltySuperpower familial affinity for dragons]] but unfortunately also carries a tendency for madness. However, the amount of incest and madness is frequently exaggerated, both in-universe and out, since Daenerys' parents were the first to do so in over a hundred years.
** Also, [[spoiler: Cersei and Jaime Lannister.]] One of them even invokes the Targaryens as a [[AnalogyBackfire rationalization]].
* BrotherSisterTeam:
** Margaery and Loras form one of these, first in their three-way marriage to Renly and then at court. Unlike Cersei and Joffrey's barely concealed discord, the Tyrells are very in sync during their dinner conversation in "Valar Dohaeris".
* BrownEyes: Renly has brown eyes on the show and he's considerably more sensible and stable than either his brothers or his blue-eyed book counterpart.
* BrownNote: Ramsay uses horns as a psychological weapon against his victims.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Blackfish Tully is one of the biggest hardasses in Westeros, but he's actually a really good guy who would never actually hurt his nephew.
* BrutalHonesty:
** Benjen tells Jon in no uncertain terms that he is no better than anyone else at the Wall; they are all brothers.
** When Cersei asks if there was ever a possibility of their marriage working, Robert sadly but bluntly tells her no.
** During his EstablishingCharacterMoment, Stannis freely admits his mutual dislike for Robert and insists that Jaime be called both "the Kingslayer" and "Ser" because he's still a knight. Later, when warned that hundreds will die storming the beaches around King's Landing, Stannis corrects that ''thousands'' will.
--->'''Stannis''': He wasn't "my beloved brother." I didn't love him. He didn't love me.
--->'''Stannis''': Make it "Ser Jaime Lannister", whatever else he is, the man's still a knight.
** This trait is why Stannis values Davos above all his other vassals.
** Renly is usually snarky and roundabout, but he get this way with Littlefinger in "Garden of Bones".
---> "I don't like you, Lord Baelish. I don't like you face. I don't like the words that come oozing out of your mouth. I don't want you in my tent one minute more than necessary."
** Tywin is never one to spare someone's feelings in his analysis of their deficiencies. Perhaps his most noteworthy example is when he explains [[spoiler: what a terrible king Joffrey was... in front of his mother... right next to Joffrey's corpse]].
** Ygritte admits that the best Qhorin could hope for if he was captured by wildlings would be a quick death.
** Olenna, the "Queen of Thorns," generally doesn't care about being polite; she's ''very'' forthright with her opinions.
** Dolorous Edd admits he abandoned Sam in "Valar Morghulis" because Sam was fat and slow.
** Rickard Karstark to Robb in "Dark Wings, Dark Words":
---> "I can believe until it snows in Dorne; it don't change the fact we've got half the men. [...] I think you lost this war the day you married her."
** This is one of Bronn's most endearing qualities, such as his blunt demand for a raise after his latest promotion: "I'm a knight now; knights cost double."
** Mance Rayder claims he managed to unite the wildlings because he told them the truth: that they will ''all'' die if they don't get south.
** Ellaria Sand chastises any attempt by others to avoid mentioning she is a bastard.
** Lord Yohn Royce doesn't mince words about Robin Arryn's skill at arms in "The Wars to Come".
** In "Hardhome", Jon bluntly admits to shooting [[spoiler: Mance Rayder]], which understandably enrages the wildlings until Tormund explains it was a MercyKill.
* TheBrute: Gregor and Sandor Clegane are simply muscle for their masters, exerting no political influence except with the point of their swords.
* TheBully:
** Ser Alliser Thorne bullies his recruits and encourages bullying among them, though he claims this is [[WellIntentionedExtremist necessary]] to toughen them up.
** Rast bullies Sam at the Wall.
** Lommy and Hot Pie try to bully [[BullyingADragon Arya]], but are mostly just putting on a tough front. After an initial altercation, they all get along fairly well.
** Joffrey gets his kicks tormenting others.
* BullfightBoss: Bronn fights Ser Vardis Egan by avoiding his attack until he is worn out.
* BullyingADragon:
** Viserys tries to force his will on Khal Drogo, who is much larger, stronger, and more skilled, by threatening the ''khal's'' wife and unborn child. It goes even ''worse'' than you might expect.
** Mirri, in a (somewhat) literal example.
** Lommy and Hot Pie's attempt to bully Arya in "Fire and Blood" does not go as they had hoped.
** In "The North Remembers", Littlefinger smugly alludes to the {{Twincest}} "rumours" concerning Cersei to Cersei herself, claiming knowledge is power. Cersei responds by telling her guards to cut his throat, seemingly on a whim, only rescinding the order just before they follow through.
** [[spoiler: Pyat Pree]] treats Daenerys and her ''literal dragons'' quite poorly in "Valar Morghulis", which is a very bad idea. Since he's unaware of the possible backfire, it can also be classified as MuggingTheMonster.
** Craster is confident enough to insult, threaten, and chastise his guests despite being one man surrounded by dozens of dangerous ex-criminals. He gets away with it because the Night's Watch relies on his home as an outpost for rangings [[spoiler:until he pushes them too far]].
** Razdahl mo Eraz tries another literal version when he insults and threatens Daenerys in the presence of her dragons and is quickly sent packing.
** Olenna is quick to point out in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", that Cersei's antagonism toward House Tyrell is [[DidntThinkThisThrough badly misjudged]], since the Lannisters are still quite dependent on them.
** [[spoiler: The Lord of Bones]] gets promptly beaten to death with his own club after deciding it was a good idea to taunt [[spoiler: Tormund Giantsbane]].
* BumblingDad: Mace Tyrell is entirely {{played for laughs}} as a bumbling, sycophantic MommasBoy.
* BurningTheFlag: There is a shot in "Mhysa" of a burning banner, symbolizing a faction's utter defeat.
* BurnTheWitch:
** {{Invoked}} by Daenerys as both a punishment for deceiving her and for a bit of BloodMagic of her own.
** {{Inverted}} by Melisandre, a witch who burns people.
* BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie:
** Hizdahr zo Loraq comes to Daenerys in Season 4 to request that he be allowed to bury his father in the Temple of the Graces rather than leaving him to rot on a crucifix.
** Tormund encourages Jon to give [[spoiler: Ygritte]] a proper burial in the "real North", which Jon honours by burning the body beneath a weirwood beyond the Wall.
* BurpingContest: The patrons of the Mole's Town brothel play at guessing which tune the madam is belching.
* TheBusCameBack:
** Barristan Selmy storms out of the throne room in Season 1 and into Astapor in Season 3.
** Lysa Arryn and her son Robin, first seen in Season 1, returns in Season 4.
** Alliser Thorne (last seen in Season 1) and Janos Slynt (last seen in Season 2) return as antagonists to Jon in Season 4.
** Littlefinger takes a notable boat-trip for six episodes between "The Climb" and "Breaker of Chains".
** Ghost wanders off in Season 2 and only turns up again in Season 4.
** Pyp and Maester Aemon re-enter the story at the end of Season 3 after a nineteen-episode absence, though since they were the only characters to remain at Castle Black, it's perhaps more fitting to say the bus left them behind.
** Hot Pie returns in Season 4 when Brienne and Pod stop by the inn where he works. It turn's out he's gotten much better at making [[CallBack wolf-shaped bread]].
** Grenn and Dolorous Edd reappear in "Breaker of Chains" nine episodes after they were last seen fighting at Craster's Keep.
** Gregor Clegane is summoned to the capital in "Mockingbird" to serve as Cersei's champion after being unseen since Tywin left him at Harrenhal in Season 2.
** After a two-season absence, Kevan Lannister and his son Lancel re-enter the story in "The Wars to Come".
** Cersei's daughter Myrcella was put on a ship in Season 2, but returns in Season 5. Or rather, the cameras finally follows her to her destination.
** The Faceless Man Arya knew as Jaqen H'ghar in Season 2 returns in "The House of Black and White".
** Five episodes after his exile from Meereen, [[spoiler: Jorah Mormont]] turns up in a brothel on the Long Bridge of Volantis whose main attraction is its own Rule34 version of Daenerys.
** After setting out early in the season, Mace Tyrell and Ser Meryn Trant finally arrive in Braavos in the season's penultimate episode, "The Dance of Dragons".
* BusCrash: When Jon reconnects with Qhorin after being sidetracked by Ygritte, he learns that the rest of their party were killed by the wildlings off-screen.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday:
** In "Walk of Punishment", Arya asks the Hound, "Do you remember what happened the last time you were here?" outside the inn near where he rode down her friend Mycah twenty-one episodes before in "The Kingsroad", but he has no idea what she's talking about.
** In "Two Swords", despite several good looks, Polliver doesn't recognize Arya as the SweetPollyOliver girl who became Lord Tywin's cup bearer at Harrenhal until she begins her IronicEcho.
* ButNotTooGay: Scenes involving gay characters in bed together are present, but they are nowhere near as explicit as most of the heterosexual or even occasional [[GirlOnGirlIsHot lesbian]] pairings on the show.
* ButtDialingMordor: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], where illiterate villain Amory Lorch tries to send a letter containing the Lannisters' plans for moving forward to his ally, Lord Damon Marbrand, accidentally sends the letter to one of the Starks' vassals, Lord Marlin Dormund.
* ButtMonkey:
** Theon is distrusted and treated like dirt by pretty much everyone except Robb. Even his own family and soldiers are contemptuous of him, even after he [[spoiler: retakes Winterfell]]. His misfortune is then {{played for drama}} in Seasons 3 and 4.
** Lancel is more-or-less a professional butt monkey as Robert's squire. Later, his new-found smug attitude gets shot down when Tyrion blackmails him and even Cersei gets to punch him in the grievous wound he received during his one attempt at valour.
** Tyrion is constantly ridiculed for being a dwarf, [[AbusiveParents gets the worst treatment from his father by far]], and almost all of his actions are undone in the long run.
** The Starks and Tullys are a rare and excruciating [[TheHero heroic]] example, as nothing ever seems to go well for them.
** Sansa life is King's Landing in a long stream of {{Hope Spot}}s and YankTheDogsChain.
** Orell gets no respect for his nagging suspicion of Jon despite being right the whole time.
** Jaime becomes this in Season 4, getting only coldness, disappointment, and disdain from Cersei, Tywin, and Joffrey.
** Hot Pie is the timid, klutzy, none-too-bright, tag-along member of Arya's companions.
** By Season 4, Pycelle's scenes consist largely of him [[HumiliationConga being derided publicly]], culminating in him being booted from ''his own laboratory'' in favour of Qyburn. This derision extends to scenes he isn't even in, such as when Cersei describes him as smelling like a dead cat in "Two Swords".
** Mace Tyrell, despite being Lord Paramount of the Reach, Warden of the South, and the dual Master of Ships and Coin, is ignored or belittled at every turn even by his own mother and his tangible contributions to the Small Council consist of [[YouGetMeCoffee fetching quill and paper and operating the door]].
* BuyThemOff:
** Yunkai attempts to stave off Daenerys' SlaveLiberation with chests of gold and ships to take her army to Westeros. Dany takes the gold, but refuses to leave without freeing the slaves.
** Tyrion offers to provide Shae with a BigFancyHouse and an allowance as his [[TheMistress mistress]], but she refuses, fearing Tyrion will tire of her with age and any children they might have are likely to be murdered if their grandfather ever finds out.
[[/folder]]
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