| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% Image and quote picked per discussion threads https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1327331003042025100&page=141#3503, please do not make unilateral changes without discussing them first. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gameofthronesawesome_4919.jpg]] |
| 6 | [[caption-width-right:350:''[[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome Money shot.]]'']] |
| 7 | ->''"The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword."'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''Eddard Stark''' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ''Series/GameOfThrones'' didn't get to become Creator/{{HBO}}'s most popular show ever by not being one powerful series. Here are the moments that show just why. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | For ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'', see [[Awesome/HouseOfTheDragon here]]. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | '''WARNING: Per wiki policy, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff all spoilers are unmarked on Awesome Moments pages]]. As such, this page will contain ''no spoiler markings of any kind''. If you have not watched an episode, [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned read at your own risk]].''' |
| 15 | ---- |
| 16 | For Season Specific Awesome moments visit: |
| 17 | [[index]] |
| 18 | * [[Awesome/GameOfThronesSeasonOneToThree Season 1 to 3]] |
| 19 | * [[Awesome/GameOfThronesSeasonFourToSix Season 4 to 6]] |
| 20 | [[/index]] |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | !!Season 7 |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:1 - Dragonstone]] |
| 27 | * After six seasons, and her whole life, Dany finally arrives at Dragonstone. |
| 28 | -->'''Daenerys:''' Shall we begin? |
| 29 | ** And dragons are once again flying over Dragonstone. |
| 30 | * Arya disguised as Walder Frey manages to successfully assassinate seemingly EVERY male in House Frey in one shot by giving them poisoned wine. |
| 31 | ** She gets karmic justice (by killing all the Freys in the same hall where the Red Wedding was done, by inviting all of her enemies to a feast, just like Walder himself did), spares an innocent from her vengeance, and spreads a legend for her family within literally the ''first five minutes'' of the new season. By mid-episode, Cersei doesn't know that it's Arya, but knows that ''some'' phantom out there took out the whole damn Frey family at once and is ''very'' concerned. |
| 32 | ** Her speech to the family as Walder is also impressive, especially once they start coughing up blood. |
| 33 | --->'''Arya!Walder:''' Maybe I'm not the most pleasant man, I'll admit it. But I'm proud of you lot! You're my family! The men who helped me slaughter the Starks at the Red Wedding! ''[Freys cheer]'' Yes! Yes! Cheer! Brave men, all of you. Butchered a woman, pregnant with her babe. Cut the throat of a mother of five. Slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home. But...you didn't slaughter every one of the Starks. No, no. That was your mistake. You should have ripped them all out: root and stem. ''[Frey men begin choking on their blood, and dying]'' [[PreMortemOneLiner Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe.]] |
| 34 | ** Her BondOneLiner is also oh-so-delicious. |
| 35 | --->'''Arya:''' ''[to Kitty Frey]'' When people ask you what happened here... Tell them [[{{Catchphrase}} the North remembers]]. Tell them Winter came for House Frey. |
| 36 | * [[LittleMissBadass Lady Lyanna Mormont]] interrupting Lord Glover when the latter protests training women and girls to fight, by first [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething volunteering to fight despite being a child and a girl]], and then [[ShutUpHannibal stuffing the old man's platitudes]] by telling him that [[BadassBoast she does not need his permission]] [[ShamingTheMob to defend the North.]] Then they exchange nods, clearly both understand that it's not about their egos, but what is the right thing to do. |
| 37 | ** None of the lords attempt to sass the Lady Mormont, even though the age difference is large -- she's Lady of her house and they treat her as such. It's that Northern honor and respect -- and the fact that she's proven many times, anyone who doesn't is gonna have a bad day. |
| 38 | * Jaime expertly sizes up the dire military situation he and Cersei are now stuck in, and their only chance to maybe get out of it, very much giving the impression that Cersei might come out on top if she'd actually listened. |
| 39 | * The Greyjoy's armada of CoolShip counts when you remember that Yara stole most of the best ships last season. This means they are ''brand new'', built-in-under-a-year ships, which helps showing that while the Ironborn may have been the ButtMonkey in everything else, they are pretty good when it comes to naval matters, especially since Stannis, who destroyed them in the Greyjoy Rebellion, is dead. |
| 40 | * Not for nothing, Euron reminds us that Jaime is one of the greatest warriors alive when the Siege of Pyke is brought up. |
| 41 | -->'''Euron:''' I remember very well. I saw you. I heard so much talk. "The best in the world. No one can stop him." I didn't believe it, to be honest. But I must say, when you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down... [[InLoveWithYourCarnage It was]] ''[[InLoveWithYourCarnage glorious,]]'' [[InLoveWithYourCarnage like a]] ''[[InLoveWithYourCarnage dance.]]'' |
| 42 | * Sansa shutting down Littlefinger in a hilariously deadpan way: |
| 43 | -->'''Littlefinger:''' What about happy? What would make you happy?\ |
| 44 | '''Sansa:''' [[ShutUpHannibal Right now, some peace and quiet.]] |
| 45 | ** And then, as she leaves and Littlefinger attempts to say something else: |
| 46 | --->'''Sansa:''' No need to seize the last word, Lord Baelish. I'll assume it was something clever. |
| 47 | [[/folder]] |
| 48 | |
| 49 | [[folder:2 - Stormborn]] |
| 50 | * Confronted by Dany's knowledge of his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, Varys demonstrates a highly detailed defense of his actions: |
| 51 | -->'''Daenerys:''' If [Varys] dislikes one monarch he conspires to crown the next one. What kind of a servant is that?\ |
| 52 | '''Varys:''' The kind the Realm needs! Incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty. As long as I have my eyes, I'll use them. I wasn't born into a great house. I came from nothing. I was sold as a slave, and carved up as an offering. When I was a child I lived in alleys, gutters, abandoned houses. You wish to know where my loyalties lie? Not with any king OR queen: but with the people! The people who suffer under despots and prosper under just rule! The people whose hearts you aim to win! If you demand blind allegiance, I respect your wishes. [[NotAfraidToDie Grey Worm can behead me, or your dragons can devour me]]. [[LoyalToThePosition But if you let me live, I will serve you well, I will dedicate myself to seeing you on the Iron Throne because I choose you]]. Because I know the people have no better chance than you. |
| 53 | ** Daenerys responds by having him swear that, if ''she'' should ever fail the people, [[HonestAdvisor he'll tell her to her face]]. Proud the Dragon Queen may be, but her willingness to acknowledge her mistakes and correct them is a worthy trait indeed. Of course, she wouldn't be a Targaryen if she didn't follow it up with an almost cheerful, but dead serious threat. GoodIsNotNice. |
| 54 | --->'''Daenerys:''' And I swear this -- if you ever betray me, [[KillItWithFire I'll burn you alive]]. |
| 55 | * Olenna's speech to Dany, ending with the best sentence to finish a pep talk: |
| 56 | -->"Are you a sheep? No. You are a '''dragon.''' ''Be'' a dragon." |
| 57 | * Randyll Tarly reveals his dry wit when he delivers a cold TakeThat to the disreputable House Lannister. |
| 58 | -->'''Randyll:''' I'm a Tarly. That name means something. We're not oathbreakers, we're not schemers. We don't stab our rivals in the back, or cut their throats at weddings. |
| 59 | * Completely upsetting everybody's predictions, InUniverse and out, that the dragons would make overthrowing Cersei effortless, Qyburn comes up with the ultimate anti-dragon weapon: the humble ballista. It's powerful enough that a single shot is shown cleaving deep into the skull of Balerion the Dread, the biggest dragon that ever terrorized Westeros, and yet it's a cheap, simple weapon that Cersei can produce by the hundreds -- in contrast to Daenerys' dragons, which are only three and completely irreplaceable. |
| 60 | * The scene in the Winterfell crypts is one for both Jon Snow and Petyr Baelish. The latter brazenly confronts the former for the first time, interrupting the solemn moment he was having before Ned's statue. As Littlefinger measures him, Jon Snow lets him know that he is not welcome and makes it clear that he doesn't plan on playing into his bullshit. [[DudeWheresMyRespect Littlefinger suggests that Jon thank him for saving him during the Battle of the Bastards]], and deliberately provokes Jon by outright confessing [[StalkerWithACrush his intentions towards Sansa.]] It works a little too well, as Jon choke-slams Baelish into the wall and leaves him with a stern warning. |
| 61 | -->'''Jon Snow:''' [[BigBrotherInstinct Touch my sister, and I'll kill you myself.]] |
| 62 | ** Doubly awesome is the fact that this ends on a shot of Littlefinger, Jon, and the statue of Ned Stark between the two, Ned being the last man to nearly strangle Littlefinger the way Jon just did. |
| 63 | * While sitting by a fire in the woods, Arya encounters her long-lost direwolf, Nymeria. She has grown to a massive size, and is now leading her own pack full of fearsome wolves. Although, this quickly becomes a {{Tearjerker}}. |
| 64 | * Euron proving to be quite a threat using his fleet to crush Yara's, leading his own men into battle with an awesome and brutal-looking battle-axe and recovering a bit of the Iron-born's pride. This scene just goes miles to showcase how AxCrazy Euron is and he does a good job of it. From having an entrance that the WWE would do well to take lessons from, to killing two of the [[TheScrappy Sand Snakes]] with their own weapons complete with a face that screams terror and awesome. This whole scene was just one big SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Euron Greyjoy who was otherwise more of a SmugSnake with more bark than bite. |
| 65 | * Despite the tortures he's endured, both physical and psychological, Theon avails himself well against Euron's raiders. [[TraumaButton For a time.]] |
| 66 | * After six seasons of it being an InformedAbility, we ''finally'' get to see Iron-born show prowess in seafaring combat. |
| 67 | * Even though Yara lost, her jumping from the upper deck to tackle her crazy uncle and then slapping him when Euron makes his PreAssKickingOneLiner is awesome. |
| 68 | * While not the most popular characters, the Sand Snakes deserve some credit in the battle. Nymeria makes an entrance by [[DynamicEntry wrapping her whip around Euron's neck]] and is later seen casually killing an Ironborn raider, Obara goes straight for Euron, stabs him, and knocks him to the ground, and Tyene kills a man with a throwing dagger, then retreats below deck and defends her mother -- alone -- from several more Ironborn with nothing more than a knife. Although all three are beaten, for three young women who had never seen a real war before, they handle themselves pretty well against experienced Ironborn warriors. |
| 69 | * Jorah handling [[MeatgrinderSurgery greyscale treatment]] with nothing more than a leather strap to bite down on. His infected skin is being flayed off him and yet he manages to stay quiet. |
| 70 | [[/folder]] |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[folder:3 - The Queen's Justice]] |
| 73 | * The death of Olenna Tyrell, although sad, had [[FaceDeathWithDignity tremendous dignity and inner strength]]. Jaime offers the old woman a vial of painless poison in lieu of the horrific and degrading public execution Cersei had planned. Olenna drinks the whole vial in her wine, and the Queen of Thorns has one final barb: she admits to Jaime that she was the one who murdered his son Joffery (also revealing that she knew of the King's parentage this whole time), and tells Jaime to tell Cersei that she was the one who did it. And she stays still in an upright pose like the regal, powerful, and awesome woman she was. |
| 74 | ** The fact that she held onto the knowledge until the last possible second and revealed it at a point when it couldn't hurt her anymore has quite the prowess itself. |
| 75 | --->"I'd hate to die like your son--clawing at my neck, foam and bile spilling from my mouth, eyes blood red, skin purple. It must have been horrible for you, as a Kingsguard, as a father. It was horrible enough for me. A shocking scene. [[WhamLine Not at all what I intended]]. You see, I'd never seen the poison work before. ''(Beat)'' Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was ''me."'' |
| 76 | ** And because she's already taken Jaime's poison (which will presumably start taking effect soon), there is ''nothing'' he can do to further punish her. All he can do is walk away, defeated in his moment of victory by the Queen of Thorns. |
| 77 | * Cersei gets her revenge once more. Her punishment of Ellaria Sand is brutal and horrific, but quite satisfying considering all Ellaria has done: Cersei fatally poisons Tyene in front of her and [[ForcedToWatch forces Ellaria to watch]] as Tyene dies and rots, and she herself will stay chained until she dies of natural causes. |
| 78 | * Euron continues to breathe life in the Ironborn storyline, building off of his great victory at the climax of last episode. He is ushered through the streets of King's Landing, with his prisoners trailing behind his horse in chains. He receives thunderous applause from the people and is given command of Cersei's naval forces. |
| 79 | -->'''Euron:''' This is the life. Look at them! [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Cheering for a Greyjoy!]] |
| 80 | * Jaime, whose prowess as a general has been rather lacking so far, completely outplays Dany and Tyrion by diverting Casterly Rock's guard to capture Highgarden and end House Tyrell. The advantage Dany had over Cersei at the start of the season is almost completely gone. |
| 81 | ** The Lannister forces defending Casterly Rock are better armed and better armored. The Targaryen forces, on the other hand, are Unsullied, and they tear through the defenders like they're made of paper. |
| 82 | --->'''Tyrion Lannister:''' They will face the bulk of the Lannister forces: they will be outnumbered, they will have less armour and fewer weapons. But [[MotivatedByFear my sister's armies fight for her out of fear]]. The Unsullied will be fighting for something ''greater''. They will be fighting for freedom, and the person who gave it to them. They will be fighting for ''you'' and '''''that''''' is why they will triumph. |
| 83 | ** During the attack on Casterly Rock, Grey Worm fights his way through the Lannister army and effortlessly kills at least ten Lannister men onscreen, topping it off with an expertly performed spear throw which sends an unlucky Lannister Mook [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice flying and pins him to the wall]]. |
| 84 | * Sam fully succeeds in curing Jorah's greyscale, impressing the Archmaester enough that despite Sam's disobeying orders he's not expelled from the Citadel, albeit still doing menial work. |
| 85 | * The first meeting between Jon and Dany, for both of them. She gives a strong speech, recalling all the wrongdoings and terrors she endured with the hope of getting home again. For his part, even though he needs her help to defeat the White Walkers, Jon firmly declares that he owes no loyalty to the Targaryens and keeps his stance even when the dragons are brought up. |
| 86 | * Tyrion resumes his place as MVP of the series by speaking reasonably to Jon and Dany and building the fragile alliance between the Targaryens and Starks. The rest of the cast may have their swords and dragons, but Tyrion shows that he can still get more done than all of them by putting his mind and his words to good use. |
| 87 | [[/folder]] |
| 88 | |
| 89 | [[folder:4 - The Spoils of War]] |
| 90 | * Bran giving a creepy IronicEcho to Littlefinger, throwing back his "chaos is a ladder" quote back at him and making TheChessmaster [[OhCrap genuinely lose his cool]] considering that, to his knowledge, Bran ''never'' heard him say that. |
| 91 | * Arya managing to fight Brienne to a standstill, showing that her training under the Faceless Men has given her a serious edge. Also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Brienne, as she keeps up once she understands she's fighting a serious opponent rather than a relatively untrained young lady. |
| 92 | ** Also note that Arya is now DualWielding [[ICallItVera Needle]] and the Valyrian steel dagger that almost killed Bran, and was originally owned by Littlefinger. The odds of this particularly ironic ChekhovsGun are going up. |
| 93 | ** Also note that Brienne is ''impressed'' -- she ''finally'' has someone who can god damn hold her own in a fight. |
| 94 | ** After the fight, Arya looks up at Littlefinger with a DeathGlare. You could tell that the guy is probably shitting his pants before bowing out and Arya is mentally putting his name on her kill list. Do remember that Arya saw Littlefinger collaborating with Tywin Lannister during her time as a cupbearer in Harrenhal back in Season 2 which explains why she's surprised when Sansa mentions that Littlefinger is in Winterfell. |
| 95 | ** When Arya fights Brienne she uses many of the same moves Syrio used when first training her and then against the Kingsguard. Even after all this time she remembers what her Dancing Instructor taught her. |
| 96 | * Arya uses two weapons given to her by two of her brothers -- she was given her CoolSword Needle by Jon and receives her Valyrian steel dagger from Bran. |
| 97 | * Jon being about to pummel Theon for his Season 2 betrayal against Jon's family but [[BigBrotherInstinct stops, sparing Theon's life because he saved Jon's sister Sansa.]] |
| 98 | -->'''Theon:''' Sansa, is she alright?\ |
| 99 | '''Jon:''' What you did for her is the only reason I'm not killing you. |
| 100 | * Daenerys finally growing tired of Tyrion's [[GeneralFailure overly complicated strategies]] and instead personally leads a head-on attack against the Lannister army with her Dothraki horde and Drogon. What results is an epic CurbstompBattle. |
| 101 | ** The Dothraki crest the horizon resembling nothing so much as the Hun army's charge in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', a vast horde of light cavalry charging, weapons drawn and screaming, towards blood and glory. And then you see them standing at their saddles and fire arrows while riding. One can hardly blame the Lannister men for trembling in their boots as they prepare to meet the wave. |
| 102 | ** Despite the terrifying sight ahead of him, Jaime insists on staying and holding the line, saying that they can hold the Dothraki off. [[InstantlyProvenWrong Cue Drogon's thunderous roar.]] Jaime's expression morphs from grim determination to one of helpless shock and horror as he, and the audience, realize just how badly ThisIsGonnaSuck for the Lannister forces. Seconds later, Drogon emerges from the clouds like Balerion the Black Dread reborn, and [[MookHorrorShow everything goes to hell]]. |
| 103 | *** Human badassery on both sides notwithstanding, Drogon is undeniably the star of the battle. Infantry can't so much as touch him in the air, and arrows are simply [[NoSell No-Sold]] against the scales of his underbelly. The sheer heat of his fire breath makes the ground ''explode'' and reduces men to ashes blowing in the wind. He doesn't use it willy-nilly, either; Daenerys leads him on tight, controlled strafing runs, obliterating the supply train from above and punching strategic holes in the Lannister lines for the Dothraki to exploit. It's horrific, but quite [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]] (for Daenerys fans) and absolutely awe-inspiring. |
| 104 | *** When the Lannister archer line gets a volley off on Drogon, he rears back ''in mid-air'' (protecting his vulnerable rider), puffs out his chest, and lets the [[ShootingSuperman arrows literally bounce off of him.]] The pose and his following roar scream "COME AT ME, BITCHES!" |
| 105 | * Despite the aforementioned curbstomp, the Lannister troops actually show that they were indeed Tywin's crack army -- one particular stand out being a group of archers that stand their ground against fucking Drogon -- and even got a volley off against him. Though his scales allowed him to NoSell it, that's some serious ass bravery. The Lannister shield wall also holds its own against the Dothraki until Drogon torches them. |
| 106 | * Jaime locking blades with a Dothraki, even exchanging parade with his non-dominant hand beforehand. Note that unlike the book, Jaime's physical strength was rarely mentioned in the show yet he can hold his own against a barbarian warrior. |
| 107 | * The anonymous Dothraki who manages to overcome ''Bronn'', at least initially. As the two charge each other on horseback, Bronn tries taking out the screamer by flinging his Kukri in his face (from an impressive distance, mind) but it is deflected with his arakh. Then, instead of engaging in a pass where Bronn has the advantage due to his longsword, the Dothraki instead leans down out of his saddle with stunning agility and uses his arakh to cut off the foreleg of Bronn's horse, forcefully dismounting him. |
| 108 | * Bronn gets his own oner as he hurries for the scorpion, and he handles himself very much like Jon Snow had done in the Battle of the Bastards, culminating with him skewering the Dothraki that unhorsed him with the scorpion (after giving the man ''just'' enough time to realize how fucked he was). Which leads to... |
| 109 | * With nothing more than the crack aim that let him turn Stannis' fleet to splinters with Wildfire, he [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu nails Drogon in the shoulder]] and sends him into a death spin that the dragon only barely escaped from. It doesn't kill Drogon, but he was not too far removed from winning the war right there. |
| 110 | * Drogon tanking what for any human would be a hideous arrow wound; pulling his wing back into rotation even with a good three foot of barbed steel buried in the operating sinews. He even hovers above Bronn and turns the scorpion into charred timbers before shattering it into wood chips with a single stroke of his tail. Like a thunderbolt indeed. Which again leads to... |
| 111 | * With his army burning in ruin and being ran down by the Dothraki, what does Jaime do when he sees an opportunity to strike at Daenerys? He does what any KnightInShiningArmor would be expected to do: [[StraightForTheCommander have a go at the enemy commander]], [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing their life if needed]], all for the chance to end the war then and there. As Stannis once said, Jaime was many terrible things... but [[VillainousValor the man was still a knight.]] |
| 112 | ** This is actually one of the few times Jaime is seen onscreen during a pitched battle (most of his other fighting prowess is offscreen or in smaller-scale duels), and he acquits himself masterfully despite being OutGambitted ''and'' having to deal with an actual freaking ''dragon'', and the largest and most aggressive of Dany's three dragons at that. And keep in mind, Jaime's getting older at this point, fighting with his left hand. One can see why a Jaime in his prime with both hands was something of a LivingLegend (aside from the Kingslayer bit). |
| 113 | ** And Bronn scores another one in his book as Jaime's plan backfires, and Drogon is about to have himself a Lannister fried to a crisp. Cue our favorite sellsword rushing in at the scene and tackling Jaime at the last possible moment, saving him from the dragon's breath. |
| 114 | * As noted above, Daenerys, together with Drogon and the Dothraki, firmly carry out an awesome CurbStompBattle against Jaime and the Lannister forces. However, mad props go to Daenerys herself for facing the very real danger of being shot out of the sky to ride into battle with her men, as well as successfully changing the tide of the war in a single stroke. With much less gold to pay the Iron Bank, as well as the blockade on the Reach being effectively lifted, Cersei definitely has suffered a major setback. |
| 115 | ** When she sees Jaime bearing down on her with a lance. Dany wears an almost perplexed expression; as if she can't quite believe someone would be [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough]] to make an attempt on her life with Drogon watching over her. |
| 116 | [[/folder]] |
| 117 | |
| 118 | [[folder:5 - Eastwatch]] |
| 119 | * Randyll and Dickon Tarly get a DyingMomentOfAwesome when they refuse to bend the knee to Daenerys, even though the alternative is dragon fire. No matter their choice of politics, they faced death as men. |
| 120 | ** Although upstaged by Randyll and Dickon, a big chunk of the surviving Lannister men also refuse to bend the knee (at least until their lords and commanders are roasted alive right in front of them). They'd been on the bad side of a Dothraki massacre, were disarmed and helpless, and standing in the shadow of the 100ft dragon who had immolated half their army, yet more than half of them had the balls to [[DeathGlare glare right back at it]]. |
| 121 | ** Their deaths mean that Sam is now the rightful lord of House Tarly (with only a wafer-thin vow to the Nightwatch to prevent it), meaning he now has the authority to align his family, and possibly all of the Reach, with Jon's mission. He probably doesn't even know it, since the Archmaester kept his father and brother's horrible deaths from him. But he does have his father's stolen sword, which is passed on to [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic the true heir of House Tarly]]. |
| 122 | ** Additionally, it's hard not to take some satisfaction in Randyll's death due to how incredibly abusive he was towards Sam. FridgeBrilliance sets in when you realize that Randyll's obsession with manhood directly causes his own death -- as his pride and refusal to bend the knee gets him roasted alive for his troubles, while Sam has a loving wife, an heir, a Maester's knowledge, and his ancestral sword. LaserGuidedKarma at its finest. |
| 123 | * On the other side of it, Tyrion verbally pimpslapping Randyll when he claims he is loyal to only one queen and won't betray his vows to her by pointing out how quick Randyll was willing to side with the woman that murdered not only the true queen but also killed his liege lords. Randyll can only work his jaw, unable to counter that and falls back on "Cersei is from Westeros" as his only excuse for betraying his vows. |
| 124 | * Jaime telling Cersei that Olenna was the one who killed Joffrey and not Tyrion. She not only has to accept that Tyrion didn't do it, but live with not getting to properly punish her son's killer who died peacefully and painlessly. |
| 125 | * Jon reaching out and ''petting Drogon''. |
| 126 | ** Doubly awesome because Jon is visibly bricking it in this scene. Nevertheless, he doesn't back down, and however hesitantly, keeps his poise. |
| 127 | ** Drogon himself is positively awe-inspiring. Where the previous episode's battle cemented his destructive power once and for all, this scene gives perspective on the sheer ''size'' of an adult dragon, and the strength it commands. The sight of his charge alone, all predatory muscle and scales, with fanged maw roaring a challenge, would probably be enough to send many a lesser man plunging off the cliffs of Dragonstone. It contrasts beautifully with Drogon's gentle restraint as he lets Jon touch him. It is more likely that Drogon has realized what Jon truly is, making this scene even more awesome. |
| 128 | * Davos, when coming to recruit Gendry, has a whole speech ready about why he needs to come. Gendry cuts him off by telling Davos that he's not going to sit around making swords for the people that killed his father and tried to kill him. He then picks up his new warhammer, complete with the Baratheon stag engraved upon it, and heads out. The Demon of the Trident lives on through his son. |
| 129 | * Davos is cornered by two Gold Cloaks because they recognized Tyrion. Gendry just grabs his hammer and smashes their heads in -- LikeFatherLikeSon, indeed. |
| 130 | * Jon managing to convince Daenerys that the immediate peril at Eastwatch is more important than the immediate threat of Cersei -- with no physical proof other than "I was there", he convinced her. |
| 131 | ** This exchange: |
| 132 | --->'''Daenerys:''' I have not given you permission to leave.\ |
| 133 | '''Jon:''' With respect, Your Grace, I don't need your permission. I am a king. |
| 134 | * Gilly, of all people, gets the big WhamLine because Sam and Shireen taught her how to read. She finds an account which says Rhaegar Targaryen had an annulment from Elia Martell and married another in Dorne -- with the implication it being Lyanna Stark. If true, this would make Jon the trueborn son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. |
| 135 | ** After that, Sam's finally decided he's had enough of the Maesters of the Citadel treating him like a menial servant after he's done amazing things like cure Jorah's grayscale. He gathers whatever books and scrolls he thinks are important and commandeers a carriage for himself and Gilly. When she asks if he's sure about this, he replies, "[[LetsGetDangerous I'm tired of reading about the achievements of better men]]." |
| 136 | *** This moment is severely understated. Sam, NonActionGuy extraordinaire, who wants nothing more than to be a maester, turns his back on the order and heads off to ''the'' war. He basically trades everything he wants for everything he fears, simply because ''someone'' has to and Jon Snow can't do it alone. ''Badass.'' |
| 137 | * Littlefinger is working on turning Arya against Sansa by tricking her into suspecting Sansa. He's weaponizing Arya's distrust of him to serve his own nefarious purposes. Ladies and gentlemen, the biggest ManipulativeBastard in the series still has a few cards to play. |
| 138 | * Once they reach Eastwatch, Jon Snow puts together his BadassCrew for a SuicideMission, that is hunting down and capturing a wight to prove the existence of the Night King's Undead Army. The team is composed of the [[RightfulKingReturns Dragon Wolf]] himself, [[KnightErrant Ser Jorah Mormont]], [[BarbarianHero Tormund Giantsbane]], [[HeroicBastard Gendry Waters]], [[BackFromTheDead Beric Dondarrion]], [[ThePaladin Thoros of Myr]], and [[SociopathicHero Sandor Clegane]]. Talk about a ''Game of Thrones'' dream team. |
| 139 | [[/folder]] |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:6 - Beyond The Wall]] |
| 142 | * When a flaming undead polar bear charges him, the Hound freezes in horror... and is saved at the last second by Thoros of Myr, who knocks Sandor out of the way and withstands a fiery mauling before he is saved. Even Sandor was shocked at his selflessness. Despite his humble SelfDeprecation, Jorah may not have been wrong to think Thoros was the bravest man he ever saw. |
| 143 | * The polar bear wight is attacked directly by Thoros, Tormund, Jon and Beric, and it pretty much mows through them. As the bear clamps down on Thoros, Ser Jorah dashes up and [[BoomHeadshot jams a dagger in the beast's ear]], killing it instantly and with one hit. |
| 144 | ** Yes folks, a rampaging bear was taken down by a Mormont. Oh the {{Irony}}. |
| 145 | * Sandor manages to throw a stone across the wide lake and hit a wight in the jaw, breaking it off. |
| 146 | * That same wight is the first to cross the ice ([[ItCanThink using his own observation, no less]]!) and [[MadeOfIron withstands two hits from a warhammer previously shown to shatter wights with his level of decomposition]]. The Hound is forced to ''shatter the ice below him'' to take him out of the fray, and he can later be seen as one of the wights [[TheDeterminator who nearly drags Tormund Giantsbane to his death]]. Oh fuck, indeed. |
| 147 | * Gendry somehow managing to run all the way back to Eastwatch and send a raven to Daenerys in time for her to rescue Jon Snow's party. |
| 148 | * The entire group deserves a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for being able to hold off the wights as long as they did alone. Sure, it is a losing fight, but the wights have shown before that they can rapidly overwhelm thousands of wildlings, the sheer fact that this mere band of fewer than seven can hold their ground instead of being immediately steamrolled is a legend on its own. The best part? None of the named character dies during the last stand. Even after the group is dwindled to just five against thousands, they fight on. Truly, Jon, Jorah, Sandor, Tormund, Beric live up to the fandom's expectation as the "Ultimate Game of Thrones Dream Team". |
| 149 | * Just as it looks like all is lost, and everyone is about to die...Daenerys arrives at last aboard Drogon and begins incincerating the Army of the Dead. |
| 150 | * While everyone in the party is attempting to escape on Drogon's back, Jon stays behind and seriously considers going after the Night King head on. ''While exhausted and battered from the battle with the wights!'' Badass indeed. |
| 151 | * Daenerys and the Dragons vs. the White Walkers and Army of the Dead. It's the first time either force has met its match: Dany incinerates hundreds if not thousands of the wights who were about to overwhelm our heroes yet again, and the Night King manages to ''kill one of her dragons'' -- forcing Dany to retreat -- then resurrect it as a new addition to his army. |
| 152 | * Jon and the Night King exchanging [[DeathGlare death glares]] again. |
| 153 | * Benjen-Coldhands pulling off a BigDamnHeroes moment and a LastStand when he rides in and gives his life to rescue Jon. A DeusExMachina for sure, but epic nonetheless. |
| 154 | * Even though he's an inhuman monster bent on wiping the human race from the face of the Earth, you have to give props to the Night King for being able to one-shot a full-grown dragon in flight. |
| 155 | * After Viserion is brutally killed by the Night King, Daenerys and the rest of the cast escape the frozen lake with a [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome jaw-dropping shot]]: Drogon starts flapping its wings so quickly the wights are ''swept away'' by the ensuing wind gust, taking off just before the Night King throws a second ice spear. Instead of [[OneDimensionalThinking fleeing in a straight line]], Daeny steers Drogon just before said ice spear passes through the latter's back! Bonus points for Drogon ''roaring'' either to mock the missed shot or express his relief. |
| 156 | * Viserion [[{{Dracolich}} being raised as a wight]] can be this for book fans who speculated for years about the existence of the Ice Dragon. |
| 157 | * Jon adds a second White Walker to his body count. Where the first time was something of a fluke, this time he's fully aware of the capabilities of Valyrian steel and goes toe-to-toe with the Walker before ultimately killing it. |
| 158 | * Arya goes to confront Sansa over the letter she sent to Robb so many years ago. Sansa very quickly reminds her that, whatever she might have done as a child, it was Sansa that was responsible for retaking Winterfell. Arya, for her part, has no response. |
| 159 | -->'''Sansa:''' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech You should be on your knees thanking me.]] We're standing in Winterfell again because of me. You didn't win it back, Jon didn't win it back, he lost the battle of the bastards. [[TheCavalry The Knights of the Vale]] won the battle, and they rode north for me. While you were off, where, travelling the world? |
| 160 | ** Sansa also gets in a very good barb on Arya when the latter tries to shame her for not doing enough to stop Ned's execution - chewing Arya out for not doing anything either, when Sansa was in fact trying to stop Joffrey and had to be restrained. You can see Arya's confidence break just for a moment. |
| 161 | [[/folder]] |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[folder:7 - The Dragon and the Wolf]] |
| 164 | * In a sense, the Mountain's loyalty to Cersei. When Euron acts provocatively in a truce meeting, Cersei says a word and the Mountain steps forth. Euron wisely back down. When the wight comes after Cersei, the Mountain immediately attempts to put himself in front of her. Having an obedient juggernaut has never felt so awesome. |
| 165 | * The Dragon Queen Daenerys Stormborn of Targaryen returning to King's Landing for the first time. Drogon dwarfs every building in sight and she strolls right down to take her seat. When Cersei chides her for making them wait, Dany stares her down cold and simply answers, "My apologies." |
| 166 | * Seeing the fear on Cersei's face when the wight charged after her was extremely satisfying. |
| 167 | ** On the other hand, seeing her showing nothing more than being utterly unimpressed by the sight of dragons counts as a moment of awesome ''for'' Cersei. Notice that while everyone else at the scene were in awe when Daenerys arrives with her dragons, Cersei remained still at her seat just observing, not even flinching at the sight. |
| 168 | ** The entire truce meeting in general. Particularly the Hound confronting the Mountain, Jon refusing to bow to Cersei's conditions, Euron grandstanding and being told to shut the fuck up by Jaime and Cersei of all people... |
| 169 | ** Especially the Hound confronting his brother. It's not the Cleganebowl that fans have been waiting years for, but it's a promise that it ''is'' coming. |
| 170 | --->'''Hound:''' [[ImpliedDeathThreat You know who's coming for you, brother. You've always known.]] |
| 171 | ** The mere fact that the truce meeting scene has almost every remaining major players of Westeros ''together'' for the first time (only Littlefinger is absent). The tensions are through the roof as every faction, each of which has every reason to hate one another, arrives at the scene with their elite guards and trusted advisers and managed ''not to kill each other right'' then and there. |
| 172 | * Tyrion managing to convince Cersei into pledging her support for Daenerys and Jon's crusade against the White Walkers. Keep in mind, that Jaime has already failed to convince her and Tyrion is one of the people Cersei hates the most in the world. Tyrion not only makes Cersei back down from killing him with nothing but ''words'', but also briefly silence her ranting and get her to listen. Too bad Cersei's lying through her teeth. |
| 173 | ** And kudos to Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage for their performances. |
| 174 | * Jaime giving Euron a ShutUpHannibal after he tells Tyrion that he would have been left to drown if he'd been born in the Iron Isles, ''out of mercy for the parents.'' BigBrotherInstinct at its finest. It's easy to see why Tyrion has always loved him so much. |
| 175 | ** Also, when Euron makes a dwarf joke at Tyrion after insulting Theon, Tyrion remarks on his previous DontExplainTheJoke conversation he had with Theon. ''Theon'' then snarks: |
| 176 | --->'''Theon:''' His wasn't even good. |
| 177 | * TheReveal that Cersei actually had a plan to fake out Daenerys during the truce before she even arrived, with Euron Greyjoy finding some excuse to be seen as fleeing back to the Iron Islands so instead he could secretly ferry the elite Golden Company of Essos to Cersei's side whilst Daenerys was absent. It's a genuinely clever plan from someone who everyone used to think had the tactical abilities of a brick, even if she's still a despicable person for putting personal gain above humanity's survival in the face of the Army of the Dead. |
| 178 | ** The very fact that she managed to deceive those people, many of them who ''really'' should have known better, especially Tyrion. Several seasons ago, he was making a speech to Oberyn about Cersei "using her honest feelings (for her children) for dishonest goals" and here she's doing exactly that again and he still fell for it. |
| 179 | * After seven seasons of being the ultimate KarmaHoudini, it finally happened: Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish finally pays for his crimes with death by a dagger to the throat from Arya! |
| 180 | ** Littlefinger's execution. His gambit to turn Sansa and Arya against each other backfired, and he's finally been forced to answer for his crimes. His VillainousBreakdown is ''glorious''. Especially because of the glorious BaitAndSwitch (the scene originally made it look like ''Arya'' was going to be on trial). ''Especially'', as it begins, Littlefinger is at the side with his usual smirk of control watching Arya in the accused circle as Sansa relates the charges of murder and treason. Sansa then asks "How do you answer these charges... ''Lord Baelish?"'' He just blinks in confusion as a smiling Arya prompts him with, "My sister asked you a question." For once, Littlefinger shows nothing but utter shock and can't believe he just got played by the duo. |
| 181 | ** Littlefinger tries to play innocent and claim that there's no proof, only for Bran to list off all the things he saw Littlefinger do in his visions that led to the War of the Five Kings, which makes Littlefinger realize the Starks have him cornered. Then, Littlefinger attempts to order Lord Yohn Royce to save him. [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal Needless to say]], the man has nothing to give but cold refusal. |
| 182 | --->'''Littlefinger:''' I am the Lord Protector of the Vale, and I order you to escort me safely back to the Eyrie.\ |
| 183 | '''Yohn Royce:''' ''[smugly]'' I think not. |
| 184 | ** The best moment has to be [[AintTooProudToBeg Littlefinger literally falling on his knees and begging Sansa for mercy]], telling her that he loved her and her mother, only for her to [[ShutUpHannibal shut him down]] by pointing out that he still betrayed and hurt them both... and Arya slits his throat with the very same dagger Littlefinger almost used to kill Bran and started this entire mess. As he bleeds out, his last sight is the Stark sisters exchanging satisfied looks. |
| 185 | ** Sansa pointing out that this isn't the first time Littlefinger has turned two sisters against each other and she and Arya didn't fall for it. Lysa might have been batshit insane, but it's nice to see Sansa calling Petyr out on his callous murder of her aunt and how he destroyed the sisterly bond between Cat and Lysa because he wanted Cat all to himself. Bonus points to the scene for ending with a DarkReprise of the ominous four note melody from "Chaos is a Ladder", both highlighting Littlefinger's demise as well as the passing of TheChessmaster title from him to Sansa, Arya, and Bran. |
| 186 | ** Then there is the fact that Littlefinger's behavior during his demise is in direct contrast to that of Ned Stark, the man he betrayed. Whereas Ned [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepted his impending death calmly]], Littlefinger flailed around before finally falling down on his knees and [[DirtyCoward pathetically begging for mercy]]. Ned learned how to die a long time ago, as he told Varys in the dungeons. Littlefinger, on the other hand, only knew how to die as a coward. |
| 187 | ** The cathartic nature of Littlefinger's downfall is perhaps best summed up by a [=YouTube=] comment: |
| 188 | --->''In the South, he was the boss. He had friends, he had allies, he had spies, he had money. And that made him [[InvincibleVillain invincible]]. He knew the rules, and he was one of the major players in the Game of Thrones. But here, [[FishOutOfWater there is no game]]. This isn't a world of politics and treachery. It's a world of direwolves, [[TheOmniscient of magic]], [[GrimUpNorth of ice]]. Welcome to the North, motherfucker. Check out this grave with your name on it."'' |
| 189 | * Jaime turning his back on Cersei after she reveals that she still doesn't intend to honor her agreements -- and indeed has left him out of some critical decision-making. |
| 190 | ** Jaime turning his back on Cersei is further awesome in that it finally allows Jaime to be a free man again. Jaime has known for a while that Cersei has lost it and wasn't being good to him. He couldn't leave, however, due to his one weakness: his love for her ("Why did the gods make me love such a hateful woman?" and "We do not get to choose who we love.") Cersei exploited this weakness willingly, telling him not to betray her again and thinking she can make him stay by stating no one walks away from her. Jaime, disillusioned, simply states that he does not believe her as he walks away. Cersei doesn't order Gregor to kill Jaime as he does, since the latter knows Cersei has the same weakness as he. Seeing him use that against her, and freeing himself in the process is very satisfying. |
| 191 | ** The scene itself is understated awesome -- a lone rider, his royal armor discarded, covering his maimed hand behind a glove as the snow starts to fall on King's Landing. He sets off on a cross-country journey on his own to fight an army of the undead. He'll also be the one to deliver the news that Cersei betrayed them, ''but he didn't.'' He might, though. |
| 192 | ** Jaime ''finally'' calling Cersei out on her StupidEvil decision-making process: |
| 193 | --->'''Jaime:''' When the fighting in the North is over, someone wins. You understand that, don't you? If the dead win, they march south and kill us all. If the living win... and we've betrayed them... THEY MARCH SOUTH AND KILL US ALL!'' |
| 194 | * Theon decides to go rescue Yara just like she did for him. When the Greyjoy men won't listen to him and their ringleader attacks him, he's a complete {{Determinator}} and keeps coming back after every hit. Finally, Theon gets the upper hand as his castration lets him NoSell a GroinAttack, after which he headbutts the guy and gives his own NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. |
| 195 | ** Speaking of said failed GroinAttack, Theon managed to take a traumatizing and horrific experience and turn it on its own head to win the fight and gain support. Theon practically smirks about his eunuch status. Somewhere in the fiery depths of Hell, Ramsay Bolton likely lost what little joy he had left to hold onto. |
| 196 | ** This is capped off by Theon going to the water and throwing the salt water into his wounds as a reference to Greyjoy customs. [[ArcWords What is dead may never die!]] And Theon Greyjoy rises again, harder and stronger. |
| 197 | * Samwell remembers something that ''the nearly omniscient Bran'' completely misses. That the annulment of Rhaegar's marriage means Jon is actually the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. As such, Jon is unknowingly the heir to the Iron Throne. |
| 198 | ** On the other hand, he takes all the credit, even though it was Gilly who found the information. |
| 199 | * While his refusal to abide by Cersei's terms are criticized by both his allies and likely many fans, Jon makes [[PatrickStewartSpeech a profound rebuttal]], which doubles as a poignant affirmation of the HonorBeforeReason trope. It's enough for Daenerys to forgive him, and even Tyrion concedes he has a point. |
| 200 | -->"I'm not going to swear an oath I can't uphold. Talk about my father if you want, tell me that's the attitude that got him killed. But when enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies. And lies won't help us in this fight." |
| 201 | * It has finally happened after 7 seasons worth of wait, but Undead Viserion '''destroys a part of the Wall''', [[DragonRider with the Night King riding him]]. [[ShockingMoments The White Walkers have finally made their way into Westeros proper.]] Winter has now '''truly''' come in Westeros. |
| 202 | ** The build-up to the scene. We have Tormund and Beric reminiscing upon the success of the Parley, while doing some small talk. Then the Army of the Dead arrives at the Wall. Tormund is relaxed because the magic of the Wall still works, and hence the Army of the Dead couldn't come south. '''Then''', we hear a screech of hell descending on the wall, soon revealed to be the undead Viserion, who descends faster than any other thing shown, with '''none other than the Night King himself riding it.''' The OhCrap on Tormund's face sells it. Afterwards, Viserion uses the good distance to ''freaking melt the wall'', with the wildlings at Eastwatch running like hell, possibly taking down Tormund and Beric as well, ''and he succeeds'', destroying Eastwatch like it was a house of cards, and breaching the Wall. ''No one undermined the wall for 8 millennia, and the dragon destroyed it like it was some wooden house.'' The music accompanying the Army as they realize now they can enter the Seven Kingdoms sell it, as they finally infiltrate the North, in order to sack it, is the DarkReprise of the show's main theme, and the White Walker theme, which drives home that the White Walkers won this big battle, without trying. Unless Jon and the rest arrive in time, [[SarcasmMode which seems slow due to the speed of the ship]], all the teleportation we have seen in this season alone, '''the North is doomed, and there is no one that can stop it.''' |
| 203 | ** Special note to how awesome Viserion has become. When he was alive, he was one of Drogon's 'lackeys', as he and his mother did the main fighting. Now, after he becomes an undead, he has become the [[CameBackStrong fastest dragon ever, covering the huge distance within seconds]]. He also now breathes blue fire[[note]]Which according to thermodynamic spectrum, is ''much hotter'' than the 'normal' dragon's yellow[[/note]], which is possibly how [[RockBeatsLaser he undermined the Wall's magic with ease]]. Also, with the Night King himself controlling him (who has now proven himself to be the most opportunistic and CrazyPrepared being in the show), he has also become clever and ruthless. If Daenerys and her remaining 2 dragons are to fight him, they are definitely in for ''a huge surprise.'' |
| 204 | ** While he 'might' lose the war (emphasis on 'might'), the Night King has proven himself to be no less clever than the human ones south of the Wall. His plan basically was to trap the Fellowship of the Wight on the island (where the Wall is still nearer), in order to lure Daenerys's dragons. The moment she arrived with her dragons, the Night King (who was overseeing the whole business) readied the ice spears they managed to get somehow for this very specific occasion, finally doing the impossible and killing Viserion[[note]]a move that NO ONE expected to, after all, Drogon shrugged off even faster bolt from the ballista[[/note]], and to kill rest of the dragons if he could, which was proven by the amount of chains they used to exhume Viserion. Turn him into a wight, attack from a safe distance, and the Wall is gone. This move made the Night King one of the biggest subjects of WMG [[note]]More prevalent ones are either he's a Greenseer or a warg, given the level of preparation necessary[[/note]], and also the clear winner of Season 7, as he finally managed to enter the Seven Kingdoms after 8000 years of wait. |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | !!Season 8 |
| 208 | [[folder:1 - Winterfell]] |
| 209 | * With the show's scope having narrowed so drastically with only a few locations still important, no one could blame the people behind the opening credits of resting on their laurels and slacking off. Instead, they took the opportunity to create far more detailed models of the Wall, Winterfell, and King's Landing that the camera swoops through in loving detail. |
| 210 | * Daenerys marching her combined Unsullied and Dothraki army into Winterfell, with her two remaining dragons making a show of force in the skies above. |
| 211 | * Lyanna Mormont being the first among the assembled lords and ladies to step forward and take Jon snow to task for giving up his crown. The Little Bear was the one who crowned him king, after all, and she demands an answer, Mother of Dragons be damned. |
| 212 | * The sheer bravado of Euron attempting to seduce Cersei, despite her warnings that she's had men executed for lesser offenses. And the thing is, [[RefugeInAudacity it actually works]]. |
| 213 | * Theon makes good on his promise to rescue Yara, sneaking on to Euron's flagship while it's docked in King's Landing, killing his crew, and freeing her. |
| 214 | ** Yara making use of the Ironborn's religious chant to wish Theon luck as he goes to join the fight against the White Walkers. |
| 215 | --->'''Yara''': What is dead may never die... but go kill the bastards anyway. |
| 216 | * Sansa, now a full-fledged [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]], is immediately and [[ProperlyParanoid correctly]] skeptical about Cersei's promise to send Lannister reinforcements to Winterfell. She even goes as far as to openly chastise Tyrion for being so ready to believe his scheming sister. |
| 217 | -->'''Sansa''': ''(to Tyrion)'' [[BrokenPedestal I used to think you were the cleverest man alive.]] |
| 218 | * Jon learning how to ride a dragon alongside Daenerys. The scene also doubles as SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome. |
| 219 | * A dark moment, but Daenerys openly admitting and telling Sam that she ordered the executions of his father and brother. She does it plainly, without sugarcoating it, or justifying herself, but calmly says what she did. It's an example of what Ned Stark's ethos about not passing the buck of your actions and looking people in the eye and owning up to your actions. |
| 220 | ** Also one for Sam too. After Tyrion spent so long trying to get Dany to understand that her decisions are ''not'' easy ones to make and that she shouldn't make them so quickly, Sam might have been the one to break through to her. That heartbroken, helpless look of his, and the way he clearly struggled to hold himself together, left Dany and Jorah unable to say a single word, and the dragon queen's face [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone showed regret for the first time in a long time.]] |
| 221 | * Jaime discreetly arrives at Winterfell and gets off his horse. He looks around, and as people pass, Bran is revealed staring at him from across the courtyard. Jaime's got the OhCrap face when he realizes who it is. |
| 222 | * The dragons' arrival in Winterfell. Drogon announces his presence and the villagers freak out as he and his brother swoop over the northern keep to a ''glorious'' fusion of the Targaryen and Stark themes. Even [[TheStoic Arya]] is awestruck and grinning at the sight of them, all the while Dany has a big, satisfied smirk on her face. |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:2 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms]] |
| 226 | * The opening credits changed subtly: the flipping ice tiles marking the march of the White Walkers remained flipped from last episode, and now flipped partially towards Winterfell, which itself is now showing signs of preparation for the coming battle. |
| 227 | * Brienne standing up and vouching for Jaime in front of an audience that absolutely ''hates'' his guts. Brienne is just as fearless off the battlefield as she is on it, and Sansa gets her own awesome moment by acknowledging Brienne's word and letting Jaime go. |
| 228 | ** Jaime deserves some credit for bluntly telling everyone at the hearing that he won't apologize for fighting against them because they were at war and everything he did was to defend his own family. |
| 229 | ** And for his part, Bran simply replies, "The things we do for love," meaningless to everyone else but hitting home for Jaime that he can't blame that one on being at war. When Jaime comes to apologize to him, Bran is understanding rather than angry and notes that the incident sent both of them on their respective paths - Jaime on a path towards redemption, Bran towards being the Three-Eyed Raven. Bran continues to keep that secret so Jaime won't get lynched before the battle where they need him, showing that he, in his own way, forgives Jaime for what he did. |
| 230 | * Jaime afterward going to apologize to Bran, period. He swallows a bit as Bran placidly watches the godswood from his wheelchair -- which Bran has to use because of what Jaime did-- and says, "I'm sorry for what I did to you." Not an easy thing to admit when you escaped execution because of a child's mercy. |
| 231 | * After four seasons we finally get to see the payoff of Brienne agreeing to train Podrick. Brienne's overseeing some sparring between Pod and an unknown recruit and Pod is completely dominating the entire fight, even Jaime's impressed. |
| 232 | * Gendry hasn't yet gotten to making Arya her weapon, and when she visits to ask why he shows doubt of how useful she'll be in the upcoming fight against an enemy he describes as "death". Arya's response is a BadassBoast "I've seen death. He has many faces. I look forward to seeing this one." And while she speaks, she picks up three dragonglass daggers from the table and throws them at a wooden column, hitting the same spot all three times. After seeing this, Gendry promises to get to work for her right away. |
| 233 | ** Speaking of Arya and Gendry, Arya getting to express her sexuality on her own terms counts. In a show where so many female characters have to use their sexuality to get ahead politically or survive, or suffer horrible experiences at the hands of terrible people, Arya was fully in control of her first time and got to experience it with someone she genuinely cares for and is attracted to as a person. |
| 234 | * Sansa holding her ground with Daenerys. Searching for a topic of conversation, Daenerys begins to talk about Cersei's betrayal and how upset she is with Tyrion for trusting her, but Sansa quickly reminds her that she's to blame as well. |
| 235 | -->'''Daenerys:''' He should never have trusted Cersei.\ |
| 236 | '''Sansa:''' Neither should you. |
| 237 | * When Daenerys tries to find some common ground with Sansa and win her over, it initially looks like Daenerys and Sansa are going to meet on the same level through their similar experiences, mutual love for Jon, and they even manage to share a laugh -- but then Sansa blindsides her with an ArmorPiercingQuestion that completely shuts Daenerys down and shows Sansa isn't about to let go of the issue which divided them in the first place: |
| 238 | -->''"What about the North?"'' |
| 239 | * Even ''Tormund'' -- who is of the free folk, from far beyond the Wall, and well outside of Westerosi culture -- recognizes the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister: |
| 240 | -->"They call you 'King Killer'." |
| 241 | * Jaime knighting Brienne. After all the trials and tribulations that she encountered while upholding the oath given by the late Catelyn Stark, Brienne still proves that honor and loyalty exists and Jaime is very proud of her for fulfilling that oath. |
| 242 | -->''"Arise, Brienne of Tarth -- a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."'' |
| 243 | * Lyanna Mormont showing that she's as ferocious as ever, arguing with her cousin Jorah and refusing to go down to the crypts, preferring instead to fight alongside her men and wearing a full set of plate armor for battle. Jorah has no choice but to give in to the Little Bear. |
| 244 | * Bran Stark knowing that he's a target for the Night King, and volunteering to be the bait for the most dangerous being on the planet. It also shows that despite becoming the Three-Eyed Raven, he hasn't lost his concern for those whom he knew as Bran. |
| 245 | * Theon Greyjoy, the man who had been tortured into forgetting who he was and who had previously fled from his uncle Euron in terror, volunteering to guard Bran in the Godswood against the aforementioned Night King. What is dead may never die, indeed. |
| 246 | * Tyrion standing up to Daenerys and demanding to fight alongside the men, as he did during the Battle of Blackwater. |
| 247 | * Pod's rendition of "Jenny of Oldstones" is gorgeous, as is the end credits version by Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine. |
| 248 | * When Jon, Samwell, and Edd reminisce about their time in the Nights' Watch, Edd is still somewhat bewildered how Samwell has made it this far. Samwell indignantly reminds him how he has managed to survive almost all of the major battles the Nights' Watch has fought, is the first known man to have killed a White Walker, has a family he cares about, and how he [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking stole some books from the Citadel]]. |
| 249 | [[/folder]] |
| 250 | |
| 251 | [[folder:3 - The Long Night]] |
| 252 | * Sam joining the battle, despite his obvious fear of being involved, he will ''not'' stand by and watch the others sacrifices themselves for the living. Despite the number of times he gets dog-piled on, he does end up surviving even though his incompetance in the fight ends up gettng Ed Killed. |
| 253 | * Melisandre returns and turns every Dothraki ''arakh'' into a FlamingSword. It's a pity that the dead are too numerous for it to make a difference. |
| 254 | * While you can certainly criticize the HollywoodTactics of a suicidal charge, the cinematography of the Dothraki charge and opening salvo from the siege weaponry is stunning. |
| 255 | * Ser Jorah leading the charge, flanked by [[NobleWolf Ghost]] was pretty damned awesome. |
| 256 | * Melisandre also lights the barricades on fire when Jon and Daenerys are in the fog and can't see Davos's fire signals. |
| 257 | * The Hound overcoming his fear of fire to save Arya, and as a result, save the world. |
| 258 | ** It's not just his fear of fire at this point either: The Hound outright says it's all hopeless because they're fighting death and nobody can defeat that. To this, Beric answers "Tell ''her'' that!", while pointing at Arya Stark, continuing to face off against the undead on a rooftop despite a headwound. He immediately charges back into battle at the sight of her, firmly marking him as a [[PapaWolf Papa Wolf]]. |
| 259 | * Lyanna Mormont charging the wights with a dragonglass axe, [[ScreamingWarrior screaming in a berserker fury as she goes right at them]]. She gets smacked by a giant wight, gets up, charges at him again and when it picks her up and crushes her to death, [[DoNotGoGentle she stabs the wight in the eye with dragonglass]]. The little girl dies bringing down a giant, because since she would not go down without a fight, [[TakingYouWithMe she might as well take one more bastard with her]]. If every man from Bear Island is worth ten mainlanders in combat, the Little Bear might as well be worth a ''thousand''. |
| 260 | ** With the death of her and Jorah, this is the end of House Mormont. [[DyingMomentofAwesome They fought at Winterfell, keeping their oaths and standing their ground, just as they have always pledged to in their words. Though they are now gone, they did so bravely and did not go quietly.]] |
| 261 | * Arya managing to stealthily creep around the wights that are roaming around the library she's hiding in, even using a book as a distraction. Arya also manages to stab one wight as she turns the corner and quietly lays them down as to not attract attention. |
| 262 | * Beric clutching the walls of a corridor so no wights can get past, finally sacrificing his life for Arya and Sandor. Melisandre notes that doing so is why R'hllor brought him back so many times. |
| 263 | * Jon and Dany and their dragons fighting against the Night King and the [[{{Dracolich}} Viserion wight]]. |
| 264 | ** The looks of sheer awe on so many characters' faces (Jaime, Sam, the Stark sisters) when the dragons first enter the battlefield; aside from Dany's followers and a handful of others, this is first time most of them have seen a dragon in action, and it's rightfully jaw-dropping. |
| 265 | ** On a side note, it's awesome that it is Rhaegal who goes toe-to-toe with Viserion instead of Drogon. Along with him finally getting some of the screen time his larger brother has hogged since Season 1, Rhaegal and Viserion [[ThoseTwoGuys have been at each other's side since birth]], even when their brother wandered off to parts unknown. Thus, it's the green dragon who goes in to put their desecrated kin to rest. And he put up a pretty good fight. While ultimately failing to kill him, he certainly holds his own and even comes out of the duel more-or-less the winner. |
| 266 | ** Drogon may not be the main combatant in the fight but he's a key player, not only saving both Jon and Rhaegal from a potential spearing by the Night King but hitting Viserion hard enough to unseat the Night King and knock him to the ground. We also see just how strong Drogon is. Rhaegal vs Viserion was an even fight, with intelligence and ferocity countered by unfeeling and singular purpose. Drogon is in the fight briefly and completely overwhelms his undead brother, dwarfing him as he tears at Viserion's neck. If Daenerys hadn't broken off to go after the Night King, Drogon likely would have beheaded the undead dragon. |
| 267 | ** Disturbing but still awesome is Viserion getting half his face torn off and huge chunks of his neck ripped off yet still attacking, with damage to his fire gland resulting in him constantly spewing flames from every open would with every roar and bite. |
| 268 | ** Dany's OhCrap face perfectly exemplifies not only the fear the Night King instills into the living, but also how powerful he really was if dragon fire can't even leave a scratch on him when it has easily decimated most of his undead. |
| 269 | * When Dany turns Drogon upon him, the Night King simply stands there. After a jet of fire that lasts for half a minute, he walks out as though it were ''nothing''. Then he '''[[SlasherSmile smiles]]'''. |
| 270 | * Jon charging the Night King with Longclaw before he is stopped by freshly resurrected wights. The Night King actually [[WorthyOpponent respected Jon's combat abilities]] enough that he didn't want to risk fighting him in hand-to-hand. |
| 271 | ** When he's about to be overwhelmed, Dany and Drogon save Jon, clear a path for him back to Winterfell, while she yells at Jon to go [after the Night King]. Jon eventually gets blocked by Viserion, but what follows is Jon Snow, Warden of the North, heir to the Iron Throne, delivering an [[UnflinchingWalk unflinching]] RoaringRampageOfRevenge, [[TranquilFury methodically]] carving his way through the Army of the Dead on his mission to pursue the Night King, end the battle, and [[BigBrotherInstinct save Bran]], who is luring the Night King into the godswood. |
| 272 | * Jaime and Brienne going BackToBackBadasses throughout the episode and saving each other's asses from being devoured by wights on numerous occasions. |
| 273 | ** Considering the origin of the swords their using, it's even more awesome from a symbolic standpoint. Ice was melted down and split in two, but it still found its way back to Winterfell in time to see it through its most dire hour. |
| 274 | * When Drogon and Dany don't take off in time and Dany is knocked off Drogon's back when he takes off, Jorah comes out of nowhere to save her from the oncoming wights, ultimately sacrificing his life to protect his beloved queen. |
| 275 | * Dany, despite having ''no'' hand-to-hand combat experience whatsoever, picking up a dragonglass sword off the ground to join Jorah in a LastStand and proves to be a surprisingly good fighter, actually going BackToBackBadasses with Jorah against the remaining wights. |
| 276 | * Jon finds Sam being devoured by wights. [[SadisticChoice He is forced to abandon his friend to stop the Night King]], but we later see that Sam managed to survive. |
| 277 | * Sansa, also a non-combatant, clutches the dragonglass dagger Arya gave her to show that she would use it to protect herself and Tyrion. In a deleted scene, she and Tyrion calmly take out two wights to save Missandei, Gilly, and Young Sam, even though Sansa has never used a weapon in her life and that it has been years since Tyrion last fought. |
| 278 | * Theon faces his death with grace, outlasting his Ironborn comrades and holding off dozens of wights by himself using both arrows and his spear, then not hesitating to make a suicidal charge at the Night King to protect Bran. The man who was traumatized into numb fear by Ramsay Bolton and who deserted his own sister in fear took on the living incarnate of death in Westeros. He may have failed, but showed enough courage to make the Night King [[VillainRespect show some respect]] [[WorthyOpponent to his dying body]]. |
| 279 | ** Alfie Allen's acting in the scene is superb, managing to portray not only Theon's remorse for his crimes, but also his terror at facing the end at the hands of the Night King... as well as refusal to give in to that fear. In death, Theon truly becomes the man he once considered himself as; a brave, heroic, and good man. |
| 280 | * The odds were against them. They were outnumbered. They relied on a desperate strategy. They knew the odds and knew hope was bleak. In all accounts they had no way or right to win. But the Living won. Let that sink in. THE LIVING WON! |
| 281 | * The Unsullied showing incredible discipline in remaining at the front -- while almost every other soldier frantically retreats in near terror -- effectively holding off the Army of the Dead long enough for many soldiers to retreat inside Winterfell's gates. While this would be commendable against human opponents, to do so against legions of nightmarish monsters, in a pitch black blizzard, against opponents who have no fear and do not tire is nothing short of ''astounding''. |
| 282 | ** Speaking of Unsullied, Grey Worm, whom many had pegged as dead after his conversation with Missandei last episode, not only '''survives''' the battle, but is shown throughout the episode as being one of the most competent combatants on the battlefield, directing his Unsullied to remain disciplined and fighting alone when many of the other main characters chose to fight as BackToBackBadasses. |
| 283 | ** The layered defense of Winterfell relied on the troops in the field being able to retreat in good order behind the trench and into the castle. Because of the Unsullied, they did (albeit barely). The Army of the Dead has no morale, not even a ''concept'' of morale. In the Unsullied, they met the only army as hard to break as they are. |
| 284 | * The Night King deserves a mention here. While he doesn't show up until halfway through the episode, he is shown to be a scarily competent field commander. To wit: |
| 285 | ** His vanguard, which doesn't need torches or sunlight to see, attacks under cover of total darkness. The living army can't even ''see'' it until it's almost right on top of them. |
| 286 | ** He pulls the same trick he used at Hardhome by summoning an intense blizzard that further reduces visibility to almost zero for everything within several square miles. It was so bad that Dany can't even see Davos's signal to light the trench barricade on fire, she and Jon struggle to find one another in the storm, accidentally experiencing a mid-air collision on their dragons, and only manage to come together again when they manage to fly above the clouds. |
| 287 | ** He hovers above the battlefield on Viserion in the middle of the blizzard, making him almost impossible to attack. When dismounted, he raises the dead rather than face one of his most dangerous opponents (who is carrying a weapon that could kill him). He also only enters the fray on foot once almost all of Winterfell's defenders are annihilated. |
| 288 | ** When the living army lights the barricade on fire, he sends wights in one at a time, using their bodies to form a bridge and create a gap in the flames. The wights make the walls of Winterfell much faster than anyone planned for as a result. Bear in mind, before this was accomplished, the entire bulk of the dead army was just standing in ranks, staring down the defenders on the walls. An unthinking army, it isn't. |
| 289 | ** He makes use of the blizzard and darkness as perfect cover, and almost completely gets the drop on Dany and Drogon with the undead Viserion. The Dragon Queen barely avoided a SurprisinglySuddenDeath. |
| 290 | ** As mentioned earlier on this list, he ''tanks'' Drogon's fire breath for a full minute and a half. Let that sink in: many believed that dragonfire was one of three things that could kill a White Walker. The Night King showed everyone that there are actually only ''two'' things that can kill a White Walker. |
| 291 | * The Night King is about to kill Bran. Jon is about to be incinerated by Viserion. The day seems lost, when suddenly Arya leaps out of the sky to stab the Night King, having dodged his ''entire'' White Walker bodyguard. The Night King effortlessly catches her in a NeckLift, stopping her Valyrian steel dagger short. In a CallBack to her training duel with Brienne, Arya drops the dagger to her other hand and stabs him with it, shattering him, destroying every White Walker, putting the dead to rest, and saving the world. '''A girl's name is Arya Stark, and she has defeated the BigBad and TrueFinalBoss of the entire series three episodes early.''' |
| 292 | -->'''Melisandre''': [[CallBack What do we say to the god of death?]]\ |
| 293 | '''Arya''': Not today. |
| 294 | ** Let it sink in: Arya Stark is now the '''living incarnation of Death in Westeros'''. Her personal body count was already pretty much the highest among all characters in the show, and with ''one'' stab added the freaking '''Night King''' and ''every'' White Walker and wight to that list. |
| 295 | ** Earlier in the episode Melisandre gave a CallBack to the conversation she had with Arya years ago mentioning that she would shut many eyes; green eyes, brown eyes, and '''blue eyes'''. Suffice it to say she shut many blue eyes after this episode. |
| 296 | ** This also functions as a CallBack to Arya and Jon's reunion, where Jon was surprised by Arya being able to sneak up on him. Note that the Night King heard Jon coming from far away, but didn't hear Arya until she yelled out loud while jumping. |
| 297 | *** Going even deeper. Arya passed the Night King's guards so fast, we see one White Walker's hair be moved by a gust of wind. |
| 298 | *** And she was silent throughout - she screams only when jumping at the Night King because she wanted him to turn and face her rather than her little brother. And she succeeds, looking at the Night King - the very face of death - in the eye before ending him forever. |
| 299 | ** And she did it with the dagger that nearly killed Bran, [[BookEnds the dagger that started this whole mess to begin with]]. |
| 300 | ** Things get more amazing when you consider the whole scene in its entirety. Arya managed to sneak past a group of White Walkers, tackle and kill the Night King, and get the jump on him by forcing him to use both hands to hold her back. Arya accomplished what neither the Children of the Forest nor the First Men could: she permanently ended the threat of the Long Night. |
| 301 | * She doesn't appear in this episode (and didn't last week), but Cersei gets one here just by sitting it out, even if she had no way of knowing if the Night King would win. The living won... but their forces were almost decimated and with winter arrived, people need to be fed and the injured must be seen to. Nobody is in a position to take on Cersei and the Golden Company in a battle head-on, and she knows it. |
| 302 | * As the battle goes on, you start to notice that the density of wights has begun to decrease. When Jon finally confronts the Night King on the ground, the battlefield is still. A far cry from some hours earlier when the dead washed over the defenders like an evil tsunami. Even inside Winterfell, the battle had mostly just become a skirmish among the living and small bands of wights. The Army of the Dead was destroyed, Jon Snow's initial strategy of just gathering people together and arming them with dragon glass and fire '''worked'''. The Night King [[KeystoneArmy didn't raise a new army]] just to intimidate Jon, he realized that his own forces were ''gone'' and he needed to replenish them. This means that the [[BadassArmy alliance]] was so damn effective that only the [[HumanoidAbomination White Walkers]] themselves entering the fray is how the dead could secure a victory. |
| 303 | [[/folder]] |
| 304 | |
| 305 | [[folder:4 - The Last of the Starks]] |
| 306 | * Seeing Gendry being legitimized by Daenerys as Gendry Baratheon and being named the new Lord of Storm's End. As soon as Davos raises a toast to the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands (nearly) everyone gets to their feet and answers it to mark the rebirth of a House as old as House Targaryen. |
| 307 | * Bronn remains as unflappable as ever, waltzing into Winterfell with that gaudy Lannister crossbow and dictating terms to Jaime and Tyrion, getting Tyrion to promise him one of the highest-value castles in all of Westeros. The man knows how to get what he wants. |
| 308 | ** At one point Jaime seems like he's about to try something, causing Bronn to snap at him that Jaime couldn't have taken him on his best day and that day is far behind him. Jaime takes the point and backs down. |
| 309 | * Sansa's conversation with the Hound, in which he affectionately calls her "Little Bird" and expresses that she should have come with him when he wanted to protect her. She replies that if she had, she'd still be a "little bird", instead of growing into something more; i.e. she would still have been sheltered, naive and defenceless instead of learning cunning and self-preservation (albeit the hard way). She killed Ramsey, sentenced Littlefinger to death, and can look Sandor in the eye without a trace of fear. |
| 310 | * Jon tells Sansa and Arya about his true parentage, but makes them swear an oath of secrecy first. He also makes sure that it's okay with Bran, and Bran does the same. Dany's worried that if anyone knows, then they'll support Jon over her, but while Jon doesn't want anyone else to know, he feels they have to tell Sansa and Arya because they are his siblings, no matter the blood relation. |
| 311 | * Jon defends Dany to his sisters, pointing out that it's because of her they are still alive. |
| 312 | * Arya defends Sansa's insistence they can't trust Dany. |
| 313 | * Arya and the Hound setting off to kill Cersei and The Mountain respectively. They establish that it's a business partnership, and Arya will leave him for dead again if anything happens. Arya is finally going to avenge Ned, Mycah, and (for Sansa's sake) Lady. |
| 314 | * Daenerys is ''finally'' at King's Landing and no matter what Cersei does, the Lannister queen will have hell to pay in the end... |
| 315 | * Missandei [[FaceDeathWithDignity stands bravely on the parapet]], even when she realizes she is about to be executed. Knowing that she is going to die in front of her queen and her lover, what are Missandei's final words? ''Dracarys''. |
| 316 | * Tyrion fearlessly walking up to the very gates of King's Landing by himself in order to address Cersei directly. He's under the crosshairs of hundreds of archers and a half dozen ballistae ready to shoot him down, all at the command of a woman who's wanted him dead his entire life, and he doesn't bat an eye at taking a chance to convince his sister not to make the biggest mistake of her life. |
| 317 | * As dark as it is, Varys's ImpliedDeathThreat against Daenerys is an impressive moment, a re-affirmation of his personal convictions to serve the Realm ''above all else,'' and to ensure that the best possible person is ruling it. In the Great Game, where everyone is out for themselves, Varys is the only one looking out for those millions of nobodies who have no voice, and if the Dragon Queen won't do the same, he'll find someone who will. |
| 318 | -->'''Tyrion''': What is "The Realm?" A vast continent, home to millions of people, most of whom don't even ''care'' who sits on the Iron Throne!\ |
| 319 | '''Varys''': Millions of people, many of whom will ''die'' if the wrong person sits on that Throne! We don't know their names, but they're as real as you or I. They deserve to live. They deserve food for their children. I will act in their interest, no matter the personal cost. |
| 320 | * Euron Greyjoy showing why his reputation is no fluke, ambushing Daenerys's fleet at Dragonstone and also managing to one-up the Night King by shooting Rhaegal out of the sky with one of Qyburn's new ballistas. He then stares down Daenerys and Drogon and gets the Mother of Dragons to ''back off''. You don't need [[Recap/GameOfThronesS7E6BeyondTheWall a supernatural monster with a magical ice weapon]] to kill a dragon, just get a glorified crossbow and the guy crazy enough to aim it and pull the trigger... |
| 321 | ** Followed by him shooting up Daenerys's fleet effortlessly. |
| 322 | ** This is also one for Qyburn, for making his ballista larger and more powerful and having them produced in large numbers. Thanks to him, Cersei poses a bigger threat to Daenerys than the ''Night King''. |
| 323 | [[/folder]] |
| 324 | |
| 325 | [[folder:5 - The Bells]] |
| 326 | * Jon repeatedly stating he doesn't want to challenge Dany or take the Iron Throne. He's sworn to his vow of loyalty. |
| 327 | * Arya and the Hound brazenly sneaking into King's Landing. The Hound has a PaperThinDisguise and Arya is not even bothering with that. She has all the faces to wear if necessary. |
| 328 | * Dany finding out about Varys's treason, and making it clear she won't go down like Robert or Joffrey or the others. |
| 329 | ** Varys, for his part, faces his death calmly and with dignity, not letting himself show fear or panic. |
| 330 | * Dany and Drogon ''completely annihilate'' Euron's fleet and the Golden Company effortlessly. It shows that even though there's only Drogon left, one dragon is still an unstoppable force of destruction, and with nobody getting the jump on them this time, Drogon manages to really let loose how powerful and ''terrifying'' he really is. |
| 331 | ** And the attack is (for now) a perfectly controlled use of force. Dany and Drogon strafe the Iron Fleet into oblivion -- it was just one big military asset -- but then they almost surgically remove the Scorpion defenses on the walls of King's Landing before blowing open the gate to let the infantry in. The precision and effectiveness of Dany's attack really proved there was no chance for a Lannister victory here. |
| 332 | * Euron Greyjoy, in the words of his actor, being "the only one with a real ''happy'' ending." As he lays bleeding to death, he's not remotely scared or angry. He just gives a genuine smile to [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall the camera]], satisfied after killing a dragon, becoming a king, bedding a queen, burning his way through Essos, taking out half of Daenerys's army and practically all her ships, and finally, mortally wounding the Kingslayer. He ends being the only villain to die fulfilled with a genuine smile on his face. |
| 333 | * Even though it all goes horribly wrong a few moments later, the shot of Jon, Grey Worm, and Davos striding through the streets of King's Landing, at the head of a host of soldiers, is immensely satisfying and Badass. The Lannister troops they run into almost immediately [[KnowWhenToFoldEm throw down their swords]]. |
| 334 | * Grey Worm's rampage through King's Landing, effortlessly cutting through several Golden Company and Lannister soldiers. |
| 335 | ** And as brutal as it was, seeing the Northmen destroy the Lannister soldiers as payback for all the suffering the North has had to endure throughout the series at the hands of the Lannisters (Ned’s execution, the Red Wedding, and the Boltons) was pretty awesome. |
| 336 | *** ''The North Remembers'' |
| 337 | * As tragic and terrifying as it may be for [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Dany]] to finally be JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope after all her attempts not to be like her father, her and Drogon utterly [[ApocalypseWow laying waste to King's Landing is a spectacle to behold]], finally showing Cersei that, had Dany not tried so hard to do the opposite in the past, Cersei would have been annihilated within mere minutes. Seeing everything Cersei had worked to maintain under her control, everything she holds dear, all ripped away callously from her by a younger and more beautiful woman is pretty awe-inspiring -- the prophecy has finally come to pass, although admittedly in a far more nightmarish way than one might imagine. |
| 338 | * Sandor and Gregor Clegane finally have their death battle with each other, and it is ''glorious''. Cersei's party barely survives the collapse of the section of the Red Keep when Sandor confronts them alone, [[OneManArmy dispatching the surviving Queensguard with brutal efficiency]]. Gregor finally [[EvilIsNotAToy slips his leash]] when Qyburn tries to keep him from engaging his brother, which sends Cersei running. What follows is a brutal slugfest between probably the two toughest characters on the show, with Gregor [[NoSell weathering several blows that would instantly kill anybody else]], up to and including ''[[EyeScream having a dagger driven into his eye to the hilt]]'', and Sandor just barely avoiding [[YourHeadAsplode Oberyn's fate]]. Finally, Sandor realizes that a weapon won't help him, and decides to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled go out on his own terms]]: [[TakingYouWithMe he tackles Gregor through a wall and out into open space, falling what looks like a hundred stories from the upper levels of the Red Keep into a sea of flames below.]] |
| 339 | ** Sandor's sheer [[MadeOfIron toughness]] and [[TheDeterminator absolute refusal to die before his brother]] is almost supernatural here. We've seen in gruesome detail that Gregor can cave in a man's skull with a single, casual punch. He can rip a man's head off, spine attached, with his bare hands. Sandor not only ''tanks'' at least a ''dozen'' of these punches, ''and'' being tossed around like a ragdoll, he keeps fighting right to the end, even having the strength to tackle Gregor ''through a wall'' (a weakened wall, yes, but still). Screw iron, looks like The Hound was Made Of Valyrian Steel... |
| 340 | ** After knocking the Mountain's helmet off and revealing his disgusting, rotting face, Sandor delivers a short but brutally true [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Reason You Suck Speech]] to his monster of a brother. |
| 341 | --->''Yeah, that's you. That's what you've '''''always''''' been.'' |
| 342 | ** Two words: ''[[AtomicFBomb FUCKING DIE!]]'' |
| 343 | * Arya, terrified though she may be, surviving the complete decimation of King's Landing even though she was at ground zero. She even manages to walk off a nasty head injury that left her unconscious for some time like it was a TapOnTheHead. |
| 344 | [[/folder]] |
| 345 | |
| 346 | [[folder:6 - The Iron Throne]] |
| 347 | * When Dany accuses Tyrion of betraying her by freeing Jaime, he condemns her for burning King's Landing and tosses his Queen's Hand badge away, knowing full well that Dany will execute him for this display. |
| 348 | -->'''Daenerys''': You freed your brother.\ |
| 349 | '''Tyrion''': Yes. [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight I freed my brother]], and ''[[YouMonster you]]'' [[ThisIsUnforgivable slaughtered a city]]. |
| 350 | * Mixed with NightmareFuel, but Daenerys's NewEraSpeech to her forces about how they will conquer the world is a darkly awesome moment. |
| 351 | ** Daenerys's entrance from the ruins of the Red Keep has Drogon's wings framing her from behind, showing her as the Dragon Queen she truly is in an awe-inspiring moment of cinematography. |
| 352 | * Another darkly awesome and tragic moment is when Jon finally kills Daenerys. You can see this is tearing him apart; he is all-but begging Dany to give him a reason ''not'' to do it, to make him think that she can come back from the brink of madness and be the good queen the Realm needs. But in the end, he must make the sacrifice, putting aside his personal honor and his love for her, and he does what is necessary. Varys was right about him after all: he may no longer be a member of the Night's Watch, but Jon Snow is still the Shield That Guards The Realms Of Men. |
| 353 | * When Jon goes to meet Dany, there is an awesome and chilling image of him approaching the ruins of the Red Keep, only for what looks like a mound of rubble and ash to suddenly break apart to reveal Drogon. It's a chilling and awe-inspiring warning as to the consequences of his coming actions, and is a scene right out of a ''Videogame/DarkSouls'' boss fight intro. |
| 354 | * Drogon destroying the Iron Throne in retaliation for Dany's death, finally bringing an end to the bloodshed, pain, and destruction the quests for it had caused. |
| 355 | ** Unfortunately WordOfGod has Jossed this interpretation |
| 356 | * After [[KillTheOnesYouLove killing Dany]], Jon is [[FaceDeathWithDignity prepared to die for what he did]] and meets Drogon's eyes. He knows perfectly well there's no way to escape Drogon's wrath and decides to stand his ground rather than try and run. |
| 357 | * Tyrion convincing the great lords of Westeros to decide their kings through council instead of hereditary rule and then convincing them to choose Bran Stark the Broken as King of the Seven Kingdoms. |
| 358 | ** During the nomination process, Edmure weakly steps up in an attempt to nominate himself for king despite him being a Lannister hostage for most of the war, and Sansa immediately shuts him down just like her Uncle Blackfish. |
| 359 | ** Seeing Gendry as the new head of House Baratheon respectively. Knowing him, the future of his house is in good hands and he will bring positive influences within Westeros. |
| 360 | * Brienne of Tarth breaks the glass ceiling and becomes the first Lady Commander of the Kingsguard. |
| 361 | ** Podrick Payne not only has been knighted but also promoted to the Kingsguard. |
| 362 | * Brienne completing Jaime's story in the Book of Brothers, ensuring future generations will know that the man whose title of "Kingslayer" pursued him his entire life will also be remembered for the honorable deeds he did. |
| 363 | ** Brienne is still seen carrying Oathkeeper as her personal sword. Though her and Jaime [[StarCrossedLovers were never able to be together in the end]], she has his Valyrian steel sword to remember him by as she serves in the same organisation he once did. |
| 364 | * Bran to grants Sansa's request for the North's independence when Sansa points out all the North has suffered during the wars. We last see her being [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning crowned the Queen in the North]]. |
| 365 | ** The last line of the series? "The Queen in the North!" |
| 366 | * Two of Ned Stark's children rule all of Westeros between themselves, while Arya decides to explore uncharted territories and Jon leads the very people he once died to save to the lands they wish to return to -- their homes beyond the Wall, now safe with the elimination of the undead threat, he is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch again and all but a de facto King Beyond the Wall. Ned Stark may have lost his head, but his children made sure he won the Game of Thrones from beyond the grave. |
| 367 | * If the White Walkers aren't truly defeated and the War for the Dawn isn't over just yet, the very first line of defense the world has is our hero, Jon Snow and his loyal followers the Free Folk. And if his previous track record is anything to go by, the North is in good hands. |
| 368 | * House Tully, who suffered terrible loss and is down to only a handful of members, has had its legacy ensured. Catelyn Tully Stark's children rule Westeros, one daughter is out exploring the world, a Stark remains in Winterfell, her brother and nephew are ruling Riverrun and the Vale (impressive realms in their own right), and are all safe, which is all the poor woman wanted. |
| 369 | [[/folder]] |
| 370 |
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