Top 10 Satisfying Moments in Game of Thrones

From the beginning, Cersei Lannister has showed us that she’s a master when it comes to playing the Game of Thrones. She’s manipulative and will go to any lengths when it comes to protecting her children and destroying her enemies. For the majority of the series, she eluded punishment - that is until she’s finally bested by the very man she elevated to a position of power: the eloquent, but fanatical, High Sparrow. Watching her being dragged away like so many of her victims is practically cathartic. Sure, she eventually gets her revenge by killing them all with wildfire and torturing Septa Unella, but we’ll never forget the joy of watching her get her just desserts.

Jon Snow has been through quite a lot since leaving Winterfell, but fate finally gave him a break when he met the Wildling Ygritte. Despite their opposing backgrounds, the two eventually fall for each other. The kiss they share atop the Wall is definitely a sweet moment, but it just doesn’t compare to when Jon breaks his vow and makes love to her in a cave. There’s definitely an abundance of sex in “Game of Thrones,” but few of those scenes has been as sweet and emotional as this moment in the cave. The intensity of the scene and genuine chemistry between Jon and Ygritte makes the whole affair not only steamy but also quite beautiful.

The breakout character from the sixth season was by far the young ruler of Bear Island. Yes, she may be a small child, but we soon learn that Lyanna Mormont has more guts then most of the Northern Lords combined, and does not take crap from anyone! She’s one of the first to pledge her loyalty to Jon, but her crowning moment comes after the reclaiming of Winterfell, where she calls out all those that failed to align themselves with the Starks, only to then inspire them by proclaiming Jon Snow to be the true King in the North. For such a little girl she sure makes one hell of an impact!

Viserys Targaryen is not a good brother by any stretch of the imagination. Hiding behind his name and selling his own sister in exchange for an army, he believes that he’s owed The Iron Throne as a birthright. Unfortunately, his plans come undone when Daenerys and her Dothraki husband Khal Drogo end up actually falling in love. In a drunken rage, Viserys threatens to cut out her unborn child during a celebration. This proves to be a fatal mistake, as Khal Drogo doesn’t take too kindly to his threat. He has his Bloodriders break Viserys’ arm before they hold him down and give him the crown he’s always wanted… in the form of burning hot molten gold. That’s gotta hurt.

Tywin Lannister is both a ruthless tyrant and a complete badass. We certainly respect him for his ability to command and his unrelenting devotion to the legacy of his House. However, fans will likely never forgive him for his treatment of his son, Tyrion. Humiliated and verbally abused his whole life, Tyrion’s breaking point comes when he realizes that his own father has not only sentenced him to death, but also turned the love of his life, Shea, against him, and slept with her. As expected, Tyrion is both enraged and heartbroken by this revelation, and this ultimately leads to the father-son confrontation in a privy that would be their last. A Lannister always pays his debts.

Joffrey Baratheon will go down in history as one of television’s most hated villains. Despite being so young, his sadistic nature, murderous habits, cowardice, and the abuse he inflicts on Tyrion and Sansa makes him an utterly detestable king. Season after season, fans cried out for this little bastard to bite the dust, and the creators answered in spectacular fashion. On the day of his wedding, during one of his normal tirades, the boy king succumbs to a poison known as the Strangler. While he was deserving of a much harsher death, watching the tyrant struggle to breath as his body is left as nothing more than a grotesque husk is wholly satisfying.

During Daenerys’ visit to the City of Astapor, she’s greeted by a Slave Master whose vocabulary mostly consists of slurs, slander and insults towards her. And to this point, as viewers, we’re all under the impression that Dany has no idea what he’s talking about, and that trading one of her dragons, even for an army like the Unsullied, is a huge mistake. Turns out that Daenerys Stormborn is no fool, and is able to understand the slaver the whole time due to her fluency in High Valyrian. She rewards his malicious words by letting Drogon rain fiery hell down upon him and all his cohorts. With the masters finally dead, Dany and her new army of Unsullied march on.

Walder Frey quickly established himself as one of “Game of Thrones’” most detestable characters after he hosted and helped organize the deaths of Robb and Catelyn Stark – not to mention Robb’s pregnant wife. Vengeance for the Starks comes unexpectedly, however, as a nameless servant reveals to Frey that she’s killed, carved, and baked his sons into a pie. This revelation is quickly followed by another, when the servant girl exposes herself as none other than Arya Stark, who then proceeds to avenge her mother and brother by slicing Frey’s throat open. Her killing of Trant and reclaiming of her name may be worthy of praise, but this death is particularly satisfying.

Jon Snow’s murder practically broke the Internet, as fans were forced to wait until season 6 to find out if their favorite bastard would eventually be brought back to life. Resurrection was always a possibility in the minds of eager fans, especially after we saw what the Red Priests could do thanks to the power of the Lord of Light. At the urgency of Sir Davos, Melisandre attempts to bring the fallen Lord Commander back from the dead. Alas, the Red Woman seems to have failed, and as the episode draws to a close, we’re treated to a lingering shot of Jon’s corpse… which ends when he draws his first breath of new life. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Jon’s eyes finally re-open.


Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

- How to Train Your Dragon
“The Dance of Dragons”

- The New Lord Commander
“The House of Black and White”

- Oh My…
“The Gift”

You have to give credit to Ramsay; he faces some stiff competition on his way to becoming the most sadistic antagonist in Westeros. Nevertheless, we have to bestow that honor upon the bastard. He tortures and castrates Theon, abuses Sansa, has his stepmother and newborn brother fed to the hounds - the list of atrocities he’s perpetrated goes on and on. Watching Jon beat his face bloody is definitely worth celebrating, as is the taking back of Winterfell, but Ramsay’s ultimate fate is the cherry on top of it all. As revenge for all the pain he put her through, Sansa unleashes Ramsay’s own starving hounds on him. We all share Sansa’s smile as we hear his screams of pain.