Priya Alika Elias

Aug 272017
 

One of the best and worst things about the Game of Thrones creators is that they’re not afraid to shock us. Anybody -including the heroes we’ve been rooting for from the beginning- is capable of dying, which means that the season finales are always an event to remember. Here are some of the most memorable season finales that have kept us talking until the next season begins.

4) The Children (Season 4, Episode 10):

For an entire season, we’ve witnessed Tyrion at his absolute lowest. Betrayed by Shae, falsely accused of murdering Joffrey, he seems broken in spirit. But in this shocking final episode, he breaks out of prison with a crossbow and a few choice words for the father who has always scorned him.

It’s a glorious moment when Tyrion kills him in the privy, but also a tremendously sad one: it marks the moment when Tyrion severs the last of his bonds to the Lannisters. It’s also a moment of betrayal: he kills Shae after finding her in his father’s bed. What happens next? We have absolutely no idea where Game of Thrones is headed after this. (Coincidentally, as he breaks out, Daenarys is imprisoning her dragons in the catacombs of Meereen. This is another plot development that shortens the odds on our Mother of Dragons.)

3) Mhysa (Season 3, Episode 10):

The Red Wedding is a hard act to follow, but this Season 3 finale does not disappoint. We learn that it was Tywin who masterminded the massacre of the Starks, and that it is Ramsay who has captured Theon. This is an episode that does a fantastic job of moving the chess pieces around the board so that they’ll be ready for the events of Season 4. Jon escapes from Ygritte and heads to Castle Black, a grieving Arya kills some men who mock her brother’s death (foreshadowing!) and Jaime is back in the capital with Cersei. The standout moment of the episode is surely the unforgettable scene where the now-freed Yunkai hoist Daenarys above the crowd, chanting “Mhysa” (mother).

2) Fire and Blood (Season 1, Episode 10) :

‘Fire and Blood’ is the motto of House Targaryen, telling us that this finale will be focused on Daenarys. And even though the North is busy seceding from King’s Landing, the meat of the episode is undoubtedly in Lhazar, where Khaleesi is tackling some big problems. Khal Drogo is in a vegetative state, and her unborn son is dead. It’s a moment that would bring any queen to despair, but then of course Dany is a dragon queen. She takes her fate into her own hands: first she smothers her husband out of pity and then walks into his funeral pyre. We watch with bated breath – will she meet the same fate as her unfortunate brother Viserys? – but quickly realise that fire cannot harm a dragon. Daenarys emerges from the ashes, completely unharmed, with three freshly-hatched dragons. Westeros will have hell to pay.

1) The Winds of Winter (Season 6, Episode 10):

Showrunners Benioff and Weiss decided to introduce a new piano score especially for this episode, and it is a decision that pays off spectacularly. The first moments of the episode cut between the preparations for the trial and the preparations for Cersei’s wildfire explosion. As the characters settle their collars and adjust their suits of armour, we feel that nervous dread that tells us something is going to happen. But when it happens, it surpasses our wildest expectations: the Sept of Baelor explodes in an enormous cloud of green smoke, incidentally taking out all of Cersei’s enemies and establishing her as the undisputed ruler of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, Daenarys takes to the sea to challenge her, and we get a stunning visual of her dragons flying- finally!- to Westeros.

Aug 252017
 

If there’s one thing ‘Game of Thrones’ is notorious for, it’s the  ability to deliver a hell of an action scene. The battles on GoT are the stuff of legends: involving dragons, giants, mechanized crossbows, armadas of ships, and the Undead. Over seven seasons, the HBO show has given us many memorable battles. Here are some of our favourites:

 

5) Dragons vs. White Walkers in Beyond The Wall (Season 7, Episode 6):

Here Are The Top 5 Battles in Game of ThronesSource: HBO

This wasn’t one of the most epic battles the series has ever given us, but this was entirely worth it for that one moment in which The Night King hurls his magic spear at Viserion. The question throughout this series has been: what can kill a dragon? None of us were very convinced that Cersei’s crossbows-large as they may be – could finish the job. So to see Viserion fall was extraordinary, because this was a battle that pitted one type of magical creature against another. The lingering question on all our minds is surely: What happens now that Viserion is reanimated? Where do his loyalties lie, to his Dragon mother or to the Night King?

4) The Night’s Watch vs. The White Walkers in Hardhome (Season 5, Episode 8):

Here Are The Top 5 Battles in Game of ThronesSource: HBO

Set against the blue chill of the North, this was one of the more visually beautiful battles. It occurs in the remote fishing village of Hardhome, where Jon Snow has gone to recruit wildlings to his cause. There’s no question of who will win against the White Walkers, who clearly outnumber the human beings.

The moment in which The Night King reanimates the dead is one of the most shocking moments of the entire series. This is Jon Snow’s biggest test so far, and the fact that he survives makes it clear: he deserves to be King of the North.

3) Jon Snow vs. Ramsay Bolton in The Battle of The Bastards (Season 6, Episode 9):

Good vs. evil: we know who we want to win. At this point, we’ve seen Ramsay do despicable things throughout the series. This battle is a perfect example of Ramsay’s superior military strategy, though: as Sansa warns, he cannot be trapped. He kills Rickon Stark in order to infuriate Jon, then surrounds the latter’s army in a circular formation reminiscent of early Roman battles. The clash is so deadly that Jon’s army has to climb over corpses in order to keep fighting. Luckily, the cavalry – summoned by Sansa- arrives at the very last moment to smash the Bolton army, in true Bollywood style.

2) Oberyn Martell vs. Gregor Clegane in The Mountain and The Viper (Season 4, Episode 8)

Although this is a trial by combat and not a conventional battle, it still deserves to rank highly on the list. The small, agile Viper dances circles around his formidable opponent: we almost want to take bets on whether speed or strength will win the day. After a few nailbiting minutes, we see that Oberyn has felled the Mountain. But when he stops to taunt his opponent, we cover our eyes. Anybody who watches Game of Thrones knows George R.R. Martin’s penchant of killing the fan favourite. And that’s exactly what happens. In the most gruesome scene we could imagine, the Mountain digs his fingers into Oberyn’s skull with so much force that it explodes. We don’t recommend eating popcorn while watching this scene.

1) Battle of the Blackwater in Blackwater (Season 2, Episode 9):

This is the first real battle on Game of Thrones, and it does not disappoint. Stannis Baratheon sails to attack King’s Landing, and the consequences are catastrophic for all.

In a highly effective, carefully choreographed scene, a ship full of green wildfire explodes, instantly turning the tables on Stannis’ men. The action then moves to land as Tyrion and The Hound take on the invaders. It is an extremely heroic moment for Tyrion in particular, who does not look like any conventional hero we have ever seen. He shows far more courage and moral fibre than Joffrey – who gives us a good laugh as he turns to flee to the safety of the castle and his mother’s arms.