The most shocking Game Of Thrones moments… so far
A look back at the most eye-opening scenes in the first seven seasons of the epic fantasy drama.
Game Of Thrones has become known for shocking moments in each series, with scenes of incest, murder and rape.
As season eight arrives on our screens, fans are already speculating what horrors could be in store for the Starks and the Lannisters.
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Looking back on the previous seven seasons, here are the most shocking moments so far in Westeros.
Bran Stark pushed out of the window (season one)
One of the first moments to shock viewers came in the first episode, with Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) pushing young Bran Stark out of a window.
The 10-year-old had caught Jaime and Cersei Lannister – the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but also Jaime’s sister – in an incestuous embrace in an abandoned tower during their visit to Winterfell.
Bran, played by Isaac Hempstead Wright, survived the fall but went into a coma.
The Red Wedding (season three)
Episode nine of the third season is commonly called the Red Wedding by fans for a very telling reason.
The penultimate episode of the season sees King Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) brutally murdered during a wedding banquet.
Lord Walder Frey betrays his allies by slaughtering the unarmed Starks, including pregnant Queen Talisa, after being persuaded to do so by Tywin Lannister.
The show had already gained a reputation for its shocking violence, but viewers were stunned by the bloodbath.
The Purple Wedding (season four)
Another wedding scene ended in misfortune for Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson).
After his wedding to Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), Joffrey is poisoned by wine from a goblet given to him by his uncle, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).
Using the last of his strength Joffrey points at Tyrion, seemingly believing him to be the culprit, before bleeding, choking and wriggling to death, purple in the face, giving the episode its nickname.
Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton’s wedding (season five)
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken – episode six in the fifth season – prompted outrage from viewers, with some threatening to stop watching because they found it so offensive.
In a brutal scene after their wedding, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) is raped by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), who forces Theon Greyjoy/Reek (Alfie Allen) – who grew up with Sansa – to watch.
Turner defended the scene, which saw Ramsay ripping off the heir to Winterfell’s wedding dress, telling Times Magazine: “The more we talk about sexual assault the better, and screw the people who are saying we shouldn’t be putting this on TV and screw the people who are saying they’re going to boycott the show because of it.”
The Mountain crushes Prince Oberyn (season four)
In one of the show’s most gruesome scenes, Ser Gregor Clegane – commonly known as The Mountain – gouges out Prince Oberyn’s eyes.
The eighth episode of the fourth season sees the Dornish prince (Pedro Pascal) approach Tyrion and volunteer to be his champion in a trial by combat, hoping to avenge his sister who was rumoured to have been raped and killed by The Mountain.
Although Oberyn knocks his opponent off his feet, The Mountain manages to grab him – finally admitting he did rape and kill Elia while gouging his eyes out with his thumbs.
The Mountain then crushes Oberyn’s skull between his fists, ending the episode in true Game Of Thrones style.
Jon Snow stabbed to death (season five)
Season five ended with Jon Snow (Kit Harington) being stabbed to death by his own men.
The Lord Commander is labelled a traitor by several members of the Night’s Watch, led by Alliser Thorne, Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck, for letting wildings past the Wall.
As they stab Jon in the abdomen, they utter “for the Watch”, and leave him to bleed and die on the snow.
Cersei blows up the sept (season six)
Viewers were gripped by the season finale of the sixth series, which saw Cersei (Lena Headey) engulf the Sept of Baelor in green wildfire in an act of revenge against her enemies.
The explosion killed everyone inside, including her son King Tommen Baratheon’s wife, Queen Margaery Tyrell. After watching the scene unfold from the Red Keep, where he had been forced to stay by The Mountain, the young king silently jumped out of the window and plummeted to his death.
Cersei doesn’t kill all of her enemies in the fire, keeping Septa Unella captive in the dungeon and torturing her as retribution.
The final series of Game Of Thrones begins on Sky Atlantic and Now TV at 2am on Monday and is repeated at 9pm.
