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Game of Thrones, Season 8, Episode 2 “A Knight of the Seven” Review

The stillness before battle is unbearable. Such a quiet dread.

-Chief Arnook, “The Siege of the North, Part 1”, Avatar: the Last Airbender

I must apologize for the fact that this is coming out just hours before the premiere of episode three. Sometimes, it can take a while to figure out what I want to say. And considering what happened in Episode two, I had a lot to think about.

The above quote comes from the Season One finale to my favorite cartoon as a kid, Avatar: The Last Airbender. All the heroes are preparing for a massive invasion by the oppressive Fire Nation, and one of them remarks on how quiet it gets before battle. It’s that gnawing sensation that sharpens people’s nerves as they prepare to fight, knowing in the back of their minds that they may not live to see another day. That’s what this episode comes down to, in the end.

Tormund, Eddison, and the remaining Free Folk and Night’s Watch get to Winterfell and let everyone know: the Army of the Dead is coming. They have less than a day before they arrive. And so, Winterfell prepares for battle, even though they know that not all hands are on deck.

After showing up at the end of the last episode, Jaime lets everyone know that Cersei hopes they and the White Walkers kill each other, save her the trouble. Daenerys is livid that Tyrion messed up again, but her bigger focus is on Jaime. Despite knowing full well that her father got what he deserved, it seems like she wants to punish Jaime for killing Aerys Targaryen. Not to mention his transgressions against House Stark. The only reason that Sansa doesn’t try and kill him is because Brienne vouches for him and how he saved her from the Bolton’s, twice.

While two of the most powerful women in Winterfell may not be able to forgive Jaime yet, Sansa seems willing to forgive another new arrival: Theon Greyjoy. He took a handful of Ironborn and came to the sight of the worst mistake of his life to fight for the living, and Sansa hugs him for it. They will need all the help they can get.

The Night King’s goal isn’t just to wipe out humanity: he wants to erase all memory of the world and the people in it. That’s why he was hellbent on killing Bran Stark before: as the Three-Eyed Raven, he holds all the world’s history in his head, and is the Night King’s biggest threat. Against his family’s wishes, Bran opts to wait for the Night King in the Godswood as bait. Theon and the Ironborn will guard him, and Jon and Daenerys will use Drogon and Rhaegal to destroy him.

And with that, the rest of the episode is essentially the surviving cast preparing for what’s to come, knowing full well they may not survive. It’s an emotional time, both for the people in the show and for the people watching this on TV. We know, just as the cast does, that not everyone at Winterfell is going to survive what happens next.

The thing about the prospect of imminent death is that it makes people reflect on their lives up to that moment. The entire cast starts talking with each other, swapping stories and bonding over the events that brought them to this moment. And I will be going over them in my list of favorite moments for the episode

The one that may end up having the biggest impact, though, is the meeting between Jon and Daenerys in the Crypts. Daenerys has heard so many good things about Rhaegar from the people who knew him, so the fact that he kidnapped another woman doesn’t make sense to her. Then, Jon tells her the truth: that Lyanna and Rhaegar loved each other, and that he is their son, and thus a Prince by birth.

I think it’s telling that Daenerys is less concerned with the fact that she slept with her nephew, and more about the fact that this makes Jon the King of the Seven Kingdoms by birth. I would freak out, too, if I learned that the dream that I had all my life may not even be mine to begin with. If it weren’t for the fact that Westeros is facing Armageddon, this might be more important an issue. But like I said last week, Jon doesn’t want the Iron Throne. If Daenerys really wants that thing so badly, I don’t think Jon would care.

The only reason I’m brought this scene up here rather than my list (which will be shorter this week) is because I think that only one of these two Targaryens will survive to the end of the show. There’s even an algorithm made by German students that says that Dany has a 1% chance of dying in the final season. I’ll believe it when I see it, and the next two episodes may decide who lives and who dies.

There are only a few hours left before the Battle of Winterfell begins. The Night King is upon Westeros once more, and whatever happens tonight will make TV history. Given the fact that so many people are going to die, I think it was smart for the show to take one final episode to breathe and let us say our goodbyes to everyone. Because tonight, the bodies start dropping

I Give “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” a 5 out of 5.

I meant to publish my review and list of favorite moments from the first episode the day after it aired, but I couldn’t think of what it is I wanted to say. I want to make this count. I was a latecomer to Game of Thrones; I didn’t join until the end of Season Six. After going back and watching it in its entirety, I understand a little of why it’s the greatest show in the world.

Every so often, mankind will come up with a story that not only entertains people, but redefines how we tell them. Something that pushes the boundaries of what our collective imagination can do into places that we may never knew it could go. A story so great, that people will be telling it for centuries after the original storyteller is dust. Greece had The Iliad and The Odyssey, England had the works of William Shakespeare; our parents generation had the original Star Wars. And now we have Game of Thrones.

What D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, and the countless people behind this show has redefined what can be done in a TV show. It’s done things that people would have called impossible. It’s not just one of the best shows of all time; it’s one of the best stories of all time. If mankind lives long enough to see the next few centuries, I hope that will still be talking about this show. That’s why I want to make this as perfect as possible, as a fan and as a writer.

Now, though, a week has passed, and the next episode airs tonight. the time for reflecting/fanboying is over. You can expect the review and best moments for episode 2 on Tuesday.

Click here for my review of Episode 1: “Winterfell”

P.S.- Happy Easter Sunday, everyone!

The 6 biggest deaths from Season 3 of Game of Thrones

If I could divide Game of Thrones into a play or a movie series, then I think Season Three would be the end of the first part. One of the bloodiest seasons in the show, this saw a lot deaths across the board, with major, secondary, and minor characters all biting it. By season’s end, a lot of players had been taken out of the game.

Let’s just ignore the obvious pick for the number one spot, though, and remember that this season had a lot of other deaths. Here are the six biggest deaths for Season Three of Game of Thrones

#6- Ser Jeor Mormont, “And Now His Watch is Ended”

Ser Jeor Mormont was an important secondary character in the early seasons of the show. At the start, he was Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, becoming Jon Snow’s mentor, and even giving him his family’s sword, Longclaw. He essentially molded Jon into the leader that he would become. But Game of Thrones has a habit of killing off good men in awful ways. When members of the Night’s Watch mutiny at Craster’s Keep, Jeor is murdered by the mutineers in the process.

This death had a big impact on our two main characters in the Night’s Watch, Samwell and Jon. Without Jon or Jeor to protect him, Sam is forced to fight his own battles and become more of a warrior. As for Jon, Jeor’s faith in him proves to be well-placed, as he becomes the leader the Night’s Watch needs in the fight against Mance Rayder’s army, and eventually, one of the leaders Westeros needs for the fight against the White Walkers

#5- White Walker, “Second Sons”

In Season Two, Jon discovered that Craster had been sacrificing any sons his daugther-wives bore to the White Walkers in exchange for safety. Even after he was killed, the White Walkers intended to collect on that deal, coming after Gilly and her newborn son. Samwell Tarly managed to step up to protect the woman he loved, and slew the White Walker with a dragonglass dagger.

Aside from giving Sam the first of several badass moments, this was a pivotal moment in the show. Until now, the White Walkers appeared invincible. Having learned their weakness to dragonglass, Sam would bring that knowledge back to the Night’s Watch and humanity. That was the first step to preparing for the coming war against the White Walker.

#4- Beric Dondarrion, “Kissed by Fire”

After the Hound slays the leader of the Brotherhood without Banners, Lord Beric Dondarrion, in a Trial by Combat, everyone’s shocked to see Beric stand up, alive and unharmed. Apparently, the Red Priest, Thoros of Myr, has the power to bring Beric back from the dead. Even more shocking is the fact that this is the sixth time that he has done it.

Game of Thrones has already delved into the supernatural before: dragons, wights, White Walkers, and blood magic. But this was one of the craziest things that I had ever seen on the show. It started to make me believe that the Lord of Light may be real, and that he’s playing a role in the events of the show.

#3- Kraznys mo Nakloz, “And Now His Watch is Ended”

This man was one of the Good Masters, the Ruling Slave Master Elites of the city of Astapor. Under him, thousands of people were enslaved and subjected to horrible conditions. Then he made the mistake of trying to look down on Daenerys Targaryen. After tricking him into trading all of his Unsullied slaver-warriors in exchange for her dragon, Drogon, the Dragon Queen has him burned to death while the Unsullied kill all the other slave masters.

From the moment this man appeared, he had stuck his nose down on Daenerys, insulting her in Valryian and thinking she was just some stupid woman. The moment when he realizes that not only could she understand what he was saying, but tricked him, his face gives off a look of pure fear. We all shared that smug look on Daenerys’ face as Drogon barbecued the guy.

#2- Richard Karstark, “Kissed by Fire

When the North decides to declare itself independent, Rickard Karstark is one of the first of the Northern Lords to call Robb Stark the King in the North. As time went, his faith in his king waned. Frustrated at Robb’s decision to break his promise to marry Walder Frey’s daughter and losing two of his sons in the war, Rickard murdered two boys from House Lannister in cold blood. This led to Robb executing him for treason, but not before Rickard renounced him as his king.

While Rickard Karstark may have been a minor character, his death would have a big impact on the show. Without him, a good portion of Robb’s army left to return home, leaving him without enough men to continue fighting. This led Robb to return to ask Walder Frey for help, and that led to the horrible events that were to come..

#1- Everyone at the Red Wedding, “Rains of Castamare”

Where do we even begin with this? To start off, Walder Frey said he was willing to reopen his alliance with Robb Stark if his maternal uncle married one of his daughters. As it turns out, the wedding was a trap. The Freys, aided by the Stark’s own bannermen from House Bolton, turned on their guests, and slaughtered almost all of them. Just watch the video.

Even before I started watching Game of Thrones, I had heard about the Red Wedding. It’s one of the most famous moments in recent television history. A good part of the Stark characters were killed off, their army was destroyed, and the balance of power in Westeros had gone to the Lannisters. It also put all the people responsible for the massacre on my hate list. No other scene was as famous in Season Three as the Red Wedding.

Agree with my picks? Let me know what your favorite deaths were from this season

Click here for my favorite moments of Season Three.

My 7 Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones, Season 3

As Game of Thrones entered its third season, the War of the Five Kings was well underway, and the field was always shifting. Renly Baratheon was dead, while his brother lost his chance at the Iron Throne. Sansa was still a prisoner in King’s Landing, but no longer engaged to King Joffrey. The North was in chaos thanks to the Ironborn, while Daenerys sought an army to take the Iron Throne. On top of that, the White Walkers were not only real, but they getting stronger with each passing day, yet no one in the Seven Kingdoms noticed.

Season Three gave us some of the show’s best moments, and by the end of is, a good chunk of the cast would be written off the board. With five days remaining until the beginning of the end, here are my 7 favorite moments from Season Three.

#7- Sam Kills a White Walker, “Second Sons”

I talked about this in my counterpart to this post, so I will just say why I like it. I like Sam. He could stand to lose some pounds, sure, but he’s got one of the biggest hearts of anyone on this show. And when people need him the most, he’s always stepped up. And he ends up being more of a fighter than people give him credit for. I hope he and Gilly get to spend the rest of their days together, oaths or not.

#6- Jaime Loses his Sword Hand, “Walk of Punishment”

After being held captive by Robb Stark for more than a year or so, Jaime Lannister found himself a free man. Catelyn Stark entrusted Brienne of Tarth to get him to King’s Landing in exchange for Sansa’s freedom. At the start of Season Three, though, the pair were captured by Bolton soldiers. When Jaime tried to defend Brienne from being assaulted, the soldier’s leader responded by cutting of Jaime’s sword hand.

The loss of his sword hand marked a key moment in Jaime’s character development. Much of his identity was tied with him being the best swordsman in Westeros. While he did re-learn how to use a sword, everyone knew that he wasn’t as strong as before. This experience greatly humbled Jaime, though, setting him on the road from being the arrogant jerk he started off as to the hero he would become.

#5- Podrick the Sex God, “Walk of Punishment”

Podrick Payne may not be the smartest, strongest, or bravest fighter in Westeros, but his good-nature and honesty have won him a lot of good friends. After saving Tyrion’s life during the Battle of the Blackwater, Tyrion decides to thank him by giving him a reward: getting him laid at a brothel. To Tyrion and Bronn’s surprise, he comes back with the money he gave Pod: they did it for free.

I found this scene to be both hilarious and fascinating at the same time. Somehow, Podrick is so good at pleasing women that they refused payment. It also reminded of the only other guy in fiction that I know of that can satisfy women to that extent. Granted, he ends up doing it in his sleep, but he’s good-natured like Podrick.

#4- “Chaos is a Ladder” “The Climb”

Littlefinger and Varys are the two biggest spymasters in the entire show, with eyes and ears virtually everywhere in the show. Yet they both have different motives behind their actions: Varys works for the good of the people of the Seven Kingdoms, while Littlefinger works to gain power for himself. As the two verbally spar in the throne room over the nature of the realm and chaos, Littlefinger delivers a monologue on how “chaos is a ladder” that anyone can use to gain more power. Not everyone succeeds, but those who do will be rewarded for the climb.

We all knew Littlefinger was the last person you’d want to trust, but his motives were never made clear before now. This monologue showed how he has used the War of the Five Kings to gain more power for himself: by causing trouble, then letting everyone else tear each other apart over it. This ends up foreshadowing future revelations that Littlefinger is responsible for more of the events of the show than people realize.

What makes this scene so great is what happens towards the end. As Baelish continues his speech, we then cut to the dead body of his prostitute Ros, killed by Joffrey for spying for Varys. This scene is then immediately followed by the sight of Ygritte and Jon Snow’s group climbing up an abandoned section of the Wall. Driving the metaphor home with a literal example of a difficult climb was an amazing story-telling decision.

#3- Olenna Tyrell’s First Appearance, “Dark Wings, Dark Words”

After Margaery becomes engaged to Joffrey, her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell, comes to King’s Landing to help oversee the preparations for their wedding. One of the first things she does, though, is speak with Sansa to learn more about what Joffrey’s like. After initial hesitation out of fear of being overheard, Sansa comes out and admits the truth: Joffrey’s a monster. Olenna is unsurprised, just disappointed

From the moment we first see her, I had one thought about Olenna Tyrell: “Man, she is sassy as hell. Holy cow, I like her!” Cunning and witty to a fault, Olenna’s everything that Cersei Lannister wishes she could be: someone who’s good at the game of thrones. I can’t tell how many times a sharp remark from her made me smile. She may not have been on the show as much as others, but she was one of the best players the game had to offer.

#2- Jaime Admits the Truth, “Kissed by Fire”

Throughout Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister was more commonly known by his moniker “Kingslayer”. He got it for breaking his Kingsguard oath and killing King Aerys Targaryen, but his reason was left unclear. After being humbled by his time in captivity and the loss of his sword hand, Jaime admits to Brienne the truth.

When it became apparent that Robert’s Rebellion was going to succeed, the Mad King ordered his pyromancers to place wildfire underneath King’s Landing. He planned to burn everyone and everything in King’s Landing; he thought he would be reborn from the ashes as a dragon. Jaime, horrified, chose to put an end to the Mad King before he commit genocide.

For me, this moment made me rethink my opinion of Jaime. Don’t get me wrong, his winning personality and sleeping with his sister wasn’t doing him any favors. A knight breaking their oaths is a serious crime in Westeros. But given that Aerys was planning to kill hundreds of thousands of people, I think that Jaime was justified in killing him, saving all those people in the process.

From then on, my initial hatred of Jaime turned into a grudging respect as he began to transition from being the villain we first saw into someone willing to defy his sister to do what’s right and protect the Seven Kingdoms. If Westeros survives the Great War, I hope people will come to see him as a hero. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s more of a knight than most of the people in the show.

#1- The Red Wedding, “The Rains of Castamare”

I don’t think I need to explain anything about this choice, or what happened. Even before I started watching the show, I had heard about the infamous Red Wedding. There have been references to it and parodies in pop culture by who knows how many people. Whenever I see something similar about to happen in fiction, I call it “A Red Wedding Scenario”. This was easily the most important scene from Season Three.

What’s more, the impact of this scene would have a long-reaching impact on the show and House Stark. They lost Winterfell for years, and any members that weren’t already running had to go into hiding. It would be another three seasons before the Starks got their justice for this horrific event, and it would be glorious.

Do you agree with my picks? What were your favorite moments from Season Three that didn’t make it on this list? Let me in the comments below!

Click here to see my six favorite deaths from Season Three. The number one pick will not surprise you.

My 7 Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones, Season Two

Whereas Season One saw the breakdown of order in the Seven Kingdoms, Season Two of Game of Thrones starts off with the drums of war already playing. And heads are going to roll like there’s no tomorrow.

While Season One was good, I think Season Two is where Game of Thrones began to find its foothold and define what it was. With a second season, the story began to be bolder in what it tried to adapt from the books, and it was made all the better for it.

With six days left until Season Eight, let’s go back and look at my 7 favorite moments from Season Two of Game of Thrones.

#6- Purging of Robert’s Bastard’s, “The North Remembers”

It’s an open secret in King’s Landing that Robert Baratheon was not a faithful husband. King Robert often visited taverns and brothels to sleep with any pretty girl in a futile attempt to fill the hole made by the fact that he lost the woman he loved to a Prince. As a result, he ended up having at least a dozen bastard children, who all had a better claim to the Iron Throne then Joffrey. To keep his throne secure, Joffrey ordered the Gold Cloaks to kill every one of Robert’s bastards in King’s Landing.

I was disgusted by the fact that Joffrey was willing to murder babies simply because they existed, but I couldn’t help but smirk at how his PR would take a huge hit. He was already on thin ice for killing Ned Stark and starting the War of the Five Kings, but this made him sink even further. Most importantly, though, is the fact the bastard that mattered the most, Gendry, slipped through Joffrey’s fingers. Hopefully, he will live through Season Eight and become the next Lord of the Stormlands.

#6- Jon and Ygritte’s First Meeting, “the Old Gods and the New”

How can we forget the fiery Ygritte, Jon Snow’s first great love? While scouting for the location of the Free Folk’s camp, Jon Snow’s group gets attacked by Free Folk scouts. They kill all but one, only for Jon to be shocked to find out it’s a woman. Despite attempting to kill her, Ygritte manages to lead Jon away from his group, leaving them alone together as night falls.

From the moment they first meet, Ygritte was aware that Jon found her attractive, and uses that to mess with him on several occasions. By Season Three, the two had fallen in love with each other, which made their separation all the more heart-breaking. On a meta note, their actors, Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie, got married in June 2018. Assuming they don’t split up in the future, it will be like Jon and Ygritte getting their happy ending. Plus, if they ever have kids, this will make for one heck of a story on how they met.

#5- Brienne of Tarth introduced, “What is Dead May Never Die”

After fleeing King’s Landing in the wake of Robert’s imminent passing, Renly crowns himself as King of the Seven Kingdoms, on the basis that he’d be a better king than his brother Stannis. Next time we see him, he’s already amassed a huge army and secured an alliance with the Reach by marrying his boyfriend’s sister, Margaery Tyrell. Said boyfriend then gets his butt whooped by a mystery knight. Imagine everyone’s shock when it’s revealed that Ser Loras was beaten not by a man, but a woman: Brienne of Tarth.

Westeros has had its fill of strong women, from Olenna Tyrell to Daenerys Targaryen. Only a few have taken up a sword in battle, and Brienne’s one of the best. Despite being looked down on for her gender, Renly was right to recognize her for her skill as a warrior first and foremost. Since then, Brienne has proven to be among the best fighters in the series, even beating the Hound in combat. When the White Walkers invade, she’ll be fighting there on the frontlines

#4- Riot in King’s Landing, “The Old Gods and the New”

Just when people thought Joffrey reached the pinnacle of pointless cruelty, he lowered the bar yet again. While returning to the Red Keep, a mob of commoners starts throwing insults at Joffrey. When he gets hit in the face with manure (which, admittedly, most people would be pissed at), Joffrey loses it and orders his guards to “kill them all”. This leads to a full scale riot in King’s Landing as Joffrey’s guards are nearly overwhelmed by the mob.

This moment reinforces the fact that, even if he was Robert’s son, Joffrey is not fit to be King of anything. King of fictional morons, maybe, but I doubt that all the Patrick Star’s and Homer Simpsons would put up with him either.

This scene filled me with a mixture of disgust and shock. We all knew that Joffrey was an idiot, but no one thought he’d be dumb enough to start a city-wide riot. Adding on to the list of trauma she went through, Sansa was almost raped by some of the rioters while Joffrey refused to look for her. When Joffrey eventually died, I felt no pity for him whatsoever.

#3- “The Queen Mustn’t Know”, “What is Dead May Never Die”

After being made Hand of the King in his father’s abscence, Tyrion had found himself undermined by his sister at every chance she got. Realizing that someone on the Small Council was ratting on him, Tyrion comes up with a clever way to find out who the mole is. He tells each member of his plans to wed Myrcella Baratheon, but gives a different man for each one. When Cersei predictably gets mad at him, she inadvertently gives away her informant: Grand Maester Pycelle.

This exchange shows off how Tyrion Lannister is one of the smartest people in the Seven Kingdoms, and why he’s one of my favorite characters. Tricking three members of the Small Council, two of which run the biggest spy networks in the show, is an insanely impressive feat. Even Varys is willing to give him props for what he did, saying “Well played, my lord Hand”.

The icing on the cake to all this is that pissed Cersei off beyond belief, and I find that extremely funny.

#2- The Battle of Blackwater, “Blackwater”

I couldn’t choose just one moment from this episode, so I just picked the whole thing.

The culmination of the events of the entire season, the penultimate episode saw Stannis Baratheon launch an all-out assault on King’s Landing in order to take the throne he saw as his (No one cares that Daenerys is still alive, I guess). With Joffrey incapable of doing anything helpful, it is up to Tyrion to lead the outnumbered defenders of the city. Stannis’ forces came close to breaking through the gates, with Stannis himself making it onto the ramparts. In the end, though, the arrival of the armies of Tywin Lannister and House Martell force him to retreat.

This episode marked the first time Game of Thrones ever attempted a large-scale battle, making it one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of TV. With a good portion of the series cast, and the inclusion of hundreds of extras, made for an episode on par with a Hollywood blockbuster. The best part, though, is that this is just a taste of what was to come in future seasons. And Season Eight is looking to have battle scenes on par with the Battle of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. I can’t wait!

#1- The White Walkers Are Real, ”
Valar Morghulis”

After the climactic battle that occurred in the last episode, what could Game of Thrones possibly do to top it for its season finale? Set the fans up for even crazier moments. And this was the moment where we finally saw the face of the true enemy.

As Samwell Tarly and the other members of the Night’s Watch are out scouting, they are terrified when their Brothers blast their horns three times, heralding the approach of the Wights and White Walkers. As Sam is left behind, he is terrified to see a horde of Wights advancing on the Night’s Watch encampment. It gets worse. At the head of the undead legion, riding a zombified horse, is a White Walker.

We had only caught brief glimpses of the White Walkers. This would mark the first time that we had ever seen a White Walker in its entirety; not even the books had done this. And they are like something straight out of a horror film. Their gaunt and icy appearance, those supernaturally blue eyes, and a language that sounds like the cracking of ice. This is the evil that the Seven Kingdoms would eventually have to face, and it is absolutely terrifying to see.

Do you Agree With My Picks? Here are my Picks for Biggest Deaths of Season Two.

My 7 Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones Season One

We are now at less than a week before the final season of Game of Thrones premieres on TV, and I have been looking back on the show’s run. So many twists and turns since the beginning of the show. Come to think of it, There aren’t that many people from Season One that have made it all the way to the end. The survival rate on this show is incredibly low.

Having looked back at seasons past, I decided to take a look at my favorite moments from each season. To start us, let’s go back and talk about the seven moments that I thought were game-changing, or in this case, game-defining in Season one of Game of Thrones.

#7- The White Walker Cometh, “Winter is Coming”

Despite being based on Medieval Europe, the world of Game of Thrones is also steeped in the supernatural, whether its inhabitants know it or not. As fans of the franchise are well aware of, the biggest threat to Westeros isn’t the Game of Thrones, but the White Walkers. The cold opening to the first episode gave fans a glimpse into the icy monsters that have been gathering in strength Beyond the Wall, and seeing them kill two of the three members of the Night’s Watch sent investigate is terrifying.

One of the big plot points of the show is the fact that few people, even in the Night’s Watch, believes that the White Walkers are real. The deserter from the Night’s Watch tries to tell Ned Stark of the threat, but even he doesn’t believe it. Westeros is now preparing to fight for its existence, but this moment was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

#6- Direwolf Puppies!, “Winter is Coming”

There were a lot of other scenes that I could have chosen, but my reasoning is simple: I love puppies; I love babies in general. Ned Stark and his sons come across the body of a dead stag and direwolf, along with her six pups. After Jon convinces him, Ned agrees to let his children adopt one of the direwolves for themselves.

Cuteness aside, I love this scene for being rife with symbolism and foreshadowing. The sight of the stag and direwolf having killed each other foreshadows the coming conflict between the Stark’s and the “Baratheon’s”. More importantly, is what this moment has to do with Jon Snow. The fact that it was Jon who persuaded Ned a subtle hint to his heritage notwithstanding, the discovery of Ghost reflects the struggles Jon went through. Without a mother in his life, he had to learn how to grow up quickly, and that made him strong, it made him who he is now, a man worthy of being a king.

#5- Tyrion’s Trial By Combat, “A Golden Crown”

Poor Tyrion went on quite a number of adventures in Season One, but I think the one I liked the most was his trial by combat in the Vale. After Catelyn Stark wrongly accuses him of pushing Bran out a window, she takes him to her sister in the Vale to punish him. Tyrion then makes the most hilarious confession before demanding a trial by combat. The battle that follows sees the mercenary Bronn defeat Lysa Arryn’s champion in combat.

Aside from Tyrion being hilarious in this scene, this moment marks the official start of the beautiful bromance between Tyrion and Bronn. They may be on opposite sides now, but it’s clear they still care about each other’s safety. Plus, Bronn’s underhanded but smart method of fighting his opponent is a big “screw you” to the idea of “fighting with honor”. When you’re fighting at a disadvantage, that’s stupid and will get you killed.

#4- A Crown for a King, “A Golden Crown”

From the moment I saw Viserys Targaryen, I knew that if he ever became King, he’d run Westeros into the ground. Everyone knew it; even Daenerys admitted it. But Viserys was too full of himself, too much like his father to see his faults. Then he had the arrogance to threaten to take back his sister, and kill her unborn child, right in front of her husband.

I personally loved this scene because it shows just how much Khal Drogo had come to love his wife. I could almost see the daggers in his eyes when Viserys threatened her and their unborn son. More importantly, it was a reminder about killing one’s enemies. A clever man does not need to use a sword to kill someone, which Viserys failed to understand.

#3- Ned Learns the Truth, “A Golden Crown”

One of the reasons that Ned Stark chose to become Hand of the King for Robert was so that he could investigate the death of their mentor, Jon Arryn. His only clues were his last words, “the seed is strong”, and a book on the history of the noble families of the Seven Kingdoms. But it’s only a passing remark by his daughter Sansa that makes Ned realize the truth: that Robert and Cersei’s children are bastards born out of incest.

The look of sheer shock on Ned’s face when he figures it out is priceless. Shock aside, this is the moment where everything changes. The revelation that Joffrey’s a bastard child is the spark that ignites the War of the Five Kings that would see most of the show’s cast die, Ned included. Hundreds of thousands dead because of a lie.

#2- Ned Stark’s Execution, “Baelor”

This was the single biggest mistake that Joffrey made, and he made a lot of mistakes in his life. After being arrested on false charges of treason, Ned Stark is forced to forgo his honor in order to protect Sansa’s life. He then proclaims that Joffrey’s the one true king, hoping that he will be exiled to the Wall. Then Joffrey stupidly orders for him to be executed anyway.

Ned Stark could be considered the main character of Season One of the show, so killing him off was just as shocking as it was in the book. Ned’s death backfires on Joffrey and sets the Seven Kingdoms against each other. Nice job breaking it, your majesty!

#1- Daenerys Reborn, “Fire and Blood”

Hands down, this was my favorite moment from the first season of the show. After being forced to put her comatose husband out of his misery, Daenerys is left with only a handful of followers. Whereas most people would give up, what does Dany do? She lights a funeral pyre for Khal Drogo, places her three dragon eggs and the woman responsible on it, and then walks into the flames. The next morning, she’s found nude and unharmed… with three baby dragons.

This scene is my favorite because it’s symbolic on multiple levels. Watching Daenerys walk into the flames and emerged naked but fine reminds me of the legend of the Phoenix: they burn themselves in flames before being reborn in the ashes. Gone was the timid girl we were introduced to in the first episode. In her place stood a young woman fit to be a queen.

This moment is also symbolic of the rebirth of House Targaryen. The world had thought that House Targaryen was finished: no armies, no allies in sight, and only one member known to be alive. But when I saw Dany emerge with her baby dragons, I heard a voice in my head, telling me that House Targaryen was not finished yet. And that Game of Thrones was truly destined for greatness.

Do you agree with my picks? Check out my six favorite deaths from the first season here!

Click here to see my GoT Page.

Eight days. In eight days, winter will come to TV. And it will be one of the greatest nights in the history of entertainment. And I am going to be there watching it through to the end.

I may not have been one of the people who watched Game of Thrones from the beginning, but I have caught up on everything that has happened in the show. All the death, love, loss, murder and betrayal since the first episode. Then I thought about how I should honor the beginning of the end for one of the greatest achievements in TV history.

That is what this is for. Starting tomorrow, I will going back to each season of Game of Thrones as we count down to the premiere. Each day will have two articles: one counting what I thought were the big deaths for each season, and the moments that I thought defined the seasons. It all leads up to Sunday, April 14th, where I will reveal my favorite things in Game of Thrones. To clarify, that means:

• The best villains on the show
• My favorite death scenes
• My favorite characters
• and more!

Let the games begin! See you tomorrow!

Click here to see my GoT Page.