Top 10 Biggest Game of Thrones Twists
#10: Petyr Betrays Ned
#10: Petyr Betrays Ned “You Win or You Die” Petyr’s betrayal of Ned is one of the show’s most important moments, not just in terms of plot, but in terms of tone. Until this, we believed that Ned would successfully dethrone Joffrey. And everything pointed to that outcome – a dramatic standoff, the presence of the City Watch, and Robert’s sealed letter. But then everything goes to Hell and Petyr holds a knife to Ned’s throat. It was a shocking twist, but it was a twist with realistic progression; Petyr even mentions his prior warning. We should have seen it coming, but we didn’t expect it because we all thought the good guy would win. This scene proved that honor doesn’t matter, and it trained us on how to approach “Game of Thrones.”
#9: “But I Do Know.”
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#9: “But I Do Know.” “Oathkeeper” Joffrey’s death is rich with dramatic material and unbelievable twists. First, it was the death itself that literally came out nowhere – one moment Joffrey was drinking at his wedding, and the next he was dead in his mother’s arms. Blame was immediately placed on Tyrion, but the mystery didn’t last long. Two episodes later, Olenna dropped a bombshell by revealing to Margaery that Tyrion was innocent and that it was she who poisoned Joffrey. And if things were still a little muddy, Olenna straight-up tells Jaime in season 7 and goes out like a boss. Joffrey’s death was one of the most shocking moments on the show, and to see it come from Olenna Tyrell was a total, but not unwelcome, surprise.
#8: Jon Kills Dany
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#8: Jon Kills Dany "The Iron Throne" Danerys' story arc began and ended tragically. Some fans felt that, despite all of the foreshadowing that supported Dany's Mad Queen story arc, this plot twist felt anticlimactic. However, no one can deny the shocking nature of the moment when Jon plunges his dagger into her heart. Following Tyrion's counsel, Jon ultimately realizes that Dany poses a threat not only to him and his family, but also the entirety of Westeros, from the Lordship to the common folk. In a moment as tragic as it was shocking, Jon finally puts an end to Dany's tyranny once and for all.
#7: Sansa & Arya Kill Littlefinger
#7: Sansa & Arya Kill Littlefinger “The Dragon and the Wolf” For seven seasons, Littlefinger was one of the smartest and most political characters of the show. His allegiances were cloudy, and he certainly wasn’t above betraying Ned or killing Joffrey. But all his scheming ended with two sisters in Winterfell, of all places. After Littlefinger attempts to plot Sansa against Arya, we believe that Arya will face some severe punishment. However, they actually had a little scheme of their own, and Sansa surprisingly turns to Littlefinger to accuse HIM of murder and treason. It’s certainly gratifying, but what makes it even better is the image of the slimy Littlefinger crying and begging in front of the court. The Stark sisters finally avenged their father’s death, and it was both immensely satisfying and completely unpredictable.
#6: Oberyn’s Death
#6: Oberyn’s Death “The Mountain and the Viper” Everything was going to end so well. Oberyn would kill The Mountain and avenge his family, and Tyrion would be found innocent of Joffrey’s death. Of course, “Game of Thrones” isn’t about things ending well. Rather surprisingly, Oberyn actually beats The Mountain. But then he gets greedy. As Oberyn tries to uncover the truth about Elia’s murder, The Mountain trips him, gouges out his eyes, and crushes his head like a melon. And with that, Oberyn fails to avenge his family and Tyrion is sentenced to death. It’s a beautiful bit of storytelling, as it perfectly blends an unpredictable but understandable outcome, a shocking death, a major cliffhanger, and a massive shift in the story’s direction.
#5: “Hold the Door!”
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#5: “Hold the Door!” “The Door” No one really gave any thought as to why Hodor only said “Hodor.” We all thought it was just one of his character traits. But with this reveal, it was turned into one of the story’s most beautiful and tragic moments. While Meera escapes the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave with Bran, she orders Hodor to “hold the door” from the attacking wights. Bran then unintentionally links the past and present and makes stableboy Wylis suffer a seizure. As this is happening, he sees his own future and yells “hold the door” until the words slur together to become “Hodor.” “Game of Thrones” isn’t always an emotional show, but we were crying buckets with this heartbreaking reveal.
#4: Jon Snow’s Assassination
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#4: Jon Snow’s Assassination “Mother’s Mercy” This is yet another example of dire but realistic consequences surprisingly coming to fruition. We know Jon’s motives are pure, but he still betrayed the Night’s Watch by allowing the Free Folk to enter the Seven Kingdoms. To pay for his betrayal, the Night’s Watch deem Jon a traitor and stab him to death while they chant “for the Watch.” It’s a crushing moment and a brilliantly shocking twist, but it also comes from a place of understanding. We knew Jon had to suffer the consequences – we just didn’t want to believe it. Jon’s death was one of the show’s most iconic scenes, and easily its biggest cliffhanger. Even the book readers didn’t know the outcome of this one!
#3: Jon Snow Is Aegon Targaryen
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#3: Jon Snow Is Aegon Targaryen “The Winds of Winter” R+L=J was one of the biggest and most popular fan theories surrounding A Song of Ice and Fire. Fans have been theorizing about this for decades, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s actually true. The truth is revealed in the season six finale, when Bran sees Ned at the Tower of Joy. It is here that we learn Jon Snow was born to Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryan, and that Ned raised him as his own bastard child. Not only did this twist legitimize decades’ worth of fan theory, but it also completely upended the show and took it in an entirely new direction. “Game of Thrones” and its characters were never the same after Jon’s true lineage was revealed.
#2: Ned’s Execution
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#2: Ned’s Execution “Baelor” When it comes to “Game of Thrones,” few scenes are as important as Ned’s execution. Even those who have never watched the show probably know about Ned’s death. It’s just engrained in popular culture at this point. If Petyr’s betrayal taught us how to approach “Game of Thrones,” then Ned’s execution legitimized its uncompromising nature. We understand why Ned was ordered to die, yet we never believed that it would actually happen. Surely something or someone would intervene. But nope, Ned’s head is lopped off, and the show lost both its main protagonist and one of the few honorable men. With Ned’s death, “Game of Thrones” declared itself an unbending tour de force that wasn’t afraid to take major narrative risks.
#1: The Red Wedding
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#1: The Red Wedding “The Rains of Castamere” Of course it’s the Red Wedding. How could it not be the Red Wedding? The slaughter of the Starks is arguably the defining moment of the entire series, the scene that encapsulates everything good and daring about the story. It’s a tragic but realistic culmination of various storylines, it eliminates a swath of beloved heroes in brutal fashion, it’s traumatic as hell, and of course, it’s completely and totally unexpected. In fact, it was so surprising that it spawned countless reaction videos, many of which went viral and were shown on national talk shows. “Game of Thrones” was never the same after the Red Wedding, both in terms of its story and popularity.
