Game of Thrones has a history of eliciting rather strong reactions from viewers. From its premiere in 2011 to last year's season five finale, this show has been all about shock value. From its gratuitous rape scenes and brutal deaths to incestuous affairs and mind-blowing plot-twists, the HBO fantasy drama may have generated the most WTF moments of any show in the history of television.
In fact, we've uttered some iteration of what the fuck at our TVs so many times over the last five years that we completely forgot about some of them. I mean, we've only got so much room in our brains dedicated to "crazy ass shit that happened on Game of Thrones " — and that capacity was reached several seasons ago.
So, in case you've forgotten — or, perhaps, somewhat wilfully blocked out some of the more traumatic memories — we're here to remind you of just how many messed up things have happened on GoT. Consider this your wildly entertaining 30-slide refresher in preparation for Sunday's season 6 premiere.
From the perplexing to the grotesque to the straight-up fucked-up, here are the 30 most WTF moments from Game of Thrones. Oh, and we hope you're sitting somewhere where it's cool to blurt out expletives several times in a row.
Jaime Pushes Bran Out The Window
Season 1 Premiere, "Winter Is Coming"
Ah, that time delicate flower Cersei Lannister and her darling brother Jamie caught Bran Stark spying on their sexy time — and established themselves as incestuous murderers in the show's first hour. (Pretty accurate first impression.)
Daenerys Eats A Horse Heart
Season 1, Episode 6, "A Golden Crown"
Khaleesi first showed us how serious she was about ascending the Iron Throne when she devoured a big, bloody raw stallion heart like it was a Big Mac. The Dothraki pregnancy tradition was intended to make her baby strong.
Viserys Gets Crowned
Season 1, Episode 6, "A Golden Crown"
It's hard to think of a more poetically painful death than this one. Khal Drogo gave Dany's scumbag brother the coronation he was so desperate for — in the form of molten gold poured over his head.
Hodor's Dick
Season 1, Episode 8, "The Pointy End"
Why. Why? Just why. Poor little Bran had already been through so much. I guess the cameo by Hodor's "pointy end" was a moment of comic relief?
Khal Drogo Rips Mago's Tongue Out
Season 1, Episode 8, "The Pointy End"
Drogo may not have lasted long, but he sure got a few "OMG EW WTF" kills in during his stint. Here, he rips out Mago's goddamn tongue out of his throat after he insults his Khaleesi.
Ned Stark Is Executed
Season 1, Episode 9, "Baelor"
GoT let us know what a ruthless show it was when it slaughtered its main character in cold blood. To this day, Eddard Stark's execution may still be the most shocking death of the whole series (unless you read the books). For good measure, Joffrey forces Sansa to look at his severed head on a stake.
Daenerys Targaryen Walks Through Fire
Season 1 Finale, "Fire and Blood"
Khaleesi elevates her badassery to a new level when she walks into the flaming funeral pyre burning her dead husband's body, clutching those long-dormant dragon eggs. She emerges unscathed and renewed — as the Mother of Dragons.
Death By Rats
Season 2, Episode 4, "Garden of Bones"
The Mountain & company are looking for the Brotherhood, so they imprison a random person to torture the information out of in the most gruesome way possible. How you ask? By strapping a bucket full of rats to his chest and hold the fire to it, giving the rats one way to escape.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Melisandre Births A Demon Shadow
Season 2, Episode 4, "Garden of Bones"
Watching this smoke-demon-baby crawl its way out of the Red Priestess' vagina was much worse than those birthing videos we had to watch in health class.
Demon Shadow Kills Renly Baratheon
Season 2, Episode 4, "Garden of Bones"
Stannis and Melisandre's evil offspring emerges from the womb a ready-made assassin. It murders Renly in his tent the night before a battle against his brother's army. We didn't expect Renly to last long, but that is not the way we pictured him going.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Theon Greyjoy Decapitates Rodrik
Season 2, Episode 6, "The Old Gods And The New"
Ser Rodrik Cassel, the Starks' longtime loyal servant, meets his end at the hand of a man he once trained. He spits in the face of family traitor Theon, who decides to make an example out of him to the other men. Problem is, Theon doesn't have a very strong swing — he ends up slowly hacking Rodrik's head off.
Theon Burns Two Innocent Boys Alive
Season 2, Episode 7, "A Man Without Honour"
When we first saw those two little children's bodies hanging at the gates of Winterfell, we thought they were runaways Bran and Rickon. It turns out they weren't, but the fact that Theon would burn two children just to prove a point is equally shocking and sickening. Pure evil.
Wild Fire Explosion
Season 2, Episode 9, "Blackwater"
We had no idea Tyrion's little wildfire stunt would be quite so gloriously destructive. The explosion blew Stannis' fleet to smithereens during the Battle of Blackwater at King's Landing. It's like the Westeros equivalent of napalm.
Daenerys Locks Up Xaro Xhoan Daxos & Doreah
Season 2 Finale, "Valar Morghulis"
When Dany discovers that her lover and handmaiden are responsible for the death of many of her people and the kidnapping of her dragons — oh, and finds them in bed together — she hands down a sentence worse than death. Left to die alone in an underground vault? That is how you deal with traitors.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Jamie Lannister Loses His Land
Season 3, Episode 3, "Walk of Punishment"
So. Sudden. Have you ever seen an axe swing that fast before? We're actually not sure if we felt more WTF about the swift chopping off of Jamie's hand by Locke — or the fact that we felt sympathy for the King Slayer.
Ramsay Castrates Theon
Season 3, Episode 7, "Bear And The Maiden Fair"
Because really, does anyone ever witnesses a penis being cut off and think anything but "WTF?" Theon may be a piece of shit, but Ramsay Bolton's perverse torture that culminated in castration is some grade-A sicko stuff. And his devouring of a sausage afterwards is just too much.
The Bloody, Burning Leeches
Season 3, Episode 9, "Second Sons"
After that doll Melisandre seduced Gendry and tied him to the bed, she sucked his blood with leeches. Stannis throws said leeches into the flames and recites the names of people he wants to die. The leeches hiss and shrivel; so do we.
The Red Wedding
Season 3 Finale, "The Rains Of Castamere"
What is there to say that hasn't been said about the Red Wedding? WTF doesn't even begin to cover the shock of this matrimonial massacre. Saying goodbye to two of our faves, Robb and Catelyn Stark, was tragic — as was watching Talisa's pregnant belly being stabbed over and over.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Headless Rob Stark Paraded Around
Season 3 Finale, "The Rains Of Castamere"
In case you weren't already feeling nauseous enough, the horror of the Red Wedding continues with the most disturbing victory-lap ever. Robb's direwolf's head is sewn onto his decapitated body and paraded around. (But Arya exacts an ounce of revenge when she and Sandor kill the men that did it.)
The Purple Wedding
Season 4, Episode 2, "The Lion and the Rose"
This wedding death wasn't exactly a tragedy, but it took us by surprise nonetheless. Long and well-deserved. Who knew somebody's face could turn that particular shade of violet-maroon?
Littlefinger Pushes Lysa Arryn To Her Death
Season 4, Episode 7, "Mockingbird"
Petyr Baelish saves Sansa from being pushed through the door of death by the jealous Lisa Arryn before giving her a taste of her own Moon Door medicine. He gives her the metaphorical boot — by rubbing it in her face that her sister Catelyn is the only woman he ever loved — before shoving her to her death.
Oberyn Martell Meets A Brutal End
Season 4, Episode 8, "The Mountain and The Viper"
The Red Viper is too handsome to die. At least, that's what I thought going into this mano-a-mano. Seriously, though, isn't the smaller guy supposed to outsmart the big oaf? No, on GoT, he gets his eyes smushed into his skull until his orifices leak blood and his whole fucking head explodes like an overripe tomato.
Ygritte Dies
Season 4, Episode 9,"The Watchers on the Wall"
The perfect time to kill somebody is when you're waiting for the other person in the scene to get killed. Olly took Jon Snow's ex-lover out before she could do the deed herself. We all cried.
Tyrion Kills Twyin
Season 4 Finale, "The Children"
It's not most men's dream to put an arrow through their father's heart while he takes a dump, but it certainly was for Tyrion Lannister. Sweet, sweet revenge.
Aemon Reveals He Is A Targaryen
Season 5, Episode 5, "Kill The Boy"
Um excuse me kind old sir but WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? Aemon is the last person we would've pinned as "secret royalty," and this quiet revelation was a major insight into the master of Castle Black's murky history.
Ramsay Skins Chamber Woman Alive
Season 5, Episode 7, "The Gift"
When Ramsay doesn't like somebody, he tortures, rapes, or kills them. So we knew something bad was going to happen to the chamber lady who tried to help Sansa escape — but flaying a human? WTF.
Stannis Burns His Daughter At The Stake
Season 5, Episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons"
Did anyone else think he would change his mind at the last second? Anybody? Stannis sentencing his own child to death by fire was the most monstrous thing he's ever done.
Bran Finally Reaches The Tree
Season 5 Finale, "Mother's Mercy"
After seasons of searching and suffering, Bran finally finds the mystical giant tree from Reed's visions. He and his band are greeted by a group of undead skeletons. Yay, they're saved. And oh no, who are these tiny, creepy little people? Meet the Children of the Forest.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO.Arya Goes Blind
Season 5 Finale, "Mother's Mercy"
Watching Arya peel off layers of masks was visually mind-blowing, especially when she got to the last one: her own face. Then, she goes blind. Poor Arya.
Jon Snow "Dies"
Season 5 Finale, "Mother's Mercy"
Oh no, Jon Snow's men stab him to death! Lol no they didn't — don't worry guys this WTF moment was all an elaborate sham. Jon Snow lives.
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