With season eight of Game of Thrones about to air exclusively on DStv on 15th April 2019, we look at the most shocking moments from the first seven seasons. Fans in Ghana can reminisce some of the most shocking moments from the earlier seasons.
Season 1
The fall of Bran
After witnessing the incestuous tryst between Queen Cersei Lannister and her brother Ser Jaime, Bran, the youngest Stark boy, was pushed out of a tower window by the knight. Bran survived the fall but was left crippled and in a coma.
Ned Stark loses his head
They wouldn’t kill the main character, would they? Little did we know that Game of Thrones had no qualms about killing off its stars, with Ned Stark the central character of Season 1 executed by beheading at the behest of the monstrous boy king Joffrey.
Season 2
Theon Greyjoy seals his fate
Torn between two families, Theon Greyjoy drafts a letter warning Robb Stark of the planned Greyjoy invasion of the North but ends up burning the paper and sealing his fate as a betrayer who would sell out Winterfell.
The Red Woman’s ‘Shadow Baby’
The magic and mysticism of Game of Thrones was underlined when Melisandre, accompanied by the ‘Onion Knight’ Davos Seaworth, gave birth to a creature made entirely of shadow which would later assassinate Renly Baratheon.
Season 3
Jaime loses a hand
While held captive, Jaime Lannister has his hand cut off by a sell-sword of Roose Bolton, named is Locke. How will the ‘King Slayer’, renowned as one of the best swordsmen in Westeros, cope after having his strong hand lopped off?
The Red Wedding
Arguably the most shocking moment in GOT history, Rob Starke, the ‘King in the North’ is slain alongside his mother, pregnant wife and several of his charges at his uncle’s wedding in a foul plot put together by the Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters.
Season 4
The ‘Red Viper’ fights ‘The Mountain’
Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne seemed to have succeeded in his righteous quest for vengeance when he sliced up Gregor Clegane, but ‘The Mountain’ summoned his final vestiges of strength to gouge out the eyes of the ‘Red Viper’ and crush his skull.
Ygritte dies in Jon Snow’s arms
The fire-haired wildling Ygritte uttered her last ‘you know nothing Jon Snow’ as she died in the arms of the man she both loved and disdained, with the ‘bastard’ defending The Wall alongside his brothers from the Night’s Watch.
Season 5
The death of Jon Snow
The shocking season finale saw Jon Snow, in the wake of the Battle of Hardhome, stabbed to death at Castle Black by Alliser Thorne and several men of the Night's Watch after being labelled a traitor.
Sansa tortured by Ramsay
Though Ramsay Bolton initially feigns kindness to Sansa Stark ahead of their politically-expedient wedding, he ends up using his ‘relationship’ with her to torture Theon Greyjoy this reaches its nadir when Bolton forces Theon to watch as he rapes Sansa.
Season 6
Melisandre revives Jon Snow
At the behest of Davos Seaworth, Melisandre, who was earlier revealed as an ancient crone, uses her magic to bring Jon Snow back from the dead. He goes on to execute horne, Olly and the other officers involved in his assassination, before renouncing his oath to the Night’s Watch.
Battle of the Bastards
Probably the most epic and gruesome scene in GOT history, the Battle of the Bastards sees Jon Snow and the Starks defeat Ramsay and the Boltons near Winterfell. Ramsay’s demise comes as he is devoured by hounds as a prisoner.
Season 7
The birth of an Ice Dragon
Daenerys’ dragons seemed set to give the ‘good guys’ an edge in the coming war against the White Walkers, but when the Night King brings down the mighty Viserion with an ice spear and then proceeds to resurrect it and make the beast part of his army it revealed the scale of the challenge Westeros faces for survival.
Jon Snow’s true heritage revealed
Sanwell and Bran come to the realisation that Jon is a trueborn Targaryen named Aegon and legitimate heir to the Iron Throne, as his parents Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark married in secret. Which is more than a little awkward, as Jon consummates his relationship with Daenerys, who (unknown to either of them) is his aunt.
Gear up for more couple match-ups both love and devious in Season Eight of Game of Thrones, starting 15 April at 8pm on M-Net 101 on DStv. For more information visit: https://www.dstv.com