Attention: This article has spoilers.
Game of Thrones: Season 5, has been nothing but a series of shockers. Veering away from the books on some of the story lines it has excited and shocked most of its fan base, going as far as alienating a lot of them, while others sit in anticipation for next season. Here is a recap of moments that may be a surprise to those that watch the series but haven’t read the books for this season’s Game of Thrones.
Episode 1:
Cersei knew that her children were going to die and that the king wasn’t going to father them.
The beginning scene shows us a young Cersei Lannister walking through a forest heading to a witch’s house with a friend. After being disappointed by the witch’s appearance, Cersei only has one thing on her mind, finding out her future. The witch tells Cersei that she needs to taste her blood, to ask 3 questions, and that she won’t like the answers to those questions. Cersei then finds out that she won’t marry the prince she was promised to, that she will be queen, and that the king will have 20 children and she will have 3. Her children will have gold crowns and shrouds. A confused Cersei then leaves the witch’s cottage.
Episode 2:
Jon Snow becomes Lord Commander.
At the end of this season’s first episode, Jon Snow showed mercy by shooting Mance Rayder with an arrow as he was being burned alive. His compassion received mixed emotions from the rest of The Crows. Some thought he was a traitor for putting The King Beyond the Wall out of his misery while others thought it was brave of him. The split showed as in this episode there was a vote as to who would be the new Lord Commander of the Knight’s Watch. There were only two candidates for the 998th Lord Commander until Sam spoke up for Jon. When the votes were tallied it was tied between Jon Snow and Alliser Thorne. Maester Aemon then cast his vote for Jon making him the newest Lord Commander.
Episode 3:
Tyrion Lannister gets kidnapped by Jorah Mormont.
Tyrion and Varys travel in a wheel house to see Daenerys Targaryen. As they approach the city of Volantis, Tyrion begins to feel claustrophobic. Convincing Varys to let him out for fresh air Tyrion finds his way to a brothel. In there he realizes that he can’t perform with a prostitute that he picked and apologizes, surprised that he couldn’t. He walks outside to urinate over the wall. Jorah Mormont comes up behinds him as he was finishing, ties, gags and carries him off saying that he was going to take Tyrion to the Queen.
Episode 4:
Cersei unleashes The Sparrows on King’s Landing.
Cersei decides to start back up the Faith Militant with the High Sparrow as the chosen representative of the 7. He lets her know that all sinners are equal before the gods. He agrees to be the representative and The Sparrows arrest all of the ‘sinners’ in King’s Landing no matter their rank, poor and rich alike. They arrest Queen Margaery’s brother for breaking the laws of gods and men, sending Margaery into a rage and seeking help from her husband, King Tommen.
Episode 5:
Daenerys Targaryen does something about the Sons of the Harpy.
In Meereen, the “Sons of the Harpy” have started attacking people, killing those that support Dany. Barristan Selmy was killed in one of their attacks, upsetting The Khaleesi. Trying to figure out a way to counter act these insurgents the Queen rounds up the heads of every powerful house hold within the city including one of her advisers, Hizdahr zo Loraq. After arresting the heads of household of the great families, Dany then takes them to the two dragons she has locked up to threaten them, allowing the dragons to burn and eat one of the men. The rest of her counsel talked her into opening up the fighting pits and to take one of the men (Hizdahr zo Loraq) she arrested as a fiancé.
Episode 6:
Queen Margaery gets arrested by the High Sparrow.
The inquest of Loras Tyrell has begun with his grandmother Lady Olenna, Cersei, King Tommen, and Queen Margaery watching on. After Loras’ testimony, The Faith called Queen Margaery to testify. Confused as to why she was called Margaery lied on the stand to defend her brother. The High Sparrow calls another witness to testify, Loras’ former lover. His lover gave evidence that would only be known by someone in an intimate setting proving to everyone that Queen Margaery and Loras lied to The Faith causing their arrest.
Sansa Stark gets raped on her wedding day by her new husband, Ramsay Bolton, at Winterfell.
Sansa returned to Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton in a plot that Littlefinger devised. The day of the wedding she receives a bath from Myranda, Ramsay’s mistress. Myranda tries to scare Sansa away by telling her how Ramsay really is. Sansa lets her know that she can’t be scared away because Winterfell is her home. After Sansa gets dressed, Theon comes to her so he can give her away on Ramsay’s orders. Sansa doesn’t care that Theon would get punished if she doesn’t comply with Ramsay’s wishes not realizing that she might get punished too. After the wedding Theon, Ramsay and Sansa head to her room where he makes Theon aka Reek watch as he rapes Sansa.
Episode 7:
The High Sparrow turns on Dowager Queen Cersei.
When Cersei unleashed The High Sparrow onto King’s Landing she didn’t realize that it would backfire on her. She went to the dungeons to visit and rub in Margaery’s face that she has won in this battle of wills. Leaving the dungeons with a smirk of triumph, Cersei gets called to The High Sparrow. After making small talk with her, The High Sparrow told her a story about a young man that came to them broken in mind and spirit that young man was her cousin Lancel. Lancel told them about his sin and how she was part of it. It was too late by the time Cersei realized that she was going to face the same fate as Margaery. As she tried to escape the room, a septa was there blocking her way grabbing her arms so she couldn’t leave.
Episode 8:
The White Walkers
Jon Snow heads beyond the wall to convince the rest of the wildlings to come to Castle Black to protect them from the others aka White Walkers. Jon had convinced some of them but not all that they were coming and if the wildlings came he would give them dragon glass to defeat the others. As they were filling boats with the people that wanted to go help the White Walkers attacked, showing the wildlings that what Jon Snow was true. During the fight Jon reminded them about the dragon glass remembering that it was in the hut. Half of their ranks made it to the boats and sailed away looking back to see the rest of them lying dead on the ground. As Jon looked on he saw what looked like a powerful White Walker raise his hands and all the dead wildlings and Knight’s Watch were raised from the dead as more White Walkers.
Episode 9:
Stannis kills his daughter.
Melisandre was trying to convince Stannis that royal blood must be given to the Lord of Light to win his fight against the Boltons and that the only royal blood that was available was that of his daughter. Stannis fought against this until 20 Bolton men came in the night and burned some of his camp. Seeing that he had what he thought was no choice he sent Davos back to Castle Black on a fool’s errand so he wouldn’t have anyone trying to stop him from serving the Lord of Light. Speaking with his daughter she offers to help him if there was a way that she could and that was all it took for Stannis. His daughter gets walked to the stake by guards as her father and mother stood watching in the background. Melisandre calls to the Lord of Light and lights the stake. Stannis looks on as his wife runs to try and save Shireen but to no avail. Shireen’s screams stop as the fire consumes her.
Drogon saves Daenerys.
The first day of the fighting pit was open as Daenerys sat in the royal box with her counsel and new fiancé. During the fighting the ‘Sons of the Harpy’ attacked the crowd and went after Daenerys, killing her fiancé. As Khaleesi and her entourage tried to escape the fighting arena the ‘Sons of the Harpy’ surrounded them. Closing her eyes, Daenerys thought she saw the end nearing. She called out with her mind to Drogon and opened her eyes when she heard him coming across the top of the arena. Landing in the center near the mother of dragons he blew fire to burn her enemies. The Sons threw spears at him and when Daenerys saw that he was in pain she walked towards him and removed the spears. She then climbed on his back and he flew away with her.
Episode 10:
Jon Snow gets killed by the Knight’s Watch.
Jon knows that he is the most hated man in Castle Black since he brought the wildlings to the castle. He didn’t know that there would be a mutiny. Olly came to him saying that a wildling knew where his Uncle Ben was. Jon was looking for word of his uncle since Ben left Castle Black. Excited Jon ran after Olly to where the wildling was. When he got there he saw a bunch of the Knights Watch standing around murmuring about Ben. As he pushed past them he noticed that there wasn’t anyone in the middle of the circle just a tombstone that said traitor. Jon turned around just as the first knife went through his body. Every one of the men that he called brothers stabbed him. He stood until he couldn’t anymore, as he knelt before them listening to them call him traitor, he watched as Olly came forward to give him the last blow. He fell backwards as the blood seeped from his body.
Written by Brooke Williamson
Sources:
HBO Game of Thrones season 5 episodes 1-10
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/10735504/Game-of-Thrones-the-20-most-shocking-moments.html
http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/06/14/game-of-thrones-shocking-moments-season-5-sansa-raped/
