Game Of Thrones: 20 Best Internet Reactions To 'The Dance Of Dragons'

Just when you thought Game Of Thrones couldn't get any more controversial slash bonkers, HBO add paedophilia and child burning and dragon riding and the Internet explodes in a tide of excitement and hatred. Mostly directed at the dregs of the House Baratheon, inevitably.

Despite the theory that Episode 8 is the new Episode 9 after last week's stunning final sequence, The Dance Of Dragons offered more than enough twists and spectacle to keep even the most jaded of Throners on the edge of their seats. There were red herrings (in the identity of the Sons Of The Harpy's leader) to go with the clams, betrayals to balance heroic returns (curiously with no mention of the White Walkers, which should have been the first thing anyone mentioned) and perversions to go with Drogon's ninja-like stealth attack on the fighting pit.

Regardless of how well Drogon's fight and flight sequence did to crown the episode, one moment will no doubt haunt fans for a long time past the end of this season. Shireen's disturbing screams pierced Stannis' fandom like dragon glass and if you listened closely you could probably have heard the sound of millions of Baratheon banners being changed across social media. Team Stannis is no more, and God knows what Ser Davos is going to do when he gets back from rallying help from the Night's Watch.

With the emotionally devastating episode out of the way, now's the time to reflect on how it made everyone feel...

Harsh words, but it's hard to argue with the sentiment. In sentencing his daughter to a fiery death (SURELY there was a less barbaric way of sacrificing her?!) and then watching without so much as a shed tear, Stannis went from being the heroic saviour at the end of Season 4, to basically being the worst villain in a world where Ramsay Bolton and Walder Frey are still alive.

That's fairly impressive work when you think about it.