6. Oberyn's Head Is Exploded (Game Of Thrones - Season 4, Episode 8)
The Moment: As Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) faces off against Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), Oberyn's quest for vengeance ultimately becomes his undoing, as his showboating allows The Mountain to get the better of him, gouging his eyes out as he explains how he raped and murdered Oberyn's sister and her two children, before exploding Oberyn's skull with his bare hands. Why It Had To Be Paused: For a show that delivered the shocking Red Wedding massacre in the prior season, it didn't seem like Game of Thrones could possibly top itself violence-wise, but then came this highly traumatic scene, in which one of the show's most beloved new characters is violently murdered when he was mere moments away from victory. Though viewers don't actually see Oberyn's skull explode on screen, the grotesque sound is enough, and the subsequent visual of what remains of Oberyn's head is nothing if not absolutely nauseating. Just when viewers thought they'd been shocked enough, this devastating scene came along and gave them nightmares all over again.
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