8 Shocking Game Of Thrones Scenes That Could Change TV Forever

2. The Red Wedding

The Rains of Castamere | Season 3 | Episode 9 Like with Oberyn's and Shireen's deaths, this scene is one which flies in the face of traditional TV storytelling, leaving everyone who watches it shaking their head in disbelief. While TV teaches us to believe that good guys always win, or that if they don't, they go out in a blaze of glory, The Red Wedding showed audiences around the world that this won't be the case anymore, no matter how much they want it to so. Robb Stark's military campaign to avenge his father is gathering pace, and he has defeated the Lannister's in battle already. Robb, his mother, and allies attend the marriage ceremony of Walder Frey's daughter to Edmure Tully. As the marriage ceremony ends, and the celebrations begin, the traditional Lannister tune 'The Rains of Castermere' is struck up. Lady Catelyn's suspicions are further aroused when she notices Roose Bolton is wearing chainmail. Quickly Frey's men descend on the Stark's and it becomes clear that an extraordinary betrayal has taken place. The Stark's and their followers are completely obliterated. The reason this scene changed television forever is that it provided the audience with something it had never seen before - arguably it was something they never wanted in the first place, and therein lies the genius of it. While most television shows preserve their protagonists at all costs, Game of Thrones does the opposite, killing off the honourable good guys because it doesn't consider honour a virtue; rather, it is a weakness. This scene in particular makes us question the values we bring to television and tells us we're wrong. It destroys our expectations and desires and gives us something unimaginable instead. Very few TV programs were willing to do this before this scene - how many will do so in the future is hard to tell.