8. Theon Burns Two Innocent Children Alive (Episode 2.7)
Theon Greyjoy has been on quite a journey across the span of Game of Thrones; most recently, of course, the smelly little fool made an unexpected bid for redemption in his helping Sansa Stark escape Winterfell and thus the clutches of her sadistic husband, Ramsay Bolton. It's about time, Theon, you wretched burke - what too so long? But can audiences really forgive Theon, a man who admittedly ordered that two innocent children be burned alive back in season 2? Yes, this survives as one of those moments that - for lack of a better word - remains "charred" in many viewer's memory banks. The show's depiction of two horribly burned - and very innocent - children, strung up, their dignity lost entirely, emphasised the cruel nature of George R.R. Martin's harsh world. But was the depiction of these deceased individuals a little too much for television? One could certainly argue as such; this episode caused a bit of a fuss amongst viewers, many of whom couldn't believe what they were looking at. It's not a pretty sight - and an early indiction of the lengths that the show would later go to in terms of violent imagery.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
