Game Of Thrones: 10 Most Satisfying Moments

Fans of HBO's Game of Thrones know that the story of the Starks, Targeryens, Lannisters, and dozens of other characters is rarely a kind one. From the moment that Ilyn Payne's axe comes down on Ned Stark's neck, it becomes patently clear that we're watching a different kind of show, one that's thrown all rules to the wayside in order to embrace the no-holds-barred television movement of the 2000s and 2010s (making it all the more impressive that the source material, George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, began in 1996).

The gut-punches come hard and fast, and the moments of levity typically only pave the way for more horror. Everyone suffers and dies, and when the bad guys get their comeuppance, it isn't always satisfying - just look at the anticlimactic poisoning of King Joffrey, who was positioned as the "big bad" of the first three seasons. Hopes of Sansa throwing him off the Red Keep's parapets or Arya stabbing him with Needle fizzled as he choked and turned purple at his own wedding. There was no glory, no gloating - no catharsis.

Still, the show throws its viewers the occasional bone, if only to keep us from getting too depressed. Over the course of the six seasons, there have been times when things work out properly, if only for a moment, and it's enough to make us stand up and cheer. Whether it's because they're so well-executed or so rare is hard to say.

It's hard to imagine rooting for the despicable Cersei Lannister, or cheering on the fiery deaths of hundreds (or thousands) of innocents, but that's the exact kind of position in which Game of Thrones fans are routinely put - our morality gets as grey as some of the characters'.

Cersei empowered the religious order known as The Sparrows in order to persecute Loras Tyrell and Queen Margaery, but she ended up suffering at their hands, as well. After being remanded to the Red Keep until her trial, Cersei had time to plot her revenge. She ended up stockpiling wildfire beneath the Sept of Baelor, and setting it off during the eventual hearing.

Cersei getting her get revenge - she stood by a window in the Red Keep, sipping wine as she watched everything burn - was immensely satisfying. For two seasons, the High Sparrow had adopted a friendly, nurturing - even avuncular - manner while proving himself one of the most merciless villains on the entire show. Seeing him go up in flames like a great green offering to the Lord of Light was a sickeningly fit ending to his story.

Even the Tyrells, who were annoyances at worst, learned in their final moments not to cross the Queen Mother. Cersei may be evil, but she suffered as much as any of the Starks throughout the course of Game of Thrones. She deserved to win one - even if her triumph was raw and gruesome and even if it only lasted for a scene or two.