3. Joffrey's Sadism
Ah Joffrey, what can be said apart from that he is pure evil? This character no doubt causes high blood pressure in viewers simply by still existing ,and although he was no cherub in the books, the show has gone out of its way to ensure we know how twisted he is. Played by Jack Gleeson as a soulless monster, we have seen him do everything from murder prostitutes with a crossbow to threaten to drown someone in wine. In Game of Thrones Joffrey is purposefully cruel and malicious, taking great pleasure in the pain and humiliation of others. In the books he comes across as more incompetent and petulant than utterly psychotic and although he does some terrible things, the writers of the show seem determined to top R.R. Martin's portrayal of the boy king. Luckily Gleeson is up to the challenge a fact confirmed when Martin thanked him by congratulating Gleeson on the fact everyone hates him and their decision to turn him into an all-out psychopath has turned out to be genius. Game of Thrones is has a rich, layered narrative with complex characters operating in all sorts of moral ambiguity, so to have one character throw off the shackles of subtlety and embrace their role as villain of the piece is incredibly refreshing.