Game Of Thrones: 20 Most Paused Moments

8. Stannis Cuts A Guy's Head In Half (Season 2, Episode 9)

Aside from being a visual showcase, Blackwater also benefited hugely from having a B-movie filmmaker of Marshall's caliber at the helm: he's extremely adept at directing gnarly action sequences, filled to the brim with ridiculous and entertaining gore. He puts this to brilliant use in this episode, as Stannis earns one of the best kills in the show so far, calmly hacking the top of a guy's head off mid-battle, causing it to promptly fly out of view as we cut to what remains of the guy's head, and blood squirts out of it. Sure, it's not for the faint of stomach, but if you love a good, bloody kill, the show has few equals beyond this one.

7. White Walker (Season 2, Episode 10)

Ever since the pilot episode of Game of Thrones, the White Walkers have been a firm background presence in the show, being mentioned considerably more than they're actually seen, usually being shown in shadows and for merely fleeting glimpses. This changed, however, at the end of season two, as a warning call is let out that the White Walkers are coming, and the clumsy Sam trips over in the ensuing frenzy. He looks on in terror as a White Walker riding a horse pulls up beside him, takes a look, and then orders an army of White Walkers to attack the Night's Watch camp as the episode comes to an end. Given that we don't see the White Walkers in action at the start of the next season (the attack has already happened), this is one of our best looks at them, and the design is again a creepy testament to the excellent quality of the show's effects.