Game of Thrones wrapped up in 2019 to mixed reviews. The writing in the final season was the weakest in the show’s history and it felt, at times, like the writers just wanted to wrap up their remaining plot threads as quickly as possible. There are even graphs online showing the decrease in word count per season as the series progressed. It all started to feel a little like action over substance. Many fans are sad at the way the show went, others are just looking for the next show to watch.
In earlier seasons, the show took its time with each character, allowing them cutting one-liners, crackling dialogue, and soulful monologues. This was a show about how people reacted to massive changes in a society that shifted around them, whether they liked it or not. Here are 10 of the most memorable monologues that reveal these characters, their world, and their history.
10 Stannis To Shireen
In "Sons of the Harpy," King Stannis surprises his daughter, and the audience, by telling her just how much he loves her. This moment is perhaps overlooked by many fans. This is partly because the writers disliked the Stannis character and took away a lot of his best traits. He likely had fewer fans on the screen as he does among book readers.
However, Stephen Dillane acts this scene so well, showing just how much he loves his daughter under that joyless exterior, that it makes him sacrificing her at the end of the season seem entirely out of character. They both deserved better.
9 Davos To The Iron Bank
Ser Davos Seaworth goes from being Stannis’s hand to Jon’s and then becomes Master of Ships as the series draws to a close. This is because he knows how job interviews work. His brilliance is usually in selling other people rather than himself. He goes on to make speeches that draw reluctant houses into war and vouches for Jon’s right to rule in front of Queen Daenerys.
"The Laws of Gods and Men" features the first and best example of how the simple smuggler sees past all of the important people’s proud slights and says it like it is: this is the problem, and this is why it’s your problem. He does the impossible and talks the Iron Bank into supporting King Stannis, despite his dismal prospects in the ongoing war.
8 Robert On Love And War
In "The Wolf and the Lion," King Robert Baratheon tells his queen, Cersei, that Viserys Targaryen could be a threat if he crosses the sea with a unified army. Up until this point, he has railed about how much he hated the Targaryens, due to Rhaegar stealing off with his love, Lyanna Stark.
Robert is consistently shown as angry. Here, he talks about the two things he knows best: war and heartbreak. We realize that all his drinking, roaring, and whoring is to try and fill a hole in his heart. The saddest part, which Mark Addy sells beautifully, is that he can’t even remember the face of the woman whose absence has left him a shell of a man.
7 Littlefinger On Chaos
This one is admittedly a great piece of writing that the showrunners didn’t borrow from George R. R. Martin. Littlefinger and Varys’ clash of ideologies was a high point of early seasons. In "The Climb," Littlefinger gets the upper hand. He says that he has found Varys’ spy and that she has met some mysterious demise.
Telling Varys that chaos is a ladder, we understand that this man, who started the war, will truly do anything to advance himself. The chilling end reveals Ros, who had spied on him for Varys, has been brutally murdered by King Joffrey. Her small attempt to climb the ladder ended in a fall.
6 Tyrion At The Blackwater
If we needed any further confirmation that this wasn’t a show about heroes and villains, this speech says it all. In "Blackwater," Tyrion doesn’t inspire his men to fight through courage and leadership, he shames them.
Ever the ruthless pragmatist, he tells it like it is. This is a gritty world, they’ll get no reward, but defeating the enemy will save their lives, their homes, their wives from harm. This is subverting expectations done well. This isn’t a world where brave heroes slay evil villains, it’s kill or be killed. “Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let’s go kill them.”
5 Cersei To Tommen
This scene isn’t as flash as Cersei’s "power is power" speech, but this quiet moment in "Blackwater" lets Lena Headey shine. As the battle seems hopeless, Cersei proudly sits on the throne with her son in a show of defiance.
She doesn’t know how to love someone without destroying them. To save her youngest child from execution or being used as a political pawn, she will poison him. To keep him calm, she tells him a story of a little lion who must be brave. Just before she gives him the poison the battle is won, but the scene reminds us that Cersei’s love for her children is the one spark of decency within her.
4 Tyrion’s Trial
"The Laws of Gods and Men" showcases Peter Dinklage’s best moment on the show. As he’s about to be sentenced to death by his father for a crime he didn’t commit, Tyrion explodes with rage. This is a lifetime of resentment towards his father and sister for their horrible treatment of him, as well as more than three seasons of mistreatment we’ve witnessed.
It’s also railing against the society that will turn on you in a second when they’re through needing you. He’s railing against the Game itself and the unwitting players the lords and ladies roll over on their way to power.
3 Jaime Knights Brienne
This scene of Jaime knighting Brienne in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is more satisfying than seeing the two embrace as lovers. This is the real culmination of their story. Brienne has been Jaime’s example of true knighthood and she was instrumental in his becoming a better man. She is why he’s honoring his vow to fight for the living, like a true knight.
She could never be a knight because of sexist Westerosi culture, which cares more for traditional gender roles than merit. The scene is perfectly acted, with a slight nervous movement of his sword and an earnest tone in his voice, Jaime makes Brienne the first female knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
2 Jaime’s Story
Before they dropped a brick on Jaime’s head and undercut his entire character with throwaway lines, the writers were brilliantly adapting George R. R. Martin’s pitch-perfect redemption arc. Before now, we had seen some moments of humanity in the previously stone-cold Jaime. We had not yet seen him one-on-one in a scene with anyone he trusted, bar Cersei.
In "Kissed by Fire," he tells his story to Brienne and we learn why he seems to love himself and loathe himself, all at once. His rage crackles in his voice at being judged guilty for saving the lives of half a million people. This one scene recontextualizes every moment with Jaime we have seen up until this point.
1 Oberyn’s Story
In "Mockingbird," Prince Oberyn Martell visits Tyrion in his cell and tells the story of how he visited Casterly Rock when Tyrion was a baby. This scene is a masterclass in character writing, shedding light on Oberyn himself, Tyrion, Jaime, and Cersei. Writers, take notice.
This moment ends by setting up the battle in "The Mountain and the Viper," and makes good on the promise that the charismatic Oberyn Martell would be a major player. This scene solidifies his place as a fan favorite, despite his short tenure. The nuance of the performance is all the more impressive when you realize Pedro Pascal actually speaks with an American accent.
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