10 Most Controversial Storylines in Game of Thrones

2024/01/19

Almost half a decade since the series finale, fans remain divided over what happened to HBO's prestige fantasy drama. For many years, kept fans engrossed with well-crafted plots and magificent production, but even then, there were certain storylines that were too violent, too nonsensical, or too disturbing, even for a medieval show.

Violence against women, especially, became an ongoing issue for fans. In addition, the last couple of seasons of the show became rushed and made little sense, mainly because of badly plotted scripts that disconnected from the stellar story set in earlier seasons.

These storylines could have been refined or removed from the show for a better viewing experience.

10 Tyrion's Murderous Spree Was Out of Character

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Tyrion and Shae's , especially when Shae refused to take a bribe from Tywin.

However, she later testified against Tyrion for regicide, proving falsely that Tyrion had murdered Joffrey. Tyrion flew into a murderous rage, killing both Shae and his father in a very uncharacteristic move.

Seeing how deep and devoted Shae and Tyrion's bond was, this sudden betrayal didn't add up; neither did Tyrion's violence, where he strangled her with a chain when he found her in Tywin's bed. It seemed like a plot just for shock value, although there was a lot of emotional payoff to Tywin's murder.

9 Arya Becoming a Faceless Man Made No Sense

Game of Thrones has many protagonists, but whether it's beating the odds or killing the Night King, Arya often proves she's the real main character.

Arya Stark was always different from her other noble counterparts, and her rejection of convention was a breath of fresh air. However, the storyline where she joins the House of Black and White to become a Faceless Man is kind of bizarre. Her training itself was strange, and the house full of faces also got disturbing after a point.

It felt as if Arya's arc was wasted by this diversion into a cult of assassins who also had a religious angle to them. There was no real motivation for her character to become a Faceless Man, and the whole storyline seemed uncanny and unnecessary. The rules of this particular magic were also extremely confusing and unclear.

8 Khal Drogo and Daenerys's Marriage Had Insidious Beginnings

Despite the love that blossomed between Khal Drogo and Daenerys, the beginning of their journey was the worst.

Viserys sold his sister into a marriage to a vicious warlord, Drogo, in exchange for his large army to reclaim the Iron Throne. Unlike the books, Drogo was violent and aggressive with Dany, assaulting her on their wedding night and several times after that, too.

It was Daenerys who had to find a way to communicate with her husband, after which their relationship improved. However, Drogo's terrible attitude toward Daenerys can't be forgotten, and getting forced into marriage was .

7 Jaime and Cersei's Entire Relationship Was Repulsive

shocked fans early on with the incestuous relationship between siblings Jaime and Cersei.

They became intimate in their early adulthood, and their affair continued long Robert Baratheon. Cersei and Jaime claimed to love each other, but there was plenty of manipulation, violence, and darkness in their bond.

They birthed three children together, and when Joffrey died, Jaime assaulted Cersei next to his corpse. These twins had the most twisted relationship, and just when it seemed like Jaime had gotten away from it all, he returned to King's Landing to die with Cersei.

6 Craster's Daughter-Wives Faced the Worst Treatment

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A storyline that was undoubtedly vile was Craster's community beyond the Wall. He lived away from the Wildlings with his daughters, whom he also wed and impregnated. Craster abused these women as he pleased and sacrificed the male children to the White Walkers.

This sick practice was , and it became worse when Craster's daughters faced ill-treatment at the hands of the Night's Watch mutineers as well.

There was too much pain and violence in the lives of Craster's children.

5 Shireen's Sacrifice Was An Awful Moment

Stannis Baratheon was a major candidate for the Throne, and his war efforts were enthusiastic. However, Stannis went too far in his ambition. With Melisandre by his side, he looked to the Lord of Light for power. In a horrifying moment, Stannis sacrificed his innocent daughter, Shireen, by burning her at the stake.

The murder of a child will never be a good look for anyone, and Stannis crossed a line when he did it to his own daughter. Sadly, the sacrifice was for naught, as Stannis was defeated and killed shortly after his misdeed.

4 The Violence in Sansa and Ramsay's Marriage Raised Eyebrows

Sansa Stark had a difficult arc from beginning to end, but fans felt that the violence she faced was gratuitous. After the horrors she faced at Cersei, Joffrey, and Littlefinger's hands, Sansa was married to Ramsay to secure the future of the North. Littlefinger arranged the nuptials, but Ramsay's cruelty soured it all.

On their wedding night, Ramsay sexually assaulted Sansa while making Theon watch. This was the point of no return for many fans, who felt that the inclusion of this scene crossed a limit.

Showing the mistreatment of women to this degree was disturbing, and what was worse was that .

3 The Killing of Robert Baratheon's Bastards Was An Extreme Measure

In both Game Of Thrones and A Song Of Ice And Fire, Joffrey did some terrible things. Some of these actions are only present in the books.

Cersei and Jaime's relationship was a large plot point in

Season 1, with Ned Stark discovering that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were products of incest and not Robert Baratheon's children. All of Robert's bastard progeny across King's Landing had brown hair, but his own royal offspring had blond hair, which gave away their secret.

Thus, Joffrey ordered a hunt: all of the Baratheon bastards were to be killed so that this secret wouldn't come out. This included babies, teens, and even young men — nobody was spared. It was an extreme reaction that shocked viewers.

2 Theon Greyjoy's Extended Torture Didn't Add Anything to The Plot

Theon lost many fans when he betrayed Robb and took over the North, but his subsequent capture by Ramsay Bolton proved to be more than a redemption. Over three seasons, Theon was tortured psychologically, sexually, and physically, which was depicted very graphically on the show.

What made this plotline questionable was that Theon's transformation to Reek added nothing to the show as a whole. It was a needlessly cruel tangent that could have been wrapped up quickly; instead, Theon's arc was reduced to only this for almost three full seasons.

1 Bran Stark Winning the Iron Throne Was Not a Great Conclusion

Every fan would agree that the finale was disappointing, and the winner of the Iron Throne was controversial. Bran was an important character with his connection to magic: he even became the Three-Eyed-Raven. However, Bran's ascent to the Throne went against the prophecies about the Throne and made little sense to viewers.

Bran's claim to the Throne was nearly nonexistent, and seeing how cutthroat the people of Westeros were, the people would hardly accept Bran as King. This plotline left much to be desired and was an unsatisfactory conclusion to the show.