Entertainment
I have been a longtime fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, which my husband introduced me to when we met, 10 years ago. When the books became the HBO series, I was thrilled and blown away by how well it was adapted for television. Now that I'm a parent, though, I'm realizing that some of the most brutal Game of Thrones moments involve horrible things happening to children or their parents. It's the stuff of nightmares at times.
George R. R. Martin has done his best to explain why so much brutality needs to exist in this series, and far be it from me to question a writer on the world he created. It goes without saying, though, that such brutality can be hard for some people to endure watching, all in the name of entertainment. I mean, who wants to put themselves in the position of imagining watching your own child being murdered (because we kind of all go there, don't we?)
Anyway, despite this shortcoming (in my opinion), I continue to be a fan of the series, and eagerly await Season 6, and all the surprises it will bring. I can only hope there will be fewer moments that have the mother in me cowering in the corner with her eyes covered.
Jaime Pushing Bran Out Of The Window
Just try not to imagine this happening to your own kid, in some way.
Arya & Sansa Being There For Ned Stark's Beheading
Watching your father get beheaded by a hormonal young king, while the crowd eggs him on? Yeah, that's not going to lead to permanent psychological damage.
Viserys Selling Daenerys To Khal Drogo
Selling your sister to pay for your quest to win back the Iron Throne? Worst. Sibling. Ever.
Lysa Arryn Breastfeeding Her Son Robin...When He's Clearly At Least 10 Years Old
That scene, in Season 1, still haunts me. Blech. Like, I'm sorry but your parenting is too attached now.
Sansa Stark Being Made To Look At Her Father's Head
I'm sorry, but the sh*t that this poor girl has to go through, while her family crumbles and is destroyed around her, is just awful.
The Red Wedding: Catelyn Stark Watches As Her Son Robb Is Murdered
Can you imagine anything worse as a parent? And yes, I know that I keep connecting these fictional things to "if they happened to you and your kids" but when you're a parent, you literally cannot think anything else when something like that happens onscreen.
The Red Wedding: Talisa Stark Stabbed In The Belly
This was one of the worst scenes ever, in the history of television. Lots of people weighed in on the controversial episode, and to be honest, I couldn't bring myself to include a gif of this scene, because I don't want everyone reading this to have nightmares.
Melisandre Giving Birth To A Monster
Ummm, NOPE.
Tyrion Killing His Father
And while he's relieving himself, no less. Can't say I'd want to be offed by my progeny that way.
The Purple Wedding
Listen, we all wanted Joffrey dead, but holy crap. The pain that Cersei is going through as she watches her beloved son die from poisoning is horrible.
Sansa's Rape
Yes, we know her mother is long dead, but there's something about Sansa that makes me want to take care of her. She has been the victim of so much cruelty, and I think fans kind of hoped that there would be something bigger to come out of such a horrific scene, like maybe there was a reason for it. Turns out, the reason is that Ramsay Bolton is as big a monster as there is.
Shireen Baratheon's Sacrifice
Sorry, what? You just decided to burn your only child alive? So that you can become king of Westeros? I thought we knew you, Stannis.
