'GoT' Loves To Break Our Hearts

Even to the casual observer, it can be widely agreed that Game of Thrones is a seriously devastating show. There's no shortage of gut-wrenching and sob-inducing moments on the show. We viewers may have quickly become accustomed to death, sex and profanity in vast quanitity; it's often the way the show manipulates us in a nuanced manner and it really ends up destroying us on a deeper level. Sure, the deaths are intense. Many have greatly affected us and some have caused us to press "Pause" and do a quick little happy dance. There have been confrontations that caused us to cover our eyes in fear. There have even been wonderfully romantic moments that have tugged at our heartstrings and caused us to really hope —until all hope was quickly dashed.

So it comes as no surprise, while we're ostensibly keeping ourselves busy and not trying to think about how far away the Season 7 premiere is, that I've started wondering which of these emotional moments really stand out. Which moments were so fraught with emotion it felt like it was too much to bear? Well, guys, I'm here to take you on a trip down memory lane. We're going to revisit some of the most intensely emotional moments on Game of Thrones because...well, why not?

1. Hodor's Death

One of the few times you could hear a nation collectively weeping was during Hodor's death sequence. What made it even worse was the while we simultaneously watched Hodor get chased by a bunch of hungry White Walkers, scenes were spliced in showing how Hodor became the monosyllabic, semi-mute that would be his lifelong status quo. The dissolution of information and action came together so sadly that by the time we realized what was happening to him, it was too late.

2. Daario Getting Left Behind

Daenerys can be straight up ice cold when she wants to be. After learning to love and trust a little in the wake of the death of her first husband, Daenerys made the solid but cruel decision to break things off with her sellsword lover. Sure, he's a bit of a cad but he was consistently loyal to Dany. Watching it dawn on Daario that his one true love was leaving him behind for good was tough.

3. Cersei's Walk Of Shame

Yes, Cersei is a tough nut to crack a majority of the time. She can be ruthless, scheming and manipulative. But with the right people, she's as tender and affectionate as is humanly possible. Her walk of shame through the streets was the culmination of a long character assassination that was almost too unbearable to watch. While the sequence humanized her, it also paved the way for the havoc she wreaked at the end of Season 6.

4. Ned Stark's Beheading

It was Game of Thrones' very own Psycho moment: one of the leads —and the moral compass of the show—was set-up as a traitor and beheaded in the first season. Ned's death came as a shock to viewers, especially to those who had not read the books and didn't know what was coming. We had been led to believe Ned was invincible but that was not the case.

5. Greyworm & Missandei's Unspoken Romance

What's could be more beautifully sad than the ever-blossoming romance between Greyworm and Missandei. These two lovebirds have been flirting with the secretive looks for two seasons now and I don't think our hearts could handle it much longer. Get together already, you beautiful people! Duty be damned, you deserve each other.

6. Daenerys' Trip Into The House Of The Undying

The feels, the feels. This is one sequence that bears no explanation of how saddening it is. Imagine having to walk through a room and see all of the possible directions your life could have gone in, memories of your darkest moments and more. Wouldn't you emerge feeling hopeless, too?

7. Jamie Watching Cersei Become Queen

Jamie and Cersei have an extremely complicated relationship. Romance aside, these twins are ostensibly two halves of the same person, constantly trying to define themselves alone and in relation to one another. So imagine when Jamie, throughly tired from his time in Blackwater, returns home to see his sister/girlfriend have blown up a part of the city and seized the crown away from their now-dead son. It's enough to turn a man cold to the one person in the world he deeply trusted.

8. Jon's Death & Resurrection

It was one of the most intense moments in the show's history. Jon's men betraying him and subsequently murdering him was horrific. Jon has just fought an intense battle, lost his first love and was now simply shuffled off the mortal coil. After we were killed (metaphorically) by his loss, we were happily killed again when Jon was resurrected. There's only so much drama you can handle on this show but man, how much extreme grief and joy can one viewership withstand?

9. Bran Seeing His Father In The Past

Don't lie: It's was equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful to see Bran temporarily reunited with his father in Season 6. As Bran explored his warging abilities, he began going further back into the past. He went past his own lifetime, and began delving into his father's childhood for answers and insight. It was melancholy and darkly lovely to see Bran be able to experience his father in a different way, even if they could never communicate.

10. Lady Crane Caring For Arya

Finally, after what felt like years of wandering on her own, Arya's time in Braavos was equally intense and beautiful. Her relationship that developed during Season 6 with Lady Crane was wholly intriguing. Lady Crane was confident, beautiful and willing to mentor Arya. She felt she could trust Lady Crane and, in a sense, viewed her as a mother figure. Lady Crane's role in helping Arya recuperate after being mortally wounded was so, so touching but sad, too; you knew that connected to Arya, Lady Crane had a big target on her back.

11. Davos Learning Of Shireen's Fate

Holy smokes, this was devastating to witness. Davos, often styled as a father-figure to those younger than he (as he currently is with the Starks), has been put through the highly emotional motions over the last two seasons. It was touching to see him bond with Shireen Baratheon, even if he didn't know exactly what happened to her until it was too late. The discovery of her stag toy in a snow back was too painful to watch.

12. Tyrion's Trial

This was the moment Tyrion was transformed from a lackadaisical, scheming Lannister to a real hero. He was furious for being made into a criminal by the people he had loved and trusted, was made into a fool by the woman he loved and all because his nephew had been murdered. The trial was definitely nail-biting but watching Tyrion rain down on his peers during his trial was as sad as it was powerful.

13. The Red Wedding

Legitimately the most horrific moment in Game of Thrones. I think we all know the kinds of feels this moment gave us.

Looking over this list, there's already been so much sadness —beautiful and painful—in Game of Thrones. With two seasons looming and lots of storylines to wrap up, I think it's safe to say we can only expect it to get tougher from here on out.

Images: Courtesy of HBO; Giphy (6)