And the best exchange from Game of Thrones Season 5 is…

…this conversation between Varys and Tyrion from “The Wars to Come”:

"VARYS: “The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis, a monarch who can intimidate the high lords and inspire the people, a ruler loved by millions with a powerful army and the right family name.”TYRION: “Good luck finding him.”VARYS: ‘”Who said anything about him?”"

*gasp* They’re talking about ME!

There were quite a few options on this poll, but readers ultimately went with a classic that was heavily featured in the initial trailers for Game of Thrones Season 5. It wasn’t a landslide victory, though. Karsi’s memorable quip about the wildling-Night’s Watch feud had a lot of fans, as did the latest episode of Lady Olenna’s “Sassy Old Broad Theater.”

[polldaddy poll=9003167]

In fact, this may have been our most tightly contested poll yet. Lots of entries were popular, from dramatic conversations like the one where Mance Rayder articulated his wildling philosophy to Jon Snoww, to funny exchanges like Stannis’ infamous grammar smackdown. The Game of Thrones writers still clearly have an ear for dialogue, even if not all of Season 5’s plotlines unfolded gracefully.

Maybe that’s why the Tyrion-Varys exchange snagged so many votes. It represents a time near the start of the season when everything was still chock-full of promise. I still recall hearing that line for the first time in the Season 5 trailers and getting a chill of excitement. The prospect of Tyrion meeting Daenerys (worlds collide!) was exciting, and I couldn’t wait to see it happen.

Of course, worlds eventually did collide, and if you ask me, the richly textured conversation between Tyrion and Daenerys in “Hardhome” was one of the highlights of the year. And yet, it only placed eighth in our poll. Maybe the promise of what was going to be just proved more intoxicating than the reality of what we got, even if what we got was pretty great.

Also, the Varys-Tyrion exchange has yet to fully pay off. True, Tyrion has met Daenerys, but it remains to be seen if he can help her become “stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis, a monarch who can intimidate the high lords and inspire the people, a ruler loved by millions with a powerful army and the right family name.” God(s) willing, we’ll see their conversation really start to come to life in Season 6.

Next: Game of Thrones VFX: Behind the Scenes of Daznak's Pit