The 30 most iconic moments from Game of Thrones, ranked

12. Cersei blows up the Sept of Baelor

Even after Cersei’s walk of shame, the High Sparrow refuses to let her return to the life she led before her imprisonment. He maintains a hold on the power he’s gained in King’s Landing, and he insists on giving Cersei and Loras Tyrell a trial, as though the torment he put them through earlier wasn’t enough punishment for their sins.

Cersei is not someone who takes well to feeling powerless, so it’s not surprising that she finds a way to turn the High Sparrow’s plans against him. The scene where she uses wildfire to blow up the Sept of Baelor—with all of her enemies inside of it—is striking, and not just because of the glorious score that accompanies it.

Blowing up the Sept of Baelor puts Cersei back in a place of power, albeit one she may not have fully wanted; Plan A would have been to continue to rule through her son Tommen, but that became possible after he jumped out his window when he saw what his mother had done. With nothing standing in her way, Cersei becomes a queen with nothing to lose. And she may yet become a “Mad Queen.” After all, blowing up part of King’s Landing in revenge sounds a lot like something Aerys Targaryen would do.

Cersei’s actions also bring an abrupt end to the Tyrell family line. Mace, Margaery, and Loras are in the Sept when Cersei destroys it, something she obviously planned for. But with the three of them gone, there’s no one left to continue House Tyrell, making it the second major house to to fall during the series. This sad fact leads Olenna to turn against the crown and seek allies in Dorne, setting the stage for season 7.