The 30 most iconic moments from Game of Thrones, ranked

27. Jaime charges at Dany after she massacres the Lannister forces

As little as viewers like the Lannisters, is was difficult watching Daenerys and her Dothraki cavalry utterly destroy the Lannister army in “The Spoils of War.” Jaime and Bronn are part of that army, after all, and we like them. This battle turns gruesome very quickly.

Having watched his men burned and slaughtered, it’s only natural that Jaime feels rage toward Daenerys. When he sees an opportunity to kill her and end the war, he takes it, charging her and her dragon after they’re forced to land on the ground. It’s an agonizing moment for fans. Who do we root for here? Most of us were probably like Tyrion, who was watching the whole thing and seemed painfully torn.

On top of all that stuff, the moment is just beautifully photographed. Jaime Lannister rides his horse full throttle across a burnt and blackened battlefield while Ramin Djawadi’s percussive score slams on the soundtrack. How can you not be swept away? This is the kind of epic moment that pays off Game of Thrones taking the time to develop characters on different sides of a conflict, and that could only be done late in the series when they have the resources to really make it pop.