I know that you’re probably thinking that this is quite a niche list. But, surprisingly, the GOT TV show has a surprising number of scenes set in taverns that can range from very important to small comic relief scenes.
In the spirit of the rest of these lists, let’s keep the scenes that I’ve listed here as being from seasons 1-6 only, because we don’t talk about the travesty that are the final 2 seasons. These scenes are the best tavern scenes that we have found from the first 6 seasons of the show!
1. Joffrey the brat (Season 1, Episode 2)
A very important scene for many reasons. This scene takes place in the tavern that the Kings party stays at on their way back to Kings’ Landing from Winterfell. The main thing that takes place here is that Arya makes friends with the butcher’s son, Micah, who she practices sword fighting with. When they’re doing this, Sansa and Joffrey join them, where Joffrey tries to act macho and defend Arya for no reason.
Arya, however, doesn't need his help and attacks Joffrey when he starts to hurt Micah, causing him to begin attacking Arya. Arya is then saved by her direwolf Nymeria who mauls Joffrey's arm and wounds him greatly. This then leads to the actual tavern scene where Robert holds a trial to see what actually happened, which eventually leads to Ned killing Sansa’s wolf and the Hound killing Micah. This is an important scene which shows us the reality of this unforgiving world.
2. Catelyn captures Tyrion (Season 1, Episode 4)
This is arguably the most important tavern scene of them all! This scene picks up after Tyrion has had his visit to the Wall and is on his way back to the capitol, where he stops at a tavern for some food and rest. To his surprise, he sees Catelyn Stark already there, being uncharacteristically confrontational to him. At this point in the story, Catelyn is under the impression that Tyrion is responsible for what happened to Bran.
Catelyn then gets all the people in the tavern to turn their swords on Tyrion so she can take him captive for him to answer for his crimes. This is the scene that inadvertently starts the brutal War of the Five Kings due to Catelyn’s foolishness and is definitely one of the most important moments in the show.
3. Jon and Sam at the Tavern (Season 1, Episode 4)
All members of the Nights’ Watch become brothers till the day that they die, but this is never more true than in the case of Sam and Jon. The two of them share a very special bond that makes them the best of friends and this is never more apparent than in this scene in season 1, where they are around a tavern table and are speaking about their experiences with girls.
When Jon starts to explain his reasoning for not bedding and being with just anyone, Sam quickly replies with a joke and says it in a way that only real brothers do. This leads to them both laughing and goofing off, due to which Alliser Thorne comes into the room and scolds them both. It’s a serious and heartwarming scene that shows us that brotherhood can be found in eventhe bleakest of places.
4. King in the North (Season 1, Episode 10)
Definitely one of the best moments in the entire show. This takes place after Ned has been captured and Robb has called his banners in order to fight the Lannisters. They then send a message to the Northmen about pledging their loyalty to the crown, upon which the Northmen have a lot to say.
This scene takes place in a tavern area where Robb’s army is sitting around and discussing what to do in the future, which eventually leads Great Jon Umber to refuse and mock the invitation of the Lannisters, instead choosing to kneel to Robb Stark, the first King in the North in over 300 years. This causes everyone else in attendance to do the same.
5. Arya and Tywin (Season 2, Episode 7)
Here we have one of the only changes from the books that actually landed very well. This scene is a brilliant example of great chemistry between 2 actors and an expertly written scene with layers of subtext that really shone through without necessarily pointing out.
Though this isn’t completely set in a tavern, we will cheat a little bit and give it a spot on this list as it is still in a very similar, tavern-like setting. It just consists of Tywin and Arya talking about the world, histories and the situation they are in and it just has us wishing that there was more of it.
6. Red Wedding (Season 3, Episode 9)
Why yes, I hear you ask, this is considered a tavern scene! This is because it takes place in a tavern. Shocking right?
The Red Wedding is the most infamous moment in the entire show, where fan favorite characters are killed off in front of the audience The traditional trope of the hero overcoming obstacles and eventually defeating evil is thrown out the window, where now the hero, who seemed unkillable, has his entire conquest and story arc finished in an instant.
This moment, however, was not cheap. It totally felt credible and was something that made total sense in the world of GOT and was even built up a lot in the background. This was back when the show had plot threads and story lines that actually meant something instead of doing the stupidest and most nonsensical stuff just for shock value like the last 2 seasons.
7. Arya and the Hound (Season 4, Episode 1)
This is a very cathartic scene. This shows Arya and the Hound stop by a tavern on their adventures where they are confronted by some of the soldiers that really tormented Arya and her friends some time ago. These people approach the Hound and start to mock him for running away from battles and hanging around with little girls.
What follows is Arya and Hound teaming up and killing all their enemies within the tavern. It’s made even more special when Arya eventually reunites with her long lost sword, Needle, that one of the people had stolen and was keeping for himself.
8. Jon Snow’s Election (Season 5, Episode 2)
Jon Snow was the most capable and most well suited candidate for the position of Lord Commander of the Nights’ Watch due to his bravery and leadership that he displayed at the Battle of the Wall against the Wildling attackers. However, not all his brothers saw it this way and instead opted to vote against him when it came time to choose a new Lord Commander.
This led to an amazing and surprisingly tense scene at the tavern at the Wall where the election was to take place, with Jon very narrowly taking the victory against Ser Alliser Thorne. It was completely equal at the end but Maester Aemon gave the final vote in favor of Jon, making him and all his supporters rejoice in a very heartwarming way.
9. Aegon Targaryen VI (Season 6, Episode 10)
While many would consider this the same scene as the last one on this list, I would separate them as while they both happen at the same time, the entire story behind each scene is different. This entire thing brings the origin and character of Jon Snow full circle.
This entire scene culminates with Jon’s face at the Winterfell hall, confirming a long standing fan theory and speculation of who Jon truly is, and with this reveal he is shown to be the Prince that was Promised. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing came of this bombshell reveal due to the incompetent writers of the last 2 seasons. But, the reveal itself was still great. This scene was also amazing because it was followed by the amazing King in the North scene, where Jon is the new chosen King of the Northerners.
10. Winterfell Celebrations (Season 8, Episode 4)
I give a lot of hate to season 8 of GOT, and rightfully so. The Long Night was one of, if not the single most, disappointing episodes in the show, where a decades worth of build-up is thrown in the gutter. At the very least, Jon should have killed the Night King. Still though, the scene set right after this was the Winterfell celebration, which was still very nice to see.
This is because after all the turmoil and fighting, we saw all our favorite surviving heroes in one place, celebrating their win. Though this season overall was an absolute letdown, this one scene was fun to watch.
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