Theon Greyjoy is an interesting character whose arc is a rollercoaster of emotions. You like him, start to love him, then absolutely hate him, then feel sorry for him, and finally you start to like him again. This is because of the absolutely stellar writing on the part of George R.R. Martin, who wrote Theon as a very nuanced character with very real flaws and strengths.
Theon was barely in the last 2 seasons of the show, but that could be seen as a good thing due to how horrible they were. Still though, Theon was one of the very few characters whose entire arc wasn’t completely destroyed by the incompetent writers in seasons 7 and 8. So, let’s take a look at all the best Theon moments from the show!
10. King in the North (Season 1, Episode 10)
This was a scene that struck a great chord with all the viewers of the show. Having grown up far away from his home of Pyke in the Iron Islands, Theon was taken as a political hostage by Ned all these years ago to ensure that the Iron Islands wouldn’t rebel, making Theon practically grow up with Robb and Jon and see them as his brothers.
So, when Greatjon Umber decides to throw away his allegiances to the Iron Throne and name Robb Stark as the first King in the North in 300 years, Theon is the first to rise up in support of this. Asking Robb if they will always be brothers, Theon gets on his knees and swears his undying allegiance to Robb as his right hand man.
9. Back at Pyke (Season 2, Episode 2)
After his relatively minor role in season 1 as being Robb’s right hand man during his campaign, season 2 sees Theon being way more important to the overall story, where he is tasked to go to his family in the Iron Islands and win them over to Robb’s cause in the war against the Crown.
Thinking that he is returning home as a hero to a warm welcome, he then finds that he is more or less hated by his countrymen, who all treat him as an outsider. The scene also tells us that Theon isn’t even the most hated Greyjoy, as there are rumors flying around that his infamous uncle, Euron, plans to come back.
8. Winterfell (Season 2, Episode 6)
This is when Theon officially turns into a very pathetic character that doesn’t deserve any sympathy, at least from me. After being rejected by the family that abandoned him, he tries to prove himself by completely betraying the family that accepted him, taking over their ancestral home.
He continuously tries to prove himself to be a much better warrior than he truly is, a facade that is effortlessly seen through and exposed by Ser Rodrik Cassel. Theon turns into a hated traitor and the viewers absolutely despise him, though this moment is integral to his overall character arc.
7. Prince of Winterfell (Season 2, Episode 8)
The relationship between Theon and Yara is one that was very awkward and strained from the first moment that we saw them together. In their time on the Iron Islands, Yara made her disdain for her brother very clear due to how he was completely unlike someone from her home, and his father also did the same by making it clear that Yara was his favored child.
So, when Theon takes over Winterfell, naturally Yara chastises him for it and tells him how foolish of an act this truly was. However, despite all this judgment, Yara can be seen to actually care for her brother deep down. She calmly tells him to abandon this place and to come home, giving Theon a new perspective and a moment of clarity.
6. Theon’s Speech (Season 2, Episode 10)
Very few people actually expected Theon to live past season 2 as the finale had him completely surrounded in Winterfell by a Northern army. Things kept going from bad to worse for him and there was no escape in sight. However, in a moment of foolish bravery, Theon decides to stay his ground, willing to die fighting if he must.
Maester Luwin even tells him to go off to the Wall where he can live as a member of the Watch, but Theon ignores this. However, he and his squad are actually saved from the army, which unfortunately spells the worst for Theon. Not dying in this battle leads to a far worse fate for him.
5. Reflection (Season 3, Episode 4)
After being kept in a dungeon for an unforeseen amount of time without much food and water, Theon has more than enough time to reflect on his life and what got him in this situation. However, a mysterious boy comes to him to supposedly free him and they both escape the dungeon together. Theon then spends a good amount of time with this boy and tells him everything.
Theon admits that this was all a horrible idea and that he deeply regrets it, even going so far as to say that his real father died in King's Landing. This whole thing, however, ends up being even worse for him as the boy ends up being Ramsay Bolton, the one who is keeping him prisoner and torturing him in the first place.
4. Moat Cailin (Season 4, Episode 8)
Remember earlier on in the list when I said that you can’t feel sympathy for Theon? Yeah, that isn’t true. If season 2 was a bad time for him with all his losses, then seasons 3 and 4 are way worse as we get to see Ramsay torture the hell out of him, both physically and mentally.
This is very evident in the Moat Cailin scene, where Ramsay sends Theon to speak to the Ironborn at Moat Cailin by telling them who he is and that they will be treated with mercy if they surrender peacefully. They do surrender but Ramsay ends up flaying them alive. Alfie Allen’s acting here is spectacular as he portrays a mentally broken character who genuinely believed to be helping his countrymen but inadvertently ends up betraying them.
3. Saving Sansa (Season 5, Episode 10)
Despite being mentally broken by Ramsay, Theon still came to his senses in the final episode of season 5 and saved Sansa. For the entire season, he would stay clear of her and avoid her due to him fearing punishment by Ramsay, so it was even more torturous where he was forced to watch Sansa get married to Ramsay as he couldn’t do anything about it.
This, however, changed in the final episode of the season, where in the ensuing chaos at Winterfell, Theon sees an opportunity to escape. This leads to him grabbing Sansa and making a break for freedom, even killing Myranda on the way out. This is one of the many things he does to serve his redemption arc.
2. Dragon and the Wolf (Season 7, Episode 7)
Theon made a lot of progress to regain his mental sanity ever since he escaped Ramsay’s clutches, so it was very troubling to see him fall back into depression after Yara is taken by Euron. This episode, however, sees him confronting his past mistakes and coming to terms with what his life is.
He has a conversation with Jon where he expresses his deep regret in all that he has done and wishes that he could take it back. Jon chastises him for his mistakes, but also accepts that he is not that man anymore, saying that he is both a Greyjoy and a Stark. This leads to him rallying his remaining men and rescuing Yara from Euron’s clutches.
1. The Long Night (Season 8, Episode 3)
Season 8 was a horrible season for many, many reasons. Theon’s death, however, was one of the better parts of it. While the execution was stupid, it made thematic sense. He proved himself to be a great archer and defended Bran from many wights in the Weirwood forest using fire arrows.
However, when the Night King finally comes, Theon knows what he must do and valiantly charges at him with a spear, only to die. This is a good death for him all things considered, as he dies protecting Bran, the same Stark child he pretended to have killed back in season 2 when he took Winterfell.
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