3) Game of Thrones

Hands down, this season of Game of Thrones had some of the most disturbing moments of the series thus far – Prince Oberyn’s (Pedro Pascal) head squashing scene topping the list, followed closely by Lysa (Kate Dickey) falling to her death through the moon door, little Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) walking away from a dying Hound (Rory McCann), and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) watching his Wilding love die in his arms.

This season operated under the tagline ‘All Men Must Die,’ but ultimately kept with the working motto of ‘No One Is Safe.’ When every character is disposable, it creates a unique dynamic on a show with such a large ensemble cast. Losing a single character has proven to have both an expansive impact on the overall story, and barely cause a ripple, at the same time.

Arguably, the most rewarding aspect of the season came right at the beginning; giving fans a sense of satisfaction that they’ve been craving since Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) took the throne in season one. His death, although a definite game changer, set the tone for only a small part of what the rest of season four had in store. The threat on the other side of the wall and individual storylines took precedence over the search for Joffrey’s killer, and in a lot of ways it was a relief, since viewers were less concerned with who did it and were just happy that it was done.