The 12 Most Badass "Game Of Thrones" Moments From This Week's Episode, Ranked

Petition to rename the Battle of Winterfell the "Battle of the Badasses."

12. Melisandre lighting up the swords of the Dothraki riders.

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Watching her use her magic right when it was needed most made everything seem just a little less bleak (for a couple minutes, anyway).

11. Ghost charging into battle next to Jorah.

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We haven't gotten to see much of our furry friend lately, so this shot was a welcome one. The only thing cooler than Jorah leading an army of Dothraki with flaming weapons is all of that PLUS a direwolf.

10. The chilling moment when all of the Dothraki swords were snuffed out.

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There are a lot of (justified) complaints about this episode being too dark, but during this sequence it made perfect sense. Not being able to see anything except a few dim lights going out, and knowing that there was an army of wights charging but not seeing them until they were just a few feet away, was absolutely terrifying.

9. Arya moving so quietly through the library that she made less noise than a DROP OF BLOOD.

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This really highlighted just how superhuman Arya's skills have gotten, and set up the ending.

8. The Night King raising his arms...again.

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Knowing what we learned from "Hardhome," this simple gesture let us know that things were about to get MUCH worse. And having Jon by himself in the middle of the battlefield when it happened was chilling.

7. That dragon battle.

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We've all known it was coming, we've been waiting for it, and it was pretty damn cool. Watching Rhaegal rip a hole in Viserion's throat was simultaneously awesome and sad.

6. Melisandre asking Arya, "What do we say to the god of death?"

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And Arya responding, "Not today." Of course.

5. Jorah taking out countless wights to protect his khaleesi.

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Lyanna Mormont once said that a single fighter from Bear Island fights with the strength of 10 mainlanders, and Jorah pretty much proved that here. Add to that the knowledge that he's fighting not only for his queen, but for the love of his life, and you've got one badass moment.

4. Theon holding off an army of wights and charging the Night King.

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What a character arc for Theon. Could you ask for a better redemption than defending one of the most important people in Westeros by basically defeating a small army by yourself? Honestly, the only thing that killed this moment was Theon failing to even come close to landing a hit on the Night King.

3. Beric Dondarrion holding off a swarm of wights with no weapon.

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Beric knew he had a mission, and he was so dedicated to it that he literally became a human shield to protect Arya, blocking the hallway and being stabbed who knows how many times. One could say he Hodor'd the hell out of that situation.

2. Arya assassinating the Night King.

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I didn't see this coming, and the Night King sure didn't either. The best thing about this sequence was that you could see the wind blowing a White Walker's hair right before Arya's leap, indicating that she was so swift and so quiet that she blew right past them. And then using essentially the same hand-switch feint that she used against Brienne? Masterful.

1. Lyanna Mormont killing a giant.

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There were a lot of crazy, heroic moments in this episode, but this one stood out as the most badass to me. Lyanna charged that giant knowing she would die, then realized she had a shot to kill it and — even though the giant had CRUSHED ALL HER RIBS — she managed to gather the strength to take the thing down and probably save several lives. What a legend.

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