Game Of Thrones: The 10 Best Side Storylines | ScreenRant
Game of Thrones had so many storylines, it was almost hard to keep track. But what were the best side plots in the entire series?
Game of Thrones redefined the kind of scope that a single TV series could have. The show consisted of many stories focusing on different characters in a variety of locations, all building towards a climax where these disparate threads would be brought together into one massive tale.
There were many side storylines that helped to develop individual characters, build up the worlds of Westeros and Essos, and that really punctuated many of the broader themes of GoT. But what were the best in the entire series?
10 Joffrey's Mismanagement Of King's Landing Leading To Riots
Game of Thrones was truly a fusion of political drama and fantasy, but issues like this added a great touch of realism that paid off in the end. Joffrey was a terrible king, and he nearly loses his throne as a result of the city's starving population rioting because of the crisis.
After such an extreme situation, it comes as no surprise that the show intentionally showed Daenerys burning food to foreshadow her dark turn or that Sansa (who was attacked in the riot) was so concerned about feeding the people.
9 Melisandre's Holy Quest
She was one of the key players behind many characters, and Melisandre's varyingly reliable prophecies, visions, and machinations really enabled all of what happened in the story to happen. However, she is one of the most thematically intriguing characters as well.
She believes that she is literally fighting against ultimate evil (which seems to be true in the end), but she does legitimately evil deeds to accomplish her goals. Her character seems like an object lesson in how perspective can change the perception of morality.
8 Sandor & Gregor Clegane's Rivalry
Although the contemporary storyline of Game of Thrones is where a lot of the action is, a huge portion of the relevant plot twists actually took place before the current story began. Such is the case with the Hound and the Mountain, as Sandor and Gregor have seemingly wanted to kill each other since they were children.
Although their paths diverged for much of the series, the final "Cleganebowl" felt like both a victory and defeat, and it was a poignant statement about the old adage "before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”
7 Grey Worm & Missandei's Love Story
Like every other character on the show, Missandei and Grey Worm both got tragic endings. However, the series was overall seriously lacking in genuinely loving romances, so their story was a welcome reprieve from all of the darkness.
It would have been wonderful to see them build some kind of life together outside of Daenerys' quest for world domination, but Grey Worm going to Naath to fulfill Missandei's dream in her honor was a moving ending.
6 Theon's Destruction And Rising From The Ashes
Out of every individual character development in the series, Theon Greyjoy's arc might just be the best of them all. It was definitely bolstered by Alfie Allen's flawless performance, but seeing Theon rise like a phoenix after suffering unimaginable torment was inspiring.
His character was a prime example of the fact that someone doesn't have to be powerful, extraordinary, or some kind of prophesied savior in order to be a hero, and that someone who has done irredeemable things can still choose to do great things as well.
5 Daenerys' Meereenese Rule
Daenerys appeared to be a heroic figure to most of the audience up until the very last episodes of the series. And while her arc in Meereen may have seemed like a pointless diversion at the time, it illuminated a lot of crucial aspects about Dany as a leader and Dany's goals.
Her handling of the city is rough to say the least, but the constant rebellions against her and the "Mhysa is master" subtext really showed how difficult it is to rule those who don't want to be ruled by someone and how hard it is to impose yourself on a culture and people that you don't know or understand.
4 Cersei's Prophesied Destiny
Although Maggy the Frog's prophecy was only lightly touched on in the TV show, the information that she gave to Cersei was a big driving force behind many of Cersei's decisions and feelings about her own family.
Obviously, the predictions all came true, but this (and many of the other foretellings through the story) really begged the question of whether or not destiny is real, or if Cersei's beliefs about her own destiny inadvertently made all of those revelations come true.
3 The Red Viper's Revenge
The Starks were arguably the family at the center of the entire story, and much of what they do is driven by what happened to the Starks in Ned's generation. And while the Dorne plotline wound up being one of Game of Thrones' worst, Oberyn was one of the best characters and his revenge arc was one of the strongest in the series.
Oberyn reminded the audience that Ned wasn't the only one who lost a beloved sister, and the Red Viper's shocking death at the literal hands of Gregor Clegane highlighted the often unfair nature of vengeance and justice.
2 Arya's Journey Through The Riverlands
Arya's sojourn through the Riverlands on her way to get home set up an astounding amount of storylines going forward despite the fact that it initially just seemed like a chronicle of characters getting from one place to the other.
But the futility of war is one of the main themes of both the book and TV series, and this emphasizes it like nothing else. Arya witnesses extreme horror and suffers a lot of pain during this point in her journey, and it's all because she's pretending to be a commoner in a war that is ostensibly being fought in her name.
1 Ned Stark's Journey Towards Doom
Ned Stark's death at the end of season 1 is what arguably put Game of Thrones on the map, and it's not hard to understand why.
The show essentially presented Ned as the main character, when, by the time the entire story had been told, his character arc was really just a side plot that would drive many of the real main characters forward. And although Ned's aims did ultimately fail, his influence was felt right until the very end.