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Game of Thrones was full of choices that changed everything. Some were smart and others were complete disasters. The worst ones weren’t just bad luck or bad timing. They were the kind of decisions that made you pause the episode and ask what the hell just happened.
From the very first season, the show pushed the idea that every move mattered. But along the way, things started to fall apart. Some characters made choices that didn’t line up with what we knew about them, while others acted like they had never played the game at all.
Ned Stark walked into King’s Landing with a rulebook no one else followed. Robb Stark threw away his strongest alliance for love and paid with his life. Daenerys tried to rule a city she didn’t understand, ultimately leaving it in a worse state than she found it. Jon Snow took orders from men who wanted him dead and trusted people who had no reason to be trusted.
This list isn’t about nitpicking for the sake of it. These were the moments that made fans feel like the game had stopped making sense—not just hurting the characters, but damaging the story itself.
9 Game of Thrones moves that betrayed the viewers
1. Ned Stark Warned Cersei—Then Just Waited to Die
Ned Stark figured out that Cersei’s children were not Robert’s and told her face-to-face, expecting her to leave. That decision made no sense since he had no allies in the city and trusted Littlefinger even though he barely knew him. He ignored Renly who had men and a better claim.
Stark sent a warning instead of acting, giving Cersei time to prepare. She struck first. Ned lost his head. His daughters were trapped. His family scattered. The Starks began losing from that moment. Fans expected him to play smart—but instead, he made a move that got everyone hurt.
2. Robb Stark Threw Away a Kingdom Over a Crush
Robb made a deal with Walder Frey to keep his army. He broke that deal to marry Talisa. She wasn’t a noble. She had no political value. She wasn’t part of the plan. That choice insulted Frey. It gave Roose Bolton a reason to betray him. Robb tried to fix it by offering his uncle instead.
That made things worse. Frey wanted revenge. Robb walked into the Red Wedding and brought his wife and mother. No guards. No protection. And so, he died that night. Fans saw a leader with promise fall apart. All because he followed his heart instead of the war.
3. Dorne Was Introduced—Then Turned Into a Joke
Dorne was hyped after Oberyn. His style and attitude made fans expect more from his homeland. What they got was a mess. The Sand Snakes had weapons and no personality. Their fights looked forced and their dialogue felt stiff. Jaime and Bronn went there for a plot that had no weight.
Myrcella died of shock value. Doran Martell was removed without effort. Ellaria took control and it meant nothing. The storyline ended before it started. Book readers knew Dorne had depth and that the show dropped all of it. That region became set dressing. It wasted time and left fans wondering why it existed.
4. Stannis Baratheon Burned His Daughter for Nothing
Stannis was cold and direct. He followed logic which made him different. But the show made him lose everything in one move. Melisandre said burning Shireen would help, to which he agreed. He watched his daughter die and did nothing to stop it. The snow didn't melt.
His wife took her own life, his army fell apart, and he lost to the Boltons. That loss came fast and without meaning. The moment broke his character. Viewers expected a hard choice to lead to victory or defeat with purpose. Instead, he became a monster. And, eventually, he died in the woods like a nobody.
5. Arya Became a Faceless Assassin—Then Forgot to Use It
Arya went to Braavos to train with killers. She lost her name and went blind. She killed without asking why. She survived a beating and passed every test. Then she came back and stopped using everything she learned. She never wore another face.
She never used stealth again and killed the Freys and the Night King without any of those tools. In King’s Landing, she walked through fire and rubble and turned around. The skills vanished. The training meant nothing. That part of her story ended without a payoff. Fans waited for a smart assassin. They got someone who left it behind.
6. Jon Snow’s Resurrection Led Nowhere
Jon died protecting the Night’s Watch. He came back and people thought that meant something. He should have returned with a clear purpose or a shift in character. But he acted like nothing had changed.
He kept following others. He gave up the North and learned that he was a Targaryen—yet, never used that truth. He didn’t lead; he reacted. The show built up his death as a major turning point, but it ended up being just a plot device to move him south. That moment could have redefined him. Instead, it led to nothing—and left fans disappointed.
7. Littlefinger Got Outsmarted by a Bunch of Teenagers
Littlefinger was one of the sharpest minds in the show. He played every house, pulled strings, and started wars. He took down Ned and climbed higher each season. Viewers saw him as a major threat.
Then he walked into a hall and said nothing useful. Bran repeated his words. Arya stared at him. Sansa made her move. There was no clear setup, no strategy. It felt like a forced ending. The man who used chaos to his advantage just stood there and let it happen. He didn’t fight back. That wasn’t satisfying. It just felt wrong.
8. Daenerys Forgot the Iron Fleet Existed
Daenerys was flying over Dragonstone. She had just defeated the dead. She had two dragons and knew Euron had ships in the sea, but she made no plan to check the waters before flying in.
Rhaegal was shot without warning. The ambush worked only because she made a mistake that didn’t make sense. She had scouts. She had advisers. She ignored all of it. Then she lost Missandei in the same attack. The show wanted her to break, but they forced it by making her forget what she already knew. That choice broke the logic fans had come to trust.
9. Bran Became King Because... He Has a Good Story?
Bran watched the world fall apart and never lifted a hand. He barely spoke and said he was not Bran anymore. He showed no interest in ruling and sat through battles, giving no real help.
Then Tyrion said Bran had the best story that somehow made him king. He neither had any allies nor a plan. He never earned the support of anyone in that room and didn’t fight or lead. That ending left fans confused. It felt like a shortcut to wrap things up. The throne went to the one person who did the least to get it.
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