What's the most outrageous Targaryen moment from Game Of Thrones?

I don’t know if it’s the most outrageous, but I do know that this moment, way back when, was the one that convinced me I needed to keep watching this very expensive-looking show that, for some dumb reason, I was hesitant to go all-in on. (It’s also, yes, a pretty outrageous moment.) Viserys (Harry Lloyd, who would go on to be quite good in the underrated Counterpart a few years later), ever the annoyance and full of hubris, has the gall to demand the crown from Drogo (Jason Momoa) and thinks that threatening Drogo’s moon (Emilia Clarke) and unborn child is the way to achieve that end. It isn’t. And just when he’s convinced he’ll get “what was promised,” smiling and relieved, he’s restrained and pleads with his sis before being crowned with a whole bunch of molten gold. It’s a deliciously dark moment, made even colder by Dany’s blank commentary on the events: “He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon.” [Tim Lowery]

Among the jerks of the Night’s Watch, Maester Aemon Targaryen (Peter Vaughan) was one of the few decent ones. Unlike his colleagues who were there as a punishment, Aemon was only at Castle Black because he had the misfortune of being a Targaryen: When his brother died, and Aemon became next in line for the throne, he joined the Night’s Watch just so he wouldn’t get dragged into politics. It’s a fact Jon Snow (Kit Harington) learns later in the first season as well. So the only Targaryen who wouldn’t have been a horrible king was too noble to want the crown, eventually leading to the rein of his nephew, Aerys II—a.k.a. the infamous “Mad King.” Basically, Game Of Thrones is his fault because he was the only good Targaryen. [Sam Barsanti]

Mother of Dragons isn’t just an intimidating title, it comes from that time in the first-season finale when Daenerys Targaryen walked into her husband Khal Drogo’s (Jason Momoa) funeral pyre and emerged, naked and unburnt, with three newborn baby dragons. It’s a mystery how she happened upon the exact right conditions to hatch those eggs when so many others failed—a royal death? Blood sacrifice? Passing comet? All of the above?—but somehow, her Targaryen instincts took over, and boom! Three adorable little hatchlings destined to rain fire and destruction from above at their mama’s command. [Cindy White]

Outrageous but in a good way, Daenerys’ badass season-three moment is permanently etched in my Game Of Thrones memory. It’s one of the show’s most memorable, jaw-dropping events and shows Dany’s full potential to lead. (Please, let’s not talk about how her journey ends on that front yet.) Let’s momentarily bask in the glory of her surprising Astapor’s slave-owners with the knowledge that she understood Valyrian and their nefarious plans. She then uses the iconic phrase, “Dracarys!” to signal her dragons to burn them alive. It’s a violent, fiery, and noble act that gets her the army she so badly wanted. It’s truly the first startling display of her power. [Saloni Gajjar]

Any of the game-changing twists in season seven’s “Beyond the Wall” could qualify as Game Of Thrones’ most outrageous Targaryen-adjacent moment. The logic-defying logistics of Daenerys taking her dragons north of The Wall in just one episode were not enough to distract from the sheer awesomeness of seeing them there, fire amid snow, rescuing Jon and his allies from the White Walkers. Then came the Night King, oh-so-calmly revealing his Olympic-level javelin skills, landing an ice spear directly in poor Viserion’s neck.

It’s a total gut-punch moment, made all the more impactful by gangbusters special effects and the look of blank shock on Emilia Clarke’s face as the bloodied dragon crashes and sinks under the ice. But then! As if that all weren’t enough, the Night King turns his zombification trick onto the dead Viserion, whose icy-colored eye opens in just about the series’ best cliffhanger ever. [Jack Smart]

To me, nothing represents the squandered potential of Game Of Thrones’ final seasons better than Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding) and Lyanna Stark’s (Aisling Franciosi) flop of a wedding. It really does have it all: the long-awaited confirmation of a beloved fan theory that ultimately meant nothing (followed immediately by Dany and Jon hooking up, no less), the unresolved time-travel arc, the dead-eyed stare of our once and future king, and the chemistry-less acting duo who look like they’d rather be smoldering in the ruins of King’s Landing. (So, yes, this is an outrageously bad pick.) But like any good wedding, Rhaegar and Lyanna’s is also a beacon of hope. I’m convinced House Of The Dragon—or at least its impressive costume budget—is a direct response to criticism that Rhaegar’s wig looked, well, a little too familiar. R+L=J is dead. Long live R+L=HOTD. [Emma Keates]

Outrageous in every sense of the word, everyone remembers where they were when Daenerys completely incinerated King’s Landing on the back of Drogon—after the city already surrendered. To call it a moment is a bit of a misnomer. What we see is an unrelenting rampage, in broad daylight, that lasts most of the episode. Remember that Targaryen madness we were warned about? Apparently, Robert Baratheon and Tyrion Lannister weren’t exaggerating. The violence at King’s Landing was less a means to an end than simply the end of Daenerys’ run for the Iron Throne. [Drew Gillis]