Warning: Game of Thrones spoilers ahead.
Even for a show known for its glut of beheadings and orgies, Game of Thrones’ fixation on incest is still disturbing as hell. In Westeros, the act of mating with one’s family members just doesn’t seem all that taboo. Sure, Jaime and Cersei Lannister try to hide their longtime sexual relationship, but they don’t do a particularly good job of it, and it’s sort of an open secret in the hallways of King’s Landing and beyond. And then there’s the matter of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen consummating their affections, though it’s safe to say they’re not aware that they’re actually related…yet.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the times Game of Thrones delved into incest, ranked from gross and creepy to extremely gross and creepy.
6. Jon Snow and Dany Go Under the Sheets (Season 7, Episode 7)
It’s hard to blame Jon and Dany for the taboos they don’t know they’re committing. We all felt the tingles between them as they joined forces in season seven, and it was perhaps only a matter of time before they hit the sack together. Surely Jon and Dany are in for a rude awakening, and hopefully they decouple with haste.
5. Jaime and Cersei Have Passionate Sex Before Throwing a Kid to the Ground (Season 1, Episode 1)
Ah, the incest scene that started it all. Sure, Jaime did a messy job of trying to cover up his dalliance with his sister by pushing Bran Stark as a small boy out of a tower window, thus paralyzing him. That’s not a good look for anyone. But the actual incest in this scene doesn’t scan as too over-the-top gross: Jaime and Cersei do clearly have intense sexual chemistry.
4. Jaime and Cersei Have Dangerous Sex on a Tabletop (Season 4, Episode 10)
Their boning is consensual, but they are still siblings boning. And they risk getting caught, with Jaime warning that someone could walk in at any moment. Cersei, naturally, doesn’t care.
3. Daenerys’ Brother Gets Too Playful with Her (Season 1, Episode 1)
No one was sad when Daenerys’ perv of a brother was killed. Before Khal Drogo finally did him in, he found any number of ways to piss off everyone around him. That includes Daenerys, whom he fondles in a particularly unnerving scene as he assesses what he’ll be selling off.
2. Jaime Rapes Cersei Next to a Dead Joffrey (Season 4, Episode 3)
Jaime taking his sister by force literally inches away from the corpse of their recently killed son doesn’t speak well for Jaime’s sexual conduct in several departments.
1. The Daughter-Wives of Craster’s Keep (Season 4, Episode 4)
It’s hard to think of a more bleak, depressing, and dehumanizing storyline in all of Game of Thrones than that of Craster’s wives, most (if not all) of whom are Craster’s own daughters. While the show doesn’t get too deep into the background (probably for the best), the sight of these women held against their will in order to do the sexual (and otherwise) bidding of their monstrous father is enough to make one hit pause for a long, long shower.
Paul Schrodt
Paul Schrodt is a freelance writer and editor who also contributes to Esquire, GQ, Money, The Wall Street Journal, and more.
