Sorry, Game of Thrones: This Scene Is Where It All Went Wrong
Even a fantasy show has boundaries - and this scene went way, way outside them.
After four seasons of epic TV, season 5 of Game of Thrones was something of a letdown. But the show was still redeemable at that point. Season 6, episode 2 was the moment the show went completely off the rails when Jon Snow was brought back to life by Melisandre.
And I'm glossing over when Melisandre sent a shadow to kill Renly Baratheon, because that was a bad decision made in a season where things were generally still brilliant.
The problem with Jon Snow's resurrection was that it rewrote the rules. Season 6 also saw the return of the Hound. The difference was that we discovered that he never actually died. At the end of season 5, Jon was bleeding out. It was a huge moment in the show that nobody saw coming. And it reinforced the idea that literally no one was safe on the show.
Death was a central part of Game of Thrones. So often it was where the plot changed and the balance of power was upset. Viewers could get on board with fantasy elements like wildfire and dragons because they were "real" enough.
But when you look at the fates of Ned Stark, Tywin Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, and others who were no more because death had taken them, the idea that Jon Snow could be brought back to life is absurd within the boundaries that the show has set.
It was a little weird when we discovered that Beric Dondarrion could come back to life. But he was a minor character. And it was portrayed as something that not everyone could do.
When Jon Snow was brought back to life, jeopardy left the show. Killing him in the Battle of the Bastards or at Hardhome would have been pointless. It was the moment we knew Kit Harrington would be in the series until the end.
The intrigue was lost. And for all the great dialogue, political tension, and superb acting of earlier seasons, it was intrigue that kept viewers glued to their screens. It was the trump card that set Game of Thrones apart from other shows. And when the writers decided to mess with that card and throw it into the fire, what happened next became irrelevant in so many ways.
It is possible to pinpoint the exact scene that ruined Game of Thrones. And that was it.