This article contains spoilers for the season finale of Game of Thrones.
The final death in the Game of Thrones season 5 finale, which was already chock full of them, left fans everywhere reeling—but not before some of them managed to turn on their cameras.
It has become a tradition to secretly (or not-so-secretly) film someone’s reaction to devastating events on Game of Thrones. It began with the Red Wedding, and by the time Oberyn Martell died in season 4, it had become a fandom staple. Terrible things happen all the time, your favorite characters have died, and if you know a smug book fan, chances are they’ll turn the camera on you.
These reaction videos are especially emotional when a widely beloved character dies—although many of us are still inexplicably hoping for a bluff.
HBO Go
The book readers were shocked at how it happened. The non-book-readers were shocked that it happened at all. But whether their reactions were genuine or more hammed up for the camera, one thing is clear: these fans are sending a big “fuck you” to George R.R. Martin and the showrunners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj2MrqQzi0A
H/T Uproxx | Illustration by Max Fleishman