#The mountain game of thrones trial
#The mountain game of thrones series

Later, he’s murdered, and the Hound avenges him. On the show, Sandor turns up again in season 6, revealed to have been saved by a septon played by Ian McShane. The circumstances of said battle differ between Martin’s novel A Storm of Swords and the season 4 episode on the show. As book-readers and show-watchers alike know, Arya Stark left the Hound to die after a battle.

The other side of the Cleganebowl, however, was where things got tricky.

#The mountain game of thrones trial

She’s met on the steps by the ousted ex-Maester Qyburn and a towering, silent giant, Ser Robert Strong, whom she names her champion for her upcoming trial by combat against the High Sparrow and the Faith of the Seven.įans theorized (and the show confirmed, at least for its own version of the story) that “Ser Robert” was the zombie-corpse of The Mountain, preserved and reanimated by Qyburn following Gregor’s poisoning by Oberyn Martell. In the books, Cersei faces off against the humiliations of the ascendant High Sparrow, concluding with the now-infamous Walk of Shame through King’s Landing. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels haven’t reached the point of covering whether the Cleganebowl happens because they haven’t fully made it clear whether either brother is still alive. And while the motives for his feelings about Sandor aren’t as clear, he clearly hates his brother just as much. Gregor is a killer, rapist, and general thug. He despises his brother, knowing he’s a monster even as he’s made a knight of the realm. Sandor’s fear of fire stemming from that moment never went away, nor did his hatred for his brother. He shoved Sandor into a fire when they were young because Sandor played with one of Gregor’s toys.

Gregor is infamously responsible for the horrific scars on his brother’s face. Sandor and Gregor grew up together, and even in childhood, Gregor was cruel and inhuman. To understand why the Hound / Mountain face-off is important to fans, if not to the larger story, we have to go back to the beginning. This showdown has been a long time coming. In tonight’s episode, “The Bells,” fans finally got the showdown they’ve been waiting for, with the Hound and the Mountain confronting each other for the final time. Fans dubbed this event Cleganebowl, a portmanteau of their shared surname and “bowl,” from the term used for many big football playoffs. The long-speculated fan theory postulated that two brothers, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane and his older brother Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, would eventually face off in a climactic duel. “Cleganebowl” was perhaps the best Game of Thrones theory, somewhere at the intersection of plausible books / show development, internet meme, and incredible catchphrase: GET HYPE! (Which seems to originate in this 2013 YouTube video, at least according to Know Your Meme.) Spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones in general, but especially season 8, episode 5, “The Bells.” GET HYPE But instead of looking at that, let’s dive into what might be the least impactful (from a larger story perspective) but most anticipated (by certain fans) event: the Cleganebowl. Seasons of buildup and character arcs came to their culmination. This episode of Game of Thrones was… a lot. Whether you’re basically a Game of Thrones maester or you need a little reminder about previous events, we’ll try to help you keep your history straight.

#The mountain game of thrones series

Every week, The Verge will dive into a scene or event from the latest episode of the series and explain how we got here. So in practically every episode, something happens that could use a little explanation. HBO’s Game of Thrones is a dense series with a huge weight of history behind its story.