10 Most Jaw-Dropping Deaths on TV That Hit Harder Than House of the Dragon’s Rhaenys
Not only GoT and HotD, but other projects are proof that no character is safe.
The fourth episode of House of the Dragon brought us a lot of different experiences – from the revelation of Alyn's identity to the most heartbreaking death of the season.
Unfortunately, the death of a truly beloved character is a fairly common practice in modern TV series.
1. Dexter ( 2006-2013) – Rita Morgan
Rita Morgan is definitely a contender for the title of most unhappy character on modern television. After a less-than-successful marriage to an abusive husband, she marries Dexter, who, let's not forget, leads a double life and is a psychopathic killer.
When a new villain nicknamed Trinity arrives on the show, it is Rita who becomes the object of his attention, as she is Dexter's dearest and closest person. With the death of his wife, any hope of happiness seems to disappear from the life of the main character, and the depressive fourth season is a further confirmation of this.
2. Breaking Bad ( 2008-2013) – Walter White
It's hard to call the death of Bryan Cranston 's character shocking–- in the first episode, the man is diagnosed with advanced cancer and given only a few months to live.
However, the high school chemistry teacher, who retrained as the best drug cook in the state, coped with the disease, while death walked around, eliminating from the series either the experienced gangster, Mike, or the cruel Todd.
The series approached its finale on such an upswing that anything could be expected, and the creators masterfully brought all the plot threads together into a grandiose canvas marked by the highest marks.
And Walter? Walter, who did the most important thing in his last days, saving Jesse, died peacefully in the lab where the purest blue meth, White's main invention, was being cooked.
3. Boardwalk Empire ( 2010-2014) – Jimmy Darmody
Never before has a death on an HBO series been so painful and so swift. Sure, we all knew Jimmy Darmody's character was doomed – after the end of World War I, he seemed to be seeking his own demise.
And yet, Nucky Thompson was the last person we wanted to see go down for murder. Boardwalk Empire changed its tone significantly after Darmody's death, and overall, it was a bold move to kill off the show's second most important character. But was it justified?
4. Downton Abbey ( 2010-2015) – Matthew Crawley
This character of the British TV series Downton Abbey has had a really difficult life: he managed to survive the war and even the Spanish flu epidemic, but in the end he died in an ordinary car accident.
Initially, the show's creators had no such plans for Matthew, but actor Dan Stevens was frankly tired of his character and wanted to "get rid" of him.
Of course, the death of everyone's favorite Matthew Crawley broke many viewers' hearts, but leaving the show at that time helped Stevens launch a career in Hollywood.
5. American Horror Story ( 2011-...) – Madison Montgomery
The first two seasons of American Horror Story basically prepared us for the fact that this is a series in which anyone, even the main character, can go to the other world, but in the third season the creators still managed to surprise the viewers.
One of the main characters of the third season, the arrogant witch Madison, portrayed by Emma Roberts, finds out that she can be the new Supreme, and the current Supreme witch Fiona undertakes to help her reveal her talents. And then she kills her by slitting her throat, all in the third episode.
Well, then we did not know that for the local witches dying is an ordinary Tuesday, and afterwards almost all the main characters will visit the other world.
6. Lost (2004-2010) – Charlie Pace
"Not Penny's boat" – the words that will forever remain in the memory of every fan of the cult series by J. J. Abrams. Unfortunately, this sentence ended the story of one of the most beloved characters of Lost – Charlie Pace.
The situation is hardly saved by the fact that Charlie actually sacrificed himself for Desmond, thus demonstrating a powerful character development, turning from an infantile drug-addicted musician into a real noble hero. With his departure Lost lost something really warm, absolutely irreplaceable by other characters.
7. The Walking Dead ( 2010-2022) – Glenn Rhee
Fans of Robert Kirkman's original comic book series knew that Glenn was destined to die. But no one expected the character's death to be so ruthless.
For many seasons, Glenn was the heart and soul of The Walking Dead. Despite the madness around him, he remained human and willing to come to the rescue when the situation got tough.
And even taking into account the fact that Glenn's departure, unlike, say, Abraham's, was expected, the scene with Negan by the fire remains one of the most heartbreaking in the series.
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997-2003) – Joyce Summers
The episode, titled The Body, was one of the scariest of all the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In it, the main character does not kill vampires or even fall under the power of a witch's curse – she faces something much scarier: the death of a loved one, her mother.
Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the episode was something of an attempt by the show's creator to go through a very real trauma – the tragic death of his own mother. To say that it turned out depressing is to say nothing.
9. The Affair (2014-2019) – Alison Bailey
Seasoned Tviewers are always prepared for the sudden death of a character in the finale of a show. However, no one expects a main character to die in the middle of a season. This is why the tragedy that happened to Alison Bailey was so shocking to many.
After all, The Affair is a show about adultery, not a battle for Westeros. However, actress Ruth Wilson herself asked the writers to kill off her character – mainly because she, like Dan Stevens, did not want to continue filming the series.
10. Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014) – Clay Morrow
Actor Ron Perlman is not afraid of dying on screen. In the series Sons of Anarchy, the character played by this actor came out of such troubles that anyone else would have been sent to the grave long ago.
The president of a biker club, a respected authority in criminal circles, a strict husband, a ruthless stepfather – a true superstar for a show as brutal as Sons of Anarchy.
However, Clay's successful jailbreak brings him face to face with Jax, and instead of the freedom he so longed for, the criminal leader receives several bullets.