10 years of the eye-gouging trauma!

One of the most recurring themes of Game of Thrones was its intense death sequences. There is hardly any episode that does not feature an individual death or a large-scale massacre. However, no matter how many deaths the show features, very few of them hit us like the brutal killing of Oberyn Martell.

Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones | HBO Entertainment
Oberyn Martell was a breakout role for Pedro Pascal and had a massive contribution to his worldwide stardom. The charming Dornish prince was introduced in Season 4 and quickly became a fan-favorite for his charming personality.

Sadly, the Red Viper could not even last for a full season. A decade ago, on this day, he left the epic after being involved in one of the most scarring death scenes in television history.

What led Oberyn Martell to get one of the worst Game of Thrones deaths?

Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn Martell fighting The Mountain in Game of Thrones | HBO Entertainment
The third season of Game of Thrones did not end well for fans after they had to witness the horrifying Red Wedding. However, soon after the iconic Game of Thrones event, Season 4 started on a good note when Joffrey Baratheon met his end at his wedding. Hardly did they know that even before the season finale, they would see one of the worst deaths in the show.

Joffrey’s death led another fan-favorite character Tyrion Lannister to a complicated position after he was accused of being the mastermind behind the royal conspiracy. It led the Peter Dinklage character to demand a trial by combat where Cersei Lannister chose Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane as her warrior. On the other hand, Oberyn Martell volunteered to fight for Tyrion Lannister.

10 Years Ago Today, ‘GAME OF THRONES – The Mountain and the Viper’ premiered

Tyrion’s Trial by Combat, and the final appearance from Pedro Pascal in GOThttps://t.co/GYdaiy9bBb

— ScreenTime (@screentime) June 1, 2024

 

Pedro Pascal‘s Dornish Prince found it to be the best scenario to have his revenge for the r*pe and murder of his sister Elia Martell and her children. Episode 8 titled The Mountain and the Viper even started to play out as a perfect revenge scene for Oberyn Martell after he managed to outplay him with his superior skills.

Despite having the upper hand, Prince Oberyn fell prey to his anger and pride and let his guard down after impaling The Mountain with his spear. The Red Viper demanded Gregor Clegane admit the crimes he committed against Elia Martell and her children on the orders of Tywin Lannister instead of ending him.

It proved to be a bad move for Doran Martell’s brother as he was pinned down by Gregor Clegane which was followed by a teeth-crushing punch on the face. The Mountain confessed his crimes but did not leave Oberyn to celebrate it as he eye-gouged him. With this, Westeros saw one of its most horrific deaths as the Red Viper’s head exploded in a gruesome bloody mishmash.

How did Pedro Pascal find his death scene relaxing?

Oberyn Martell’s death in GoT | HBO Entertainment
Countless fans can attest that even though Westeros has witnessed so many deaths, Oberyn Martell’s fateful end is painfully devastating. Nonetheless, things seemed to have worked differently off-screen as Pedro Pascal revealed his death scene to be so relaxing that he fell asleep on the set.

During an appearance in First We Feast’s “Hot Ones”, Pedro Pascal shared that the scene was shot on a very hot day. Amidst such a climate, the blood and the fleshy bits used for the graphic scene gave a pleasant feeling to The Mandalorian fame. He described it to be so cool that he went to a “dead sleep”. 

There were all of these fleshy bits that they were kind of placing all over my face, and pumping blood so that it would pool, you know, and spread through the amphitheater for this good wide shot of the two of us from above. And I was dead asleep.

Pascal added that he had one of his deepest sleep that day on the set. It cannot be ended that the scene broke us badly and will continue to do so no matter how many times we rewatch it. Unfortunately, the death of Oberyn Martell also marked the death of the creative excellence of Game of Thrones.

As the show progressed, there was a steady decline in quality until the show ended with a controversial finale in Season 8. Thankfully, the spin-off series House of the Dragon has brought back the glorious days of the fantasy drama.

House of the Dragon Season 2 will be premiered on June 16, 2024, on Max. The entire Game of Thrones can be streamed on Max.