Cleganebowl was the most satisfying moment in the final 'Game of Thrones' season

The battle of the brothers.
 By 
Kellen Beck
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Spolier alert: This article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 5.


Cleganebowl finally happened, and unlike a lot of other moments in the final season of Game of Thrones thus far, this one was satisfying.

While King's Landing was being beset by dragon fire, Sandor and Gregor Clegane met on the crumbling steps of the Red Keep for one final fight, brother against brother, Hound against Mountain, chaotic good against chaotic evil.

It was a moment that Game of Thrones fans were waiting for — the Mountain finally meeting his just ends for his evil deeds at the hands of his brother who he tormented and burnt, forever scarring his face and his psyche.

They were not alone at first, but the Hound quickly took care of the three accompanying queen's guards and the Mountain tossed his Dr. Frankenstein figure Qyburn down the stairs, smashing his head and killing him instantly. Cersei, sensing the dramatic end to the characters' arcs, got right out of there, leaving the two brothers to fight to the death while the symbol of the united kingdoms of Westeros collapsed around them.

The fight was cathartic and dramatic as the Hound hacked away at his undead brother, his new putrid visage revealing the monster that he was all along.

There was a moment where it seemed like it was all over for the Hound as the Mountain grasped his brother's head in his hands and began to squeeze, pushing his fingers into the Hound's eyes in a scene that mirrored the Mountain's iconic fight with Oberyn Martell — the fight that left the Mountain dying in agony thanks to Oberyn's poison spear and led to his resurrection as an undead guard for the queen.

The Hound shoved a dagger through his brother's head, but when that wasn't enough to kill him, he charged at him like a bull, sending the Cleganes off the stairway and into their fiery deaths below.

It was a fitting end for both characters as Sandor, having said good bye to Arya Stark moments before the fight, had done all that felt he needed to do in life, using his last moments to take Gregor with him. The Hound, symbolically born in fire when his brother shoved his head into flames when he was a child, died in fire as he brought his brother with him.

Everything in Sandor's life led him to that moment, and it was a fitting moment.

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Kellen Beck

Kellen is a science reporter at Mashable, covering space, environmentalism, sustainability, and future tech. Previously, Kellen has covered entertainment, gaming, esports, and consumer tech at Mashable. Follow him on Twitter @Kellenbeck

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