You don't become the most popular show in the history of HBO without making a few enemies, breaking a few hearts, chaining a few dragons, and emptying a few crossbows. During its fourth season, Game of Thrones played on viewer emotions — awe, love, lust, disgust, rage, fear, and whatever you call that feeling you get when you see someone crush a human head with their hands — the way children pick colors from a Crayola 64 pack.

'Game of Thrones' Season Finale Recap: Suffer the Children

The resulting rainbow is precisely what makes the show so compulsively watchable. From intimate character moments to sweeping spectacle, here are our picks for the 10 moments that made this a standout season of the finest fantasy on TV. By Sean T. Collins