In a show as high-concept and intricate as Game of Thrones, maintaining continuity is vital, but difficult. The writers need to keep track of laws, factions, politics, different kinds of magic, and so much more to create a coherent story. With a dedicated and large fanbase, even minor errors can get picked up quickly.
Much of Game of Thrones does its best to adhere to the rules set up in earlier episodes. On several notable occasions, however, things happen that fly in the face of what has been previously established, straining the audience's suspension of disbelief.
10 One Wight Survives A White Walker's Death
Later seasons of Game of Thrones take great pains to establish that wights cannot survive without the White Walker that created them. The Battle of Winterfell is won with a sneak attack on the Night's King. This destroys the White Walkers he created, and in-turn destroys the vast army of wights they have control over.
In season 7's "Beyond the Wall," however, this rule isn't entirely consistent. When the White Walker leading the assault on Jon's company is killed, it wipes out every wight except one. Its survival is inexplicable, except for the plot needing Jon to retrieve a wight to take to King's Landing.
9 The Scorpions Becoming Rapidly Lethal, And Then Worthless Again
Despite Qyburn insisting that they're a game-changer, it becomes clear that the scorpions are a desperation measure in the war against Daenerys. They are hard to maneuver, slow to reload, hard to aim, and do only minor damage to dragons, which is seen when Drogon recovers quickly from a wound dealt to him by Bronn.
In an infamous moment in season 8, Rhaegal is killed out of nowhere by a bombardment of scorpions coming from the Greyjoy Fleet. Several shots hit Rhaegal so quickly, so accurately, and so lethally that it doesn't align with the previous depictions of scorpions. After this moment, the scorpions are shown becoming much less useful, failing to hit Drogon even once the next episode.
8 Moat Cailin Is Meant To Be Impregnable
With land that is difficult to invade, the Starks and the North have a clear advantage. Aside from the vast size and inhospitable nature of the North, it also has a fortress that has never fallen to a southern assault: Moat Cailin. The fortress is so stout and dangerous that retaking it from a small Ironborn force is a major concern for the Boltons in season 4.
Season 6, however, sees Littlefinger overcome the Bolton-held castle with no difficulty whatsoever. Viewers don't even get to see the battle, as Sansa simply meets Littlefinger making camp there. There's no mention of how he managed to win the untakeable fortress.
7 Melisandre Appears Young Without Her Necklace
A major asset of Melisandre in Game of Thrones is her youthful and mysterious appearance. In season 6, this is revealed to be a fake glamour that's powered by Melisandre's necklace. When she removes the necklace, she appears much older. In season 8, she is revealed to be so old that she will simply collapse into dust without it.
However, in an earlier scene, Melisandre talks with Selyse Baratheon while bathing herself. In the bath, she is completely undressed, including her necklace, and yet she appears to both the audience and Selyse as her young, glamored self.
6 The Ironborn Accept Kinslaying And Kingslaying
There are two taboos that rule above almost all others in Westeros: killing one's family, and killing one's king. These are two taboos that the Ironborn, who are seen as crude and amoral by the rest of Westeros, are shown to agree with, despising them as much as the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.
However, this is only until Euron arrives at the Kingsmoot. He boasts about killing his brother and king, Balon Greyjoy, and still manages to become elected king. His first declaration is to kill his niece and nephew, something that the other Ironborn all accept with enthusiasm.
5 The North Lose All Of Their Stark Loyalty
In contrast to other noble houses, the Starks are shown to be beloved by the North, with the entire kingdom rallying to save Ned Stark from imprisonment and to have Robb named as King in the North. Even after the Red Wedding, the Northern Houses have such a lingering loyalty for the Starks that it threatens the Boltons' rule.
When Stannis, Jon, and Sansa find themselves in need of allies to fight the Boltons, however, few are to be found. Many lords insult the Stark family, and several flock to join Roose and Ramsay instead. Ultimately, nothing comes of the North's enduring loyalty until after the Boltons are dealt with.
4 Wight Vulnerabilities Shift And Change
For all of the controversial decisions surrounding them, the White Walkers retain two very consistent weaknesses for the duration of the show's run: dragonglass and Valyrian Steel. Their wight underlings are far less consistent, with their vulnerabilities changing several times throughout Game of Thrones.
Early on, the main weapon to use against wights is fire, and they even catch on fire very easily on several occasions. In seasons 7 and 8, wights are suddenly vulnerable to dragonglass and Valyrian Steel as well, despite this never being established before. They then seem to lose most of their fire vulnerability as they put out an enormous and magical trench of fire with their allegedly-flammable bodies.
3 The Bells Are Never Said To Mean Surrender Until The Last Minute
Game of Thrones' penultimate episode attempts to make the bells of King's Landing a powerful motif, to the extent of naming the entire episode after them. Several characters say that ringing the bells is a sign that the city has surrendered to Daenerys, and her continuing to fight on past that point is portrayed as her slipping into vicious tyranny.
This detail is entirely invented for the episode, and contradicts what comes before. In season 2, Davos explicitly says that he's never known bells to mean surrender. Throughout the series, the universal sign of peace and submission has been to bend the knee before an attacker.
2 Westeros Shrinks So Daenerys Can Rescue Jon
One of the most notorious cases of Game of Thrones not making sense comes in the episode "Beyond the Wall." The episode sees Jon and his allies surrounded by an enormous army of wights and White Walkers. Jon sends Gendry back to the Wall to carry a message to Daenerys that says they need aid.
Gendry is able to run the length of the Land of Always Winter, a raven is able to cross the entirety of the North and the Riverlands, and Daenerys is able to fly that entire journey in reverse, all in one night. The distances involved have been shown to be thousands of miles and difficult to traverse in weeks, let alone a day.
1 The Tyrells Go From A Powerful House To A Powerless One
In early seasons of Game of Thrones, House Tyrell of the Reach is one of the most powerful and influential in Westeros. The strength of Renly's claim to the Iron Throne comes almost wholly from them, giving him the largest army in Westeros, including hundreds of their elite and famed knights.
The Tyrells are a major ally of the Lannisters for several seasons, seeming to be their equals in power - particularly with their armies seeing fewer devastating conflicts than other sides. When they join Daenerys, the Tyrells are suddenly overwhelmed in a single battle. Olenna Tyrell even admits their weakness, which contradicts several previous seasons.