Throughout its eight seasons on HBO, Game of Thrones gave audiences all kinds of unforgettable and shocking moments committed by characters with some serious issues. Though we can go to therapy to work through our anxiety, depression, trauma, and other issues, Westeros wasn’t really the place for a one-hour session to talk it out. That said, some of the show’s most beloved characters, as well as its sickest, probably would have been better off if they, you know, talked about their feelings instead of doing everything but.
After revisiting Game of Thrones, we’ve put together a list of 32 characters that clearly should have been in therapy at some point in their lives.
Jaime Lannister
Even before you factor in everything Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) went through on Game of Thrones, which was admittedly a lot, the favored Lannister son was in dire need of some heavy-duty therapy. Still, losing a hand, all your children, and the love of your life in the course of a few years certainly didn’t help.
Joffrey Baratheon
One of the most hatable and irredeemable characters in the history of TV, Joffrey Baratheon’s (Jack Gleeson) bills would have drained the Iron Bank of Braavos if he attended therapy. The one-time king of Westeros had so many issues ranging from his sadistic psychopathy to devastating temper tantrums to his lack of empathy. Though not the “Mad King,” many books would have been written about Joffrey’s issues.
Jon Snow
Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was one of the Game of Thrones characters featured the most, as well as one that could use a weekly visit to the local psychiatrist. Being raised as an unwanted bastard son, joining the Night’s Watch, getting killed and then brought back to life, and having some dark and distressing relationships will do a lot to a man.
Sansa Stark
Though Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark did end up being one of the strongest characters in Game of Thrones, her strength came from all the trauma she experienced throughout her teenage years. Watching her father’s execution, marrying the boy-king responsible for it, and then being with an even crueler psychopath definitely had a toll on the Queen of the North.
Arya Stark
After killing countless people (though most deserved it), undergoing extensive and confusing training as an assassin, and living with the fact that all but a few of your family members were killed in violent ways, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) could have benefited from some therapy. She might have killed the therapist, but that’s beside the point.
Bran Stark
Bran Stark’s (Isaac Hempstead Wright) story goes from bad to worse to even worse to okay throughout Game of Thrones, and there’s no way you can tell us he didn’t need at least some form of therapy. Being able to see into the past and through the eyes of random people also probably didn’t help things.
Ramsay Bolton
Is there a sicker, more demented, or unsavory Game of Thrones character than Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon)? Actually, he could very well be the sickest individual ever to grace the small screen. His treatment of Theon Greyjoy, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, and everyone else could have been avoided if this guy had just opened up about his feelings.
Daenerys Targaryen
Bitterness, closing off the world around her, and megalomaniacal tendencies all made Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) one of the more interesting Game of Thrones characters but also one that could have used some therapy or at least some counseling. This was especially true at the end of her story when what little good in her was burnt up in dragon fire.
