content: "'''Mother's Mercy'''" is the fifth season finale episode of HBO's fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', and the 50th overall. The tenth and final episode of the fifth season, the episode was written by the series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by David Nutter.
  "Mother's Mercy" garnered critical acclaim, with critics lauding Lena Headey's performance, David Nutter's direction and the writing of Benioff and Weiss. Particular praise was directed to Cersei Lannister's walk of atonement, which involved a body double and the use of CGI. In the United States, the episode premiere achieved a viewership of 8.11 million, making it the show's most watched episode, until it was surpassed by the season six finale, "The Winds of Winter". The episode won Emmy Awards for Writing in a Drama Series and Directing in a Drama Series for Benioff, Weiss, and Nutter.
  This episode marks the final appearance for Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon), Tara Fitzgerald (Selyse Baratheon), and Ian Beattie (Ser Meryn Trant).