Honorable Mention: “Second of His Name” (House of the Dragon 1×03)
“Second of His Name,” the third episode of House of the Dragon, will likely only get better in the eyes of fans as the series goes on. It’s a well-paced, thrilling hour of television that lays so much groundwork for the show’s most important characters. It also contains what is perhaps Paddy Considine’s best performance as King Viserys to this point, as he wrestles with the concept of fate vs. reality.
Everything that happens at the king’s hunt is brilliantly written and wonderfully executed, but it pales in comparison to the final act of the episode. The conflict in the Stepstones is what everyone will remember when they look back on this one.
Matt Smith stole the entire episode with his performance as Daemon in the final 15 minutes, a feat made even more impressive when you realize that he doesn’t deliver a single line. Daemon takes the fight to the Crabfeeder and defeats him in brutal, cunning fashion, instantly winning over hordes of fans that despised him in the first two episodes.
10. “The Spoils of War” (Game of Thrones 7×04)
People like to complain about how dark some of the big battles in Game of Thrones are. That complaint absolutely does not apply to “The Spoils of War,” one of the two episodes from future Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman.
This episode arrived halfway through the penultimate season of the show and delivered on some moments that fans had been waiting for, like Jon Snow and Daenerys coming together or Arya finally making her way back to Winterfell. What takes the cake for the episode, however, is the massive battle between Daenerys and the Lannister forces.
The devastation of the battle that takes place in the episode plays in stark contrast to its overall brightness. The conflict rages in broad daylight, sunshine illuminating every second of the violence.
9. “The Heirs of the Dragon” (House of the Dragon 1×01)
Following Game of Thrones felt like an impossible task on multiple fronts. Any spinoff, sequel, or prequel had to recapture the excitement and magic of one of the biggest shows in television history. It also had to make many fans forget about the much-maligned Game of Thrones finale. House of the Dragon‘s series premiere did both in phenomenal fashion.
“Heirs of the Dragon” reminded every fan watching why they loved Game of Thrones in the first place, with sharp writing and incredible performances from the whole ensemble. It also let viewers know right off the bat that it was doing its own thing. Containing the story to one family and spending immense time dealing with each member’s personal narratives, House of the Dragon immediately felt much more intimate than its predecessor.
8. “The Door” (Game of Thrones 6×05)
“The Door” is tragic on quite a few fronts. Daenerys, Jorah, and Sansa all succeed in bringing tears to the eyes of viewers, but it’s Hodor that ultimately opens the floodgates. One of the saddest moments in the series is also one of its biggest twists.
As Bran and his crew try to escape the undead, we finally learn about Hodor’s story, and why his name is all he ever says. Bran’s mind-controlling essentially messed with Hodor’s mind years and years in the past, planting the message “hold the door” into his mind forever. He repeated it his entire life until the time finally arrived for him to fulfill his destiny.
7. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (Game of Thrones 8×02)
There’s a lot in the final Game of Thrones season worth being frustrated about, but “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is nearly perfect from start to finish.
The final two seasons of Game of Thrones are filled with massive battles and action scenes. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” bucks that trend and gives us one last episode that’s truly all about the characters. It’s the calm before the storm. Some of the best writing of the series culminates in the beautiful moment of Brienne being knighted, the highlight of Season 8.
6. “The Rains of Castamere” (Game of Thrones 3×09)
“The Rains of Castamere” isn’t just the most devastating episode of Game of Thrones, it might be one of the most devastating episodes of television in more than a decade.
This is, of course, the episode featuring the Red Wedding. The Starks often operated as the protagonists of the early Game of Thrones seasons, and any hope you had in the people of Westeros rested with the wards of Winterfell. That hope didn’t just die in “The Rains of Castamere,” it was absolutely slaughtered.
Even for those that had read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice Fire and knew the massacre was coming, the episode was still a total gut-punch, anchored by a stunning performance from Michelle Fairley.
5. “The Winds of Winter” (Game of Thrones 6×10)
It’s hard to recall an episode of Game of Thrones that kept you on the edge of your seat as long as “The Winds of Winter.” This episode is a culmination of everything that happened to that point in the series, officially kicking off the story’s final act.
Jon Snow becomes the King in the North. Dany finally sets off to reclaim her throne. Arya crosses off one of the most important names on her list by killing Walder Frey (after pulling a Sweeney Todd and feeding him his own sons). But the best and perhaps most important action of the episode takes place in King’s Landing, as Cersei enacts her plan to become Queen.
Cersei’s story masterfully comes together as she watches the dominos fall all around her, but her victory comes at a cost. Tommen kills himself by leaping out of his window in one of the show’s most disturbing moments and immediately showing Cersei the consequences of her actions. The cherry on top is composer Ramin Djiwadi’s “Light of the Seven,” a stress-inducing piano ballad that should be mentioned among the best musical scores ever seen on television.
4. “Battle of the Bastards” (Game of Thrones 6×09)
Can you believe Game of Thrones brought a battle the size of Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings to television? “Battle of the Bastards” will always be remembered as one of the show’s most impressive achievements, and for good reason.
Thanks to the never-ending lives of memes, the image of Jon Snow standing alone against the charging horses of Ramsay Bolton’s army will be seared into our brains forever. But let’s not forget just how incredible that moment is to witness during the episode, regardless of how many times you’ve seen it. It’s the culmination of one of the clearest “good vs. evil” conflicts Game of Thrones had to offer, and it succeeded in getting almost every fan out of their seat the night it first aired.
3. “Baelor” (Game of Thrones 1×09)
Those who read “A Song of Ice and Fire” knew that Ned Stark was supposed to die early on in Game of Thrones. It happened in the books, after all. But Sean Bean was the show’s biggest star. He was on all the posters and ads, sitting upon the Iron Throne with the words “Winter Is Coming.” This was his show. You don’t kill your biggest star before the end of the first season.
Well, you do if you’re Game of Thrones. The death of Ned Stark stands as the moment that Game of Thrones proved anything could happen to anyone, and it changed how we watch TV to this day.
2. “Blackwater” (Game of Thrones 2×09)
The biggest conflict of Season 2 came to a head in “Blackwater,” and the battle that followed is what showed fans that Game of Thrones could pull off massive, high-octane action sequences.
Stannis Baratheon’s attack on King’s Landing combines land and sea warfare to create an experience that more than holds up more than a decade later. The drama of the battle is even more impressive than the action, though, pitting the feelings of fans against themselves as they try to work out in their minds how they’d like the entire thing to shake out. It’s impossible for you to be completely happy about the outcome, because good will lose and evil will triumph regardless of who actually claims victory. The moral conundrum of this episode is Game of Thrones at its finest.
1. “Hardhome” (Game of Thrones 5×08)
A lot of events throughout Game of Thrones are surprising to first-time viewers. The series delights in shocking an audience. But “Hardhome” is a situation where an entire episode and storyline take you by surprise. You don’t see it coming, but its final frame makes you wish it would never end.
“Hardhome” takes place north of the Wall, as fan-favorite duo Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane head to the town of Hardhome to help a group of wildling people. There, they are ambushed by the Night King and his White Walkers. Their attack is chilling (no pun intended), and the chaotic, unexpected nature of the fight makes it that much more exciting.
The final scene of “Hardhome” acts as the moment the Night King fully takes hold of the viewers, and reminds them that the show is about him and no one else. You’ll never forget the terror of watching him lift his arms and raise the slaughtered wildlings from the dead.
