20. The Dragon and the Wolf (Season 7, Episode 7)
Over the 80-minute runtime of season 7’s oversized finale, so much is accomplished. The audience gets to see all of our longtime faves share a scene together, Jon Snow gives a very convincing TED Talk, Bran finally figures out the truth about Jon, Dany and Jon hook up, Cersei almost kills both of her brothers, and The Night King shows up with his new dragon and roasts The Wall with blue fire. Oh right, and Littlefinger gets what’s coming to him. They accomplish so much, it’s almost like they could’ve made it two episodes. I’m just saying.
19. The Dance of Dragons (Season 5, Episode 9)
From season one’s finale on, it was only a matter of time before Game of Thrones put its silver-haired queen on the back of a dragon. Thirty-nine hours of television later, director David Nutter delivered this gem. It begins with the haunting imagery of Shireen Baratheon being burned at the stake; a scene made all the more gut-wrenching thanks to Stephen Dillane’s performance. And it ends with Daznak’s Pit, a sequence as massive and memorable as any the show has delivered.
18. Home (Season 6, Episode 2)
Oh right, and Jon Snow is alive. That’s where “Home” ends, but throughout its hour runtime, the second episode of season 6 does a lot of narrative heavy lifting. It introduces young Lyanna, kills of Balon Greyjoy, holds a Kingsmoot, introduces Euron, plays drinking games, kills a vampire. And yes, in the end, Jon Snow returns to the realm of the living after two episodes. Like Tyrion Lannister, this episode is drunk on how much it knows.
17. Kissed by Fire (Season 3, Episode 5)
Everyone gets a bath in this episode, so obviously it’s a productive one for Thrones. Jon and Ygritte find a cave and get down to the show’s most romantic sex scene. Then Jaime and Brienne have a bath together at Harenhal. These are two huge character moments, but they aren’t only ones in the episode. Robb Stark executes Lord Karstark over the two dead Lannister boys, a moment that begins his long, slow fall from grace. And then we get the piece de resistance: the fight between The Hound (who hates fire) and Beric Dondarrion (who has a burning sword). This might be one of my favorite battles of the series — right up there with The Hound and Brienne or Jaime Lannister and Ned Stark. The way it’s lit, framed and choreographed is all fantastic work from director Alex Graves, writer Bryan Cogman, and their entire team.
16. Mother’s Mercy (Season 5, Episode 10)
Just outside the top 10 is the season five finale. This exemplifies the difficulty in identifying the ten best episodes within 50 hours of television: a few great episodes aren’t going to make the cut. “Mother’s Mercy” deserves praise on some levels. Cersei’s walk of shame is was executed brilliantly; the Myrcella and Jaime scene is unexpectedly moving; the death of Myranda at the hands of Reek is inventively horrible; Arya kills Meryn Trant in the darkest possible way, and Stannis’ final moments have a lot of weight. Oh, and they murder Jon Snow. It’s a lot. Perhaps I’m penalizing the episode for its “Previously On” trolling that suggested we’d see Benjen Stark again. Or I’m still sour about the production’s decision to leave Jon Snow’s death a cliffhanger. In the end, “Mother’s Mercy” is a flurry of fantastic scenes, all earned, but recency bias works against it. Because above it on this list, there are even more impressive and impactful hours of television.
15. The Bear and the Maiden Fair (Season 3, Episode 7)
As we’ve explored elsewhere on this list, Game of Thrones has an up and down relationship with on-screen sex. “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” is an example of an episode that deals with the sexuality of Westeros from a number of angles — from Robb and Talisa’s loving opening scene to Tormund’s sex talk with Jon to Jamie’s platonic heroism in saving Brienne — all of which are interesting, thoughtful and at times fun. It’s also an episode that delivers some great one-liners — “I’ve seen wet shits I like more than Walder Frey,” from Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully, as an example. It’s also an episode that gives Dany one of her most powerful chest-thumping scenes (when she and her dragons intimidate the ambassador of Yunkai) and culminates the long, well-earned story of Brienne and Jaime. Throw in Ramsay taking away Theon’s favorite toy in one of the show’s more twisted setups and we’ve got ourselves one of the sneaky-good midseason episodes that will forever be underrated because it didn’t include a huge battle, massacre or main character demise.
14. The Lion and The Rose (Season 4, Episode 2)
The breaking up of George R.R. Martin’s third (and best) book, “A Storm of Swords,” gave the show a huge advantage heading into season four. They got to drop The Red Wedding at the end of season three for huge effect, then turn around and choke Joffrey to death three episodes later. (That book is one hell of a read.) “The Lion and The Rose” is an episode written by Martin, who once again flourishes in the constrained space. Outside of The Purple Wedding, we are treated to some big moments. Bran has his big vision after touching a Weirwood tree; Ramsay continues to torment an already broken Theon, and Melisandre lights more people on fire. The real star here is the wedding of Joffrey and Margaery, a scene in which Jack Gleeson’s performance as the boy king is brought to a thunderous crescendo before he is abruptly ended by some poisonous wine. Every performance in this scene is magical, but Gleeson and Peter Dinklage sell it brilliantly. I can’t imagine what this must have been like for people who hadn’t read the books.
13. Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things (Season 1, Episode 4)
Within this top 10, there are plenty of significant episodes. Big moments, big battles and big deaths. But there also needs to be room for an episode like “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things,” written by Bryan Cogman. This is the quintessential dirty work episode in which big shocking moments are traded for dozens of important little character moments. The friendship of Jon and Sam is born in this episode. Tyrion and Bronn’s friendship begins in this episode. Littlefinger’s machinations start to take root in this episode. Daenerys decides that her brother is a weasel in this episode. And Tyrion has a very touching moment with Bran, further ingratiating himself with the audience. It’s a lovely episode that showed early on that Thrones wasn’t just great at the massive, but also exceptional at the minutia.
12. The Old Gods and The New (Season 2, Episode 6)
Look, a few of these dirty work episodes were bound to sneak into the top 10. I love the grinding gears of a longform narrative. This episode, delivered just after the midpoint of season two by writer Vanessa Taylor and director David Nutter, sets up some of the show’s great falls from grace. It opens with Theon taking Winterfell; it delivers a sensational riot scene in King’s Landing in which Sansa is narrowly saved by The Hound (plus we get another Joffrey slap), and it finishes with the powerful visual of Daenerys screaming, “Where are my dragons?!” It also serves as the introduction of Ygritte and the show’s great doomed romance, her fling with Jon Snow. Like “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things,” there are huge moments that were born in “The Old Gods and The New.”
11. The Queen’s Justice (Season 7, Episode 3)
It’s not just one Queen who gets justice, you see. Cersei kicks things off by getting heinous revenge upon Elaria Sand and her daughter, the one remaining Sand Snake after the big battle at sea. It’s gruesome and vivid, even without bloodshed. Later, Cersei believes she’s getting some justice with Lady Olenna, but the Queen of Thorns has one more brilliant gift for her Lannister foes. Combine this with Jon Snow’s big arrival on Dragonstone and all the walking, talking drama that entails, and you’ve got yourself a damn fine episode of Thrones. Perhaps one of the better dramatic and character-driven episodes of the post-books era for the show.
Related Topics: Game of Thrones
