Game of Thrones: Best Episodes

Key Takeaways

• Game of Thrones
  is one of the most significant television shows of all time, breaking rules and adapting a massive world into a cohesive and shocking series.
• Certain episodes, such as “The Lion and the Rose” and “Blackwater,” mark major turning points and contain some of the greatest moments in the show’s history.
• Other episodes, like “The Door” and “Hardhome,” are memorable for their character development and exciting plotlines, building anticipation for the ultimate battle against the undead.

Game of Thrones is one of the biggest and most notable television shows of the 21st Century, if not of all time. Breaking all sorts of rules for what viewers were used to on television, the HBO series adapted the massive world and cast of Westeros and its many families into a cohesive show, filled with shocking moments and intricate lore. It can be difficult to pick out the most significant moments from the huge tapestry created over the course of the show.

But, even in a show where every episode felt like a singular epic, there are some moments that had so much built towards them, that the moments themselves and the episodes they are contained within make for some of the greatest episodes, not just of Game of Thrones, but of any television ever seen.

Updated on November 5th, 2024, by Chris Harkin: The second season of House of the Dragon is finished and hungry viewers are clamoring for more. In the meantime, many are finding themselves returning to the later years of Westeros in Game of Thrones. It has been long enough since the controversial finale that many fans are excited to watch through much of the HBO classic again, but they may have a few episodes and stories that they’d rather skip along the way. For this reason, it is always good to keep a list handy of the best moments and episodes from the series. Even a consistently amazing show like Game Of Thrones couldn’t hit the mark with every single episode, and these are the cream of the crop from the eight years of runtime.

19 You Win Or You Die

IMDB Score: 9.1

• Episode 1×7
• Cersei Makes Her Famous Speech About Power
• Robert Baratheon’s Death And The Lannisters Seize Control

There are few moments in Game of Thrones when everything shifted quite so suddenly as it did when the Lannisters gained control. Cersei’s foreboding speech about winning or dying to Ned Stark proved all so accurate so quickly after Robert Baratheon’s death when Ned was immediately betrayed by everyone in King’s Landing and imprisoned for demanding that the Lannisters give up their deception of Joffrey’s birthright.

The political intrigue of Game of Thrones’ first season reached a height as the machinations of the Lannisters were unveiled, Cersei’s cunning nature came to the forefront, where it would stay for most of the rest of the series, and the true colors of her family were shown through this weaving, tense episode.

18 Valar Morghulis

IMDb Score: 9.3

• Episode 2×10
• Daenerys Takes Control
• Tywin Lannister Becomes Hand Of The King

The second season of Game of Thrones felt like it meandered at times, as it continued many of the stories without quite the same sense of direction or major shifting. This was mostly due to the loss of the central figure, Eddard Stark, at the conclusion of the first season. However, Valar Morghulis ended the second season with aplomb. Not only did it show that Stannis Baratheon was still kicking after his defeat in the Battle of the Blackwater, but it also showed Daenerys finally taking control of her destiny.

While Tywin Lannister returned to King’s Landing to take control as the King’s Hand from Tyrion, and Robb Stark against the wishes of everyone married Talisa, Daenerys used her dragons to kill Pyat Pree and take her destiny back into her own hands after an extended period where her character felt lost in the mix. Beyond the wall, Jon Snow joined the Wildlings after being goaded into killing a fellow Night’s Watch member, changing his destiny significantly as well, and setting the show up for the next truly epic season.

17 Home

IMDb Score: 9.3

• Episode 6×02
• Jon Is Resurrected
• Ramsay Bolton Turns On His Father

The sixth season of Game of Thrones is arguably the best season in the history of the entire show. Every episode felt like it contained huge stakes and massive moments. Home saw Bran continue training with the Three-Eyed Raven, Ramsay finally killing his father and taking control of the North, and Myrcella’s body being brought back to King’s Landing by Jaime.

As events moved towards the concluding seasons, many characters were dying, but one managed the impressive feat of doing the opposite. Jon Snow, after being betrayed and killed at the end of the fifth season, was brought back by Melisandre to end the episode, producing one of the most significant moments in the entire show. This helped elevate this episode, as many in season six were, beyond the regular and turned it into one of the greats.

16 The Queen’s Justice

IMDb Score: 9.3

• Episode 7×03
• Daenerys & Jon Meet At Last
• Cersei Takes Revenge On The Sands

Daenerys Targaryen’s return to Westeros at last marked the beginning of the end of the series and of the dominance of the Lannisters. But her glorious return was hampered by early strategic defeats in The Queen’s Justice. Daenerys, working from Dragonstone, sent the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock and got them stranded there, finding that Cersei had abandoned the strategically useless location in favor of sending Jaime to take Highgarden. She also sent the Iron Fleet to destroy Daenerys’ ships at Casterly Rock, leaving the Unsullied stuck in place.

Meanwhile, Daenerys met with Jon Snow, who had traveled to Dragonstone to seek her help and mine the dragonglass. He reunited along the way with Tyrion and started forming the alliances he would need to fight the White Walkers and the Long Night. Events spiraled quickly in this episode, moving quickly as they did throughout the seventh season. Sansa also got to reunite with someone as Bran Stark returned to Winterfell, and Cersei finally got revenge for her daughter’s death when Davos Seaworth brought her the Sands.

15 Fire & Blood

IMDb Score: 9.4

• Episode 1×10
• Daenerys Gains Her Dragons
• The Fallout Of Eddard Stark’s Death

The finale of the first season is a memorable time for Game of Thrones, though it seems so long ago now to think about. Eddard Stark had just been killed at the behest of Joffrey Baratheon, and Khal Drogo had fallen into a catatonic state across the sea. This led to many major events happening in quick succession, as the stage was set for the look of the show after the man many fans had thought of as the main character in Ned Stark was unceremoniously killed off.

The Stark family reactions made up much of the episode, seeing Sansa a tortured prisoner of Joffrey and Arya escaping King’s Landing, while Catelyn and Robb banded together and Robb was proclaimed King in the North. Meanwhile, Daenerys killed a catatonic Khal Drogo, found out her unborn child was dead, and walked into fire with her dragon eggs. The episode and season ended in momentous fashion, with the dragon eggs hatching.

14 And Now His Watch Is Ended

IMDb Score: 9.5

• Episode 3×04
• Daenerys Gains The Unsullied Army
• The Death Of Jeor Mormont

Daenerys had a slow stretch in Game of Thrones. She didn’t get much done in the second season despite having hatched three dragons. But she kicked her story into another gear in the middle of season three, as she “sold” one of her dragons to slave masters in exchange for the Unsullied Army, and then had the Unsullied set free and ordered them to kill the slave masters.

Meanwhile, north of the wall, Jon Snow witnessed the leader of the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont, killed in a fight with Wildlings, leading to much of the unrest between the sides that would take over The Wall throughout the third and fourth seasons of the show. This loss was a hard one, as the Night’s Watch was already in serious danger of toppling, and it set the stage for Jon Snow to eventually lead them.

13 The Children

IMDb Score: 9.6

• Episode 4×10
• Tyrion Kills Tywin Lannister
• The Death Of Mance Rayder

The finale of season four was another massive episode, which changed a lot about the landscape of Game of Thrones. After spending most of the fourth season in chains, Tyrion was finally set free by Jaime. However, before leaving Westeros for an extended period, he decided to get revenge which was a long time coming by killing Shae and his father, Tywin Lannister.

The death of Tywin signaled the true beginning of the Lannisters losing control in Westeros. He was the face that everyone feared in the family. Elsewhere, Arya ended her elongated and beloved time with the Hound, setting out to fulfill her own desires and destiny, while Jon Snow captured Mance Rayder with help from Stannis Baratheon, and Bran finally reached the Three-Eyed Raven. Big changes were happening everywhere, making for an incredibly memorable episode.

12 Baelor

IMDb Score: 9.6

• Episode 1×09
• The Death Of Eddard “Ned” Stark
• Robb Stark Defeats And Captures Jaime Lannister

This major episode was one that shook the foundations of a show that had been fairly focused on the mysteries being unraveled by Ned Stark throughout season 1. Since the beginning, Sean Bean’s character had appeared as the real face of the show above all others, but this episode was the moment when he was executed by Joffrey Baratheon, leading to massive changes.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow dealt with the consequences of having to choose whether to help his family or remain with the Night’s Watch, Daenerys Targaryen dealt with her sick husband and went into labor, and Robb Stark scored a major victory with his army, defeating and capturing Jaime Lannister’s forces. Baelor was a significant moment when everything about the nature of Game of Thrones changed forever.

11 The Watchers On The Wall

IMDb Score: 9.6

• Episode 4×09
• The Night’s Watch Battles The Wildling Army
• The Death Of Ygritte In Jon Snow’s Arms

It had become customary for the ninth episode of Game of Thrones seasons to feature a major battle or event, and the fourth season was no different. The conflict between the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings, punctuated by Jon Snow and Ygritte falling in love, came to a brutal conclusion as Castle Black was attacked by a Wildling army from two sides.

One of the few episodes in the series which takes place entirely in one location, this was emotional, action-packed, and brutal hour of television. It was everything that fans have become accustomed to in Game of Thrones, but it had a finality to it, at the moment of Ygritte’s death, which changed Jon Snow forever.

10 The Lion And The Rose

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 4×02
• Joffrey’s Dies At His Own Wedding
• Tyrion Is Arrested For Joffrey’s Death

While one of the very best episodes of Game of Thrones was the infamously dubbed “red wedding”, there was, very shortly after, another disastrous wedding in the history of the show. This wedding came early in season four when King Joffrey Baratheon was wed to Margaery Tyrell.

Unfortunately for the young tyrannical king, this was to be his finale in the show. Joffrey was poisoned by an unknown assailant at the time and died during the celebrations. This was a major turning point in the show, which had recently gotten rid of many protagonists and now saw the most significant antagonist killed off as well.

9 Blackwater

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 2×09
• The Major Defeat Of Stannis Baratheon’s Army
• Tyrion Is Proven A Hero But Nearly Killed

The first season of Game of Thrones was mostly filled with political intrigue. The show already had a significant budget but couldn’t do as many huge set-piece battles as it managed later. Thus, the Battle of Blackwater was one of the first major battles seen, which was also a major turning point for various characters involved in this collision of great armies.

Departing from the normal style of switching between various stories, Blackwater took place entirely around King’s Landing and this outstanding battle between the Lannister army defeated the forces of Stannis Baratheon after the intervention of both Tyrion’s genius planning and Tywin Lannister’s last-minute cavalry charge, making for a significant moment in the series as Stannis lost his major opportunity to take the throne.

8 The Spoils Of War

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 7×04
• Daenerys Destroys Much Of The Lannister Army
• Arya & Brienne’s Famous Sparring Scene

There are many episodes throughout Game of Thrones that are well-remembered for defining moments, but many others simply continue the fascinating stories that have been ongoing and manage to be defined by many as an individual masterpiece of an episode anyway.

That is definitely the case for The Spoils of War, which featured Arya returning to Winterfell and sparring with Brienne, as well as Daenerys and Jon Snow finding cave drawings about the first men tackling the white walkers in Dragonstone. But the grand finale of the episode, where Daenerys used her dragon to attack Jaime Lannister’s convoy taking the gold of Highgarden to King’s Landing created a truly defining sequence.

7 The Laws Of Gods And Man

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 4×06
• Tyrion On Trial For Joffrey’s Murder
• Stannis Wins Over The Iron Bank

The fourth season of Game of Thrones contained many individually great episodes, many of them spurred by fantastic individual performances from across the great ensemble cast. Peter Dinklage was a real highlight in his performance as Tyrion Lannister in this episode, which featured Tyrion’s trial for the murder of Joffrey. Despite being innocent, the court was stacked against Tyrion, making for an amazingly fun episode.

While the memorable trial was ongoing, many other fascinating plot points were taking place, including Theon Greyjoy proving his loyalty to Ramsay Snow and Daenerys dealing with the aftermath of her crucifixion of the slave masters of Meereen.

6 The Door

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 6×05
• Revealed The Tragic Backstory Of Hodor
• Euron Greyjoy Seizes The Iron Islands

There was a lot made about Bran’s story throughout Game of Thrones, and many viewers felt the plot line meandered and took a long time to get anywhere. However, The Door was the episode where it all came together, as Bran finally uncovered more about the history and danger of the white walkers.

Additionally, this episode was the one that featured the death of Hodor, as he attempted to hold back the white walkers in order to allow Bran to escape. The significance of this made for one of the series’ most heart-breaking moments. Additionally, major plot points take place across Westeros, like Euron Greyjoy’s return to the Iron Islands and Jon Snow’s planning to unite the North against Ramsay Snow in an attack on Winterfell.

5 The Mountain And The Viper

IMDb Score: 9.7

• Episode 4×08
• The Trial By Combat For Tyrion’s Life
• Daenerys Exiles Jorah Mormont

A significant episode, again taking place in the fourth season of Game of Thrones, featured one of the few major one-on-one duels in the series. Tyrion’s trial by combat involved The Mountain, Gregor Clegane, in a duel to the death against Oberyn Martell. This battle was a fantastic one which made for an incredibly tense scene.

Outside of that, this episode contained many other fascinating progressions in the story of Westeros, as a fantastic season built towards a great finale. This included Jorah Mormont revealing his betrayal to Daenerys, Ramsay Bolton using Theon’s loyalty to take Moat Cailin as he continued attacking the North, and Littlefinger getting away with the murder of Lysa Arryn due to Sansa’s interference.

4 Hardhome

IMDb Score: 9.8

• Episode 5×08
• The Brutal Confrontation At Hardhome
• Jorah Returns To Meereen In The Fighting Pits

One of the most well-remembered and notable episodes of Game of Thrones ever, Hardhome featured a lot of intrigue, between the early plans for the betrayal of Jon Snow, Cersei’s imprisonment for her crimes, and, primarily, the battle between the united wildlings and Night’s Watch against the army of the dead.

After making deals with other wildlings to help in the coming battle, the white walkers arrive and attack Hardhome suddenly, forcing a prompt evacuation in the boats as Jon comes face-to-face for the first time with the Night King, teasing The Long Night. This incredible, frantic episode was one of the best for exciting fans with regard to the upcoming fight against the undead army.

3 The Winds Of Winter

IMDb Score: 9.9

• Episode 6×10
• Cersei Destroys The Sept Of Baelor
• Jon Declared The King In The North

Considered by many Game of Thrones fans to be the best season finale that the show ever had, The Winds of Winter featured much of the status quo of Westeros changing all at once. Arya Stark got her major revenge for the deaths of her mother and brother by killing Walder Frey and his family and Cersei destroyed many of her enemies with the explosion at the Great Sept, leading to King Tommen Baratheon killing himself, effectively ending the Baratheon Family.

Elsewhere, Daenerys finally marshaled her forces and set sail for Westeros, while the Northern Lords proclaim Jon Snow to be King of the North. All of this completely shifted the show in many new directions, pushing the remaining major players to the forefront in preparation for the final two seasons.

2 The Rains Of Castamere

IMDb Score: 9.9

• Episode 3×09
• The Starks Decimated At The Red Wedding
• Jon Struggles With The Wildling Life

The saddest episode of Game of Thrones by far involved the event known as the “Red Wedding” where Robb Stark, his mother Catelyn Stark, and his pregnant wife were all murdered, in addition to much of the Stark army. This completely shifted the direction of the series, as Robb and Catelyn had been among the most significant protagonists of the series to that point.

An absolutely harrowing episode, The Rains of Castamere is incredibly memorable and heartbreaking. This episode is considered one of the best in television history, a complete game-changer, and a major status quo shift for the entire series.

1 Battle Of The Bastards

IMDb Score: 9.9

• Episode 6×09
• Ramsay Snow Is Finally Defeated
• The Greyjoys Offer Daenerys Their Fleet

Not quite the biggest battle that the series ever saw, but definitely one of the most anticipated of all, The Battle of the Bastards featured the marshaled forces of Jon Snow attempting to take Winterfell, the ancestral home of the Starks and center of power in the North, back from Ramsay Bolton who had been named Warden of the North by Cersei and the Lannister family.

Ramsay was one of the most despicable villains that the series ever saw, and his rise to power was painful for viewers to watch, making his eventual downfall in this episode all the sweeter. The battle featured was enormous and incredible. The finale was satisfying, delivering one of the truly decisive victories for the heroes against the villains in a show often filled with gray characters and morally gray decisions, helping make the Battle of the Bastards the very best episode that Game of Thrones ever had.