[…] As we move into Hartnell’s final year working on the program, there’s suddenly a startling poignancy at play. It’s first evident when Hartnell realises that, just as he’s fallen in love with the series, almost everybody who began the journey with him is departing – culminating in one utterly spellbinding scene in which the actor, mid-shooting, exhibits increasing despair and anger at not only everyone else’s apparent inability to understand the show the way he does, but also at his own gradually failing faculties. It requires a performance that’s nothing short of magnificent – and Bradley is up to the task.”

Also ran: As a one-off special for the fiftieth anniversary year, there was no team-mate competition for this one.

Read the full review, here.

3. Breaking Bad– Ozymandias

What our reviewer said:

“It clung to its theme of decline and collapse with the same kind of intensity that it has lent the tense games of cat and mouse between Walt and his nemeses in previous series; the difference here being that instead of going after your nerves this went for straight your heart and your stomach. It was – again – physically punishing, with a surreally nightmarish quality

[…] What follows is one of, if not the best-written and most powerfully-acted scenes in the history of the show. It is a masterpiece of nuance and complexity that I really believe you could watch over and over again and come to a different conclusion about Walt and Skyler’s motivations each time.”

Read the full review, here.

Also ran: Felina, Breaking Bad‘s impressive finale came second to Ozymandias, an episode that achieves the accolade of being ranked number one on every nominations list on which it appeared, proving that Den of Geek’s writers didn’t merely like Breaking Bad, they loved it.

2. Game Of Thrones– The Rains Of Castamere

What our reviewer said:

“If the pivotal ninth episode had failed to live up to the hype, it would have been a down note on an otherwise great third season. Fortunately, that was not the case as The Rains of Castamere proved to be quite possibly one of the most stunning events since Ned Stark’s noble head rolled in King’s Landing.

[…] Even with a vague idea of what was supposed to happen, watching the events actually play out live was incredible. There’s just the right amount of menace, just the right amount of utter shock, and just the right amount of bloodshed to make it a cringe-worthy, brain-melting moment of complete and utter insanity. Despite kind of knowing it was coming, I still wasn’t prepared for it.

[…] This might be the high water mark for the series.”

Read the full review, here.

Also ran: And Now His Watch Is Ended received one nomination, but the majority was overwhelmingly in favor of the Red Wedding episode, The Rains Of Castamere.

1. Doctor Who– The Day Of The Doctor

What our reviewer said:

“It felt like a real treat, a gift to Who fandom, but more importantly, a strong episode in its own right.

[…] The Day Of The Doctor is already an episode that’s clearly going to reward multiple viewings. But that’s not just because of the little touches and details laden within it. Primarily, it’s because it’s an strong, ambitious episode of Doctor Who. Moffat when he’s on top form writing Who blends comedy and narrative expertly, and this was one of his better adventures.

[…] The Day Of The Doctor really was, even with one or two really minor quibbles, terrific. Really great fun, its own Five Doctors in its own way, and pulsating with comedy, ambition, and top to bottom entertainment. Happy birthday, Doctor…”

Read the full review, here.

Also ran: Unsurprisingly, Doctor Who was well represented across the Den of Geek nominations, with votes coming in for mini-episode The Night of the Doctor, Peter Davison’s anniversary special, The Five(ish) Doctors, The Name of the Doctor, Hidei and Journey to the center of the TARDIS. The winner though, by an enormous margin, was The Day of the Doctor. Topping many voters’ lists, the anniversary special racked up exactly double the votes of the second most popular episode, so nothing even came close to toppling it from first place. Happy 50th, Doctor Who.

The best of the rest

Not restricted to any category, nominations for the best episodes of the year come in for a wide selection of the year’s television. To reflect the individual choices that didn’t receive enough votes to make it into the top fifteen list then, here is every single show nominated by our lovely writers:

Comedy: 30 Rock, Archer, Ambassadors, Arrested Development, Bob’s Burgers, Count Arthur Strong, Him and Her: The Wedding, How I Met Your Mother, The IT Crowd, Maron, New Girl, The Office: An American Workplace, Orange Is The New Black.

Drama: American Horror Story: Asylum, American Horror Story: Coven, Banshee, The Blacklist, Black Mirror, Continuum, The Fall, House Of Cards, In The Flesh, Midsomer Murders, Misfits, The Newsroom, Orphan Black, Peaky Blinders, Siberia, Spartacus: Vengeance, Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Under The Dome, The Vampire Diaries, What Remains.

Factual: Newsnight on the 7th of October 2013, Imagine – Doris Lessing: The Reluctant Heroine.

Family: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wolfblood, Yo Gabba Gabba, Yonderland.

Merry Christmas one and all!