HBO

This was the show's first on-screen battle, and while the explosions are all well and good, what this episode demonstrated was how the show could explore the effects – particularly the emotional toll – that war had on the characters involved.

There's so much wonderful character work happening here, from the Hound abandoning his post to Tyrion becoming a hero only to be attacked by his own side, and from Cersei and Sansa verbally sparring as they impatiently await their fates to Stannis watching everything he believed in go up in green flames.