These are the episodes. The best of the best. The cream of the crop. The crème de la crème. The top 20 episodes that Game of Thrones has ever produced… so far.

#20 – Book Of The Stranger (Season 6, Episode 4)

Season 6 just kept getting more and more eventful in this episode. Jon and Sansa had an emotional reunion, Tyrion had a handful of genuinely interesting scenes over at Meereen, and Daenerys burnt down the Khals and emerged from the flames as the leader of the Dothraki forces – an awesome scene made even greater by the fact that she never had to rely on a dragon to save her, as so many people predicted.

And this show should really try and hire more directors like Daniel Sackheim in its very limited future. The camerawork during the High Sparrow’s monologue, how it looks like he’s staring straight into the camera as if to say “I could get you too” – wow!

Book Of The Stranger really offered the perfect mix between small-scale character scenes and large-scale plot developments, and for that reason, it finds itself at the bottom of the Top 20.

#19 – The Old Gods And The New (Season 2, Episode 6)

Qarth continues to be uninspired and uninteresting, but who cares about Essos when you can have Westeros? And what a volatile episode for Westeros this was. There are two stand-out sequences this episode, the first being Theon’s capture of Winterfell and the second being the riot at King’s Landing.

What goes down at Winterfell is a pretty effective way to open the episode. It’s a tension filled ten minutes, one that deepens Theon’s character and gives us one of the most emotional deaths for a minor character – Ser Rodrik Cassel, who delivers one line that always hits me in the feels: “Hush now, child. I’m off to see your father.”

While that tension may dissipate slightly during some parts of the episode (though, we do get our first sighting of Ygritte!), it comes roaring back to life with the riot in King’s Landing. The chaos of that scene is absolutely infectious and thrilling, and gifts us with one more scene where Joffrey gets his face slapped to pieces.

Also I think that’s its kind of hilarious that they have dyslexia in Westeros.

#18 – Second Sons (Season 3, Episode 8)

Game of Thrones really excels at awkward family dinners, and there are few situations as awkward, yet hilarious, as the wedding reception of Tyrion and Sansa. Tyrion being drunk off his ass, Cersei giving Loras the cold shoulder, Olenna trying to work out how everyone will be related to each other after the weddings, every single interaction is just a joy to watch. But this episode also gave us the revolutionary ending where Sam kills a White Walker – dragonglass can kill the Walkers, a bit of information that changed the game forever.

#17 – Mother’s Mercy (Season 5, Episode 10)

This show can be divided into three acts. The first act is Seasons 1 – 4, the second being 5 and 6, and the third being 7 and 8. Consider Mother’s Mercy that low-point that occurs before the end of every second act. Our three principal characters (Cersei, Jon, Daenerys) are all brought down to their knees in a collection of shocking and harrowing scenes – Cersei is humiliated, Daenerys is taken prisoner, and Jon is killed. While the episode ends the fifth and most controversial season of Thrones on a dark note, it strangely doesn’t really turn you off from the show.

Granted, like later episodes of Season 5 (with the exception of a certain episode 8), there are many more flaws littered throughout than we’re used to. The execution of Arya’s blinding is a bit wonky and the ‘bad pussy’ line really makes you wonder how this episode won the Emmy for writing, but they are all overshadowed by the other great scenes in the episode, including the conclusion to the Winterfell storyline – which, yes, I found to be a great blend of shock and satisfaction.

#16 – The Mountain And The Viper (Season 4, Episode 8)

Three years on, and the death of Prince Oberyn is still the most graphic thing I’ve seen on television.

What an ending that was, huh? It’s amazing how this show can still trick us into thinking the good guys can prevail, but they did it again – a mere nine episodes after the Red Wedding. To be fair, the fight is so well-paced and so carefully choreographed that it does lull you into a sense of security, but man… I really miss Oberyn.

It’s hard to remember that other things happened in this episode. Littlefinger gets his ass saved by Sansa, Daenerys bans Jorah for the first time, and perhaps one of the best and thematically relevant scenes in the entire series is situated just before the titular fight: the beetle scene, an amazing back and forth between brother and brother that touches on some of the deepest themes at work throughout the series… and a scene that, unfortunately, doesn’t receive the attention it deserves from the fanbase.

#15 – Home (Season 6, Episode 2)

Episode 2’s in Game of Thrones aren’t really known for containing groundbreaking events. Going into this episode, I don’t think anyone really excepted to get the mammoth of an episode we were given. And what an episode it was – Bran returned with a vision of Winterfell, Tyrion had his first interactions with the dragons, the Greyjoys returned to the fold by having one offed and another introduced, and Ramsay Bolton murdered his family in an immensely shocking turn of events.

But Home will be forever remembered as the one where Jon came back to life. In their hearts of hearts, everyone knew it was going to happen, but director Jeremy Podeswa added just enough tension and doubt onto the scene that we were second guessing our confidence. It’s one of best examples of direction in a show filled with great directing, and the scene will be forever ingrained in our brains.

#14 – Fire And Blood (Season 1, Episode 10)

“I’m Shae da fanny harr.”

Sibel Kekilli makes it really tempting to drop this episode down to the bottom 20, but she is but one minute flaw in an episode that is, for the most part, flawless. Fire And Blood is definitely a slower episode than Baelor before it, and it is technically a finale that mostly sets up the next season. But the way the new storylines are set up make for some breathtaking and exciting television – there isn’t anything quite as exciting as seeing Jon and Jeor Mormont march beyond the Wall and there isn’t anything quite as chill-inducing as Robb’s bannerman proclaiming him King in the North. And there certainly isn’t any image as powerful as Daenerys rising from the ashes of her pyre with Khal Drogo with three newly-born dragons perched on her back.

#13 – Two Swords (Season 4, Episode 1)

There will never be another Game of Thrones premiere as exciting, well-written, or well-measured as Two Swords. Ever. Half of the episode is spent in King’s Landing, and every scene is immensely watchable and enjoyable – the introduction of Oberyn Martell chief among them. And the final 12 minutes spent with Arya and the Hound at that inn remains one of the greatest scenes in the show’s history.

In terms of actual plot development, nothing too important happened. But what Two Swords does so well is remind the audience just how much we care about this show, even if we never realized it up to this point. This was honestly the first episode of Thrones that felt like an event. Was the beheading of Ned Stark an event? Yep. Was the Red Wedding an event? You betcha. But not too many people went into those episodes hyped beyond belief – only after the Season 4 premiere was that a normal thing for all fans to experience before the airing of every episode.

#12 – Watchers On The Wall (Season 4, Episode 9)

A lot of people bemoan that this episode never touched on the happenings at King’s Landing, but they really need to shut up and appreciate just how epic the battle at the Wall is. Were there as much stakes for the audience as there was in the Battle of Blackwater? No, with the exception of Jon, Sam, and Ygritte (and me personally, Ed), no one was too attached to the characters or the storyline they were placed in. The days of attachment came later for the Castle Black storyline, unfortunately. But in terms of cinematography and sheer scope, this battle blows Blackwater completely out of the water and it is supremely watchable to this day.

#11 – Kissed By Fire (Season 3, Episode 5)

In my eyes, the middle section of season 3 was the highpoint of the show’s political intrigue. The plotting, scheming, and spying going on in King’s Landing is just so absorbing, and it all culminates in a heated scene between Tyrion, Cersei, and Tywin. The Starks have their fair share of excellent moments this episode, as well – Robb keeps on shoveling dirt over his coffin by beheading Lord Karstark, Jon loses his virginity to Ygritte, and Arya witnesses the powers of the Lord of Light first-hand.

But who this episode really belongs to is Jaime Lannister. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gives an Emmy-worthy performance in the famous bathhouse scene, a scene that is just a powerhouse of emotion and truly transforms Jaime’s characters. It’s one of the shows greatest examples of character development, and is the reason Jaime is so cherished amongst the fanbase.

#10 – The Laws Of Gods And Men (Season 4, Episode 6)

Our first entry in the top 10 is probably the only episode in the top 10 that contains a valid flaw. The whole ‘Yara tries to rescue Theon’ plot feels really rushed because, well… this is the only episode Yara is in this season. It would be one thing if this happened in episode 2 or 3 of the season, but this is well past the halfway point, so the whole thing doesn’t feel that important. And Ramsay hurtling himself a crowd of Ironborn soldiers while shirtless is ridiculous.

But everything else is gold, namely the trial of Tyrion Lannister. There’s something about courtroom drama that just works on television, and this trial is definitely one of the famous TV trials. Watching witnesses go in and out of the dock one by one as they falsely accuse Tyrion of crimes he never committed or recount instances well out of context is brutal, and this mental brutality is topped off with Shae’s jaw-dropping testimony. But thank the Old Gods and the New that she testified, because we never would have gotten that amazing speech from Tyrion.

And the way ‘The Rains of Castamere’ plays over the end credits immediately following Tywin and Tyrion’s epic stare off? Deliciously good.

#9 – The Lion And The Rose (Season 4, Episode 2)

The Lion and the Rose is another one of those episodes that mostly focuses on one storyline, with some other check-ins along the way. It’s no surprise that King’s Landing takes up most of the episode with the amazing Purple Wedding. What makes this sequence so great is the little mini-scenes that hold the whole thing together, from Cersei undermining Margaery’s every decision to Jaime’s hostile attitude toward Loras Tyrell. But nothing can dethrone the scene of the hour – the gloriously horrific and satisfying death of Joffrey Baratheon.

#8 – Blackwater (Season 2, Episode 9)

Game of Thrones is often touted as the most expensive and epic series to ever hit the small screen, but it’s often difficult to remember that we never actually saw a battle until episode 19. In the primitive days of 2012, Blackwater was unlike anything anyone had ever seen on television – it was one of the first episodes of a television series to present a full-scale battle and portray it from start to finish on-screen. Five years on, the scale of the battle has been topped… by quite a lot. But that should not diminish how gripping Blackwater was. The fighting in this episode is dirty, gripping, and real. And the ways the characters react to this battle, both before and during, feels genuine and brings out the true nature of their characters: Joffrey is a cowering fool, Cersei is a paranoid drunk, the Hound is a damaged soul trapped in the façade of a muscle-bound warrior, and Tyrion is a brave, brave man.

And how could you forget that wildfire explosion? Certainly not Cersei.

#7 – And Now His Watch Is Ended (Season 3, Episode 4)

There’s never a weak scene in And Now His Watch Is Ended. There’s never a scene where nothing interesting, absorbing, or game-changing happens. Everything in this episode is Game of Thrones at its best. There are few speeches as bone-chilling as the one where Varys reveals his backstory and there are few exchange as well-written as the one between Varys and Olenna. But no matter how intriguing the political machinations of King’s Landing are, nothing will be able to steal the attention away from the climactic scenes at Craster’s Keep and Astapor. Dracarys!

#6 – Battle Of The Bastards (Season 6, Episode 9)

This is a TV show! I don’t know how many times I screamed that thought in my head while watching Battle of the Bastards, but it was quite a lot. The scope of this episode, both in Meereen and at Winterfell, is completely unreal. Miguel Sapochink deserved all the awards he was given.

And what is so tremendous about Battle of the Bastards compared to the other episodes of the show is that the good guys… they finally won. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but the Starks finally preside over Winterfell once again. That victory, the victory the show has been building towards since the Red Wedding, is what makes this episode. Without any attachment or emotion, the Battle of the Bastards would just be a battle. Lucky for the audience, this show knows how to make you attached to people. Let’s just hope they don’t follow through with what usually comes after attachment on this show.

#5 – Baelor (Season 1, Episode 9)

June 12th 2011 was a day that, arguably, changed the face of television dramatically. It was the day that Baelor aired and the day the Ned Stark was dragged in front of the Sept of Baelor and beheaded. The pure shock and horror within that scene is intact when you watch it again, and it’s still remarkable to think that this show (and book, I know) had the gall to kill off the main character… nine episodes into the show. But there are other things that happened in this episode, too. Daenerys’ plot intensifies and is left off in a big cliffhanger and Tyrion Lannister tells Bronn and Shae about his first marriage, a scene that rightfully won Peter Dinklage his first Emmy.

#4 – The Children (Season 4, Episode 10)

Being the end of what I would consider the Game of Thrones’ first act, there is a whole lot of things that happen in this episode. Within the span of 65 minutes, Stannis arrives at the Wall, Dany locks up her dragons, Bran arrives at the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave, the Hound and Brienne fight, Arya leaves Westeros, and Tyrion kills Tywin and Shae before leaving to sail westward with Varys. Every scene is just executed so well. It makes for some truly compelling and enjoyable television, and it’s miraculous that there are three episodes that somehow topped the magnificence of The Children.

#3 – Hardhome (Season 5, Episode 8)

Does this episode need any introduction? Hardhome came to Season 5 like a bolt of lightning reviving a show that looked like it was having some difficulty maintaining its quality. And I’m not just saying that because of how awesome and thrilling the 15 minute fight with the White Walkers is, and I’m not just saying that because of the haunting scene where the Night King raises the dead with one slow lift of his arms. Everything that goes down in the titular Hardhome is fantastic, but there are some good moments in every other storyline this episode visits. The slow deconstruction of Cersei’s pride is great. The scene where she drinks water off of the dirty dungeon floor is just such an amazingly subdued scene. And then there’s the part where Theon reveals that he didn’t kill Bran or Rickon, starting the slow redemption of his character.

And Daenerys and Tyrion! I almost forgot about that! Their conversations are just phenomenal. People have been waiting for those scenes since 1996, and you bet that they deliver.

#2 – The Rains Of Castamere (Season 3, Episode 9)

What’s strange about The Rains of Castamere is that until the wedding reception begins, there’s no clear sign that anything too eventful is going to happen in the episode. Sure, the scenes in the North where Jon finally musters the courage to abandon the wildlings – while Bran and his companions are in a mill several feet away – is exciting and all, but it’s a far cry from the two previous episode nines. Perhaps for that reason, The Rains of Castamere might be in contention to be ranked below consistently eventful episodes like Hardhome and The Children.

But as soon as those doors close and the band starts playing the infamous Lannister medley, shit goes down. And that shit is one of the most traumatizing pieces of film put to any screen. Four years onward, the Red Wedding is still a tough pill to swallow, and the heartbreaking performances from Michelle Fairley and Richard Madden just make it all the more painful. And that scream Catelyn lets out when Robb is killed… it still rings in my head to this day.

The Red Wedding is truly an integral part of the pop culture of the 21st century. It was the scene that both increased the audience of the series and ensured that the show would go down in the television history books for decades to come. Just how iconic the scene is makes it a worthy contender for the top spot. Nothing was capable of dethroning this episode. Not in 2014. Not in 2015. But in the last days of June 2016, that changed. It changed because we were gifted with one of the most satisfying, artful, and cinematic works of television.

Ever.

And what would that episode be, you may ask? You know what it is. Everyone knows what it is.

The very best episode of Game of Thrones is…

#1 – The Winds Of Winter (Season 6, Episode 10)

Holy goddamn. This is how you do a season finale. Hell, if the series was abruptly cancelled and this was the last episode we’d ever get, I’d still be somewhat satisfied.

You know what’s funny? I went into this episode with some serious doubts over how they were going to wrap everything up. The episode was announced as 69 minutes, the longest in the series up until that point, but I was still worried. But my worries were all for not, because… wow.

Like…. Wow.

Literally everything happened in the episode. Everything the show had been building towards since 2011 finally happened, or started happening, at the very least.

Jon Snow was proclaimed King in the North, Daenerys set sail for Westeros, Jon’s lineage (half of it, yes, but enough) was revealed, Walder Frey was served a cold plate of Stark justice, AND Cersei ascend to the Iron Throne after slaughtering a third of the cast, aka virtually every other important character in King’s Landing, and after her helpless, hopeless son committed suicide. The first 20 minutes of the episode are the best in the entire series. The camerawork is phenomenal, the music is amazing, the directing is master-class, and the editing is fantastic. It’s really just one of the best pieces of television to ever be put together on the small screen.

This episode will be very, very, very, very hard to top. But then again, so was Baelor and so was The Rains of Castamere. And with winter finally here… who knows what could happen?

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That’s pretty much it. Hope you enjoyed this ranking.