With the new prequel series House of the Dragon having taken audiences by storm, there is no better time to re-watch the original series than now. The Game of Thrones universe is packed to the brim with lore, geography, and medieval iconography. There is so much content that it is hard to grasp the scale. Throw in the fact that many of the names sound similar, and you may have some serious trouble mapping the family tree of houses in Westeros without taking notes.

Updated November 8th, 2022: If you’re looking back at Game of Thrones after having watched House of the Dragon, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this list of the so-called best episodes of the original HBO series with higher quality, better editing, and additional content.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Now that House of the Dragon has finished first (of what will surely be too many) season, it may be a good time to take a retrospective look at some of the very best episodes from the original series, a great show which became a pathetic, time-wasting, overpriced excuse for poor character motivations, dumbed-down fantasy, sexual violence, and clunky CGI. The first episode of Game of Thrones aired on HBO on June 19th, 2011, and between that time and the last episode, which was released on May 19th, 2019, there is a plethora of amazing content. This list favors episodes in the latter part of seasons. That’s not to say that the beginning of seasons didn’t have great content, but rather that a lot of the seasons are slow build-ups, with the culmination of multiple storylines reaching their climax all within one episode. Many episodes over the course of this show were incredibly good, and the following list will detail the very best, ranked.

S1/E1 - “Winter Is Coming”

     Warner Bros.

The very first episode saw the beginning to the huge legacy of Game of Thrones, and audiences immediately recognized that this was one of the most over-produced, ridiculously expensive TV shows ever made, with each episode costing what it would take to feed thousands of starving people. Right from the start, the series sets us in motion with some pretty dramatic revelations and conflict. First, we are introduced to the White Walkers, one of the main antagonists of the entire series. Their screen presence is relatively infrequent, so starting the entire show with them gives the viewer a lot to think about. We are also introduced to most of the major families in this episode including the Lannisters, Targaryens, and the Starks.

Notably, the Targaryen’s goal of dethroning Robert Baratheon and the introduction of dragon eggs make it hard to not have faith in the Targaryen family. Finally, it is in this episode that Bran is pushed out of the tower by Jaime Lannister after Bran witnesses him having sex with his own sister. For a show that can be slow to progress at times, it kicks off with an incredibly action-packed episode.

S8/E2 - “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

For many fans, this is the last good Game of Thrones episode (with every single subsequent episode feeling like an increasingly idiotic betrayal); this is a very efficiently constructed, tense study of the time before all the crap hit the fan and everything fell apart. The episode, like many at the beginning of Game of Thrones seasons, is a brooding but quiet meditation on its characters, focusing on the last hours before the Night King unleashes the undead army to attack Winterfell. Like the eery moments before a plane crashes, we watch the major characters come to terms with their purposes in life, their imminent mortality, and the deadly future.

S4/E2 - “The Lion and the Rose”

The pace at which lovable characters die in this show can be a bit upsetting. It seems as though the enjoyable characters die quickly, and the evil ones seem to live too long. When a truly evil character does end up dying, it can be a breath of relief and satisfaction. It is for this reason that this episode is one of the best. This is the episode that depicts the wedding between Joffrey and Margaery. Joffrey shows a repugnant play depicting dwarfs acting as the five kings.

He condescendingly remarks to his Uncle that he should join the play, and continues to publicly humiliate his Uncle by forcing him to be his cupbearer and pouring him drinks. After this offensive display, karma takes its hold as we witness Joffery start to choke after taking a sip of his wine. His face turns to horrible shades of blue and red as his eyes swell, and he struggles to breathe. After the depravity that Joffery has inflicted on many people, this death feels righteous.

S5/E9 - “The Dance of Dragons”

While a just death in the series can make an episode enjoyable, an unjust one can be equally, if not often more emotionally engaging. There are many deaths of innocents over the course of this show, but this episode contains one of the most merciless and cruel, which is the death of Stannis Baratheon’s daughter, Shireen. The innocent child who miraculously survived a dragon scale outbreak as a child is willfully sacrificed by her father in the hopes that her royal blood will bring good fortune. She is burned at the stake as her mother screams hysterically for her to be freed, and her father watches from afar.

Following this, and while the viewer is recovering from their emotionally vulnerable state, we are thrown into unexpected action as the Sons of Harpy attack Daenerys in the fighting pits. She escapes on the back of one of her dragons (in one of Emilia Clarke’s best moments in GOT), and a fantastic ending to the penultimate episode of the season.

S5/E10 - “Mother’s Mercy”

Following the previous adrenaline-pumping episode, this one somehow finds a way to pack a bigger punch as it sees the machinations of Game of Thrones’ smartest characters come to some conclusions. The episode starts with Arya brutally killing and stabbing Trant in Braavos after he beats her and two other young girls. Then, after Daenerys escapes Meereen on the back of her dragon, she is surrounded by a Dothraki horde. In King’s Landing, another character seems to pay to get what they deserve. After Cersei confesses to the high sparrow, she is forced to walk naked from the Great Sept to the Red Keep while citizens jeer at her and throw trash and feces. This scene really is hard to watch; as much as you grow to hate Cersei, this level of humiliation and degradation seems far beyond a humane punishment. For one of the first times on the show, you start to feel bad for her.

The following scene depicts Myrcella dying from poison after acknowledging the fact that Jaime is her father. Following the theme of deserving repercussions, Stannis is defeated by the Boltons at Winterfell, and is summarily executed by Brienne. The episode concludes with Jon being betrayed by his fellow watchmen and stabbed to death.

S6/E9 - “Battle of the Bastards”

Another content-packed episode starts off running with Daenerys confronting the Masters, who are currently attacking her city. Daenerys takes to her dragon to retaliate, and Grey Worm kills two of the Masters. Daario leads the now allied Dothraki into the city to finally wipe out the Sons of the Harpy. After this, Theon and his sister Yara arrive in the city with ships to negotiate the support of her cause.

At Winterfell, Jon and Sanas, along with a wildling army, confront Ramsey and want to negotiate the return of their captured brother, Rickon. As the conflict escalates into a battle, Ramsey tells captured Rickon to run towards his brother as he fires arrows at him. Right before Rickon reaches his brother, he is killed, which launches the outnumbered wilding army into an attack against Ramsey’s forces. With the timely arrival of the knights of the Vale, Ramsey’s army is defeated, and he retreats into the protected Winterfell. With the help of the giant, Wun Wun, the gates are broken. Wun Wun is bombarded by arrows and dies, but Ramsey is captured and ultimately killed by his own starved dogs.

S4/E8 - “The Mountain and the Viper”

Season four was arguably the last decent season of a show which went drastically downhill faster than a White Walker avalanche. The best episode of this season was a thrillingly edited, wonderfully directed, and suitably epic character study split between various parts of the Game of Thrones universe. We wander through Moat Cailin, King’s Landing, the Vale, Meereen, and the Wall as we soak in some of the most memorable moments from great characters like Ellaria, Roose, Missandei, Styr, Gregor, Anya, Ser Barristan Selmy, and more. This is also, sadly, the last appearance of Oberyn the Red Viper (a wonderful Pedro Pascal) in a show that was addicted to killing its main characters (and emotionally and sexually torturing its female ones).

S3/E4 - “And Now His Watch Is Ended”

     HBO

This episode has a lot of interesting things going for it, especially in its progression of various Game of Thrones character arcs. It is also a mid-season episode, which rarely has the same amount of action as episodes later in the season. First, we see Varys explain to Tyrion how he became a eunuch, and shows him that he has imprisoned the sorcerer who did it. This is also the episode where Theon is recaptured by Ramsey; the ambiguity surrounding his capture keeps the viewers engaged and serves as a great character introduction.

Beyond the wall in the Craster camp, the much-hated man is killed by Night’s Watchmen as a fight breaks out. Finally, the episode ends on a powerful note in Astapor as Daenerys orders the Unsullied Army she just purchased to kill their masters and subsequently frees them of their obligation to serve her.

S5/E8 - “Hardhome”

Considering how beloved Game of Thrones was, it makes sense that audiences refused to believe that it would become a pathetic caricature of itself, a terrible, aimless show that forgot everything which made it popular to begin with. This is partly due to the occasionally perfect episodes which would pop up here and there, including “Hardhome.” After seven pretty lame episodes, this one reminded Game of Thrones fans what was great about the show to begin with. The episode that made Jon Snow a household hero adored by everyone (something the show would, like everything else, eventually ruin), this hour includes possibly the most exhilarating final 20 minutes of any episode in Game of Thrones history as the White Walkers finally become more than a drawn-out tease.

S1/E9 - “Baelor”

We learn what the real loss of a great character feels like in season one. Eddard Stark, who up until this point seemed like he would be a staple of the series, is unexpectedly executed after being tricked by Joffery. He and Sansa are told that if he confesses to treason, his life will be spared. But Joffery, drunk with power, goes against his word and has Eddard publicly executed in front of both his daughters. This episode ranks highly because of its harsh and unexpected twist. It is the first real emotional loss of the series.

S3/E9 - “The Rains of Castamere"

The highest-ranked episode of the series also delivers some of the most serious blows. As the Stark army arrives at the Twins, Robb apologizes to Walder Frey for not honoring their previous agreement for him to marry one of his daughters. Instead, Edmure marries Roslin and after the ceremony, the two are ordered away to consummate the marriage. Left in the room are Robb, Talisa, Catelyn, Walder, and Roose Bolton. Catelyn sees that Roose is wearing chain-link armor under his clothing, and soon the atmosphere changes as the Starks are ambushed. Robb, Talisa, and Catelyn are all murdered. At the same time, Arya rides to the Twins to meet her brother, but is witness to the Stark soldiers being slain and realizes there was a betrayal. An absolute curve ball in terms of character deaths and a huge blow to the Stark family.