My Top Ten Episodes of "Game of Thrones"

To wrap up discussion of "Game of Thrones" on this blog, here are my top ten episodes of the series.  The installments are unranked and ordered by airdate.  Spoilers for everything lie ahead.  Here we go.  

"Baelor" - A defining  moment of the series was the death of Ned Stark in the first season.  The show had set itself apart early on by showing its willingness to maim small boys and depicting all kinds of sexual shenanigans.  Killing off your lead character, played by the biggest name in the cast, however, was something that hadn't been done yet. It's laid out out so perfectly too, with the reactions of Sansa and Arya, and the following episode essentially playing out like an epilogue.  Speaking of which...

"Fire and Blood" - This is still my favorite Daenerys episode.  We watch her decisively end one life and start another, truly taking on the role of leader for the first time.  And while Ned Stark got all the press, and most of the episode was spent watching how the news of the execution hit everyone else in Westeros, for me the death of Khal Drogo was just as meaningful and tragic.  We also see the start of massive character arcs for Sansa, Arya, Tyrion, and others that will span multiple seasons.

"Blackwater" - This was the show's first big battle episode, and the first to only feature one location and set of characters.  It was arguably Tyrion's finest moment, helping to defend King's Landing from Stannis and Davos. However the real fun was seeing the events unfold from all sides - the naval attack, the infantry defenses, and the surprise deployment of the wildfire.  Notably, this was a precursor to the bigger and more expensive battle episodes that would increasingly come to define the show.

"Second Sons" - Most will remember this episode only as the prelude to "Rains of Castamere," but it has some great moments in it.  I love it as a Tyrion episode, where he's humiliated at his wedding to Sansa, but shows his fundamentally decent nature in spite of it.  This is also the episode where Sam kills the White Walker, where Cersei threatens Margaery, and where Melisandre uses Gendry to curse three of the five kings.  It's also nice to see any episode where Joffrey gets smacked down in any capacity.

"The Rains of Castamere" - This is the one that almost didn't make the list, because even though the events of the Red Wedding are so important to the overall story of "Game of Thrones," and the depiction is so memorably awful, I was never all that invested with this particular group of characters.  Walder Frey makes a great villain, and Catelyn Stark has some interesting dimensions, but Robb and Talisa always bored me to death. I was actually a tiny bit glad they exited the narrative so quickly.

"The Laws of Gods and Men" - Tyrion's big trial episode.  Is it obvious that he's my favorite character yet? The storyline with Shae wouldn't have come off nearly so well if she was in a relationship with any other character, and the betrayal here is a showstopper.  Peter Dinklage was nominated for Emmys multiple times for playing Tyrion, but in my opinion this was the season where he really deserved to win one. The strength of this episode was also a big reason why the following one made the list too.     

"The Mountain and the Viper" - This is where "Game of Thrones" peaked.  This episode set up a wonderful showdown with one of the show's most charismatic, appealing characters squaring off against a loathsome brute.  Everybody was anticipating seeing justice prevail - and the show denied that in the harshest way possible. Pedro Pascal's performance as Oberyn was so good, I was really looking forward to the fifth season introducing more characters from Dorne.  But as I said, the show peaked...

"Hardhome" - My favorite of the show's big battle episodes, and the highlight of a very bumpy fifth season.  This one is designed to sell the full horror of the Night King's army, and it succeeds wonderfully. It gets us to care about several characters who only exist in this episode, sells Jon's continuing alliance with the Wildlings, and provides the opportunity for so many great visuals.  This is also the episode that first introduces Daenerys to Tyrion and gives Arya a significant costume change.

"Mother's Mercy" - The finale of the fifth season sees the final downfall of Stannis Baratheon, the assassination of Jon Snow, and the deaths of several others.  However, the really memorable event was Cersei's walk of atonement, which immediately became iconic. I've scoffed at the show's use of "sexposition," but it's the nudity that really gave the six-minute scene so much dramatic power.  The scale and the unflinching nature of it is something that only "Game of Thrones" could offer.

"The Bells" - Finally, I've been disappointed with the last few seasons of "Game of Thrones," which have had rushed storylines, leaned more heavily on spectacle, and put several interesting characters on the backburner.  However, I have to give it to "The Bells" for delivering a truly memorable action finale. Dany's turn could have been handled better, but it doesn't take away from the annihilation of King's landing, "Cleganebowl," or the bleakly ambiguous ending.   

Honorable mentions: "Winter is Coming" "The Wolf and the Lion" "And Now His Watch Is Ended," "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," "Oathkeeper," "The Children," "The Dance of Dragons""Battle of the Bastards," "The Long Night"

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