Best Episode from Each Season of Game of Thrones (Yes, Even S8 Had a Good One)
After so many years, it’s hard to recall all the best moments of Game of Thrones, and many of us don’t have the time to rewatch it entirely. That’s why we picked the best episodes from each season!
Season 1: Baelor, E9
When Game of Thrones first came out, most viewers were not familiar with George Martin ’s A Song of Ice and Fire series and didn’t know what to expect from the show. S1E9 showed them exactly what was up as the obviously main character, Ned Stark, was publicly beheaded and no one saved him in the last moment.
This was a brutal but necessary wake-up call for the newcomers that said, “Hey, don’t get comfy here: all of your favorite characters can die at any given moment!”
Season 2: Blackwater, E9
By the end of the second season, everyone grew fairly accustomed to politics and skirmishes; but at the same time, Game of Thrones’s budget increased quite significantly. S2E9 made sure to put it to good use by featuring the first serious, big-scale battle with proper drama, danger, and bloodshed. It was a sight to behold!
But Blackwater also revealed more about the lead characters: the bravery and wit of Tyrion, the fear and humanity of Hound, and the darkness and gloom of Cersei.
Season 3: The Rains of Castamere, E9
Yet again, Game of Thrones decided to slap all the fans who’d grown too cozy and familiar with the show in the face. “You thought you had it all figured out? Well, here you go,” said the series as it brutally and unexpectedly killed off Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa Stark, as well as the King in the North’s entire army in one bloody episode.
The Rains of Castamere shocked fans to the core with the absolutely unhinged Red Wedding and reminded them that no one is ever truly safe in Game of Thrones.
Season 4: The Watchers on the Wall, E9
Episode 9’s are just brutal in Game of Thrones, aren’t they? They are always out to traumatize viewers, and they do a great job at that. In Season 4, the Battle of Castle Black made many grown men and women shed real tears as they watched Jon Snow cradle dying Ygritte in his arms amid the ferocious fight to the death.
The Watchers on the Wall showed us another great battle sequence with the Free Folk storming Castle Black, but it also broke our hearts for being too relaxed lately.
Season 5: Hardhome, E8
Those who got into a habit of expecting the worst from Episode 9’s were deceived by Season 5’s E8. It started off slowly to pull viewers into the false sense of security and then hit them — and Jon Snow’s entire crew — really hard. The sudden attack of the undead, the brutal fight in the freezing cold, and a barely-made escape followed.
For all those who kind of forgot about the Long Night, Hardhome sent a clear message that they really shouldn’t have: the undead were coming to Westeros.
Season 6: The Winds of Winter, E10
The grand finale of Season 6 saw one too many huge political changes. In King’s Landing, Queen Cersei puts wildfire to good using blowing up the Sept of Baelor and killing several enemies at once, including the Tyrells and the High Sparrow; in the North, another enemy of hers is made as Jon Snow becomes the King in the North.
The dramatic charge of The Winds of Winter is hard to overestimate as so many things change forever in one episode, and we can’t help feeling the irony in its title.
Season 7: The Spoils of War, E4
Game of Thrones lured one too many fans in with promises of dragon action and kept lacking it for one too many seasons. In S7E4, this finally changed, and we saw Westeros’s version of nukes in their full glory as Daenerys Targaryen wreaked havoc upon the Lannisters’ army from the sky, riding Drogon and being magnificent.
The main catch of The Spoils of War was that this episode made us fully realize that we couldn’t only root for one side of the war: it was Dany versus Jaime and Bronn.
Season 8: The Long Night, E3
OK, we know: no one likes Season 8. But if we were to choose the best episode from the worst season (and we are), we would definitely go with Episode 3. That’s when the battle between the Night King’s army and the defenders of Winterfell took place, and that’s when the undead finally fell before our beloved war heroes.
Was the way the Night King died anticlimactic and even offensive? It sure was. Could we see the action in the dark? Not really. But still, it was really, really epic.