Top 5: Game of Thrones Episodes.

As mentioned in previous posts, one of my all time favourite TV shows is HBO's Game of Thrones.

I love the books by George R. R. Martin, and when the TV show came out back in 2011 I was hooked. 

Me and my fiance absolutely love the show, we binge watch seasons of the show all the time!

So last night we were watching the season 4 boxset and we started discussing our top 5 episodes of all time, it was a lengthy discussion, all the episodes are amazing and the discussion became very heated as things were said like: 'How can you chose that episode over that one?' and 'No no no its definitely this one' It was all good banter really and I thought that this would be a great post to write.

It's a difficult one, I can tell you that now but a good one.

So let's begin!

WARNING: If you haven't seen Game of Thrones and are planning to, or haven't seen past Season 1, spoilers ahead, read on at your own risk.

5. Season 1, Episode 1. Winter is Coming.

This episode is my number 5 because with it being the first episode (and for people who haven't read the books) it introduces most of the important characters.

Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms travels to Winterfell with his wife Queen Cersei Lannister to ask his old friend Eddard Stark to be the Hand of the King after the last Hand - John Arryn mysteriously dies.

Across the Narrow Sea in Essos you meet Viserys Targaryen an exiled prince and his sister Daenerys, who Viserys is trying to marry off to a Dothraki warlord named Khal Drogo in exchange for his army, forging a new alliance to regain the Iron Throne.

When Robert Baratheon arrives in Winterfell you meet Jaime Lannister, brother of Cersei. Joffrey Baratheon, son of Robert and Cersei and Tyrion Lannister, brother to Jaime and Cersei. 

Ned Stark's Son Brandon discovers that Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime are involved in an incestuous relationship after seeing them together, a discovery that almost kills him.

4. Season 3, Episode 4. And Now His Watch Has Ended.

I love this episode for a number of reasons, you get to meet and see how sick and twisted Ramsay Snow is, who tortures Theon Greyjoy. Jaime has been captured by Roose Bolton's men along with Brienne and Roose's men have cut off Jaime's sword hand. Lord Varys tell Tyrion the tale of he became a eunuch, and Arya meets the leader of the Brotherhood without Banners: Beric Dondarrion, who sentences The Hound to a trial by combat with him.

A huge massacre breaks out at Craster's Keep between Craster and the starving Night's Watch men. Both Craster and Lord Mormont lose their lives in the conflict, while Sam escapes with Gilly and her newborn son.

Meanwhile in Astapor, Daenerys has struck a bargain with Master Kraznys to give him one of her dragons in exchange for his Unsullied Army. Through the first few episodes where you meet Kraznys he talks in High Valaryian to Daenerys which is translated to her by his young translator - Missandei who is bought by Daenerys. What Kraznys doesn't know however, is that the Queen's mother tongue is High Valaryian and she knows everything he has said about her the whole time (which isn't very nice) the most exciting part of an already brilliant episode is where Kraznys takes one of the dragons and cannot control it. Daenerys turns to him and tells him 'A dragon is not a slave' 

Then speaking to the dragons, she utters the word 'Dracarys' which means 'Burn' which the dragons do, burning Kraznys and the city alive, she orders the Unsullied to kill the former masters after freeing them as slaves. They choose to follow her as her new army.

3. Season 1, Episode 9. Baelor.

This episode is almost too hard for me to talk about but it sits at my number 3, it's still a brilliant episode.

Stark and Lannister armies prepare for their first battle against one another and Tyrion leads his army of savages into battle, only for Tyrion to be knocked out in the first minutes into the battle by a swinging weapon. Robb and Catelyn Stark seek the help of a Lord.

Khal Drogo is dying from an infected wound on his chest, desperate to keep him alive and carrying his unborn child, Daenerys enlists the blood magic of a witch to save his life, much to the horror of the Dothraki army. Most of them abandon Daenerys. The blood magic is unsuccessful, resulting in Drogo being saved but he is a hollow shell of a man who will never recover. Daenerys gives birth to their son who dies at birth, being described as a monster with scaly skin. She later kills Khal Drogo by suffocating him with a pillow.

Maester Aemon reveals himself to be a Targaryen to Jon Snow who is worried about events outside of the wall.

Ned Stark is being imprisoned for treason against the new King Joffrey after the death of King Robert. In an attempt to save Sansa and Arya's lives, Ned falsely confesses to conspiracy and swears fealty to King Joffrey as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, knowing that he is born of incest through Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime.

Ned is being tried at the Sept of Baelor thanks to Sansa convincing him to confess to save his life and live the rest of his days at the Wall and become a member of the Night's Watch.

A crowd has gathered before him who are angry and jeering. After Ned confesses Joffrey turns against the advice of his elders, and orders Ilyn Payne to bring him Ned's head. 

It's a heartbreaking scene to watch and read in the books as everyone knows that Ned is right about Joffrey and is being wrongly executed by cruel King Joffrey. But saying that, if this hadn't have happened the war for the Iron Throne would never have begun. In my opinion, this is the event where everything starts to kick off.

2. Season 4, Episode 8. The Mountain and The Viper.

This episode was a hard one to chose as number 2 as it would have been my number 1, if not for another episode pipping it to the top.

Everything really kicks off in this episode, starting with the Wildlings arriving in Mole's Town, who then proceed to massacre the entire village. Ygritte spares the life of Gilly when she discovers her hiding with her infant son. Sam regrets his decision to leave her there and believe that they are both dead.

Ramsay forces Reek (formerly Theon) to go to Moat Cailin as Theon Greyjoy to convince the Iron Born there to surrender and give up Moat Cailin to Roose Bolton.

They surrender in hope that they can go home and live but are flayed and killed by Ramsay and his men. When Ramsay presents the bolt of cloth holding the Moat Cailin sigil to his father Roose, he rewards him with legitimizing his surname as Bolton rather than Snow.

In Meereen, Daenerys discovers through Ser Barristan that Jorah Mormont received a royal pardon for spying on her when they first met. Jorah tries to explain his actions but a furious Daenerys orders him to leave Meereen and never return.

Meanwhile in the Vale, its the day after Lysa Arryn's murder, Littlefinger shoved her to her death through the moon door after confessing he never loved her, he had always loved her sister - Catelyn.

Sansa is brought before a council investigating her Aunt's death and reveals herself to be Sansa Stark after masquerading as Alayna Stone - Littlefinger's Niece. She convinces the council that Lord Baelish is innocent, lying for him. 

Outside of the Vale, The Hound and Arya are told about the death of Lysa and leave. Arya was so close to seeing her sister again!

In King's Landing Tyrion is readying himself for his trial by combat. Tyrion is accused of poisoning King Joffrey at his own wedding. Prince Oberyn is set to fight to the death for him against Gregor Clegane - who had raped and killed Oberyn's sister - Elia Martell, then murdered her two children.

This episode you get to see two heavily rumored fighters go head to head and you actually see them fight. 

Oberyn, nicknamed The Viper has always been described as a fantastic fighter, his skills with spears and his quickness, on the other hand is Gregor Clegane - The Mountain who is feared around Westeros as the most brutal fighter. At a huge height of 6'8 and weighing god knows how much, you can see why he is so feared.

The fight begins, The Mountain in heavy Armour and a huge sword, The Viper in leathers and a spear.

Prince Oberyn gains the upper hand in the fight, fatally injuring The Mountain but his thirst for revenge gets the better of him and while trying to make Clegane confess to the rape and murder of his sister, Clegane catches Oberyn off guard and knocks him to the floor, then proceeds to force his thumbs through Oberyn's eyes resulting in his skull being crushed, killing him, to the sheer horror of Oberyn's paramour Ellaria and Tyrion who is then sentenced to death for Regicide by his own father - Tywin.

Phew, what an action packed episode!

1. Seaons 2, Episode 9. Blackwater.

So this is the episode that made my number 1 in my Top 5.

This has always been my favourite episode ever, I haven't found another episode that has beaten it yet.

Blackwater begins with Stannis Baratheon's fleet assaulting King's Landing in the Battle of Blackwater Bay. Leading the defense Tyrion destroys quite a lot of Stannis's fleet with a ship full of Wildfire which is exploded by his sell sword companion Bronn and his blazing arrow.

Stannis and his remaining fleet make it onto the battlefield, with King Joffrey and The Hound deserting Tyrion, who leads the battle underground through tunnels, beneath the Baratheon forces to come out behind them to attack.

Meanwhile Queen Cersei, Sansa and the women of the court are holed up together in the fortress, away from the battle. Drunk on wine, Cersei believes that the battle is lost and that they are all going to be dead by morning. She tells Sansa to use her female charm against men by saying 'the best weapon a woman has is between her legs' 

She abandons the fortress leaving Sansa to calm the women down by singing hymns together. Shae tells Sansa to go to her room and lock herself in there and not to let anybody in.

When she arrives to her room she discovers that The Hound has taken shelter there and is very drunk. He tells Sansa that he is leaving King's Landing and offers to take her away with him to be rid of Joffrey and Cersei's evil clutches, but she refuses, clearly brainwashed by the Queen as she is to marry King Joffrey and become Queen herself.

In the throne room, Cersei is sat upon the Iron Throne with her youngest son, Tommen who she is going to poison to save him being slain before her. Just as she raises the tube of poison to his lips, her father Tywin bursts through the doors with his men and Loras Tyrell, lover of Renly Baratheon who have dispatched more attackers on Stannis's fleet. 

Tywin tells the Queen that the war is over, they have won. 

Stannis is forced to retreat with his fleet back to Dragonstone. much to Stannis's anger. 

This episode is truly brilliant, it's one of the very few episodes that is entirely filmed in one place. The sheer scale of the battle, the way the Wildfire rips up half of Stannis's fleet, the drunkness and harshness of Cersei and the lengths she would go to, to protect her children from being murdered. Just a great episode!

I really hope you enjoyed my Top 5 Game of Thrones episodes, it was difficult to choose and write, but it's nice to write about something different!

What are your top 5 Game of Thrones episodes?

Leave me a comment below telling me!

You can buy Seasons 1 - 4 of Game of Thrones from HBO's website here.

Season 5 starts on the 12th of April in the US and the 13th of April here in the UK on Sky Atlantic.