20 Best TV Episodes Of 2016
1. The Winds Of Winter - Game Of Thrones
Could it have been anything else? Well, yes, obviously, opinions and all that, but never in my mind or heart was The Winds of Winter going to be topped as the best TV episode of 2016, even as the rest of the list consistently fluctuated.
Season finales are rarely the best episode of a Game of Thrones season; the bombast comes in episode 9, and the tenth is left to pick up the pieces and start reassembling the board.
TWOW, though, is a completely different beast. It doesn't need to reassemble the board because it completely blows it up. It resolves storylines that have been running not just through Season 6, but since the Red Wedding drastically altered the show, and even before then too.
Storylines converge, theories are finally confirmed, and lots (and lots) of people die. It's a truly momentous episode of TV, stunningly directed again by Miguel Sapochnik, beautifully scored by Ramin Djawadi, tightly written by Weiss and Benioff, and every one of the actors steps up to the plate (with some particularly fine work, once more, from Lena Headey). It's one of the very best Game of Thrones has ever delivered (I'd say top 5 at the very least), and the only contender for #1 here.
What do you think is the best TV episode of 2016? Anything we've missed? Share your thoughts down in the comments.