Game Of Thrones: Ranking All Episodes From Worst To Best

35. Dark Wings, Dark Words (Season 3 Episode 2)

Dark Wings, Dark Words has a number of good scenes dispersed with boring ones, earning its place at #35 when it could have been higher had the boring scenes been cut down. The standout scenes include the introduction to Margaery's grandmother Olenna Tyrell - played by a completely perfect Diana Rigg - and her lunch with Sansa Stark. This establishes Olenna as the real power behind the Tyrells, despite the fact that her son Mace is the official Lord of Highgarden. In the North, Bran meets the Reeds, leading to a whole bunch of jabber about the "three-eyed crow" and "the sight" that takes up too much time. This boring scene gives way to another great one, as Catelyn describes her feelings towards Jon Snow and how she feels responsible for the entire war because she wished death on a baby. Jaime Lannister and Brienne's road trip continues, culminating in a duel in which the two opponents are pretty evenly matched despite the fact that Jaime's hands are bound. The duel is interrupted by men loyal to Lord Bolton, who take Jaime and Brienne captive and begin the events that lead to Jaime's hand being cut off and Brienne fighting a bear.

34. Oathkeeper (Season 4 Episode 4)

Jaime Lannister has come a long way since his oath-breaking days: now he's keeping them, as the episode's title points out. Jaime gives Brienne a new sword and suit of armor and sends her out to find Sansa Stark, thus keeping his promise to Catelyn to send her children back. This episode is the weakest of the stellar Season 4 simply because, again, not much occurs. We see some Tyrell plotting to ensure that Margaery can remain Tommen's queen, and we get Littlefinger telling Sansa that he was involved in Joffrey's death. One of the bigger events of the episode is Daenerys' conquest of Meereen, but it happens in much less epic fashion than her previous attacks on Astapor or Yunkai. She takes a bit of a drastic action in ordering the slave masters to be crucified, which comes back to hurt her later when she realizes that some of those masters may have been against slavery and forced to go along with it. In one of the bigger deviations from the book at the time, the episode closes with a royal-looking White Walker (later found to be the Night's King) touching a baby and making its eyes turn blue, giving us a glimpse for the first time behind the scenes of the White Walker race. However, this admittedly cool scene is not enough to rank the episode any higher when so many action-packed (or plotting-packed) ones can be chosen from.

33. Breaker Of Chains (Season 4 Episode 3)

Dealing mostly with the aftermath of King Joffrey's death at his own wedding, Breaker of Chains is a good episode dragged down by the Jaime-Cersei rape scene. While displayed in the book as consensual, the show chose to make Jaime force himself on Cersei, throwing away a season's worth of redemption for the character and making him one of the "bad guys" again (or at least much much more morally questionable). Getting away from that, however, there are some pretty cool scenes to be found in the episode. Tywin seizes the opportunity to have a king that he can actually talk sense into and begins to educate Tommen NEXT TO JOFFREY'S BODY, rubbing salt in the wound for Cersei, who is standing right there, you guys. In the North, the wildling party south of the wall raids a village and kills a young boy's father, setting up a certain redhead's death later on in the season. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys arrives at Meereen and after an inspirational speech to the slaves and Daario's victory over their champion, launches broken chains over the walls to send a message to slave and slave owner alike, a pretty epic way of ending the episode. It's a shame the Jaime-Cersei debacle had to happen, or this episode could have been far higher.

32. Lord Snow (Season 1 Episode 3)

An early episode of the show slowed the pace established in the first two instalments, presenting more setup for the future than actual events occurring. In the Dothraki Sea, Daenerys discovers she is pregnant and Viserys (remember him?) is nearly killed by a Dothraki after threatening his sister. Jon begins his Night's Watch training and is bullied by Ser Alliser Thorne, but still remains the best swordsman out of the new recruits. Tyrion Lannister meets with the Lord Commander and fulfills his dream to urinate off the Wall. The highlights of the episode are in King's Landing, however. Ned Stark arrives and immediately takes up duties as Hand of the King. Through this, the audience is introduced to Renly, Varys, Pycelle, and that slimy bastard Littlefinger. Ned also encounters Jaime Lannister, and they have a very tense conversation about oathbreaking (Ned is super honorable so he doesn't think oathbreaking is ever acceptable). Catelyn also arrives in King's Landing, supposedly in secret, but nothing is secret from Littlefinger. The reason this episode is as high as it is is because of Syrio Forel, the "First Sword of Braavos" hired to train Arya in the art of water dancing, or fencing. The acting in the scene is very well done, as is the translation from page to screen. These scenes earn Lord Snow its place at #32.

31. Cripples, Bastards, And Broken Things (Season 1 Episode 4)

This episode is full of exposition, going from Ned investigating Jon Arryn's death to Littlefinger telling the story of the Clegane brothers to the history of the Greyjoy rebellion. There are some cool scenes to be found, however, like the start of the "Hand's Tournament" in which we first see the raw strength of Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane. In other parts of the world, Drogo's khalasar arrives in Vaes Dothrak, the capital city of the Dothraki, and Daenerys begins to stand up to her bullying brother. At the Wall, new recruit Sam Tarly arrives and Jon Snow takes him under his wing. Tyrion stops in Winterfell and gives Bran plans for a saddle that would allow him to ride even though he is paralyzed. The real standout scene of the episode comes at its ending, as Catelyn Stark finds Tyrion in an inn for the night. Believing Tyrion to be responsible for Bran falling out of the castle window, Catelyn enlists the support of the lords in the inn to arrest Tyrion for murder, leading to an absolutely epic ending that earns this episode its place at #31.