Game Of Thrones: Ranking All Episodes From Worst To Best

25. The Kingsroad (Season 1 Episode 2)

Tyrion slaps Joffrey! More than once! Looking back, the moment is even more satisfying knowing the intense rivalry the two characters would develop of the course of the series. Most of the episode deals with the aftermath of Bran's fall from the tower at the end of the previous episode, and the show does a good job of continuing the momentum established by the pilot. Several major plot developments occur in this episode - Jon goes north to join the Night's Watch, Ned rides out from Winterfell never to return, Bran is attacked by an assassin while he lies in his coma, and we get our first taste of evil Joffrey as he attacks Arya's friend for no reason at all. The central conflict of the episode is the Joffrey/Arya confrontation, and looking back, the idea of the central conflict of an episode of Game of Thrones being based around a wolf biting a boy's hand seems extremely tame by comparison. However, the scenes are done well, as is the acting by all involved (pretty much the whole cast at that point), and for these reasons, The Kingsroad makes it into the Top 25.

24. Mhysa (Season 3 Episode 10)

The finale of Season 3 is also the weakest of all season finales, simply because it isn't an ending. While all other seasons' finales are the endings of books, Season 3 was only the first half of A Storm of Swords, meaning it stopped right in the middle of a book's narrative. The main focus of the episode is the aftermath of the Red Wedding, which is done well. Sansa and Tyrion seem to actually be enjoying each others' company a little bit until the news of the Red Wedding reaches King's Landing, making her hate the Lannisters even more. The Hound and Arya see Robb's body with his direwolf's head sewn on top of it, causing them to quickly leave the area. Also, Jaime finally arrives back in King's Landing. In the North, Theon Greyjoy has been completely broken by Ramsay and becomes "Reek"- in response to this, Theon's sister Yara sets sail from the Iron Islands to rescue him. Sam Tarly escorts Bran and his party north of the Wall and later sees Jon Snow, who has escaped from the wildlings. The episode's title comes from the ending, in which Daenerys liberates the slaves of Yunkai and is hailed as their "mother". It is a cool scene and somehow it manages to be uplifting, something many thought impossible following the brutal Red Wedding.

23. The North Remembers (Season 2 Episode 1)

Stannis! In one of the biggest introductions since the early first season, Stannis Baratheon, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, and his court members Melisandre and Davos are introduced. Stannis is established as a hard, ruthless ruler, and the influence of Melisandre has caused him to become a member of the new religion of the Lord of Light. In addition to the introduction of the game's newest player, the season premiere also establishes Tyrion as Hand of the King in a stint that is one of the best of the character's arc. Joffrey's douche-ness is taken to a whole other level, as he orders most of Robert's bastards in the city killed even though many of them are babies. He also attempts to murder Ser Dontos, a knight who came drunk to a tournament, although his life is saved by Sansa Stark (something that came back to help her later). Really, the only reason this episode is not higher is the Daenerys plotline, which stalls after the epic ending she had in the first season. She just wanders the Red Waste all episode, and continues to do so for two more episodes after this one. Oh well, we can always remember this for the good parts and not the bad, and for those reasons, The North Remembers makes it to #23.

22. The Climb (Season 3 Episode 6)

The titular climb of the Wall is suitably epic and earns this episode its place at #22. There are many other highlights that we'll get to in a moment, but let's get the bad out of the way first: Theon Greyjoy. His torturing takes up way too much screen time, something even George R.R. Martin understood by leaving most of it off page in the books. In this episode, his finger is flayed and then removed. What purpose does this serve? It is unfortunate that the Theon storyline drags this episode down, because there really are some cool moments to be found without even including the Wall climb. Most of them are dialogue-driven- Robb Stark meets with Frey representatives to hammer out a new deal, Tyrion and Cersei compare their impending marriages to Sansa and Loras Tyrell respectively, and Tywin Lannister and Olenna Tyrell have an absolutely awesome confrontation filled with thinly veiled insults. Another moment that is horrible but extremely well executed is the confrontation between Littlefinger and Varys over Ros, a prostitute that works for Littlefinger but was spying for Varys. Littlefinger reveals that he has "given" Ros to Joffrey, before the camera cuts to Ros hanging in Joffrey's room dead with several crossbow bolts in her. It really shows just how depraved Joffrey is (as if we didn't know that already) and helps elevate the episode up the list.

21. The Old Gods and the New (Season 2 Episode 6)

Just barely missing out on the top 20 episodes of Game of Thrones is one of the best episodes of Season 2, The Old Gods and the New. As much as the Theon Greyjoy torture plotline of the latter seasons drags, his story in Season 2 is heartbreaking as he struggles over his allegiances and once he chooses a side, has to stick with it no matter the cost. This is shown in agonizing detail as he takes Winterfell and then is forced to behead one of the Starks' loyal vassals - master-at-arms Ser Rodrik Cassel - in order to keep his men's respect. Jon Snow's first meeting with Ygritte is another highlight of the episode, showing Jon's inability to execute her and the chemistry that begins to develop between them. The mob in King's Landing also does a great job of showing Joffrey's idiocy, the Hound's brutality coupled with his quasi-compassion towards Sansa, and Tyrion's exasperation towards Joffrey hits a breaking point as he strikes him and berates him for being an idiot before slapping him once again. All in all, this is a fantastic episode of the show that just falls short of some of its fellows.