Game Of Thrones: Ranking All Episodes From Worst To Best

10. The Laws Of Gods And Men (Season 4 Episode 6)

Here we go: the top 10 episodes of Game of Thrones. Coming in at the #10 spot we have The Laws of Gods and Men, an episode containing Emmy-worthy acting from the fantastic Peter Dinklage during Tyrion's trial scene. More on that in a moment. Before the trial that is the centerpiece of the episode, other cool stuff occurs - Stannis Baratheon and Davos travel to Braavos in order to secure the backing of the Iron Bank, who previously had been loaning money to the Lannisters. Davos' impassioned speech on Stannis' behalf seems to sway the representative (who, awesomely, is Mark Gatiss/Mycroft Holmes from the BBC's Sherlock), but the scene cuts before we know the true ramifications of this. In Meereen, Daenerys' dragon Drogon scares the daylights out of a farmer and his kid by burning one of their goats alive and taking it for prey. Also, at the Dreadfort, Yara Greyjoy attempts to rescue Theon, who refuses to go with her as he has been broken by Ramsay. All of this is "boring" in comparison to the excellent trial scene, in which witnesses from seasons past are brought before Tywin Lannister blaming Tyrion for threats he made to Joffrey, usually for completely valid reasons. The best moment comes when Shae, Tyrion's former whore who he had come to love, testifies falsely to the court and seemingly seals Tyrion's fate. Tyrion then "confesses" his crimes of being a dwarf, threatens the population of King's Landing, and snarlingly demands a trial by combat. Cue epic music, shocked looks of people around the room, and Tyrion's determined face. This was a great episode well worthy of its place in the top 10.

9. And Now His Watch Is Ended (Season 3 Episode 4)

Man oh man oh man. After a pretty boring beginning to Season 3, Game of Thrones reminds us why we love it with this stellar episode that moves the story forward on many fronts. First off, the always-excellent Varys tells Tyrion the story of how a sorcerer from a foreign land made him a eunuch, and then reveals that he has the sorcerer locked in a crate in order to get revenge. Tyrion's horrified face reflects the viewers' realisation that Varys is by no means a "good" man, even though he is often presented as such. In other parts of King's Landing, we see how much of an influence Margaery is starting to have on Joffrey, and we get the sense that had they stayed together into adulthood that Joffrey might have been tamed a little bit (although a tamer Joffrey is still a pretty nasty person). The real standouts of this episode come from two places - beyond the Wall and in Astapor. At Craster's Keep, the broken Night's Watch host anger Craster and provoke a fight, ending with Craster's murder. Lord Commander Mormont challenges the murderer, and is stabbed for his trouble. The Keep then devolves into a mindless brawl with friend stabbing friend and rangers running loose everywhere. The even more epic scene occurs in Astapor, in which Daenerys Targaryen reveals that she has known how to speak Valyrian since she was young. The slave master realizes she has understood every insult he has spoken, and Daenerys seizes control of the Unsullied and with a single command, "Dracarys", orders the master burnt alive by her dragon. It's an absolutely epic moment that easily gives this episode its place at #9.

8. The Watchers On The Wall (Season 4 Episode 9)

The first of the "episode 9's" to make it onto the list, The Watchers on the Wall falls a little bit short of its fellows and instead claims the #8 spot. After stagnating for several episodes, the Night's Watch story finally hits the conclusion it's been building towards since Season 1 by having the wildling army attack the Wall from both sides. It's an episode reminiscent of the battle of Blackwater Bay, as it stays in only one location for its entire run and displays an epic fight to the death between two forces. Although the entire episode is epic, there are definitely some standouts. The quiet opening with Jon and Sam on the Wall discussing the loopholes in their vows is entertaining and serves to remind us of what Jon and Ygritte did during their time together. As the battle itself prepares to start, the show does a great job of redeeming Ser Alliser Thorne and showing how much he truly cares about the Night's Watch and the Wall itself. The best moments of the battle come as wildlings climb the Wall and the Night's Watch orders a giant scythe deployed, which swings down and cuts most of their foes off the wall as they climb. Another excellent scene comes as Grenn and five other men defend the gate against a giant and recite their oath as it charges them, a goosebump-inducing moment to be sure. Of course, let nothing about this episode be said without mentioning the sad death of Ygritte or the absolutely epic 45-second sweeping shot that shows various duels occurring in the courtyard. As the episode ends with Jon going out to confront Mance Rayder, the episode does a great job of wrapping up the battle while setting up the finale, earning its place at #8.

7. The Children (Season 4 Episode 10)

The season 4 finale was very hard to rank as it is the most recent episode aired, thus making it stand out a bit more than others since we don't have resolutions to any of the plots introduced. However, as it stands now, the episode claims the #7 spot, standing tall alongside the best of what the show has offered. For the purposes of this list, this episode has been judged purely on its television hour and not on what should've been there or what shouldn't have been changed. That being said, the added Brienne vs the Hound fight was absolutely insane and its inclusion represents a great creative decision on the showrunners' part. Arya leaves the Hound to die (great acting by Maisie Williams) and boards a ship to Braavos by using the coin given to her by Jaqen and saying "Valar Morghulis". Beyond the Wall, Stannis rides to the rescue of the Night's Watch and captures Mance Rayder, ending the wildling threat. Melisandre and Jon have a chilling stare-down over a fire, and their interaction offers up intriguing possibilities. Also beyond the Wall, Bran and his group finally reach the cave of the three-eyed crow after a battle with wights, and the crow-tree-man promises Bran that "he will fly". In Meereen, Daenerys chains up two of her dragons after the third seemingly kills a young girl. The real standout of the episode is Tyrion's escape from King's Landing, even though it felt a little rushed at some points. After being let out of his cell, Tyrion comes upon Shae in his father's bed and strangles her after a brief fight in a powerful scene. He then takes Joffrey's crossbow (nice irony there) and after a short discussion, kills his father and leaves the city with Varys. Man, after that and Cersei telling him that the incestuous rumors were true, Tywin really did have a cr*ppy (pardon the pun). Father's Day! Luckily - and unlike Tywin's privy - the episode wasn't that cr*ppy, instead proving to be absolutely fantastic and worthy of the #7 spot.

6. The Lion And The Rose (Season 4 Episode 2)

We promise, this episode is not just this high because of Joffrey's death (although admittedly, that is part of it). Other scenes of note do happen in the episode that finally kills off our least favourite boy in Westeros, and they deserve recognition. After a season-long torture by Ramsay, Theon (or Reek) is now completely broken and serves Ramsay during a sadistic hunt of a young girl. It's a horrible scene but makes you feel for Theon, who pretty much no longer has a soul. Before Joffrey and Margaery's wedding, some good scenes occur in King's Landing like Jaime sparring with Bronn and Tyrion forcing Shae to leave the city for her own safety. In order to get her to leave, Tyrion has to lie and say he has no feelings for her, something that will come back to haunt him later in the season. When the wedding itself does occur, it's a long affair filled with many excellent moments, such as Joffrey spitefully destroying Tyrion's gifted book with his new Valyrian steel sword. During the wedding feast, Cersei's hatred of Margaery is shown once more, as his her newfound hatred of Brienne of Tarth, whom she believes is in love with Jaime. Cersei and Tywin's encounter with Oberyn later on is brimming with tension and serves to show how much Oberyn hates the Lannisters still. The ending of the episode, with Joffrey's dwarf play, the playing of the Rains of Castamere (foreshadowing) and Joffrey's death itself, are all remarkably well written- George R.R. Martin wrote the episode himself. By breaking the convention that "all big things happen in Episode 9", The Lion and the Rose changes the status quo, sets up a fantastic season, and earns its place at #6.