The final season of “Game of Thrones” starts on 14 April. In nine years since it’s premiere the HBO epic and fantasy drama series has earned a cult following.
The fantastic screenplay, character transformations, plot twists and unpredictability are among the reasons why “Game of Thrones” became a global sensation. And as the world awaits season eight we are counting down our our top 10 “Game of Thrones” episodes so far.
Battle of the Bastards
Battle of the Bastards is the ninth episode of season 6. It was the episode in while the beloved Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Ramsay Bolton fought for the control of Winterfell, home to the Starks. It’s the episode in which the Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) character finally came into her own. And the audience were pleased. Not only did she help Jon win the war, after months of abuse by Bolton, Sansa got her pound of flesh when she unleashed Bolton’s dogs on him.
Mother’s Mercy
If you don’t know a thing about “Game of Thrones,” know this – Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and her twin Jamie are at the centre of all the trouble. So, it is no surprise that “Mother’s Mercy” is one of the most popular episodes of “Game of Thrones.” It was the season five finale. And Cersei – the queen mother, was stripped naked and made to walk around the city – King’s landing, whilst the people chanted ‘shame, shame, shame.’ It was called a walk of atonement. And the biggest shock? Jon Snow is murdered by the Night’s Watch. The world wept and although we saw how many times he was stabbed, we refused to believe Jon was dead.
The Lion and The Rose
“The Lion and the Rose” makes number three of our top 10 “Game of Thrones” episodes. The only other young character as devious as Ramsey Bolton was King Joffrey Baratheon . And the world eagerly awaited his downfall. It was episode two of season four. So you can say that Christmas came early. It was Joffrey’s wedding and after the grand celebration, he was poisoned and dropped dead if the presence of his guests. Blood running out of his nose and skin turning purple. Hence the episode is also referred to as “The Purple Wedding”. The make-up designer did a brilliant job!
The Winds of Winter
“The Winds of Winter” is the episode seven of season six. And in this episode, Cersei took revenge on all her enemies. She destroyed the Sept of Baelor by wildfire, killing the High Sparrow, Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), her grandmother and others. At this point because of the humiliation during the walk of atonement and the loss of all her three children, our guess is that fans world over forgave Cersei. And as a result, celebrated her revenge. The episode even got a special score.
The Laws of God and Men
At the beginning of “Game of Thrones,” Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) aka The Imp is not the most likable character. But soon enough, this character develops into one the fondest of Game of Thrones’ fans. And that transformation really begins in sixth episode of the fourth season titled “The Laws of God and Men.” In this episode, Tyrion goes on trial for the murder of his nephew Joffrey. The highlight is when he screams ‘I demand trial by combat.’
The Rains of Castamere
This episode is also commonly referred to as “The Red Wedding.” It was the penultimate episode of season three. While it was a sad event for the Starks – and their fans, “The Red Wedding” was a big lesson on honouring of vows. Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), her first son Robb (Richard Madden) and his pregnant wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) and his men were massacred because Robb broke a vow to marry Lord Frey’s daughter. Even worse, Robb dared flaunt Talisa in his face.
The Dragon and The Wolf
“The Dragon and The Wolf” is the final episode of season seven. And Jon Snow is now King in the North. Arya and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) are finally home. Fans are delighted that what’s left of Starks – after much suffering – are rightfully taking their place but Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen ) aka Little Finger wanted to drive a wedge between Arya and Sansa. Thankfully, Sansa is now grown-up and no longer naive so she was able to quickly clear the air. And we absolutely loved how the sisters dealt with the Little Finger. However, this episode ends on a scary note. The Wall is brought down by the Night King and his army.
Winter is Coming
“Winter is Coming” is the first episode of “Game of Thrones” which was released in April 2011. It occupies the eighth spot in our in our top 10 “Game of Thrones” episodes so far. This episode is a must watch because it sets the context for the entire series. It ended on a sad note though. Yet that was the most memorable scene in the episode. Bran – whose favourite pastime was climbing walls, climbed an abandoned tower in Winterfell and caught Cersei having sex with her twin, brother Jamie. So as to keep their affair a secret, Jamie pushed Bran out of the window. And was the beginning of trouble for the Starks. “Winter is Coming” became a popular catchphrase for “Game of Throne.”
Walk of Punishment
The most notable scene in “Walk of Punishment” was when the arrogant Jamie Lannister pleaded with his captors to release him. He boasts of his family’s wealth and promises to compensate them. But to his surprise and ours, the captors cut of his right wrist. It was the third episode of the third season. And “Walk of Punishment” marked the beginning of Jamie’s character transformation.
Fire and Blood
“Fire and Blood” is the final episode of season one. The highlight of this episode was when Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) went through the fire. She came out unharmed and with her hatched dragons proving that she is the mother of the dragons. The act earned Daenerys the respect of Dothraki. More so, it marked the beginning of her journey to reclaim the throne at Westeros. This episodes caps our top 10 “Game of Thrones” episodes so far.
“Game of Thrones” season eight will start airing on DStv on Monday 15 April.
Image credit: hbo.com
