In little over four weeks, while the world scorches under what promises to be the most sweltering summer yet, winter will arrive on millions of TV screens, laptops and mobile devices. The immensely popular HBO series Game of Thrones releases its eighth and final season from April 14.
Seven years and 67 episodes have passed since the show first aired on television. If you are looking to recap the show in its entirety, you will have over two days and 15 hours worth of fantasy drama to watch according to the ever-helpful Bingeclock.com. While this isn't an impossible amount to binge, you can also follow our essential guide to the best Game of Thrones episodes, and catch up on the show's finest moments.
Be prepared, though, for spoilers are coming.
Season 1, Episode 1: Winter is Coming
There is no better time to watch the first episode than now, as the ominous motto of the Starks is introduced for the first time. The first episode is a good refresher to the show's dark and intricate essence, a game of wits and desires between the Starks, Lannisters and Targaryans. The pilot episode of any show is often its most revealing and this is true for S1E1 as the events that take place in this episode come full circle by the show's latest season, when winter and the invasion of the White Walkers finally dawns over Westeros.
For those of you who can't wait to see how GoT ends, this episode will remind you of what started the whole series—setting you up to see how it all ends.
Memorable moment(s): Robert Baratheon to Ned Stark: "You've got fat".
Season 2, Episode 9: Blackwater
This was the moment the show saw its first great battle, a release of all the tension and forces that led its (at the time) most-climactic characters into the first great fight of the show. The Battle of the Blackwater pits the armies of Stannis Baratheon (the technical rightful heir to the throne!) against those of King Joffrey. It is also the chance for the "imp" Tyrion to showcase his tactical powers, as he wields Westeros' finest napalm wildfire against the unsuspecting ships of Stannis. Despite losing most of his fleet, Stannis manages a deadly assault on King's Castle that nearly ends the game for the Lannisters—until the Tyrells show up, led by Tywin Lannister. It is a brutal fight, with few winners on either side. Game of Thrones, unlike many shows, does not glorify warfare, and this episode testifies to how frightening it can get.
Memorable moments:
Panicking soldier: "The fire, their archers... Hundreds will die."
Stannis: "Thousands".
Season 3, Episode 9: The Rains of Castamere
Easily television's most notorious moment, this masterclass in savagery sees every character you were rooting for up until this point...die. At a wedding. It has come to be known as the 'Red Wedding' and remains one of Game of Throne's most savage moment. Curiously, the episode itself takes inspiration from a real piece of Scottish history—the Black Dinner—where two members of an influential clan were invited to dine with the king, before being abruptly beheaded after being served a bull's head that symbolized death. This episode was ranked by TV Guide as the third best of the 21st century.
Memorable lines:
"And now the rains weep o'er his halls
With no one there to hear"
Season 4, Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose
For many fans, this was the moment everyone has been waiting for—the death of Joffrey Baratheon. Notable as the last episode that George R.R. Martin directly wrote for the show, it features yet another death at a wedding, Joffrey's, at the hand of a poisoned chalice of wine. The episode is a great reminder for long-time viewers that antagonists never disappear without being replaced—Joffrey dies only to be replaced by Ramsey as the show's most detestable character. The cycle of bad guys never ends in Game of Thrones, but for many fans, this was the end of one of the baddest.
If you are interested in seeing how editing can completely change a film, do check out Bloodblitz Comedy's creative edit of Joffrey's life, where he makes the character out as a misunderstood and bullied prince.
Memorable lines:
Olenna: "You ought to try enjoying something before you die. You might find it suits you."
Season 5, Episode 8: Hardhome
Every villain gets their moment in Game of Thrones, and this was the pinnacle of the Night King. Following a terrifying battle, Jon Snow and his battered wildling forces retreat from a wildling village in boats, as the Night King watches on. In one of the creepiest uses of silence ever, the Night King slowly raises his hands and re-animates every fallen corpse on the ground. It is an iconic show of force, and the scene that makes the White Walkers one of the most terrifying antagonists in cinema. It's the sheer inevitability of 'Winter is Coming' that makes them so frightening. And, as many fans compared the White Walkers and the looming winter as a parallel to cliamte change, an interview with George R.R. Martin added weight to this theory.
This episode was the reason behind Game of Thrones winning multiple Emmy awards in sound editing, sound mixing, production design and one for Peter Dinklage himself!
Memorable lines: "I’m asking you to think about your children now. They’ll never have children of their own if we don’t band together."
Season 6, Episode 9: Battle of the Bastards
It feels good to see the good guys win. This happens so rarely in Game of Thrones, that this episode earned a 98 per cent positive rating on the notoriously-harsh review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. For fans of big battles, this is the episode to watch. Like its title suggests, it's a battle of bastards, with Jon Snow up against the brilliantly villainous Ramsey Bolton (whose actor is a surprisingly-pleasant Indie Folk artist in the real world). The battle scenes are some of the best ever shot in cinema, with the arrow storms almost resembling Saving Private Ryan in their unflinching portrayal of the terror of combat. Ultimately, the battle is won not in the suicidal bravery of Jon Snow, but in the tactical foresight of Sansa Stark, who brings in a life-saving cavalry reinforcement led by Littlefinger. It remains a battle for the ages, and one of Game of Throne's greatest moments.
Memorable lines:
"Ramsay: My hounds will never harm me.
Sansa: You haven’t fed them in seven days. You said it yourself.
Ramsay: They’re loyal beasts.
Sansa: They were. Now they’re starving."
Season 7, Episode 7: The Dragon and the Wolf
There is one simple reason why you need to watch this episode—it is the one right before the next season. As with all season finales, it features a climactic finish and some very important deaths. Littlefinger is gone. Jaimie and Cersei are finally at odds. And the White Walkers gain a dragon.
For all its drama and plot-points, this episode was the most-watched of the entire series, a record that may be broken in the final season. It provides you with key information about the likely plot points of the next season, which include Theon's attempt to rescue his sister, Jaimie's looming battle at the Wall, Jon Snow and Daenyrus' budding romance, and Littlefinger's not-so-unlikely-return.
Memorable lines:
Tyrion: “I'm about to step into a room with the most murderous woman in the world who's already tried to kill me twice, that I know of. Who's an idiot?"
