My Favorite TV-Episodes Ever
List of my favorite tv-episodes, the episodes that I would call the best episodes ever. Obviously, it'll only include episodes I've seen, and since I haven't seen every episode ever there's bound to be some who I'll miss out. The episodes won't appear in any order. It's just a compiled list of the best of the best. This list will forever remain incomplete, since there will always be new additions to the list.
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- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulWalt goes on the run. Jesse is taken hostage. Marie forces Skyler to tell Walter, Jr. the truth.Highest achieved IMDb rating: 10.0
My rating: 10.0
SPOILERS
Pure and simple brilliance. For my money, Ozymandias is the single greatest accomplishment in TV-history. This episode is a rollercoaster of emotions, twists and turns. From the get-go we're greeted with such extraordinary television, that your jaw is most likely going to lie on the floor for the majority of the episode's 48-minute runtime. Judging by the end of To'hajiilee, it looked like Hank was a goner, and lo and behold - he was. But, Vince Gilligan proves yet again that he's smarter than his entire fanbase combined, because if you thought that Hank's death was the only thing that was looming, you were dead wrong. Basically, Gilligan decided to throw in everything in one, delicious, perfect, 48-minute episode. In most TV-shows, a major character death like Hank's would be the biggest moment of the season. In Breaking Bad, it squabbles over the biggest moment of the episode, as the episode is filled to the brim with some of the most jaw-dropping sequences of any show. It starts of with Hank's rather predictable, yet very sad death, and then it just keeps going from there on out. Walt rats out where Jesse is hiding in a particularly heart-wrenching scene. He also decides that it's the perfect moment to reveal to Jesse that he let Jane choke on her own vomit (that escalated quickly). Meanwhile, Skyler and Marie reveals to Walt Jr. that his dear father, is in fact a methamphetamine kingpin; a moment that audiences have been waiting for the entire series. Marie also tells Skyler that Hank has Walt dead to rights (when she realizes what really happened, it will be really awkward). Skyler drives Walt Jr. home. They have a rather awkward and tension filled conversation where Walt Jr. tells his mother that if she truly hid this from him all this time, she's as bad as his meth-daddy. When they arrive home they notice a peculiar car in the driveway - Walt's. This is where the crazy part begins. Walt tries to force his family to pack their bags without any information, but Skyler is suspicious (and rightfully so). What this lead to is one of the absolute most tension filled scenes I've ever seen in my life (I bit my fingers so badly that I were surprised to find that my fingers didn't look like Ser Davos'). The knife fight.......oh my. What a scene! And that's just the beginning. After Walt Jr. turns on his dad by phoning the police (which is a pretty huge plot development), Walt kidnaps Holly........ Even for someone who poisoned a child and let a woman choke on her own vomit due to his own selfish needs this is a real dick-move. Walt takes up residence in a....public bathroom (?), or something. While there, Holly starts calling out for her mommy (an unscripted moment that wasn't planned, but happened since the actress' mom visited the set on the shoot. Luckily, Cranston played along with it, and made it a truly heartbreaking moment.). Walt then calls home to his, ahem, estranged family who have allied themselves with the FBI. The phone call is staggering. Walt tries everything he's got to take focus away from his family, so that he can take all the blame. The acting from everyone involved: Anna Gunn, RJ Mitte, Betsy Brandt but especially Bryan Cranston, is perfect. Cranston quite possibly pulls off his greatest performance in this scene, as he tries to veil his crying by falsely rampaging on Skyler (as well as admitting to killing Hank, something that spirals Marie into an emotional breakdown). After that emotional scene (mildly put), he ultimately decides to give up Holly. The episode ends with him waiting for Saul's guy (who knows a guy, who knows another guy, who briefly dated another guy's boss) with a luggage and his barrel. Absolutely perfect episode, as well as an absolutely perfect title: "Ozymandias" (a poem about the fall of a king). And as always, the shot composition is flawless and the cinematography breathtaking. One cannot do anything but applaud Gilligan for the finest hour in television history (in my opinion). - DirectorDavid NutterStarsEmilia ClarkeKit HaringtonRichard MaddenRobb and Catelyn arrive at the Twins for the wedding. Jon is put to the test to see where his loyalties truly lie. Bran's group decides to split up. Daenerys plans an invasion of Yunkai.Highest achieved IMDb rating: 9.9
My rating: 9.9
SPOILERS
"'And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere. But now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear. Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear." This episode is a testament to how freaking unbelievably incredible Game of Thrones is. A masterpiece of epic proportions. The 51-minute episode features a lot of notable moments: Daenerys seizes Yunkai (after an exciting action scene); Jon escapes from the wildlings (and kills that weasel Orell); Bran learns that he's special, since he can not only warg into animals, but people as well (how freaking awesome wasn't it when he warged into Summer and Hodor? Jojen's line made it even better: "No one can do that - anywhere"); Sam learns that he's a wizard (well, of sorts); and Arya continues her travels with The Hound in a particularly funny sequence where The Hound is about to kill a food merchant ("Is that him?"). But.....of course the real deal is the Wedding between Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey: The Red Wedding - the most infamous scene in television history. Anyone who had read the book knew this was coming. However, the rest of us; we were in for a mighty surprise. Before we delve deeper into pregnant belly stabbings and so forth, let's discuss the build up first. There's this strange feeling in the air. This feeling that something will happen, but you just don't know what it is. Walder Frey is his usual self; he's loathsome. Especially in a scene where he manages to forget the name of his own granddaughter, and upset The King in the North himself with a few misplaced comments about Talisa's, ahem, firm tits and tight fit (ouch...). After that inhospitable greeting, Waldie (I call him that. We're buddies) changes persona and becomes much nicer.....far too nice. And the Frey bride as well, who usually are renowned for being spectacularly unattractive, is absolutely stunning.....far too stunning (Edmure seems to dig her though). What follows after they've sworn their vows are festivities and some really light-hearted moments. Even Catelyn laughs. After the wedding comes the bedding, as the two newlyweds are being forced away to more private quarters. Roose Bolton makes a snarky comment that he wedded a fat bride, since Walder Frey paid the Bolton lord her weight in silver (jeez, Walder really wants to get away from his daughters and granddaughters huh?). Catelyn also seems to finally accept Talisa into the family, as she watches the couple from a table away. Talisa and Robb plans on naming their child Eddard if it's a boy (I think I may just cry a little). Everything seems to be going well, until - Blackfish decides to take a piss (that surely was the biggest hint). No, but when The Rains of Castamere (hey, that's the name of the episo-wait a minute?!?!) starts playing, and when Black Walder closes the gates, the mood shifts very suddenly. We get glimpses outside, where Arya and The Hound arrives at a very tension filled Twins with their long awaited salt pork. The Frey guard doesn't seem to fancy salt pork much though ("are you soft in the 'ead?"), and after numerous (two?) attempts, The hound finally gives up. But, Arya has left the cart after seeing several Frey men running in to the castle armed. At the feast, old lord Frey gives a speech to his king and to his new firm titted queen. What follows is TV-history. Belly stabbings, a storm of crossbow quarrels, and throat cuttings. Everyone inside, and outside dies miserably, as the Freys and Boltons slaughter everyone. After lord Bolton is done knifing Robb in the heart, Black Walder walks up and cuts lady Catelyn's throat. What follows is about 90-seconds of pure silence, and you sitting and staring blankly on your screen for a solid five minutes. The Red Wedding, they call it. And rightfully so. Far and away the most shocking scene I've ever seen in my life, be it movies, TV, books or games, this scene is the worst. I'd never actually before in my life been depressed by watching anything fictional, but after seeing The Rains of Castamere I was. I actually took a two hour nap after the episode, just because I grew so depressed and tired after watching the episode. It took a long time to melt what I witnessed in this episode. It's after this episode that Game of Thrones stepped up to shows like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos and just politely asked them to step down, because we had a new champ of television. The Rains of Castamere is an episode that transcends the very boundaries of television. Never before have I seen anything like it. And unless it's Game of Thrones, I haven't seen anything like it since. Flawless. Absolutely flawless. - DirectorDavid NutterStarsPeter DinklageNikolaj Coster-WaldauLena HeadeyStannis arrives at Winterfell. Tyrion runs Meereen as Daario and Jorah go after Daenerys. Jaime and Myrcella leave Dorne. Jon sends Sam and Gilly to Oldtown. Arya challenges the Many-Faced God. Cersei confesses her sins.Highest achieved IMDb rating: 8.8
My rating: 9.8
SPOILERS
"Go on, do your duty".
Et tu, Olly?
Mother's Mercy - a reference to the biggest and most powerful moment of the episode, Cersei's Walk of Atonement - is definitely the most controversial episode of the series thus far, and quite possibly also the best. This episode already has more reviews than any other episode of Thrones. And that's because everybody has something to say about it. Daniel Portman - our lovely and loyal Podrick Payne - did hype this episode up to be the episode that will "break the internet" after all. Wow, that's huge even in Game of Thrones terms. And was he right? Well, if we're putting it like this: it's the only thing people is talking about at the moment. And for several reasons. You either love this episode, or you hate it there is no real middle ground. But you already know where I weigh in on this episode since it's on this list. But let's dig right into the nitty-gritty, shall we? First of all, from the first three minutes alone you can tell that this episode will be special. The episode opens with Melisandre staring at melting icicles, as to establish that Shireen's BBQ sacrifice wasn't for naught. She tells this to the sulking King of the Narrow Sea, but he doesn't care: he burned his daughter, you're pretty likely to be a little broken after that. But directly when it looks like the sacrifice brought with it a little luck, that luck takes a complete 180. One of Stannis' generals tells him that about half the men deserted before dawn with all the horses. Seeing as Stannis had about 6000 men and he has already lost about 2000 of those men to the cold, and to desertion, he only have about 2000 men left now. Two thousand men, with no horses or siege weapons, and no food. But, Stannis' day is about to get a little worse. His wife, Selyse, has hung herself from a tree branch out in the Wolfswood. Stephen Dillane deserves all the credit for his performance in this episode, and in this moment he just nailed the inner tragedy. And remember; this is the first three minutes of the episode. Three! After this we go to Castle Black where Jon's telling Sam what most people would take as a bedtime story, except it's real. "He raised his hand, and they all came back to life. Tens of thousands of them. The biggest army in the world". That sums it up pretty nicely. Sam doesn't want to face the biggest army in the world, though, and asks his friend to be sent to Oldtown with Gilly and baby Sam. So Jon says farewell to his best friend - and perhaps for the last time (...). We go back to Stannis. He's determined to march on Winterfell no matter what. Sansa uses her corkscrew-thingy (?) to unlock her chamber door. She makes it to the broken tower with a candle. Brienne remains ever watchful a few hundred meters outside Winterfell. But then Podrick comes running almost absent breath, telling her that Stannis is advancing towards Winterfell with his - admittedly scattered - host (of broken men). Brienne makes a judgment call: she has to choose between her duty, the oath she swore to Catelyn Stark, and her selfish desire to avenge Renly. She chooses the latter and leaves, just seconds before Sansa lights the candle in the broken tower. If there ever was worse timing, I'm unaware of it. Stannis prepares to siege Winterfell and asks the men who were kind enough to stay with the man who burned his own daughter to build trenches. The general who gave Stannis the news of his wife's tragic suicide, stares at the distance and says: "it's not going to be a siege, your grace". And as Stannis scans the horizon, he sees thousands of mounted Bolton men riding towards them, at least twice the numbers that remains of his own host. Stannis, as the total badass he is, draws his sword. If you're gonna die, might as well die with some pride and dignity. I mentioned Stephen Dillane's performance earlier, and he's fantastic in this scene. He totally conveys Stannis' emotions in that scene. Stannis knows he have lost. He knows that they are all going to die. But he'll do his duty nonetheless, and that's why we love Stannis (proving that Game of Thrones is the only show were a character can burn his own daughter and still be worth rooting for). Anyway, the Bolton host massacres Stannis' in a few jaw-dropping overhead shots. We don't actually get to see the battle, but there's no need to show it. They clearly establish in these few moments, that Stannis Baratheon is done. And just so. In the next scene we see Stannis halting amongst the dead, using his sword as a cane. Two Bolton men try to sneak up on him, but he'll have none of that s--t. He takes both of them out in a satisfying fashion, and drops down to a tree trunk while hissing. He sees something. It's Brienne. She has come to avenge Renly. Brienne asks Stannis for any final words. Stannis response is my favorite line of the episode. It's just as Stannis-esque as a line comes. And Stephen Dillane deserves more cred for this scene. Man, does he knock his role out of the park in this episode. He looks broken. He looks almost relieved when Brienne shows up and when it's clear that she's there to see to his demise. Brienne herself also looks surprised. I think she expected a monstrous human being, but instead she found a broken man who's willing to die bravely. The last shot is of Brienne slashing Oathkeeper towards the camera. In Winterfell, Reek finally grew a pair and became Theon again, pushing Myranda over the ledge for threatening Sansa. There's no escape now, Ramsay will come back and flay them both. Except there is an escape. And they take it. They take hands on the walls of Winterfell, and leaps (there better be a s--t ton of snow down there for them to survive, but whatever. I'm willing to give it this one). In Braavos, Ser Meryn Trant is up to no good - beating young girls in a brothel. But one of the girls won't squeak - Arya. She reveals herself and jumps up on him, stabbing him in both eyes. She continues to stab him like six time in the chest. She's stone cold. She wants to ensure that he knows who she is. And she wants to ensure who he is and what he has done before killing him. She makes him suffer a little more, before revealing that she is in fact Arya Stark, while he's no one. He's just nothing. She cuts his throat (talk about bloody scene. Somewhere, Quentin Tarantino got an idea for Kill Bill Vol. 3 with Maisie Williams in the leading role). However, her attempt of sneaking back into the Hall of Faces unnoticed doesn't go as planned. The Waif and Jaqen find her, and they realize that she's stolen a life from the Many Faced God. And only death can pay for life, so Jaqen takes his own life by drinking the gift of death. WHAT?! Jaqen?! But wait, there's more. Actually Jaqen lives....I think, kind of? The Waif was actually Jaqen? It's confusing as hell. But no matter how confusing it's for us, it's even worse for Arya. She begins losing her sight. She goes blind. Cut to Dorne, where Jaime, Bronn, Myrcella and Trystane are ready to leave. Ellaria gives Myrcella a suspiciously long kiss on the lips, and Tyene gives Bronn a line straight from a porno. For most people, Dorne has been a major disappointment this season. Nothing really has happened there this season, and now it seemed as if Jaime and Bronn would just leave with Myrcella without any repercussions at all. It seemed way too easy, and that's because it was. After a heartwarming, and near tear inducing scene where Myrcella proclaims her love for her real father, she dies - by poison (man, ‘em fake Baratheons seem like the target of every poisoning.). So, it did serve a purpose to the story after all. Even that scene when Tyene shows Bronn her titties in episode seven was in fact just set up towards this scene. One can only wonder what atrocities Cersei will come up with after hearing that her daughter has died in Dorne. So we got that to look forward to. In Meereen, Jorah and Daario decides to track Daenerys, and leaves Tyrion in charge together with Missandei and Grey Worm. But then it happens. Varys returns (YES!!!). Varys and Tyrion ruling a city halfway spiraling into a civil war? I think Tyrion spoke for all of us when he said: "I did miss you". Now we're down to the two final, and largest scenes of the episode. First, there's Cersei's Walk of Atonement. After being locked up in a cell in the Sept of Baelor for several weeks, she finally breaks and confesses her sins to the High Sparrow (while wisely leaving the large ones out such as the murder of King Robert, and her relationship with Jaime). But she's not free just yet. First she must make her Atonement. She's bathed (kind word for it really) and her hair is cut. She's to make her Walk of Atonement. Meaning, walking naked through the streets of King's Landing, from the Great Sept of Baelor to the Red Keep (and while having the disturbing Septa Unella yelling shame a bejillion times). And even though she handles it all well at first, she finally breaks. People are hurling all kinds of nasty things at her, as well as nasty words. After a while, she's all bloody and eventually she falls. Every step she takes marks a red footprint on the cobblestones of King's Landing. When she finally makes it to the Red Keep, she's a broken human being and she starts crying. The people waiting for her inside doesn't seem very happy to see her, apart from Qyburn and his little, ahem, experiment (aka Ser Robert Strong, aka FrankenGregor, aka zombified The Mountain). After every atrocity that Cersei has committed, it's still almost impossible not to feel for her in this scene. Lena Headey pulls off the greatest performance in her career and if she doesn't win the EMMY, someone will RW the EMMY jury. But don't worry, she will have her vengeance (or at least so I hope). And on to our last stop for the season: Castle Black (this doesn't bode well). Davos tries to convince Jon to let Stannis enlist the wildlings in his army, when suddenly Melisandre arrives, looking like a broken human being. Right there they know (or at least think they know, when in reality they cannot even imagine what actually happened). Later at night, Jon sits in his chambers reading a bunch of letters - perhaps about Stannis' defeat. A reference to the book's Pink Letter? - when Olly comes rushing in telling Jon that there's someone out there who got information about Benjen. Jon rushes outside where Alliser Thorne tells Jon that the man in question saw Benjen at Hardhome about a month ago. Jon arrives at the place where the men stand gathered around. But well there, Jon doesn't find a man with information about uncle Benjen. Instead he finds a sign that simply says traitor. Jon looks confused as all hell, and I imagine that most of the audience feel the same. Jon turns around, and finds Alliser Thorne's dagger in his gut. "For the Watch" he says. Then Othell Yarwyck comes up with his dagger. "For the Watch" he inclines. Bowen Marsh continues: "For the Watch". And then another brother. "For the Watch". Jon is standing on his knees, bleeding to death. From the crowd, Olly walks out. Jon Snow looks really heart broken. And I imagine most of the non-book reader's jaws are on the floor at the moment when this happened. Jon begs Olly. Not with his mouth, but with his eyes. Not because he doesn't think he deserves it, but because he wants Olly to be better. But none of that matters. Jon is after all the man who decided to break bread with the people who killed his entire village. Including his father and mother, and everyone he have ever known. And after a few moments of serious hesitation, Olly's dagger finally finds its way to Jon's heart. The brothers walk away and Olly looks almost as betrayed as Jon did. The final shot of the episode is Jon lying dead in the winter snow, with his blood making a red pool beside him. His eyes are dead. Cold as ice. The episode cuts to black. Yep, that did just happen. This is what book readers have been waiting 4 years for. The iconic Night's Watch mutiny - commonly referred to as either For the Watch or the Pink Letter, due to an important colored letter that appears in the books version - is easily the biggest betrayal since at least the Red Wedding, but perhaps even of the entire show. And when it comes to character deaths, there are none bigger than Jon Snow himself. But will he remain dead? After all, he is the Song of Ice and Fire. The most important center piece of the show. Think about this: why did Melisandre return to the Wall of all places, if not for Jon Snow? But for now his watch has ended, and man what a season Kit Harington have had. Easily pulling off one of the best performances of the season, and easily the best of his career. But remember this: Only death can pay for life, and Jon always comes back. But we're gonna have to wait ten months to really find out nevertheless. It's been a great season, with a truly outstanding ending, with the final three episodes. Ten months. And now our watch begins. - DirectorMiguel SapochnikStarsPeter DinklageKit HaringtonEmilia ClarkeJon and Sansa face Ramsay Bolton on the fields of Winterfell. Daenerys strikes back at her enemies. Theon and Yara arrive in Meereen.Highest achieved IMDb rating: 10.0
My rating: 10.0
SPOILERS
"You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well."
Well, that was most brutally honest depiction of war I've ever seen.
Ding dong, the king is dead!
No, not Ramsay (although he's technically no king, except in terms of villainy): the king of television is on the other hand - 'Ozymandias'. Yes, that's right. It's beaten, at last. Only took about three long years. Before heading into the review/recap, there are a few things that must be said about the achievement of this episode first:
After the eighth hour of the sixth season - 'No One' - I, and others even more so, were frustrated. It ended on a rather anticlimactic and predictable note, and it didn't help that the preview of the episode made it look very exciting. It really only served as setup, and even, in some cases, frustrating setup. My initial reaction to the episode was that of almost betrayal and utter disappointment. I now realize the qualities that make up this episode (Riverlands, bitch!), but directly after, I was a cache of wildfire about to explode. So, despite the promise of a pitched battle between the titular bastards, and a particularly mouth-watering preview, I wasn't so hyped at the prospect of the 'Battle of the Bastards' as I thought I would be. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm always counting the hours until the next episode, it's just that I felt more cautious then usual for this episode. I expected it to be an amazing episode on par with 'Blackwater' at the most, but more like 'The Watchers on the Wall'. Both amazing, battle-driven episodes, but neither are Top 5 for me in the show. Frankly, I didn't expect any episode this season to top my #3 ('Mother's Mercy'). Everyone else seemed to though. Six seasons into the show, this felt like the most anticipated episode ever by everyone else. The cast and crew weren't exactly quiet about the episode either, with them saying it was the biggest thing they had ever done, so on and so forth. I was beginning to feel that the hype was to much. How can one possibly live up to such lofty expectations?
Well, what the f--k do I know, this episode was insanely, mindbogglingly great! Seven hells! How do you create something like this? Last year, 'Hardhome' became the best episode in the show in my opinion, surpassing 'The Rains of Castamere'. Even so, they were close. Very, very close to each other. They both deservedly have 9.9. This episode has a 10.0 though, a feat only achieved by 'Ozymandias' before it. And guess what not only does it deserve it, it didn't even take 72-hours for this episode to overtake 'Ozymandias' in number of votes. It now has the privilege to be the only episode with over 100 000 votes. In fact, at the moment I'm writing this, 'Battle of the Bastards has more votes than 'Warcraft' and 'The Jungle Book'. Yeah, let that sink in. Two major motion picture releases, both of which were released before this episode, and yet it has more votes than both of them. The cultural shock wave of this episode is like none I've ever seen in television before (not even the dreaded season six finale of The Walking Dead compares!). But enough pre-game talk, let's dive into the actual meat:
Directed by the god that is Miguel Sapochnik - the director of 'The Gift' and 'Hardhome' - it opens with Meereen in deep s--t (thanks, Tyrion!). So yeah, people who were only expecting the main battle to take place, get ready for more. Yes, there are indeed two battles in this episode. Well, kind of. Not really, but the abbreviated version of the Battle of Meereen still ranks as one of the most jaw-dropping and stunning set-pieces the show has done. And expensive too, boy does it look expensive. But before Daenerys f--ks up the slavers, there are a couple of scenes that precedes it. Tyrion councils Daenerys against "Mad King-ing" the masters, and instead suggests they try an alternate approach. It's at this point I believe they will try to make peace with them or some crap like that. Nope. The parlay exists purely to discuss the slavers' surrender, and not the other way around. Obviously they refuse (I like how Yezzan just thinks that they can kill the dragons as if they were cattle. Maybe he make joke?). So yeah, Daenerys hops onto Drogon with Djawadi's booming score to accompany the moment. They are joined by Viserion and Rhaegal, are framed gorgeously over the city, and I'm already floored by this episode. Daario and the Dothraki also arrive to defeat some Sons of the Harpy that are randomly strewn outside the citygates. So yeah, they fly over the fleet, picks out one ship and burns it to pieces. That one shot were the camera starts at a low angle of Dany on Drogon, and then ascends while simultaneously panning right to show Drogon frying the ship is breathtaking. It's summer-blockbuster quality when it comes to VFX, all through the episode. Anyway, Tyrion, Missandei and Grey Worm tells the masters that one of them must die for their betrayal of the pact. Razdal and Belicho sell Yezzan out, and in true Game of Thrones fashion, they die instead. Tyrion then achieves the mic drop of the year award when he tells Yezzan to spread the story of what happened when Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons came to Meereen.
And cut. Man, that was a great episode, right? Well, true, but it's not over - not even close. You're so sucked in and hypnotized by the awe of this sequence that you kind of forget the main attraction; The Battle of the Bastards - the pitched battle for Winterfell between Jon and Ramsay. Before the madness starts though, there are plenty of scenes to set the tone and to build up tension. The calm before the storm so to speak. We get another parlay, this time between Jon and Sansa - accompanied by Davos and Lyanna fookin' Mormont - and Ramsay - accompanied by Smalljon Umber and Harald Karstark. It's funny how they keep playing with the idea of ice and fire. Not only are the battles of ice and fire, but we get parlays of them as well. This scene is excellent, and maybe, just maybe, the most important scene of the episode. Without this scene, the main battle may have run the risk of lacking emotional resonance. With this scene though, we are expertly set-up for it instead. The acting in this scene is superb, particularly from Harington, who have really evolved into such a fine actor these past two seasons. Anyway, Ramsay makes threats, Sansa makes better ones, Lyanna makes the best ones without even as much as a word, and Jon tries to get a feel on Ramsay. Later during a strategy scene, Sansa however points out that Ramsay is much smarter than he seems, and that he doesn't walk into traps, he lays them. Jon thinks this sounds obvious and practically mocks her for suggesting such a thing (you may want to rethink that in about a day, Jon). Outside, Davos and Tormund the Destroyer are getting cosy, uniting due to their belief in Jon. Davos also finds the stag he made Shireen, so, yeah, that's not good, not for Mel.
We do get a pretty fantastic scene with Dany and Tyrion, and Yara and Theon before the battle. Yara's comment about a possible marriage pact has to be one of the episode's funniest moments. So, if she did not look like the most probable ruler of Westeros once the dust settles already, this alliance between her and Yara seem to do the trick.
And then it happens. The camera cuts and we see them all lined up. By the time this actually happens, the tension is at an all time high. And yet, they up it even more by showing both sides, and those lovely, flaming crosses. Really though, the battle is so insane and so packed that I can't recap everything. Instead, I'll just say what I thought of it.
For starters, it's expertly built throughout the episode. A mad crescendo that keeps getting crazier and bloodier as it goes on. Something that I wished for before the episode was for some kind of twists, or some focus on strategy. My wish was granted; we got both. Ramsay's game that he plays with Rickon, but primarily Jon, initially felt odd. It felt unnecessary, albeit interesting, at first. When that arrow hit Rickon though, I got what they were going for (amazing editing in that scene too, plus, the score that underlines it make it that much more tense.). I love this moment. Sort of like the hammer-drop of the battle, where it really hits the fan. The sound becomes muddled and fairly incoherent, and we just see Jon's rage before he charges. Ramsay has succeeded in executing the first step in his plan. Next step; kill him. Luckily for Jon, The Lord of Light has a huge crush on him. Nevertheless, when he faces that cavalry wall (incredible shot btw), and the music starts playing, and time becomes slowed down, you kind of get the sense that he might die. He seems ready to die (again). But then the Bolton cavalry collides with the Stark cavalry, and holy s--t! The decision to abandon the seemingly mandatory sweeping shot of the cavalries charging into each other that was popularized in The Lord of the Rings was a brilliant one. Sure, that would've reinforced how epic this was, this on the other hand shows us how brutal, confusing, chaotic and seemingly pointless war can and often is. The build up to this moment, and the sheer destruction that ensues once the payoff happens, are two reasons why it's as resonating as it is.
Besides Ramsay's (successful) plan of draw his enemies into the open to rain fire down upon them, there are other nice tidbits as well. We have the absolutely crazy one-shot of Jon in the crushing war-zone, the mountains of bodies that form and the next phase of the bastard's plan (Ramsay that is). A pincer move. The shields form a semi-circle that traps them between the spears and a mountain of bodies (they are literally pushed against death). The brutal imagery shown here is nothing else than effective, and purely horrific. Even in Saving Private Ryan do we see the chaos and the luck of battle as well. Jon seems to even mistake a Bolton man for one of his own for a second, and you know what? Maybe he were on of his own, because that's how messy it is. There's no coordination and few things to separate the two sides costume-wise. The previously mentioned mountain of bodies is deeply moving in a way I never expected this episode to be.
Not only is this sequence tense, exciting, epic, horrific and brutal, excellently scored, amazingly choreographed but it's also scary. You don't know what's next, or who's next to go. They give you a few moments where you think someone's definitely a goner, which adds to the tension. Besides that, Sapochnik and Wagner's cooperation leads this episode to be the most visually stunning and beautiful episodes of the show. There are countless shots that are edged in my memory. A few that comes to mind (besides the cavalry wall) are; that mad shot of the arrows, from the moment they are released to the moment they hit the ground; that closeup slo-mo shot of the horses charging against the Bolton forces; that long shot, full view of a Bolton soldier stabbing a Stark man while the background is filled with piles of bodies and people fighting; several shots of the shield-wall etc. There are so many.
Look, Game of Thrones is genius, alright? It's the only piece of fiction that would actually kill their main character off by being trampled-smothered by his own men fleeing in terror and panic. This is perhaps the most memorable part of the episode, because it's so unique, and brilliant too. The birds-eye shot of him coming up and gasping for air gives me Holocaust vibes, particularly the disorientation and how cramped it is (it also shows several Bolton men there, and also some who are standing up but dead. *shudders*). Littlefinger and Sansa's rescue should feel convenient, because it is, even if I have no problems with it, but it feels better than that. It gives you a few seconds to realize it. You hear the horn, but the camera still focuses on Tormund Grimes and Smalljon fighting. Then the banner shows and Djawadi's music continues to amaze. Then once the battle is, for all intents and purposes, done, we get that Lord of the Rings shot. At that point we had already experienced this horror first hand, with Jon and the others, so at that point there was no need to dwell on the horror or the tension. Now the audience is wise to the act and knows what's up, so it's better to move on to the ending.
So yeah, Wun Wun dies. Sad loss, obviously, but he had to, He had served his purpose (breaking down a door instead of holding one). So after the brutal pummeling of Ramsay, the battle is over, and Sansa kills him in the best way possible; by feeding him to his starving dogs. Her smile at the end is amazing, yet worrying, as was Jon's pummeling. Are they breaking bad? Nonetheless, it shows a difference in character for them both. They have both suffered, and they have both become exposed to a grimmer reality as a result. But Ramsay's line about her not being able to kill him because he's part of him now, isn't only very Joker-esque, but maybe my favorite line of the episode. I think it foreshadows an even darker turn for her.
No music when the Stark banners are hanged though, and what a fantastic choice. This is not as much of a victory as it is a waste of human lives. I mean, sure, Jon does this with the intent of uniting the North against The Night King, but thousands still died for due to about three people. Sansa only wanted revenge. Was it worth it? For her, it was, but for everyone else? No, I wouldn't say so. So few people determine the outcome of so many things and rule over so many lives. They are pawns in the world's largest chess game, something that we can see in our own world as well. I love that. Then it becomes more than just a victory. It becomes more of a tragedy, and that is more interesting in my opinion.
So yeah, 'Battle of the Bastards' is ultimately one hell of an episode. One like none other. I mean, it's truly one-of-a-kind, and it does mean 'Ozymandias' for the throne for me. 'Ozymandias', the poem about the fall of a king, seems like an apt title after it now falling as the king of television as well. For now, Game of Thrones holds it, and I do not see any show taking it soon. It will take years for any show to have an episode even close to this. It was our only hope.
No, there is another, and its 'Winds' are mighty... - DirectorMiguel SapochnikStarsPeter DinklageLena HeadeyEmilia ClarkeTyrion advises Daenerys. Sansa forces Theon to tell her a secret. Cersei remains stubborn. Arya meets her first target. Jon and Tormund meet with the wildling elders.Highest achieved IMDb rating: 9.9
My rating: 9.9
"I am not going to stop the wheel - I am going to break the wheel."
*Taken from my initial review of Hardhome on IMDb.*
Finally after seven really good, albeit rather slow, build up episodes we get an episode that reminds us why we truly watch this show. This particular scene has been set up for several episodes, but wisely the "dead things in the water" angle was left out in advance, so that the reveal would be more surprising. So far this season has been, albeit excellent, lacking, especially compared to season 4 when it felt like every other episodes had some hook to it. This episode finally gave us what we have been waiting for.
The episode opens in Daenerys' audience chamber. Only this time, the chamber is graced by a presence that it haven't ever felt before - Tyrion Lannister. Quite possibly the two most popular characters finally get a full scene together. Even though they met last episode, this is the first proper scene they've had together. And already in this moment you feel that this episode will be special. The interaction between these two is one of the highlights of the episode, and of the entire season to be honest. Filled with the same witty dialogue and stunning production design as always, Tyrion, who seemed to have grown rather fond of Ser Jorah, counsels Daenerys to once again banish Jorah.
Later we get a scene between Tyrion and Daenerys, just by themselves. This scene was a real standout. They discuss all kinds of matters. Mostly how horrible their families are. Daenerys also reveals that she'll break the wheel, in a powerfully delivered line.
Coming of last week's twist, Cersei is in worse shape than she's ever been in. I absolutely loved how they decided to give her three quick scenes instead of one long one. It gave us, the viewers, a sense of time passing, and that Cersei is breaking worse for every additional hour she spends in that cell. In the first scene, the septa arrives with a ladle of water and tells Cersei to confess, which she refuses. This results that she won't get any water. What this basically establishes is that the High Sparrow will try to thirst her into confessing. The second scene shows Qyburn visiting Cersei. Qyburn is currently shoulders deep in "work", aka turning The Mountain into some twisted monstrous zombie. Pycelle have called back uncle Kevan back to the capital to serve as the King's Hand, and Tommen refuses to leave his room because he is too shaken up about what's currently happening. The third and final scene, may be the most powerful of them all though. The septa visits again, trying to bribe Cersei with water. Cersei tries to bribe the septa as well. I love how they clarify that Cersei barely tries any longer. At first she tries to convince the septa that she'll get out of there. Then she tries to bribe her, and after that she threatens her. None of these three attempts are successful, and it's quite clear at this moment that Cersei has begun giving up. The image of her drinking the water from the floor is breathtaking, as it does what words simply cannot. It truly conveys that she for the first time in her life is struggling for survival.
In Winterfell, The Boltons prepare for Stannis' arrival. Roose shrewdly believes that they should starve and freeze Stannis out. Ramsay though, is a more of a head on kind of guy. Ramsay will take 20 "good" men, and presumably ambush Stannis or create some kind of decoy. I can only pray to the Many Faced God that his plan will backfire on him, and that Stannis will kill him. But since this is Game of Thrones, you can never be sure. Theon also finally confesses to Sansa that he didn't kill Bran and Rickon, which was fantastic to watch. Perhaps the most shocking line was when Theon actually admitted that he deserved it. All in all, this scene was incredibly well acted, by two extremely talented and underrated actors.
In Braavos, we get our best Braavos scene yet, as Arya (or is it Laana now?) finally gets a mission from Jaqen. Her mission is to assassinate a gambler. It looks as we will get to see the resolution of that next episode, and I cannot wait.
And then there's the Battle of Hardhome (more like a massacre really); the battle that few of us saw coming, but most of us wanted. This is easily the most stunning 17 minutes - not just this season, not just of Game of Thrones, but of television I've ever witnessed in my life. This is how you do it. The sheer scope of this episode made me confident that there's simply no need for a movie to end the story. The special effects are already amazing. They were picture perfect and honestly, it looked better than the $250 million Age of Ultron. The reveal that The Wight Walkers are attacking with their army of the dead is something that will be remembered for a very long time. I adore how they played it out almost like a horror movie at first, and then it erupts into this extraordinary spectacle. The moment at the end where The Night's King reanimates the thousands of slaughtered people was the most spine-chilling scene I've watched in a very long time, and the sound of the waves crashing onto the bloody shores of Hardhome was the perfect way to end the episode. Honestly, this episode was flawless. I cannot find a single flaw in this episode. This episode is definitely the best episode I've seen all year long (though I have a feeling that it will be topped or matched by the last two). One episode was all it took for people to stop doubting. One episode was all it took to show us that the endlessly quoted "winter is coming" isn't valid anymore. Winter is already here. To quote the late Maester Aemon; "Gods help us all". - DirectorDavid SladeStarsHugh DancyMads MikkelsenCaroline DhavernasJack devises a plan to apprehend Hannibal, while Hannibal prepares for his departure. Will makes his decision, and it results in devastating consequences.*INCOMPLETE*
Highest achieved IMDb rating: 9.9
My rating: 9.9
SPOILERS
"I let you know me, see me. I gave you a rare gift, but you didn't want it."
Hannibal is, in my own humble opinion, the most underrated TV-show at the moment, by far. And this episode - "Mizumono" - proves why; and then some! - DirectorMichael RymerStarsMads MikkelsenHugh DancyCaroline DhavernasWill hatches a cunning plot to slay Francis Dolarhyde, using Hannibal Lecter in his ploy. Bedelia voices concern about the perilous plan as Will continues his game with Hannibal, though Will may have to face his darkest fears.
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulWalter White returns to Albuquerque one last time to secure his family's future and settle old scores.
- DirectorThor FreudenthalStarsStephen AmellKatie CassidyDavid RamseyThe League of Assassins give Oliver 48 hours to find Sara's killer, or Starling City citizens will die. Oliver then has an epic confrontation with Ra's al Ghul.
- DirectorSteve ShillStarsMichael C. HallJulie BenzJennifer CarpenterDexter and Arthur find themselves on a collision course, as Debra unearths a shocking long-hidden truth, Rita admits her marriage to Dexter is troubled, and Batista and LaGuerta face the consequences of an ethics breach. Season Finale.
- DirectorJack BenderStarsNaveen AndrewsHenry Ian CusickEmilie de RavinJack and the survivors wait for Charlie to turn off The Others' signal-jamming device, not knowing that he has been captured at the Looking Glass station. The plan to blow up the group of Others who invade the camp fails.
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulJesse is brought to the FBI for questioning on his knowledge of ricin. In a last effort to kill Gus, Walt must ask for help from an old enemy.
- DirectorMiguel SapochnikStarsPeter DinklageNikolaj Coster-WaldauLena HeadeyCersei and Loras Tyrell stand trial by the gods. Daenerys prepares to set sail for Westeros. Davos confronts Melisandre. Sam and Gilly arrive in the Citadel. Bran discovers a long-kept secret. Lord Frey has an uninvited guest.
- DirectorDermott DownsStarsGrant GustinCandice PattonDanielle PanabakerWith the Particle Accelerator back online, Barry can go back in time to stop Eobard Thawne on the night of his mother's murder fifteen years ago.
- DirectorJonathan NolanStarsEvan Rachel WoodThandiwe NewtonJeffrey WrightFord unveils his bold new narrative; Dolores embraces her identity; Maeve sets her plan in motion.