We rank the episodes of Game of Thrones season 7 from worst to best

1. “The Spoils of War”

For the bulk of its short run-time, “The Spoils of War” is simply a solid episode of Game of Thrones. Cersei makes inroads at the Iron Bank, Jon and Dany get closer, and Arya returns to Winterfell. That’s all fine, particularly the Winterfell material. Like Bran’s arrival at the Stark family castle the episode before, Arya’s return seems somehow muted. Knowing where this story will go in the next few weeks, that was likely deliberate. But just watching her sit in the Winterfell courtyard, scanning her childhood home and seeing how it’s changed, is a quietly bittersweet way to pay off her six-year journey. She’s back, but she’s not the same and neither is the North.

Later, Arya’s sparring session with Brienne gives us a more straight-forward reason to cheer her return. Does their duel feel like fan service? Maybe a little, but it makes sense within the narrative, and it’s a blast to watch them do what they do and love every minute of it. Praise is also in order for Bran’s scene with Littlefinger and Meera Reed, which is one part badass and one part heartrending.

But “The Spoils of War” isn’t ranked this high because of the Stark family reunion. It’s not ranked this high because of the Jon-Dany scene in the caves on Dragonstone, which is well-done even if the cave paintings look a little hokey. It’s ranked this high because, at episode’s end, Dany mounts Drogon and leads her Dothraki calvary into battle against the Lannister forces and it’s everything I possibly could have wanted it to be.

Let’s start with the spectacle of it. It’s spectacular. Even before the dragon gets involved, it’s spectacular. May I remind you this episode involves a Dothraki rider standing up on his horse and jumping over the Lannister infantry line so he can wreck shit from the inside? Only a fool would meet the Dothraki in an open field, etc, etc. Thank god for fools.

But the main draw here is Drogon. Like other episodes this season, “The Spoils of War” gives us climaxes that in some cases we didn’t even know were building. Even though it was never specifically foreshadowed, we’ve been waiting to see a fully-grown dragon tear up an enemy army since the three of them hatched back in season 1. It finally happened here, and it was worth the wait.

But what’s surprising about the Loot Train Attack, and what sets it apart from other epic battles the show has done, is how it plays with perspective. Seeing Drogon in action is glorious…if you’re on Daenerys’ side. But for much of the battle, we’re not. We spend most of our time with Jaime and Bronn, who are desperately trying to stay alive as Drogon turns their fellow soldiers to dust. To them, Daenerys isn’t a liberator; she’s a tyrant riding an atom bomb, which is why the final moment of the episode lands so well. Jaime, determined to kill Daenerys before she can do any more damage, charges at her as she tries to pull a bolt out of Drogon’s side. Tyrion, who has ties to both Dany and Jaime, watches from afar, scared for both of them. In this moment, he’s a stand-in for the audience, who aren’t sure where their loyalties lie and can only watch as the train rolls off the rails. The show avoids a crash by having Bronn tackle Jaime into the water right before Drogon sends a spout of flame his way. Still…phew, what a sequence.

At its heart, Game of Thrones has always been about how, in war, there is no right or wrong side — it all depends on who you are and where you’re at. “It’s tempting to see your enemies as evil,” Jorah once told Daenerys, “but there’s good and evil on both sides of every war ever fought.” The Loot Train Attack takes that idea, spends several million dollars turning it into an action set-piece, and lets it loose.

To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels.