All 73 episodes of Game of Thrones, ranked worst to best

39. “A Golden Crown,” Season 1, Episode 6

“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” —Tyrion Lannister

Indeed, Mr. Lannister, indeed. Lysa Arryn would have been wise to remember that Tyrion is by far the smartest of the Lannister siblings, but she doesn’t, because Lysa is unstable and not that bright. Anyways, Lysa plays right into Tyrion’s hands when the latter, currently at the Eyrie after being accused of trying to have Bran killed, demands trial by combat. Bronn, our soon-to-be-favorite mercenary with a mouth (sorry, Deadpool), takes up Tyrion’s cause and handily defeats Lysa’s champion. And on their merry way go Tyrion and Bronn.

Down in King’s Landing, Ned rules the Seven Kingdoms while Robert is away on a hunt, because in the woods you get terrible cell phone coverage. The Mountain has started pillaging through the Riverlands at the behest of Tywin Lannister, and so Ned orders the Mountain arrested and executed, and calls Tywin to the capital. As if anyone has ever told Tywin what to do.

Sansa inadvertently helps Ned with his investigation of what Jon Arryn was murdered for, and Ned realizes that all of Robert’s children are actually Jamie’s, which makes them bastards, and the queen a traitor. It’s about to go down!

But before we get to that, we jump across the Narrow Sea. After deciding that he no longer wants to wait on Khal Drogo, Viserys Targaryen charges into a feast in Vaes Dothrak wielding a sword, something expressly forbidden in this city. And because Viserys didn’t want to live that long anyways, he threatens Daenerys in front of Khal Drogo.

Drogo responds by pouring a kettle of molten gold over Viserys’ head, giving him the crown he always wanted. Dany looks on in detached silence, finally free of her tormentor. I mean, threatening women is never a good idea, but when said woman’s husband is a marauding death machine, maybe just use your words next time. This is a terrific scene, and the first time a major character dies. There’ll be plenty more where that came from.

38. “Dragonstone,” Season 7, Episode 1

Season premieres are a tricky thing. Like superhero origin stories, their are boxes these episodes have to tick, and that can constrain them. But “Dragonstone” was a decent episode with some very fun moments.

Things began with a bang. In one of the show’s rare cold openings, we watch Arya Stark murder all the remaining male members of House Frey. Something that could have felt campy ended up working brilliantly thanks to some top-notch dialogue from Arya. Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Euron Greyjoy’s reintroduction served as a witty showcase for his maniacal sense of humor.

In contrast, Daenery’s long-awaited arrival in Westeros (on the island of Dragonstone, naturally) was a subdued moment. There was no dialogue until the very last moment, which was the proper way to handle such a momentous homecoming.

Despite all these fireworks, it was the Hound who stole the show. Returning to the farm where he robbed a pair of peasants back in season 4, Sandor Clegane is deeply affected to find them dead. As he buries them in the cold earth, we can feel the Hound’s regret burning him up. It’s another step forward in a character evolution going back years.

All and all, a great season premiere.

37. “Dark Wings, Dark Words,” Season 3, Episode 2

Things are continuing to build for many of our favorite characters here, with little crumbs here and little crumbs there leading them to their ultimate fates.

Robb continues to be as honorable as his father, minus the whole breaking his vow and marrying Talisa thing. But in this episode it’s Catelyn’s broken vow we will focus on. In an affecting scene, Catelyn tells Talisa about a time when Jon Snow was deathly sick as a child. Cat promised the gods she would love the boy if he recovered, and though Jon did, Cat does not keep her word. Vow broken.

Jaime and Brienne continue their incognito trek across the war-torn Riverlands, but are recognized by Bolton soldiers after the pair get into a sword fight that Brienne, surprisingly enough, wins. Although Jaime is yet to recognize it, let alone acknowledge it, his time with Brienne is having a profound effect on him. George R.R. Martin loves to play with stereotypes, and here the core of the story reflects how Jaime has been surrounded by knights his whole life, some good, some bad. But it’s Brienne of Tarth, herself unable to be knighted because she is a woman, that is finally breaking through to Jaime about what it means to be a knight. Irony and stuff.

Oh, and Theon gets tortured again and again. And no one feels sorry for him.

36. “The Climb,” Season 3, Episode 6

Let’s stay in Season 3 but jump to four episodes later, when Theon is still being tortured. Happily, there are other scenes, too.

Any episode with Tywin Lannister automatically earns high marks. Add in a scene with Olenna Tyrell, and it’s like watching two undefeated heavyweights in their primes go at it. Tywin uses his leverage to force Olenna into accepting a marriage proposal between Cersei to Loras Tyrell, and despite being beaten, Olenna is happy just to have found a worthy opponent. “It’s a rare enough thing, a man who lives up to his reputation.” The scene between Tyrion and Cersei is solid, as well, as they chat frankly about the marriages their father is forcing upon them. Like most children, it seems that no matter what happens, it’s you and your siblings against your parents.

Meanwhile, Robb continues to barrel headlong to his doom, agreeing to marry his uncle to one of Walder Frey’s daughter. Gonna miss you, Robb! We also get a scene in the Riverlands in which Melisandre comes to bring Gendry back to Dragostone for a freaky sex ritual, but first she runs into an old co-worker, Thoros of Myr. It seems old Thoros has brought back a friend, Beric Dondarrion, from the dead a half dozen times. That might come in handy later on no?

The best scene comes at the very end, when Littlefinger lays out his Machiavellian philosophy. Littlefinger describes chaos as a ladder, and cautions Varys that “the climb is all there is.” It’s a sobering reminder of how far Littlefinger will go to achieve his goals, and the show skillfully sets it off against footage of Jon and Ygritte finally reaching the top of the Wall after their own perilous (and far more literal) climb. The parallel is a little obvious, but still effective, as Jon and Ygritte stand on top of the world and take a moment to admire the view, all ambition forgotten.

Also, next time you play Game of Thrones jeopardy, you will know that it was Ned Stark who sent Dondarrion out on his original mission way back in Season 1. Random facts that don’t matter for 300, Alex.

Next: Book of the Stranger