7 most disliked episodes of Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is one of those shows that seemed like it could do nothing wrong... until it did. In fact, there isn't a single episode rated under 8.0 on IMDb in the first four seasons, and even after that, there are still multiple episodes with a rating of 9.8 or higher, a feat that's practically unheard of with other television series!

But the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and Game of Thrones is perhaps the most infamous example. The highest-rated episode in season 8 was a 7.9, lower than any episode from a prior season. Even without ratings systems factored in, it's rare to find fans that don't hate at least a few episodes in season 8, if not the season as a whole.

With that being said, it would be easy to call the last six episodes of Game of Thrones the worst in the franchise and call it a day. However, that would be ignoring a lot of other plotlines that were hated during and after the show's original run. Looking at fan commentary from Reddit, X, and other social media, some earlier episodes provoked just as much frustration.

Here are the seven most disliked episodes from Game of Thrones, with fan reactions ranging from "the beginning of the end" to "the worst episode of television of all time."

Season 5, Episode 10: “Mother’s Mercy”

Many fans see season 5 as the beginning of the end for Game of Thrones, and the season finale in particular faced a lot of contemporary criticism. There were multiple satisfying moments, including Arya killing Meryn Trant and Cersei becoming a victim of the Faith Militant, to whom she had given so much power. However, many fans were upset by the fates of characters that had, until now, been relatively important to the plot.

For example, Stannis attempted to take the North after sacrificing his daughter, but her death was of no benefit to him, as much of his army abandoned him. He died, as did Myrcella and even Jon. Arya ended up blinded, while Theon and Sansa jumped into the unknown. There was a lot going on, and the rapid-fire pace was frustrating to some fans.

In addition to that, many fans just hated the Dorne plot. Book fans knew that there were more interesting characters to be played with, but they were ignored, reduced and changed in translation from page to screen. The hope was that the finale would make the weak points come together, but instead it felt like the writers just gave up and planned to move on.

It wasn’t necessarily that any of these plots were ‘wrong.’ It was just that they felt poorly structured, jumping from one cliffhanger to another with little balance. The episode was well-received critically, but many fans felt narrative whiplash as the characters’ fates were abruptly changed. “Mother’s Mercy” was not an episode that fans will hate for years to come, but it was a sign of the increasing pace to come.

Season 8, Episode 4: "The Last of the Starks"

After the battle against the White Walkers, the main characters try to navigate the concept of peace living under Danaerys Targaryen’s rule. “The Last of the Starks” is one of the better episodes in season 8, including multiple callbacks and strong character interactions as the various heroes try to figure out what comes next.

The first two-thirds of the episode are relatively good, returning to concepts of political intrigue and family. However, the episode’s conclusion features multiple plot holes. Characters “forgot” about major threats, according to the showrunners, and again showed off the ability to teleport across the Seven Kingdoms.

While these are frustrating points, fans showed true vitriol when it came to the fates of Jaime Lannister and Missandei. On Jaime’s front, he had been on a seasons-long path of redemption, learning to value other people, just to run back to Cersei right after sleeping with Brienne.

As for Missandei, there are many complaints to be made. Looking beyond the story, the writers chose to kill off one of the only women of color in the show, chaining her first and then using her to motivate a white woman. That alone is full of misogynoir. However, it is also a weak point for the story itself, as both her capture and death involve Cersei and Euron Greyjoy being able to do whatever they want with no real pushback.

Overall, much of this episode felt more like an outline than an actual episode of television. The writers wanted characters to end up in certain places, and everything the characters did was just plot contrivances to get them there, whether it fit their established personalities or not.

Season 7, Episode 6: "Beyond the Wall"

While “Beyond the Wall” has high ratings on most review websites, it has frequently appeared in fan discussions as one of the worst pre-season 8 episodes of Game of Thrones. There’s a lot going on in this one, primarily focusing on Arya and Sansa fighting in Winterfell and Jon and his men traveling to capture a wight to prove the threat they post to the realm.

Ultimately, Jon and the rest of his party seem doomed until Danaerys comes to their rescue, losing Viserion to the Night King in the process. While this is a crushing loss, the quest does have major consequences, as Danaerys vows to fight the army of the dead, Jon agrees to follow her, and they learn that killing a White Walker hierarchy will kill all wights they have raised, providing a possible way to end their threat.

There are a lot of great elements to “Beyond the Wall,” but as the Rotten Tomatoes consensus says, the plot often “defied logic” to get where it needed to be. While the character interactions brought a lot to the episode, characters traveled distances far too quickly, and the reasoning for why the wights did and didn’t attack was weak. When the characters were facing insurmountable dangers, they survived due to luck and magic, rather than the skills they’ve spent seasons building.

Ultimately, the quest beyond the Wall felt like it should have been a multi-episode plotline, but was instead shoved into one episode for the sake of a shortened season. Many of the action scenes felt thrown in because the writers thought they were cool, not because they served the story. Finally, this was a clear early sign of the plot armor fans would come to complain about constantly in the final season.

Season 5, Episode 6: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"

"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is an episode largely focused on transitions, with Arya continuing her training with the Faceless Men, Jaime trying to reclaim Myrcella from Dorne, and Jorah and Tyrion traveling to meet Daenerys. However, two major plotlines were developing. Cersei weaponizes the Faith Militant against the Tyrells, resulting in both Loras and Margaery being arrested. And Sansa marries Ramsay Bolton, who rapes her as a way to taunt Theon.

This episode was incredibly controversial when it aired, and it has remained disliked to this day. The brutal plot points are steeped in sexism, homophobia, and gratuitous brutality. Many fans feel that these were unnecessary choices, particularly since they deviate from the books’ plot, and it is the best example of Game of Thrones using violence against women to cause shock and outrage in the audience.

While some fans accept that as being 'historically accurate,' the other key failing of this episode is that it is unusually boring. The Sand Snakes remain uninteresting as characters, and the isolation of key players means that there aren't many opportunities for political scheming. With little for fans to sink their teeth into, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is forgettable on positive fronts, while remaining memorable for its worst features.

Season 8, Episode 5: "The Bells"

“The Bells” has fans divided, because while many people felt it fulfilled the themes around senseless violence and the concept that there are no heroes that were woven into the early seasons, others felt it was a major departure from the established character of Daenerys, with a twist that didn’t feel earned.

After Cersei killed Missandei, Dany is suspicious of everyone, looking for someone to blame and punish. She executes Varys for betraying her and plans to destroy all of her enemies. Tyrion is desperate to save the people of King’s Landing, sending Jaime to get Cersei to surrender. After her forces attack, the people surrender and ring the city’s bells… only for Danaerys to burn the city anyway, her armies joining in the assault.

Some of the smaller vignettes of the episode include Jon being unable to control his army as they give into their bloodlust, the Hound convincing Arya to give up on her kill list, the long-awaited Cleganebowl, and the deaths of Jaime and Cersei, crushed by the rubble of the castle.

While the “Mad Queen” arc as a whole is disliked by many fans, the broader hatred for this episode comes down to the details. The Iron Fleet was easily destroyed when they could kill dragons just one episode before. Multiple set-ups, weapons, and prophecies were either forgotten or barely acknowledged. “The Bells” was ultimately a failure in pacing, sacrificing much of what fans loved about the show to hit the important beats in as little time as possible.

Season 8, Episode 3: "The Long Night"

The long-awaited battle with the White Walkers is depicted in “The Long Night,” but it received widespread criticism for both its story choices and poor production quality. To recount a few of the key story beats, the White Walkers easily massacre the Dothraki, Jon and Daenerys struggle to fight back with their dragons, and Arya kills the Night King.

Beginning with the story complaints, many viewers felt that this episode, which was arguably the culmination of the whole show, ignored the character journeys it had established. Neither Jon nor Bran really confronted the Night King, Arya didn’t use the skills she learned with the Faceless Men, and Tyrion was suddenly a complete idiot, placing the non-fighters in the crypts when facing foes who can raise the dead.

Adding on to those specific complaints, it failed on many structural levels. It was disappointing that this confrontation would take place over the course of just one episode when it was so significant. It was also too dark to see much, which was a constant complaint in the final season.

Finally, fans struggled to accept how much plot armor was in play, and how poorly it was managed. While there were a few significant deaths, the main players all survived, breaking the promise that anyone could die at any time. More than that, they didn’t survive because of their journeys. A character would be overwhelmed by White Walkers in one scene and simply not be in danger the next. It felt like the writers couldn’t be bothered to write satisfying character moments, a major failing in one of the last episodes of such a beloved show.

Season 8, Episode 6: "The Iron Throne"

The final episode of Game of Thrones is the most hated by the fandom. It is genuinely difficult for writers to tie up all loose ends with a show this big, but many fans felt that “The Iron Throne” failed, not because it didn’t do enough, but because its plot points felt unearned.

The Night King was defeated, but Danaerys proved herself to be the true threat to Westeros. This episode picks up in the aftermath of her attack on King’s Landing, where Grey Worm and the Unsullied are continuing to wreak devastation upon Dany’s enemies. She plans to ‘liberate’ the entire world, and Tyrion desperately tries to convince Jon to stop her.

Jon ends up killing Danaerys, convinced that he can’t keep her from hurting more people. Drogon responds by melting the Iron Throne and flying away, leaving Jon to the survivors’ judgement. While it briefly seems like Jon’s allies might go to war with the Danaerys loyalists, they eventually make peace and the Starks go their separate ways. Bran becomes King, Sansa becomes Queen in the North, Jon is sent to the Wall, and Arya decides to sail west.

While some elements here could have worked, they were often rushed, both in this episode and the season as a whole. Few characters received satisfying conclusions to their arcs, with some (like Bran and Arya) getting random endings that seem to have come out of nowhere. Tyrion himself said, "No one’s very happy," but fans would argue that while feeling unsatisfied might make for a good compromise, it did not make a good finale.

Nearly half of all IMDb user ratings for this episode were 1s. It is, overall, the worst-rated episode in the series, with a 4.0 on IMDb and a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. While "The Iron Throne" had positive elements, most fans hate this ending, hoping that George R. R. Martin will one day finish the books and produce an ending they can appreciate.

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