IMDb user ratings place three “Game of Thrones” episodes among the 10 best TV episodes of all time, including two that appeared on TVLine’s own rankings. As of this writing, IMDb users have given “The Rains of Castamere,” “Battle of the Bastards,” and “The Winds of Winter” average scores of 9.9 out of 10, and are ranked Nos. 7 through 9 respectively, with between 179,000 and 303,000 ratings each. “Game of Thrones” is the only series with more than one episode in the top 12; “The Rains of Castamere” was the ninth episode of Season 3, and the other two installments aired as Season 6 episodes 9 and 10.
The “Game of Thrones” series finale aired in 2019, but the series has since spawned two prequels: “House of the Dragon” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Taking statuettes for music, casting, visual effects, makeup, and more, “Game of Thrones” won an astounding 60 Emmy awards from 166 nominations during its 74-episode run. The show enjoys comparable kudos from viewers, and those three episodes remain among the series’ most celebrated entries.
These episodes include some of the most memorable moments in Game of Thrones
“The Rains of Castamere” features the infamous Red Wedding, in which several members of the Stark family are murdered. “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter” wrap up Season 6 with the eponymous massive clash at Winterfell and a trial for Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones). The latter two episodes benefited from a reported Season 6 budget of over $10 million per episode, and “Battle of the Bastards” took 25 days to shoot and involved around 500 extras.
Entertainment Weekly wrote that “Battle of the Bastards” was perhaps the best episode of the series and “had the most jaw-dropping battle sequence we’ve seen yet on TV.” Its seven Emmy wins are a record for any single episode of TV, besting the mark set by the “ER” pilot more than 30 years ago.