Skip to main content

7 most underrated Game of Thrones episodes ever

Can you believe it’s been four years since Game of Thrones concluded its legendary run? While we won’t speak about the final season, Game of Thrones remains one of television’s most successful shows, with a record 59 Primetime Emmy Awards. Game of Thrones was a “can’t-miss” television show, meaning the audience had to tune into the live airing of an episode or risk seeing spoilers on the internet. In the social media age of television, it’s rare for a show to have as much power and influence on pop culture as it did.

A select group is unequivocally regarded as the best episodes of Game of Thrones, including BlackwaterHardhome, The Rains of Castamere (more commonly known as The Red Wedding episode), and The Winds of Winter. For this list, however, we selected the seven most underrated Game of Thrones episodes ever.

Recommended Videos

Lord Snow

A man and young girl spar with swords.
HBO

Games of Thrones has been described as a chess game, with each character representing a piece on the board jockeying for position to win the game. Lord Snow (season 1, episode 3) introduced nearly a dozen characters on the Game of Thrones’ chess board. Barristan (Ian McElhinney), Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover), Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo), and Maester Ameeon (Peter Vaughan) all made their first appearances in this episode.

However, the most important introductions belong to Varys (Conleth Hill) and Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Aidan Gillen), two driven characters who will do anything for more power. The episode also featured Syrio Forel (Miltos Yerolemou), Arya’s swordsmanship instructor, who taught her to say “not today” when facing death. The biggest takeaway from the episode ended up being the interaction between Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), a friendly encounter that planted the seeds for their partnership in later seasons.

Kissed by Fire

A man sulks and sits in a tub in Game of Thrones.
HBO

Kissed by Fire may be too good for this list. There are better episodes of Game of Thrones, but Kissed by Fire includes a major turning point for Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and arguably his best monologue in the show. In a bath at Harrenhal, Jamie comes clean to Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) about how he received his nickname, “The Kingslayer.” Jamie reveals he broke his oath and killed the Mad King to save the people of King’s Landing from being burned by wildfire. Jamie may neither be good nor bad, but this speech is the first time you empathize with his actions.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow and Ygritte spend time in their bath beyond the Wall. The future Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch breaks his vow of celibacy and consummates his relationship with the Wildling. The young lovers probably should have stayed in the cave.

The Laws of Gods and Men

A man on the stand with his hands cuffed.
HBO

Three words: trial by combat. Tyrion Lannister passionately utters that phrase while standing on trial for the murder of King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), a crime he did not commit. As the trial progresses, Tyrion realizes the odds of walking free are not in his favor. Jamie tries to spare his brother by resigning from his position to live at Casterly Rock. However, Tywin (Charles Dance) elects to send Tyrion to the Night’s Watch, much to his son’s dismay.

After Shae (Sibel Kekilli) gives false testimony, Tyrion snaps and goes on a villainous rant directed at his family and the people of King’s Landing. Tyrion won’t leave it up to the jury to decide his fate, instead demanding a trial by combat. The memorable speech became Dinklage’s tour de force moment on the show.

Oathkeeper

The Night King winces in Game of Thrones.
HBO

It took nearly three-and-a-half seasons, but Game of Thrones finally introduced the Night King (Richard Brake) in season 4, episode 4. In the final moments of the episode, the Night King transforms a baby into a White Walker. While the series made several misfires in handling his future appearances (the meaningless symbol on the wall), the Night King felt like a terrifying and menacing villain in this short scene. This marked a major shift in the show as Game of Thrones started to steer away from the books and introduce new storylines and plot points.

Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) continued her rise by having the Unsullied infiltrate Mereen and leading an uprising against the city’s masters. Daenerys then crucified 163 masters in retaliation for the children who were crucified on the road up to Mereen. Looking back, this moment laid the breadcrumbs for how Daenerys will act against the wealthy and those in power, especially in King’s Landing.

The Climb

A man scales an ice wall with a pick in Game of Thrones.
HBO

The Wall became one of the show’s iconic locations as it separated the realm from the Wildlings and, more importantly, the White Walkers. It was built to be an impenetrable force that no man or woman could scale. That changed when Jon Snow, Ygritte, and the Wildlings successfully climbed the Wall. The invigorating sequence strengthens the relationship between Jon and Ygritte, one that will eventually end in heartbreak.

While the action on the Wall is nerve-racking, the most riveting moment comes in a conversation between Littlefinger and Varys in the throne room. Littlefinger explains to Varys that chaos is a ladder and that many who try to climb it fail. Littlefinger thrives on chaos and chooses to make the climb, proving he will do whatever it takes to advance in society. How’d that work out for him?

Oathbreaker

A man stands on a perch while looking over men in a courtyard.
HBO

In the episode before Oathbreaker, Jon Snow was successfully resurrected by Melisandre after several members of the Night’s Watch stabbed him to death. Jon resigns from the Night’s Watch at the end of Oathbreaker after hanging the mutineers. “My watch has ended,” Jon says as he leaves his post as Lord Commander. Technically, Jon didn’t break his oath because he served until death.

Oathbreaker also teased the “R+L=J” theory and that Jon was “The Prince That Was Promised.” Bran and the Three-eyed Raven observe a young Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy during Robert’s Rebellion. We later learn this was Jon’s birth, and Lyanna Stark chose Ned to protect him. If only Jon had known this information before sleeping with his aunt Daenerys.

The Queen’s Justice

A woman stands across from a man in Game of Thrones.
HBO

Speaking of an aunt and her nephew, Daenerys and Jon met for the first time at Dragonstone in season 7 during The Queen’s Justice. It’s a tense first meeting as the two don’t see eye to eye yet. Thanks to some convincing from Tyrion, Daenerys throws Jon an olive branch by letting him mine dragonglass for weapons to use against the White Walkers.

However, the episode is remembered for Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) and her final moments with Jamie. Cersei wants Olenna to have a painful and public execution, but Jamie elects to show mercy by giving her poison. After sipping the poison, Olenna reveals she orchestrated Joffrey’s death and wants Jamie to let Cersei know that it was her. It’s a jaw-dropping moment that provides closure to one of the biggest mysteries of Game of Thrones. Olenna went out swinging and took the phrase “speak now or forever hold your peace” to heart.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
The best sci-fi movies on Max right now
Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher in Companion.

It's a good sign when Max picks up a relatively high-profile sci-fi movie like Companion, because the lineup of science fiction movies on this movie has been stagnant for months.
While it's a good thing for subscribers when Max's lineup of films is fairly consistent, it doesn't do them any favors when there are rarely new options in this particular genre. Even certain movies like Ready Player One -- which were released by Warner Bros. Pictures -- aren't always on Max. So its return is welcome, for however long that lasts. You can catch these films and the rest of the best sci-fi movies on Max below.
In need of some more streaming recommendations? We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Max, the best shows on Max, and what's new on HBO and Max that are worth looking through.
Companion

Year: 2025
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Director: Drew Hancock

Read more
3 underrated shows on Peacock you need to watch in January 2025
The cast of About a Boy.

One of the perks of Peacock is that NBC's entire 2025 TV season can be streaming for you at a moment's notice, if you don't mind waiting a week between new episodes. Although we prefer to bank up a few episodes of series like Found, so we can binge them at our leisure. That recent crime drama is one our picks for the three underrated shows on Peacock that you need to watch in January 2025.

Our other two picks include a very effective TV adaptation of a rom-com film, as well as a Peacock original series that goes to some wild places in science fiction and theology.

Read more
5 most anticipated action shows of 2025, ranked
A knight walks through a village in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

We're living through an extended golden age of television; with so many high-quality shows, it can be hard to keep up with all of the new offerings. There's such an abundance that we can create a list purely of action shows to look forward to in 2025.

Whether you've already finished season 2 of Squid Game and are hankering for more action or you need some high-octane fun to look forward to, these are the top 5 most anticipated action shows of 2025.

Read more