Season 7, Episode 4
Season 7, episode 4 ramped up the storylines with Arya returning to Winterfell, seeing her brother Bran and sister Sansa for the first time in years. Arya also memorably sparred with Brienne, with each proving to be an able match for the other. Jon and Daenerys continue to discuss the White Walker threat at Dragonstone, but Dany takes off in order to burn the Lannister forces in the epic “loot train” battle.
Season 3, Episode 9
Ned’s beheading in Season 1 taught fans that any character — even one pegged as the central protagonist — wasn’t safe from death, but “The Rains of Castamere” proved the show was truly fearless. The last 10 minutes saw Robb and Catelyn Stark — two characters that had starred in the show from day one — Robb’s pregnant wife, and Robb’s direwolf all killed by the Freys. There’s a reason showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff said when they began the show that they hoped they’d last long enough to get the massacre of “The Red Wedding” on screen.
Season 2, Episode 9
Season 2’s ninth episode gave fans their first true taste of the battle scenes the drama was capable of producing. Stannis Baratheon’s army is devastated early on by a wildfire explosion courtesy of Tyrion, who later leads the men of King’s Landing into battle. Cersei also goes delightfully off the rails in this episode, drinking wine heavily and almost poisoning her youngest son to avoid him falling victim to an executioner.
Season 6, Episode 9
Season 6, episode 9 will go down as featuring one of the most elaborate battle scenes ever portrayed on television. Jon Snow and his ragtag army go toe-to-toe with Ramsay Bolton, with Jon personally facing down a mounted charge armed with only his sword, Longclaw. Fans also got to finally see Ramsay get his just deserts when he’s fed to his own hounds. The episode also featured a memorable scene in which Daenerys kills the rulers of other slave cities and burns their fleets with her dragons.
Season 5, Episode 9
Season 5 wasn’t exactly the show’s high point, but “Hardhome” certainly was. The last 20 minutes alone features a literal wave of the Night King’s wights descending on Hardhome and the handful of wildlings and Night’s Watch brothers there. It’s the first real showcase of the Night King’s power, and the first time in a while Jon Snow gets to put Longclaw to some use.
