Now that House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale has had some time to sink in, it’s fair to say it’s not one of the best in the Game of Thrones franchise. With eight seasons of the original epic and two seasons of the prequel in the books, the ten finale episodes of HBO’s fantasy franchise vary significantly in quality, with some acclaimed as some of the best television episodes ever made and others widely criticized as duds. The HOTD season 2 ending is still fresh in audiences’ minds, and it wasn’t received as well as some of GOT’s best.
In a fantasy world like Game of Thrones, several factors contribute to a great finale episode. Typically, major battle set pieces like the Battle of the Blackwater or the Battle of the Bastards were left for the penultimate episodes of a given season, allowing for the finale to be more of an epilogue, reacting to the horrors of a battle or event, and generating excitement for the next season’s stories. The best finales did all of this well but also incorporated exciting elements of their own, like the wildfire explosion of the Sept of Baelor or the death of Jon Snow.
10“The Iron Throne”
Game Of Thrones Season 8
The Game of Thrones ending is widely considered to be one of the most disappointing conclusions in television history, and “The Iron Throne” is the culmination of everything that went wrong in season 8. In fairness to the episode, there are some strong ideas and moments that might have looked exceptional at the end of a better season. For example, Jon having to kill Daenerys, or the montage ending for the Stark children. However, the journey to arriving at those moments wasn’t on par with the level of excellence viewers had come to expect from Game of Thrones.
Contrarily, there are some moments in “The Iron Throne” that simply didn’t work. The answer to who would be sitting on the Iron Throne at the end of the series was highly anticipated, and selecting Bran Stark, who had been written off the TV series for an entire season at one point because the showrunners didn’t have any material for him, was shocking. It’s the lowest-rated episode on IMDb across both shows because it left dedicated fans with a foul taste of confusion and frustration.
9“The Queen Who Ever Was”
House Of The Dragon Season 2
Denying the prequel show’s second season of any accomplishments isn’t fair, as there were both positives and negatives about House of the Dragon season 2. The season had some unforgettable moments and brought The Dance of the Dragons to life at Rook’s Rest while working under the constraints of a reduced episode count amidst a writers’ strike. With that having been said, “The Queen Who Ever Was” is still one of the less exceptional finale episodes in the Game of Thrones franchise.
As a general episode of television, “The Queen Who Ever Was” is far from bad; it’s just not a strong finale. The ending montage is epic and exciting, but it doesn’t present anything new to the equation. Many of the mobilizing forces shown in the montage had been marching throughout the entire season, leaving a widespread reaction of underwhelmed audiences.
8“The Dragon And The Wolf”
Game Of Thrones Season 7
Game of Thrones season 7 began to show a decline in quality, with episodes like “The Queen’s Justice” and “Beyond the Wall” omitting much of the refined attention to detail and realism (for a fantasy show) that initially distinguished the series. While the realization that Jon Snow was Rhaegar and Lyanna’s true-born son, the decision to make his real name Aegon Targaryen felt like a continuation of that omission. Furthermore, juxtaposing that revelation alongside a discomforting scene of Jon and Daenerys consummating their romance distracted from any of the episode’s positive attributes.
This episode should have been great, but the underlying decline of Game of Thrones was really starting to take its toll.
“The Dragon and the Wolf” did have some memorable moments. It was the first episode in which a significant portion of the main cast was brought together in one location, with Cersei, Daenerys, Jon, and their supporters all coming together at King’s Landing for the first time. This episode should have been great, but the underlying decline of Game of Thrones was really starting to take its toll.
7“The Black Queen”
House Of The Dragon Season 1
House of the Dragon’s first season is excellent television, and it, without a doubt, has led to many more exciting planned Game of Thrones spinoffs. “The Black Queen” is a solid finale to complement an accomplished season, but it’s not as outstanding or exciting as that of the early Game of Thrones seasons.
The highlight of the episode is Lucerys’ trip to Storm’s End, where he’s caught off guard by Aemond and murdered in a dragon chase sequence. It’s an epic sequence, and audiences are finally treated to a first look at the Baratheon castle on television, but Lucerys wasn’t important enough of a character to really enforce the shock of what had happened. These events are more about their effect on Rhaenyra and how they set up the upcoming civil war, and it’s not the most stellar episode aside from that character death.
6“Mhysa”
Game Of Thrones Season 3
Following up the Red Wedding undoubtedly puts “Mhysa” in a tough spot, as the show has just been stripped of some of its most beloved characters, and audiences have already experienced one of the most emotional moments in the series. It’s a solid finale, but there are some points of contention, and there aren’t that many great moments to remember it by. Daenerys’ closing scene, in which she liberates Yunkai, is the most cinematic moment, but there’s some divisiveness around it.
The final Daenerys scene in “Mhysa” was met with some mixed reactions for being a white savior narrative. Regardless of how one feels about this discussion, the criticism was notable enough that it’s worth mentioning in regard to the episode’s legacy. On the other hand, the idea of Daenerys gaining followers was a smart way to instill some hope after the Starks were wiped out at the Red Wedding.
5“Valar Morghulis”
Game Of Thrones Season 2
As far as Game of Thrones finales go, “Valar Morghulis” has many strong moments but doesn’t stand out as much as those ahead of it. Beginning with an aspect of this episode that’s more of a mixed bag, Daenerys completes her arc in Qarth by entering the House of the Undying. This is an excellent scene for the TV show, but it’s stripped of many of the compelling, magical, prophetic moments that make the book counterpart so essential to the overarching narrative.
Following up the Battle of the Blackwater was a tall task, but Valar Morghulis is the perfect example of a falling action finale that offers just enough to hype audiences up for more.
Aside from Dany, there are plenty of positives in “Valar Morghulis.” The episode ends with one of the show’s most terrifying and jaw-dropping White Walker scenes, Theon’s time at Winterfell is brought to an end and Maester Luwin dies, and there’s some great romance between the show’s couples, particularly Robb and Talisa, who wed. Following up the Battle of the Blackwater was a tall task, but Valar Morghulis is the perfect example of a falling action finale that offers just enough to hype audiences up for more.
4“Mother’s Mercy”
Game Of Thrones Season 5
While still quality television, Season 5 is generally perceived as one of the weaker seasons of Game of Thrones. It still deserves credit for its outstanding finale, launching the show toward arguably its best season with some of the most mind-blowing moments in the whole series. Cersei’s walk of shame is one of the most iconic and unforgettable sequences in the series, prompting the audience to root for the despicable queen and hate the High Sparrow instead.
The death of Stannis Baratheon is the episode’s weak point, as it set a bad precedent for character deaths going forward in which crucial characters were killed off seemingly without purpose to thin the herd before the end game (i.e., Littlefinger, Varys, Barristan). The highlight of “Mother’s Mercy” is Jon Snow’s shocking death, which resulted in one of the peak moments of Game of Thrones hysteria, as it was the first time a character had been killed off with no source material to look toward for answers.
3“Fire And Blood”
Game Of Thrones Season 1
Game of Thrones season 1 is iconic and one of the most outstanding novel adaptations ever put to television. The first season executes George R.R. Martin’s original A Game of Thrones novel nearly verbatim, and what results is a masterpiece. As for “Fire and Blood,” the season’s ending has a similar role as “Mhysa,” where audiences are left in the aftermath of Ned Stark’s heartbreaking death and need some hope, which comes in multiple forms.
The episode sees Robb Stark crowned King in the North, with his recent success in battle proving that he isn’t going to go down easily. Tyrion finally earns some credibility with his father and is sent to King’s Landing to rule as Hand, which will stabilize the mess Joffrey has created. Lastly and most importantly, Daenerys giving birth to her baby dragons is one of the defining moments of the series, proving that audiences are embarking on something truly special.
2“The Children”
Game Of Thrones Season 4
Season 4 is the peak of Game of Thrones in terms of exploring family drama, as it’s the one season with the four main Lannister characters all centralized in King’s Landing. The set of events following Joffrey’s death is perfectly executed, with Peter Dinklage doing his best work in the series as Tyrion on trial. It all culminates in “The Children,” where he murders Tywin with a crossbow and flees the city, massively changing the show’s course of events.
The Hound and Brienne have one of the most brutal duels in the series; Stannis arrives in the North and defeats Mance Rayder’s army, and Bran arrives at the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave and meets the enigmatic figure for the first time. It’s a terrific episode from start to finish, capping off one of the most outstanding seasons of Game of Thrones.
1“The Winds Of Winter”
Game Of Thrones Season 6
Going from “The Battle of the Bastards” to “The Winds of Winter” to end a season is nearly impossible to top, and it’s no wonder season 6 is often considered the show’s peak in mainstream appeal. Season 6 didn’t have source material to draw from, allowing it to be the first time that book readers could tune in and be shocked by the reveals. No reveal was more gratifying than the revelation of Jon Snow’s true parentage, which had been the primary discussion of Game of Thrones theories for years.
Cersei’s destruction of the Sept of Baelor is another of the show’s most iconic moments, finally solidifying her as a tyrannical ruler and one of the show’s end-game antagonists. Combined with Ramin Djawadi’s epic score, it makes for peak Game of Thrones. Lastly, the season 6 finale sees Daenerys Targaryen finally setting sail for Westeros, leaving audiences excited to see the long-awaited first meetings between the main characters.
