Celebrate Game of Thrones’ 7th anniversary with the 7 best episodes

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Season 2: “Blackwater”

Game of Thrones is known for their penultimate episodes being amazing. During season one’s, Ned Stark, the seeming hero of the entire show, gets beheaded.

Season two brings us the Battle of Blackwater.

Lord Stannis Baratheon’s fleet is descending upon Blackwater Bay, let by Ser Davos Seaworth. Most of those inside King’s Landing believe Stannis’ army will win. So much so, that the Grand Maester gives Cersei poison to take once the defeat is successful.

But Tyrion has a trick up his small sleeve.

Under the city lies tunnels of wildfire, a green explosive chemical. He sends out a single, unmanned ship into the bay towards Stannis’ ships and Bronn fires a flaming arrow at the bay. The wildfire exploded, killing most of Stannis’ army, but not Stannis. He sends his surviving men to the shore to fight.

Eventually, Stannis’ army is defeated, and just as Cersei is about to give her young son, Tommen, the poison, Tywin Lannister announces that they have won the battle.

This episode stands out because it’s the first time the creators showed us what they could do with a battle scene. Any other fighting scene looked tame until this. We see wildfire for the first time, not knowing we would see it make a return appearance in an even more destructive way.

We also see Tyrion show his tenacity and how crafty he can be in sticky situations. He may have ended the episode with a slash across his face, but he also set himself apart from his more hated relatives.