Over 300 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of These Are The Only 'Game Of Thrones' Episodes You Need To Watch To Prepare For Season 8
Voting Rules
Vote up the episodes that will actually pay off in the final season.
The series finale for HBO's hit show Game of Thrones promises many surprises. People spent years arguing about GoT's intertwining plot points, scenes with allegedly deeper meanings, and the most hated characters. But now fans want to rewatch episodes before Season 8. There are a lot of major moments to review, especially because the seventh season ended in August 2017, and Season 8 received an April 2019 start date.
Fans only need to watch certain episodes to prepare for Game of Thrones Season 8, though. You won't want to skip these crucial installments.
What To Look Out For: "The Battle of the Bastards" presents one of the show's most dramatic combat scenes. Jon Snow arrives at Winterfell to face off against Ramsay Bolton and secure his family home.
What To Look Out For: Jon Snow assembles a rag-tag group to head north of the Wall. They need to bring a White Walker south to convince to Cersei Lannister to focus on the real enemy. Things go sideways pretty quickly, though, and Daenerys Targaryen has to rescue the group. The Night King kills her dragon, Viserion, in the process.
What To Look Out For: Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen head to King's Landing, attempting to make a deal with Cersei Lannister - and for the first time in the series, nearly all of the main characters are in the same spot. North of The Wall, the Night King gets a dragon of his own; he reanimates Viserion and uses the undead dragon to create a hole in the Wall. His army is finally headed to Westeros.
What To Look Out For: The Season 1 finale explores the fallout of Ned Stark's death. Notably, Arya Stark escapes King's Landing, Catelyn Stark interrogates a captured Jamie Lannister, and Robb Stark becomes the King in the North. Plus, Daenerys Targaryen's dragon eggs hatch.
What To Look Out For: The show teases the White Walkers from the pilot episode, but it isn't until "Hardhome" that the undead army truly shows their force. The Night King, their fearsome leader, also appears.
What To Look Out For: The big thing in "Baelor" is the show's first really shocking death. After being the central focus of the first season, Ned Stark is beheaded in the penultimate episode at Joffrey Lannister's order. His death acts as a catalyst for a lot of character motivations for the remainder of the series.
