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Even the best TV shows can put out some episodes that can be considered duds. Plenty of shows have a few too many filler episodes, or episodes which don’t really advance the main plot that audiences can probably skip without missing anything all that important. While some filler episodes provide fantastic smaller moments and important character insights, some are better left forgotten, as they can halt the main story’s momentum in its tracks.
Game of Thrones doesn’t have filler episodes in the same sense as other shows. Just about every episode in its entire eight-season run advances the plot. However, despite each episode’s overall importance, a few still feel like filler. Some episodes simply set the stage for the future, without accomplishing much of anything on their own, some make bizarre choices that are quickly undone, and some, simply put, aren’t very good. Whenever I rewatch Game of Thrones, I skip these ten episodes.
10 "Winterfell" Kicks off the Final Season With Odd Pacing
Game of Thrones, Season 8, Episode 1
Season 8 of Game of Thrones has been criticized for several reasons. Many fans were unhappy with the ending itself, undoing character development, and most prominently, its weird pacing. The first episode of the season, «Winterfell,» sets up the rest of the season’s awkward pacing.
«Winterfell» sees Daenerys and her supporters arrive at Winterfell and meet Sansa and Arya. On paper, this seems like a huge turning point in the story, but «Winterfell» almost makes these important introductions feel like a footnote, as they lack the punch they should have. Though the episode has its fun scenes, such as Jon and Dany’s dragon ride and Jaime’s reunion with Bran, it mostly treats its biggest moments as set up for future episodes, rather than important sequences.
9 "No One" Wraps Up Arya's Braavos Rivalry Off-Screen
Game of Thrones, Season 6, Episode 8
«No One,» the eighth episode of Season 6, is far from a bad episode. Several major plot lines, such as Jaime’s negotiations with the Tullys, Daenerys’ return to Meereen, and the Hound’s revenge against the Brotherhood Without Banners, make for some fantastic Game of Thrones. However, «No One» feels like filler because of its place within the rest of Season 6.
«No One» emphasizes the Hound’s arc, despite the character only appearing in two episodes of the season, making it seem out of place, especially with the highly anticipated Battle of the Bastards coming right up. While Arya wraps up her story in Braavos, the Faceless Man skills she acquires only come back once, making the entire plot feel like a waste. Plus, two major characters, Arya’s Braavosi rival the Waif and Brynden «Blackfish» Tully, die off-screen, robbing audiences of the chance to see their final moments.
8 "Stormborn" Isn't as Shocking as the Fans Expected it to be
Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 2
By Season 7, Daenerys Targaryen has finally set foot in Westeros. The game finally seems like it’s winding down, with the wheel about to be broken. However, Season 7, Episode 2, «Stormborn,» doesn’t exactly change the game.
The show had been hyping up Euron Greyjoy to be the next Joffrey or Ramsay, and «Stormborn» gives him his first chance to shine when he attacks Yara’s fleet. Although he captures Yara, Ellaria, and Tyene Sand, it quickly becomes clear that Euron does not live up to the true hateability of his predecessors. Arya’s long-awaited reunion with her direwolf Nymeria ultimately amounts to nothing more than a somewhat clumsy metaphor about Arya herself.
7 "Blood of my Blood" Spends too Much Time with the Tarlys
Game of Thrones, Season 6, Episode 6
Season 6 of Game of Thrones is not Samwise’s season. Jon Snow’s intelligent and lovable best friend only appears in three out of ten episodes in the show’s sixth season. However, the bulk of Sam’s Season six story takes place in one episode, «Blood of my Blood.»
«Blood of my Blood» sees Sam and Gilly arrive at the Tarly ancestral home, Horn Hill. While Sam’s plot is admittedly filled with fantastic moments, such as when he stands up to his abusive father, Randyll, and steals Heartsbane, the Tarly family’s Valyrian Steel Sword, it grinds the story’s momentum to a complete halt to spend so much time on a character who mostly sits the season out. Much like with the Hound in «No One,» Sam is ultimately a minor character in Season 6, so his Meet the Parents-esq arc feels like a distraction from Season 6’s impending climax.
6 "Dragonstone" is an Extremely Slow Start to Season 7
Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 1
At the end of Season 6, Daenerys finally sets sail for Westeros. This is the moment fans had been waiting for since the beginning, the dragon queen returning from Essos to claim her birthright, the Iron Throne, in an epic conquest. In Season 7, Episode 1, «Dragonstone,» Daenerys sets foot in Westeros for the first time in the series, and…that’s pretty much all she does.
«Dragonstone» is ultimately a good episode, but it can feel a little like filler when Daenerys spends five minutes silently walking through Dragonstone before speaking three words. While the moment is certainly emotional for Dany, and stunning to watch, it’s not the epic high point that many fans were hoping to see from Dany’s arrival in Westeros. Plus, «Dragonstone» features a controversial and distracting cameo from Ed Sheeran as a Lannister soldier, and that’s always worth skipping over.
5 "Sons of the Harpy" Makes Some Subpar Choices
Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 4
Around Season 5, the Game of Thrones writers started to make some major changes from George R.R. Martin’s source material, A Song of Ice and Fire. Two of these particularly unpopular changes took place in the fourth episode of the season, «Sons of the Harpy.» First, Jaime and Bronn arrive in Dorne for their underwhelming adventure, and second, Ser Barristan Selmy is murdered unceremoniously.
Jaime’s Dornish adventure ultimately exists just to give him something to do this season. The entire subplot could have been cut and very little would change about the overall story. Additionally, Barristan’s death undercuts the importance of such an important character from the books, and makes his contributions up to that point feel moot.
4 "The Red Woman" Answers a Major Mystery That Changes Next Episode
Game of Thrones, Season 6, Episode 1
After the fifth season finale, fans spent the time between Game of Thrones seasons clamoring for the answer to one major question: Is Jon Snow dead or alive? Season five ended with a mutiny against Jon, where several members of the Night’s Watch murdered their Lord Commander over his stance on the Free Folk. Naturally, audiences expected answers to Jon’s fate in the Season 6 premiere, «The Red Woman.»
«The Red Woman» confirms that Jon Snow is, indeed, dead. However, this isn’t Game of Thrones’ final answer on the matter. A few episodes later, Melisandre resurrects Jon, much to the delight of the audience, but it frustrates some fans that the show somewhat drags its feet when it comes to bringing back Jon.
3 "Eastwatch" Offers Some Set Up in the Most Mundane Way
Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 5
Season 7’s fifth episode, «Eastwatch,» opens on a somewhat frustrating note. The previous episode ends with Jaime sinking into the water, weighed down by his heavy armor. «Eastwatch» then opens with Bronn pulling Jaime out of the water as if it were nothing, undercutting the dramatic tension in a very unsatisfying way.
The rest of «Eastwatch» is more concerned with setting up the next episode than telling its own story. The following episode, «Beyond the Wall,» sees Jon Snow, Jorah, the Hound, Tormund, Gendry, Beric, and Thoros of Myr set out to capture a wight, and «Eastwatch» mostly focuses on getting this group to their starting positions. Though «Eastwatch» sees the long-awaited return of fan-favorite character Gendry, its set-up-focused story is as close to filler as Game of Thrones gets.
2 "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" Wastes Time and Takes Things too Far
Game of Thrones, Season 5, Episode 6
Jaime and Bronn’s Season 5 Dorne adventure showed the cracks in Game of Thrones’ writing. Their plan to rescue Myrcella felt clumsy and poorly thought out, and complicated the already busy Season 5. In particular, «Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,» the fifth episode of Season 5, spends far too much time on the Dornish subplot, which ultimately makes the episode feel like a waste.
«Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken» takes things too far, even by Game of Thrones standards, with its controversial final scene. Ramsay Bolton forces himself upon his new wife, Sansa, all while forcing Sansa’s childhood friend Theon to watch. This scene uses sexual assault purely for shock value, and is best skipped upon rewatch.
1 "The Last of the Starks" Cements the Downfall of Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, Season 8, Episode 4
It’s probably not the best sign when one of the final episodes of a beloved series feels like filler. The third-to-last episode of Game of Thrones, «The Last of the Starks,» picks up after the Battle of Winterfell, opening with a funeral for the casualties of the previous episode. From there, «The Last of the Starks» rushes through several huge plot points without giving each the time it deserves, making it all feel like nonsense.
In addition to treating important developments like filler, «The Last of the Starks» also makes some huge narrative mistakes. Brienne crying over Jaime, Dany «kinda forgetting» about the Iron Fleet, resulting in Rhaegal’s death, Jon revealing his parentage to the rest of the Starks off-screen, and the fridging of Missandei all made fans wonder what happened to their beloved series. Unfortunately, «The Last of the Starks» ranks among the worst episodes in all of Game of Thrones.
