A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Cracks IMDb’s Top 5 Highest-Rated GAME OF THRONES Episodes Ever
HBO’s return to Westeros just pulled off something huge. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 has stormed IMDb’s rankings and now sits among the five highest-rated episodes in the entire Game of Thrones franchise.
The episode, titled “In the Name of the Mother,” originally debuted with a flawless 10 rating on IMDb. It has since settled with a strong 9.8 as of writing this, which is still an elite score by any standard. For a spinoff series that started the season on a lighter, more character-driven note, that’s a massive accomplishment.
If you’ve seen the episod, you know why.
Things took a hard turn this week when the long-awaited Trial of the Seven finally exploded onto the screen. Hedge knight Dunk found himself condemned to trial by combat after a double dose of Targaryen trouble.
First, he assaulted Prince Aerion. Second, he was accused of kidnapping his own squire Egg, not realizing the boy was actually the missing Prince Aegon.
Instead of opting for a traditional one-on-one duel, Aerion demanded a Trial by Seven. That meant both he and Dunk could each select six champions to fight at their side. What followed was brutal, bloody, and intense.
Sure, the scale wasn’t on par with the massive penultimate episode battles that defined Game of Thrones, but that didn’t matter. The stakes felt intimate, the violence was raw, and the emotional weight carried the whole thing. Fans absolutely ate it up.
That 9.8 rating places “In the Name of the Mother” alongside some of the most iconic episodes in franchise history. It currently matches the score of “Hardhome,” also rated 9.8. Only three episodes rank higher.
“The Winds of Winter” and “Battle of the Bastards,” both from season 6, sit at 9.9. And holding the throne with a perfect 10 is season 3’s unforgettable bloodbath, “The Rains of Castermere.”
Even House of the Dragon hasn’t reached this level. Its highest-rated episode so far, “The Red Dragon and the Gold” from Season 2, holds a 9.4.
For a series centered on Dunk and Egg, far removed from dragons dominating the sky or armies clashing by the tens of thousands, this kind of response says a lot. It proves that Westeros doesn’t need a continent-spanning war to grip audiences. Sometimes seven knights in a muddy and bloody field are more than enough.
With the season barreling toward its finale, expectations just shot through the roof. If episode 5 is any indication, HBO might have another all-time Westeros classic on its hands. We’ve got one episode left!