The Game Of Thrones Episode Fans Rarely Talk About — But Absolutely Should

Some episodes of "Game of Thrones" are TV masterpieces in their own right — from the gut-wrenching plot twist in "The Rains of Castamere" to the epic, all-out warfare in "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards." But there's one underrated episode that fans rarely talk about, despite it having some of the most interesting character moments, violence, and plot twists in the entire show.

Season 4, Episode 10, "The Children," is packed with satisfying payoffs and grueling brawls and leaves the audience with plenty of questions going into Season 5. For starters, it sees Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) strangle his ex-lover Shae (Sibel Kekilli) to death for falsely testifying against him and sleeping with his father. It forces Tyrion to finally accept that the Lannisters aren't really his family in the way that matters. He makes his feelings extremely clear by shooting his father, Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), with a crossbow while the patriarch is on the toilet.

It's an undignified end for one of the best TV villains, and it's incredibly fitting that he doesn't get a modest death given how much pain and suffering he's inflicted upon Westeros. For Tyrion, it's about breaking out of the cycle of abuse that he's been forced to deal with as the overlooked Lannister sibling. But the "Game of Thrones" Season 4 finale has even more tricks up its sleeve.

It's not all generational trauma and character development, though. The "Game of Thrones" Season 4 finale also delivers one of the most underrated duels in the episode, with Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Sandor Clegane, or the Hound (Rory McCann), duking it out in the Vale after Brienne finds him travelling with Arya Stark (Maisie Williams).

Their gnarly brawl sees the pair clashing swords and relentlessly punching each other, and Brienne even bites a chunk out of the Hound's ear when she gets the upper hand. Plus, with some frantic camera work and stunning editing, the audience feels like they're right there in the middle of the fight. Ultimately, Brienne winds up winning by smashing Clegane's head on a rock. It doesn't kill him, but it certainly crowns her the winner. It's probably a good thing; he needs the practice ahead of fighting his brother, the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), in Season 8.

What's brilliantly ironic about the fight is that they both actually just want to protect Arya. If their defensive egos weren't in the way, they could've put their differences aside and got her to safety together. But if the fight didn't happen, Arya possibly wouldn't have headed off to Braavos and learned the skills that eventually help her kill the Night King. It's all connected.

The episode also finds the time to push Bran Stark's (Isaac Hempstead Wright) story forward when his group is attacked by the undead wights just as they find the Three-Eyed Raven (played here by Struan Roger). The wights and the White Walkers are still a tantalizing mystery at this point, so it's a treat to get another dose of them. These scenes widen the mythology of the show, especially when the Three-Eyed Raven promises Bran that he'll be able to "fly" if he hones his abilities. Episode 10 essentially teases that the young Stark sibling is vitally important to saving Westeros, which only leads to more questions about what lies ahead.

Across the water in Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) is forced to take accountability for her actions. The Mother of Dragons might be on a freedom tour, but what good is helping normal people if their children are going to get barbecued by Drogon? That's the problem she has to face when one of the common folk brings her a pile of blackened bones after the massive dragon wanted a meaty snack.

Daenerys responds by locking her remaining dragons away to prevent further losses (even if Drogon is still flying free). This proves how dedicated she is to her cause, showing she wants civilians to hold their leaders responsible when things go wrong. Although that mindset later goes out the window in Season 8, Season 4 suggests she originally wanted to be moral and true.