10 Game Of Thrones Episodes To Skip On A Rewatch

After all these years, "Game of Thrones" still divides fans because its clunky conclusion sullied an exciting, nearly decade-long journey. That leads to an important question: Is the show rewatchable? Overall, we would say yes, provided you skip over certain episodes.

The first several seasons of "Game of Thrones" established plenty of seemingly important lore that fans soaked up with relish. Closely following George R.R. Martin's mammoth novels, we got an abundance of information about gods, lineages, prophecies, and characters that felt significant. By the end of the show, however, many of these details and plot points fell by the wayside, rendering the admittedly spectacular production somewhat hollow.

If you plan to rewatch, the best way to enjoy the overarching plot may be to skip certain sections. That makes for a more streamlined experience and far less disappointment when seemingly vital plot threads fail to pay off. Hop on your dragon and get ready to bend the knee to the 10 "Game of Thrones" episodes to skip on rewatch.

Kicking off Season 2 with the episode "The Night Lands," we see Theon (Alfie Allen) return to his homeland, the Iron Islands, where he begins his betrayal of Robb (Richard Madden). Gendry (Joe Dempsie) learns that Arya (Maisie Williams) is actually a girl; Jon Snow (Kit Harington) sees a baby gifted to a White Walker; Davos (Liam Cunningham) negotiates for ships ultimately used in the Battle of Blackwater; and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) and Stannis (Stephen Dillane) conceive a shadow assassin.

Plenty of plot points to take in. However, on a second viewing, none are really essential. Theon's storyline is essentially the first step in a much larger journey; Gendry and Arya are basically waiting for their plot to begin; and Davos' scenes add some fun but unnecessary details to the Battle of Blackwater. Even Jon witnessing one of Craster's sons being given to the White Walkers ultimately amounts to very little in the grand scheme of things. The series never sufficiently explains the children's role in the Army of the Dead. Also, if the Night King can literally raise the dead, why does he need babies?

Likewise, the shadow assassin sequence feels strangely out of place in hindsight, especially since such an incredibly useful plot device is never used again. Imagine if they had conjured one of those things to kill Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) or Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Game over, man!

Leaping ahead to Season 3, we come to the episode "Dark Wings, Dark Words." Honestly, the best reason to skip this episode is that it takes a small step rather than a massive leap in the story.

Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) meets Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick), and we learn more about Bran's abilities. At first glance, all of this information feels vital to the overarching plot. It isn't. Bran eventually becomes the Three-Eyed Raven but does little with his vast supernatural powers. If anything, rewatching all these early beats makes his final destination even more disappointing because it doesn't live up to the potential established here.

Other storylines see Arya bump into the Brotherhood Without Banners, while Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) are captured by Locke's (Noah Taylor) men. Again, these are important plot lines that pay off a little later. You don't really need the setup.

Theon getting rescued by a stranger works on first watch because we don't know the man rescuing him is actually Ramsay (Iwan Rheon). Once you do, the entire sequence is far too infuriating to experience again. We also see Margaery (Natalie Dormer) working her magic on Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), which is cool. And yet, once you know Margaery's explosive fate, the plot points around her don't hit quite as hard because she winds up not being as essential to the story as initially thought.

"First of His Name" is a bit harder to justify skipping because it contains some important lore. This is the episode where we learn that Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) convinced Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) to poison her husband, Jon Arryn (John Standing), and then blame the Lannisters. It's a massive revelation ... that the show just sort of glosses over. Learning that Littlefinger helped ignite the conflict between the Starks and Lannisters doesn't drastically alter the story on a second viewing. And knowing that he ultimately dies in the lamest way possible softens the impact even further.

Elsewhere, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) is crowned king. Cool, but not essential to a second viewing. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) decides to stay in Meereen to learn how to rule, which explains why she spends so much damn time there. But that's also a great reason to skip the episode: the less time we have to spend in Meereen, the better.

There's also a largely pointless detour where Bran and Jon nearly reunite at Craster's Keep. Bran escapes some mutineers, Jon arrives shortly thereafter, and for a moment it looks like the Stark brothers might finally come face-to-face. They don't.

Bran continues his journey toward the Three-Eyed Raven without speaking to Jon, returning everyone to the path they were on before the whole Craster's Keep subplot began. Skip to avoid one of the show's cruelest fake-outs.

Another skippable entry is the Season 5 episode "The House of Black and White." On first viewing, Arya's arrival in Braavos felt huge. Her quest to become a Faceless Man was about to begin. Hooray!

Except, like all things "Game of Thrones," this episode merely marks the beginning of a long-winded storyline that lasts far longer than its eventual importance warrants. Viewers eventually see Arya ditch the Faceless Men and return to Westeros with a few new assassin skills. Granted, those skills come in handy, but did that warrant roughly two seasons' worth of training? Not really.

We don't need to see Arya linger outside the House of Black and White, waiting for Jaqen H'ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) to let her in.

Skip.

We also witness the beginning of the atrocious Dorne/Sand Snakes storyline, as Jaime receives a threatening message concerning Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) and decides to bring her home. Knowing where that storyline goes makes its introduction even less appealing on a second watch.

Skip.

Brienne sees Sansa (Sophie Turner) at an inn and offers her protection, but Sansa refuses. Their relationship kicks in later.

Skip.

Now, Jon becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch is certainly worth a rewatch because it paves the way for a handful of important plot beats. Our suggestion? Watch Jon's scenes and skip the rest, especially the ones that go nowhere.

Season 5's "Sons of the Harpy" has one shocking moment that invites a rewatch: Barristan Selmy's (Ian McElhinney) death. No, the dramatic beat doesn't drastically alter the show's direction, but it does establish the Sons of the Harpy as a legitimate threat. Plus, the man's final stand is pretty great.

We might argue that Cersei foolishly arming the Faith Militant is a worthwhile sequence since it comes back and bites her in the a**. However, the payoff to all of this religious nonsense is Cersei (and the writers) nuking the plot from orbit with very little consequence (a recurring theme in the show's later seasons) beyond a new haircut for Cersei. 

Melisandre tries to seduce Jon, who still loves Ygritte (Rose Leslie); an honorable moment, for sure, but not necessarily worth watching again unless you're pining for more nudity. Stannis also has a conversation with Shireen (Kerry Ingram) that carries an aura of significance, making her eventual death hit even harder on a second watch.

So, yes, a few scenes in "Sons of the Harpy" stand out that are worth re-exploring, but they occupy a relatively small portion of the episode. Honestly, you might as well watch the recap before the next episode and save yourself a lot of time. "Sons of the Harpy" isn't a bad episode, but on a second viewing, much of the material doesn't carry much weight down the road. 

Easily one of the most skippable episodes of "Game of Thrones," "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" shuffles characters into position for better things ahead without much in the way of payoff. Now, if you're absolutely dead set on watching every stage of Arya's "Karate Kid"-esque Faceless Man training — swap out "wax on, wax off" with mopping the floor — then have at it!

However, if you groan at every establishing shot of Braavos, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" will only irritate you more. Compounding matters is the ridiculous plotline in which Jaime teams up with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) to battle Sand Snakes in Dorne. This is probably one of the show's most ridiculous set pieces, rife with bad choreography and a cheap set that makes it all look like it was filmed in the outdoor section of Walmart. The whole episode is worth skipping just to keep this horrible sequence from rotting your brain.

We also get more skippable gobbledygook with the Faith Militant. At this juncture, you know they're bad. Each episode only further drives home that point without ever reaching another gear.

As for Sansa's marriage to Ramsay ... yeah, it's more forced shock value that only emphasizes things we already know: A) Ramsay sucks, and B) Sansa is trapped. After all of her suffering, this always felt like one step too far, even for a show featuring an abundance of violence. Easy skip.

Following Season 5's shocking murder of Jon Snow, viewers couldn't wait to see what happens next. Unfortunately, they had to wait two weeks to see much of anything, as the premiere episode, "The Red Woman," mostly jogs in place.

A lot of time is spent confirming that Jon is, in fact, dead as a doornail. On a rewatch, you already know Melisandre brings him back to life in the second episode, so move right along without worry. Of course, you also miss out on experiencing that shocking (but pointless) twist again: Melisandre is secretly a much older woman using magic to hide her true form.

On first viewing, this was a "holy s***" moment that spawned theories, discussions, and endless possibilities. Like many things in the show, however, this detail goes nowhere and has zero impact on the story.

Later, Daenerys is captured by the Dothraki in a plot thread more or less designed to ... give her a Dothraki army. Sure, it's meaningful on first watch, but we already know she eventually takes control of the Dothraki by doing her "standing in the fire nude" bit again. It's a lengthy detour just to show her gaining some extra muscle for her eventual invasion of Westeros.

Really, the only notable takeaway on a second watch is Sansa's acceptance of Brienne's service. After spending much of Season 5 refusing her help, Sansa finally accepts Brienne's protection. It's a worthwhile moment that at least feels partially earned. Otherwise, skip!

"Blood of My Blood" is essentially a collection of false positives that were fun to discuss at first, but are the equivalent of hot air on second watch.

To start, this episode reintroduces Benjen (Joseph Mawle), who arrives just in time to save Bran and Meera from some wights. After existing somewhere offscreen since Season 1, it was great to see Benjen reemerge. Is he some sort of undead supernatural warrior? Will he play an integral role in defeating the White Walkers? Eh, not so much. After escorting Bran and Meera toward the Wall, he vanishes again, only to pop up to save Jon and Co. in Season 7's "Beyond the Wall" — where he dies for real.

Okay, but what about Bran's montage of visions? He sees the Mad King (David Rintoul), wildfire underneath King's Landing, and other creepy images. Aren't these integral to the plot? Eh, in hindsight, not really. We already know he can peer into the past, but as stated above, he doesn't do much with his great power aside from warging into some crows.

Sam (John Bradley) steals his family's sword so Jorah can have something to fight the White Walkers with in the Battle of Winterfell. At King's Landing, there's more nonsense with the Faith Militant that reinforces their insanity but doesn't drastically reshuffle the deck. And Arya suddenly has a change of heart about the murky ethics of the Faceless Men ... after months of training. Move on.

The Hound (Rory McCann) is alive! Yes, after Arya left him for dead a while back, our favorite foul-mouthed baddie reappears in "The Broken Man." He's been chilling with Brother Ray (Ian McShane) and living a relatively peaceful life. That all changes when bad guys show up and slaughter his new community, pushing him into Rambo mode.

Sure, it is pretty cool, but also not essential on a rewatch. We know the Hound's peace-loving ways will not last, and none of the newly introduced characters survive long enough to add anything to the story.

As for Arya, she ditches the Faceless Men, arranges passage back to Westeros, and then decides to wander around Braavos rather than, you know, hide from the league of deadly assassins she just brushed aside. They spent months teaching her how to mop! That kind of training isn't exactly free.

Well, the Waif (Faye Marsay), disguised as an old woman, repeatedly stabs Arya in the stomach. Arya manages to escape by jumping from a bridge into a canal. Oh no, is this another Red Wedding moment where George R.R. Martin disposes of a pivotal character? Nah, the next episode reveals that Arya's fine, and her wounds are a minor inconvenience rather than a serious hindrance to her journey. Knowing that, you don't need to see any of this again.

Elsewhere, Jon, Sansa, and Davos meet Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey), which is cool, but the kid has better, more worthwhile scenes later on.

Finally, we arrive at "Eastwatch." At this point, "Game of Thrones" had morphed into a hodgepodge of silly fan fiction and predictable genre tropes, resulting in a disappointing final season and episodes like "Eastwatch" that stretch the limits of credibility. The most egregious example of this is when all of our main boys join forces to go beyond the Wall to, uh, capture a wight. Doing so will supposedly convince Cersei that the White Walkers are indeed real and persuade her to join the fight against the Army of the Dead.

Look, as a spectacle, the "Beyond the Wall" episode that follows this one is fun in a dumb blockbuster sort of way. Unfortunately, you have to trudge through "Eastwatch" to get there, and the payoff is infinitely more entertaining without all the goofy details. 

Other notable elements of this episode felt huge on first watch, specifically, Gilly discovering the truth behind Rhaegar Targaryen's marriage  — a crucial piece of the puzzle surrounding Jon's true parentage — and the forced drama between Sansa and Arya.

In the end, Jon's lineage creates some tension between him and Daenerys but doesn't fundamentally alter the storyline. And all that nonsense between Sansa and Arya was mere setup to get rid of Littlefinger in the most ludicrous way imaginable for such a unique character. After all his cunning and deception, he was simply no match for the Stark sisters. Save yourself the secondhand embarrassment and just skip to the next episode.