George R.R. Martin: Game of Thrones author reveals favourite ‘perfect’ TV episode as top 25 list is published

George R.R. Martin has taken some time out of his busy Winds of Winter writing schedule to update his blog with a bit of humble bragging from his time working on adapting his Song of Ice and Fire series into hit HBO show Game of Thrones.

Martin shared the news that an article by Vanity Fair, listing 25 perfect TV episodes of the last quarter century included one written by him.

The penultimate episode from season two, Blackwater, written by Martin was included on the list alongside instalments of other prestige shows.

Martin’s episode sees Stannis Baratheon's fleet and army arrive at King's Landing as the battle for the city begins. Meanwhile, Cersei Lannister plans to ensure her children's future.

The author then weighed in on the episode that he thinks is the ‘best finale in the entire history of television’. 

What is George Martin’s favourite TV episode?

Speaking on his blog, Martin shared his views on Vanity Fair’s list. He said: “I can’t take issue with many of Vanity Fair’s choices. The Suitcase from Mad Men, the heart-wrenching Ozymandias episode from Breaking Bad, The Sopranos had lots of great episodes, but The Pine Barrens was special.

“For The Wire they picked the episode where Stringer died, and one can’t argue with that, though Omar’s death hit me maybe a tiny bit harder… but the show was so good, it came close to perfection pretty frequently… and Black Mirror is an extraordinary series in so many ways, but San Junipero is the episode I love to watch over and over, and tell my friends to watch.”

However, when it came to his favourite episode from the list, Martin landed on Everyone’s Waiting, the final episode of comedy drama series Six Feet Under. 

He added: “That last episode was far and away the best finale in the entire history of television, and I cannot imagine how anyone could possibly do better.”

Six Feet Under is a HBO series about a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. It aired for five seasons from 2001-2005 and was watched by millions of viewers as it aired.

The season five finale, Everyone’s Waiting, riffed on the cold opens of previous episodes which featured the death of an unknown who would become a patron of the funeral home. The finale of Alan Ball’s series instead featured a montage of the death’s of every main character in the series, bringing the show full circle. 

What are the best TV episodes of the last 25 years?

This is the full list of perfect episodes according to Vanity Fair:

• The One With the Embryos - Friends
• Pine Barrens - The Sopranos
• Pilot - The Bernie Mac Show
• Top Banana - Arrested Development
• Splat! - Sex and the City
• Middle Ground - The Wire
• Everyone’s Waiting - Six Feet Under
• The Injury - The Office
• It’s the End of the World - Grey’s Anatomy
• The Constant - Lost
• The Suitcase - Mad Men
• Double-Edged Sword - 30 Rock
• Blackwater - Game of Thrones

• Ozymandias - Breaking Bad
• Lens - The Leftovers
• Fish Out of Water - BoJack Horseman
• Pilot - This Is Us
• San Junipero - Black Mirror
• Teddy Perkins - Atlanta
• START - The Americans
• Season 2, Episode 1 - Fleabag
• Tern Haven - Succession
• Lowkey Happy - Insecure
• I May Destroy You - Ego Death
• This Is Where the Plot Thickens - Reservation Dogs