After 13 Years, the Only 10/10 TV Episode on IMDb Just Lost Its Perfect Rating (For a Terrible Reason)

IMDB ratings have long been a point of contention on the internet, and naturally a source of strife for very…passionate fans. At the time of The Dark Knight‘s release, the film skyrocketed to the top of the IMDB Top 250, dethroning The Shawshank Redemption and sitting ahead of The Godfather 1 and 2, which resulted in fans of both Batman and classic film going to war to try and secure their favorite movie as #1. Review bombing is a frequent occurrence on IMDB, much like on Rotten Tomatoes, with films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, 2016’s Ghostbusters, and Captain Marvel among the high-profile examples.

One of the most stalwart examples of a high-profile rating on IMDB that has not moved at all since its premiere thirteen years ago is the hit AMC series Breaking Bad. The episode “Ozymandias,” episode 14 of Breaking Bad‘s fifth season, has long maintained a perfect ten out of ten rating on the platform and, for over a decade, was the only example of it across the billions of episodes of television catalogued on IMDB (Heated Rivalry recently became the second to achieve this feat, but has since fallen from a perfect score). Now, “Ozymandias” has officially lost its 10 out of 10, and if you’ve been paying attention as you read, you can guess why.

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As of this writing, “Ozymandias” has officially fallen from a 10 out of 10 to a 9.9 rating, with over 303k ratings attributed to the episode. Before today, it was easy to see why this episode was rated so highly and had maintained a perfect rating for as long as it did. Though two more episodes follow this one in Breaking Bad, this is the point in the story where the culmination of every bad decision Walter White has made reaches the breaking point. Every lie he told, every bad person he made a deal with, and every family member he scorned for the sake of money and pride are affected in some way; it’s the true breaking point for the lead character. “Ozymandias” is also masterfully directed by Rian Johnson, who manages to ring every ounce of tension out of each moment that he can.

Now, as for why “Ozymandias” has lost its perfect 10 rating, it has nothing to do with the content of the episode suddenly shifting or the cultural appreciation of Breaking Bad as a series, and everything to do with a totally different show. Over the past few weeks, HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has slowly been building its audience, with many fans who had lost interest in the franchise suddenly finding themselves back in the fold. The new series is often favorably compared to the original seasons of Thrones itself, which has led to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms earning high ratings on IMDB for each of its episodes.

The most recent episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, “In the Name of the Mother,” has become the pinnacle of that adoration, with thousands of 10/10 ratings piling up and giving the episode an edge. As a result, fans of Breaking Bad have seemingly review-bombed the Knight episode to keep it from “Ozymandias” own perfect 10, which has spurred a war with Knight fans, who are now, in turn, review-bombing Breaking Bad‘s highest-rated episode, causing it to lose its perfect 10 rating.

It’s clear that this is what’s occurring simply by looking at the recently posted 1-star reviews for each of the episodes. Recent ratings for “Ozymandias” that carry one star on IMDB feature the titles “Ser Duncan stands tall,” “The North Remembers,” and “The Lannisters send their regards,” all references to Game of Thrones or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. On the flipside, recently posted 1-star reviews for “In the Name of the Mother,” include review titles like “Stay out of my territory,” “We know the business and he know the chemistry,” and “For Heisenberg,” all Breaking Bad references.

Suffice to say, both Breaking Bad and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms remain great shows that are well-liked by the normal fans who engage with them and go about their day. What is now occurring on IMDB is simply fandoms with a lot of time on their hands, and the belief that their favorite show being rated the highest is a monument to their own good taste. The irony being that the childish mud-slinging at both shows paints them in a poor light.