You can catch up on the previous parts of the list here and here. We have finally reached the top 10 best episodes of the whole show and honestly some of the best episodes in all of animation and television.
10. The Eternal Warriors: Probably the funniest episode of the show. David’s over confidence is entertaining and the idea of two tribes killing each other and then a swamp guy reviving them over and over is hilarious. I’m honestly impressed that this show managed to get away with showing a kid get decapitated TWICE!
9. The Hidden People: One of the most important rules in writing a show pilot is the “five-minute rule” and Hilda perfectly established the show within those five amazing minutes. Most show pilots while not bad are considered weaker compared to the rest of the show but honestly, I think Hilda’s first outing still holds up.
8. The Fifty-Year Night: I love that this show has the balls to kill off its protagonist TWICE! I am a huge sucker for the 40s vibe. The backstory of Hilda’s neighbor and Tildy is both sweet and tragic. It also wonderfully ties with what Johanna says to Hilda in the beginning about how actions have consequences.
7. The Nightmare Spirit: While I do think Hilda’s fear of riding a bike could’ve been built up more this is still a visually creepy and very imaginative episode. The Marra and the rat king were very unique and legit creepy, and of course, this episode has the introduction to fan favorite Kaisa. Great episode to put on during Halloween.
6. The Bird Parade: The third and final chapter of the “Trollberg trilogy” and my favorite of the three. Hilda learning to like the city is nice. The Raven is very likable and the titular event in the end is beautiful. If there was any episode outside of the pilot to introduce someone to this show it would be this one.
5. The Witch: The Hilda/Frida “shipping episode” (wink wink). Finding out that the librarian aka Kaisa and the old lady from episode 3 aka Tildy are both witches is really cool. The challenges the trio face in the library are a lot of fun. Also finding out that Frida can also use magic and becomes a witch in training is neat.
4. The House in the Woods: This felt more like a proper season finale then the Black Hound as it is the episode where Hilda finally accepts that Trollberg is her new home while also not lettering go of where she came from. The house is legit creepy and I like how we never get an explanation of what it is so it’s left up to our imagination.
4 1/2. The Mountain King: This is where the film would rank If it counted BTW.
3. The Forgotten Lake: If there was any episode that best showed off the relationship between Hilda and Johanna it’s this episode. I love seeing Hilda and Johanna one common ground especially after season 2 and I also like that there’s no forced conflict between them. The spider frog is legit creepy and the scene where he eats Hilda and Johanna is powerful. Also, it made Twig CRY! It should be considered illegal to make Twig CRY!
Ok I’m going to be honest the next two episodes are honestly a tie.
1/2. The Deerfox: For a long time, this was not just my favorite episode of Hilda but also up there with Steven Universe’s On the Run and Amphibia’s True Colors as one of my favorite episodes in all of television. You absolutely feel the strong connection between Hilda and Twig throughout the whole episode. Twig’s backstory is absolutely beautiful and emotional. Getting to see more deerfoxes including Twig’s parents was great. The scene where Hilda runs off sobbing and then reuniting with Twig is my favorite scene in the whole show and I can’t watch it without crying. Everything from the animation, the music, Bella Ramsay’s emotional performance is perfect.
1/2. The Fairy Isle: Most people will say that Avatar the Last Airbender’s Sozin’s Comet or Gravity Falls’s Take Back the Falls is the greatest animated series finale, but for me The Fairy Isle is my favorite series finale of any tv show I’ve ever seen. This emotional roller coaster is full of amazing moments like Hilda bonding with a younger version of her mother, Johanna and her family’s heartbreaking backstory, the return of the deerfoxes, and especially the ending. The final scene is an absolutely perfect send off to the characters and show and I cry every time every time the episode cuts to black and then the end credits.
Again I’d like to thank everyone who worked on Hilda for making this wonderful show and I’d like to thank everyone for tagging along on this three-part adventure. This was a project I’ve been really looking forward to sharing with all of you. What is your favorite episode of Hilda? Like and comment below.
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