I bounce back and forth between 7x08 and 7x16 as my favorite episode. They satisfy different things for me: 7x08 has the kickass action, the political thriller themes and the moral struggles that I love about the show. 7x16 is pure character development, focusing on those big and tiny moments that flesh out the characters and showcase the range of the actors as they deal with so many emotions. So left brain says 7x08 while right brain says 7x16. Being semi-ambidextrous can be really annoying at times! LOL.