Easily, the most anticipated episodes of the season, Battle of the Bastards certainly lived up to and perhaps exceeded all hype. Certainly, this episode is not for the weak of heart, especially once we get to the North. Director Miguel Sapochnik is becoming my go-to director for creating intense, heart palpitating moments, considering he already has last season’s Episode 7 and the critically acclaimed Hardhome to his resume. With this episode, he might’ve created a masterpiece that exceeds anything both on television and the movie screen for a while.
The episode returns to Meereen where Daenerys was left regrouping with Tyrion. Tyrion attempts to explain the situation to the queen where Daenerys suggests a ruthless retaliation that involves slaughtering potential innocents. Tyrion reminds her of what her father had done and what Tyrion’s brother had replied with in preventing the brutal decimation of the city. In turn, he offers a different tactic.
Daenerys along with Tyrion, Greyworm and Missandei meet up with the three heads of the slave masters. The slave masters believe that they have the upper hand and provide them the opportunity to depart on foot. Rather than accepting those terms, Daenerys climbs onto a monstrous size Drogon and flies up to repel the invading ships with fire. Soon the other two dragons manage to dig their way from their captivity and join their brother in setting afire a few ships. In addition, just as Sons of the Harpy slaughter innocents outside the gates of Meereen, the dothraki horde, led by Daario charges in.
In awe of this display of true power, the masters implore Tyrion and sell out the foreigner when Tyrion mentions that one would have to die. Greyworm removes his dagger and ends up slitting the two masters’ throats, allowing the foreigner to live while Tyrion gives him a message to spread about the increasing power and rulership of Daenerys.
The part of Daenerys riding Drogon and calling forth her other two dragons is quite significant. First, it demonstrates her increasing power when close to her dragons. Second, it demonstrates a more hands-on approach to her character that has been lacking. Thus far, she has ruled from the tower or behind other soldiers’ protection. With her dragons now mature enough, she’s able to assert control over them and demonstrate her own increasing power to others.
In the meantime, Tyrion is shown being a good negotiator and someone who desires to settle things with less brute force. Of course, not everyone can live especially those held accountable for other men’s ill actions. Thus, it was imperative that the most hideous of the masters fall. On top of that, it also showed Tyrion playing his mind games with the elite and once again winning.
Back up north, the Starks attempt to treat with Ramsay Bolton. Both sides test each other with Ramsay first acting polite and requesting Jon to kneel while having the others supplicate for forgiveness. Of course, neither side is willing to budge but Jon offers a simple way to settle things in doing a 1-v-1 PVP match. Ramsay believes he has outsmarted Jon because he has the immediate numbers but his actions of relying on his forces also demonstrate that he’s a coward at heart. In a way, this scene is similar to when Jamie Lannister offered to duel Robb Stark when he was captured. When Robb denied Jamie’s request, you got the feeling that Robb was being smart but a coward at the same time. So in a way, you could say that Robb already began losing the tide of battle before he could win the war.
At any rate, both sides back away and the Starks regroup for a last minute strategy meeting. Jon provides what seems like a solid plan in drawing Ramsay out. Everyone except Sansa departs and she has kept silent the entire meeting. At that point, she unveils her true feelings about the situation, most importantly the fact that Jon does not Ramsay and how she sees the larger political picture, notably the fate of their youngest brother. Both argue heatedly, showing that there’s still distrust between them that might be unsettled matters from their youth. Even as Jon Snow promises to protect Sansa, Sansa makes a grim revelation in how “no one can protect anyone.”
That particular statement is very unsettling and a truism to a degree. No oath is ever enough to create an absolute sense of security. It also demonstrates how Sansa has changed immensely and trusts no one. Considering that the previous episode was titled “No One,” we have to wonder if it’s a pun on Arya’s sense of identity and/or the Faceless Men. If anything the main thing that it demonstrates is that Sansa is able to make judgments on her own when it comes to situations and she at the very least realizes that people are fallible and you cannot take someone else’s word as gospel.
A distraught Jon enters Melisandre’s tent for last minute advice. She sardonically responds with, “Don’t lose,” which of course doesn’t really help him at all. Yet he orders her at the end of the battle, if he dies to not bring him back. Melisandre though only follows her god so she would try again. She goes on to describe how her visions work and believes that she has no true power herself.
Outside in the camp, Tormund and Davos share a word, explaining their sides of how they ended up following the wrong leaders, most notably kings. Tormund does point out that Jon is not a king, although both do follow him. It’s an interesting banter before the storm that makes you wonder what Jon’s destiny is at the end of the day.
In the meantime, Davos wanders off to relieve some tension but discovers the wooden stag he made for Princess Shireen near a burnt out pyre. He looks back at the camp with an accusing recognition that Melisandre played a major role in Shireen’s fate, not to mention why she has done her best to avoid Ser Davos. It should be noted that the dawn rises behind Davos, which hints at the Lord of Light possibly being involved somehow in events to come.
Regardless, the following day both forces oppose each other. Ramsay starts off by bringing Rickon forward. Once Rickon is unveiled, the Stark forces tense up, especially Jon who is a little more wary of Ramsay’s tricks. Ramsay pulls out his knife and Rickon shuts his eyes tightly, believing that the knife has a murderous intention. Instead, Ramsay cuts Rickon’s bonds and has him play a little game in running towards his brother. As Rickon starts off, Ramsay fires shots at Rickon but misses a few times. Jon realizes that Rickon is in trouble and storms off on horse back in the hope of rescuing his long lost brother. Just as he’s about to reach Rickon, an arrow pierces through the youngest brother and instantly kills him.
All the Stark forces now see Ramsay’s plan beginning to unfold. Jon, angered that his half brother has just been murdered charges at the Bolton army alone, despite pleas from Tormund for him to not do it. At this point, Ramsay has his archers fire and Jon gets lucky in evading a few shots. Eventually, his horse gets taken down and he’s left with just his blade, Longclaw while the host of the Bolton army begin descending upon him. Only now he begins to see what his half sister meant about Ramsay’s cunning and planting traps.
Fortunately, just as the Bolton army is about to run Jon down, the Stark forces clash with the Bolton army. However, this does mean that all their previous battle plans are ruined and the Stark forces must now contend with the full force of the Bolton army. The battle is horribly brutal and is a non-stop action fest with dead bodies quickly piling up. Pretty much if you’re squeamish about blood this part is not for you as there’s some extremely gory scenes.
But it’s the story is about the battle itself and the strategies of war with the Stark army unable to use their own archers to avoid hurting their own men. However, Ramsay is merciless and continues to pelt both sides with arrows. With the mounds of bodies piling high, Ramsay sets his next plan of attack where he surrounds the army with shields and pikes, enclosing around the smaller forces. A few wildlings attempt to break the shield wall but are immediately speared to death by the long range pikes.
It’s really hard to call every single shot but I think the ultimate point here is showing the horrors of war, especially the older ones where crude, brutal weapons are implemented to cut down people into pieces. Some of the most gruesome scenes include one man screaming with his intestines hanging out, another man climbing up the mound of men without legs and one other barely able to contain his organs from flowing out of him.
Eventually, we get Jon, who was trampled and nearly suffocated under the mound of bodies barely able to resurface. Very powerful scene that’s an almost reversed shot of the one with Daenerys being lifted on the bodies of those she freed. Tormund at this time has his own 1-v-1 with Smalljon Umber and brutally rips out the man’s throat with his bare teeth.
Fortunately, for the Starks, the Knights of the Vale come through and break down the shield barrier from behind. Littlefinger and Sansa stand where the army is deployed. Gradually, Jon, mud and blood soaked, climbs from the mountain of bodies and sees an idle Ramsay. Ramsay realizes that he has made a horrible miscalculation (actually it was an unfair advantage) turns back to Winterfell while Jon Snow, Tormund and Wun Wun pursue him.
At Winterfell, Ramsay bars the gates and his men inform him that he no longer has an army just as Jon does not. But Ramsay believes that the gates of Winterfell would protect himself…except that he did not take Wun Wun, a powerful giant, could pry open the doors. As Wun Wun crashes through, he is pelted by dozens of arrows and falls to his knees. But the remaining Stark army penetrates and kills off the remaining Bolton men, leaving Ramsay by himself and reconsidering Jon’s original 1-v-1 challenge. Wordlessly, Jon accepts but grabs a shield as Ramsay fires at him.
At this point, Ramsay is just desperate and too certain of himself but Jon has become the murderous madman that Ramsay typically is. Unrelentingly, Jon pulverizes Ramsay’s face in with his fist until Sansa appears. At that point, Jon gets up and leaves Ramsay’s beaten form on the ground. The Stark banners once again adorn the castle and Jon has Rickon buried in the crypts next to his father. That seems to please Melisandre, who finally seems to feel validated in her visions. Still Davos watches the reassured Red Priestess from the side with vengeful intent. Sansa still has remaining business with Ramsay and has his starving dogs eat him alive. As she departs, she sadistically smiles at Ramsay’s gruesome yet well deserved demise.
Overall, this IS the episode to watch. No one could doubt the epicness that had been promised and it delivered on multiple fronts. The battle wasn’t a glorious event but one that showed the brutality of war in the violence raised to the 11th power. We have two sides finally reclaiming their respective realms with one new force joining another in the Greyjoys and Daenerys. Sansa’s story is becoming more intriguing as we see the dark character emerging once again. Jon Snow too shows the change that occurred as a result of his resurrection in the way he transmogrified into a killing monster. House Bolton also is eradicated from the map and Sansa’s speech for Ramsay reminds us of what Tywin discussed about legacy. Here, there will be no legacy from the Boltons and their hideous ways will be forgotten, even history books perhaps since the victors are the ones who write that part.
There’s still new stories to explore as a few have ended. Where do Jon and Sansa go from here? How will Melisandre reply to Jon for her murder of Shireen? Will Davos continue to be Jon’s acting Right Hand? What will the wildlings do now that they have fulfilled their part of the bargain? Will that pile of bodies be burned before the White Walkers can reach them? And what will happen to Littlefinger now that he fulfilled his oath in aiding Sansa? That’s just the northern stories.
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