Battle of the Bastards
- Episode aired Jun 19, 2016
- 18+
- 1h
Jon and Sansa face Ramsay Bolton on the fields of Winterfell. Daenerys strikes back at her enemies. Theon and Yara arrive in Meereen.Jon and Sansa face Ramsay Bolton on the fields of Winterfell. Daenerys strikes back at her enemies. Theon and Yara arrive in Meereen.Jon and Sansa face Ramsay Bolton on the fields of Winterfell. Daenerys strikes back at her enemies. Theon and Yara arrive in Meereen.
- Melisandre
- (as Carice Van Houten)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOver 600 crew members, 500 extras, 80 horses, 65 stuntmen and -women and 4 separate camera crews were involved in the shooting of the Battle of Winterfell. A 26-acre field near Belfast that was set to be ploughed over was used, and a military advisor hired to rehearse the fights with the cast and extras, and drill and motivate them into action. At the time, it was the production's biggest and most ambitious battle ever crafted, and has been regarded as the greatest in the series by fans and critics alike.
- GoofsWhen the Bolton archers draw and shoot at the Bolton-Stark cavalry battle, the Bolton cavalry can still be seen behind the archers. They are supposed to be on the field fighting.
- Quotes
Sansa Stark: [to Ramsay, after he threw Rickon's wolf's head onto the ground] You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton.
[looks at him disdainfully]
Sansa Stark: Sleep well.
[pulls back on the reins of her horse, turns around, rides off]
Ramsay Bolton: [to Jon Snow] She's a fine woman, your sister. I look forward to having her back in my bed.
[to everybody:]
Ramsay Bolton: All of you are fine-looking men. My dogs are desperate to meet you.
[chuckles]
Ramsay Bolton: I haven't fed them in seven days. They're ravenous. I wonder which part of you they'll go for first? Your eyes? Your balls?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Thronecast: No One (2016)
Surprisingly, the episode isn't just set in one location (although it almost is). We also check in with Meereen, which is good because I thought the cliffhanger they were left on last episode would stretch for two weeks. It didn't. The episode leaps right into it. This was quite a smart pacing decision; by opening the episode with a battle, you prevent people from getting fed up with the long stretch of character scenes that precedes the other battle. Just the right amount of time was spent in Meereen this episode.
But then, of course, it's on to the main event. The Battle of the Bastards. As with all the other big battle episodes in Game of Thrones, we check in with all the characters who will be fighting in the battle. It reminds us of the stakes, develops character, and builds anticipation.
In this episode, we see that Ramsay is in fact a brilliant strategist. His battle plan is horrifying, manipulative, and very well thought out. The effects on the ground are very well portrayed. There is one tracking shot that follows a character through the battle that absolutely blew me away. It captures the sheer senselessness, the pure chaos of battle in such a mind-blowing way.
The only thing I found even marginally disappointing about this episode was the character deaths; I wish there were more of them! But that's probably just me being masochistic.
What an absolutely fantastic ride of an episode, I hope the finale delivers.
- TouchTheGarlicProduction
- Jun 19, 2016
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1