“Battle of the Bastards” took its place in the debate of best Game of Thrones episodes and battles, as Jon Snow led the remaining force of Wildlings and a smattering of small Northern houses against the full force of Ramsay Bolton and the backing of his own house forces alongside the Karstarks and the Umbers.
Needless to say, this week’s episode was big and certainly brings fond memories of battles past, from season two’s “Blackwater” to last season’s “Hardhome.” In terms of scope, this episode brought that and more.
IN MEEREEN:
But, before we touch on the battle in the North, we first touch base across the Narrow Sea, where we find Tyrion, Daenerys, and the crew in the midst of an invasion from the slavers with whom it appeared that the Imp Lannister had negotiated a truce of sorts in regards to their abolishment of slavery. In true Tyrion fashion, he has to explain to the Mother of Dragons how she returned to a city in the midst of raining fireballs and in the midst of crisis. Tyrion, who admittedly did a good job of holding the city together in her absence prior to the intervention of the slave masters of the rebelling Free Cities, asks Daenerys what their next move is to be.
Meeting with the slavers regarding terms of surrender, it appears that they clearly aren’t looking to a life without slavery, and having seven years to come up with viable means to function isn’t in their list of options. In response to the violation of their agreement and heedlessly attacking her city, the Mother of Dragons does what she does best: calls on Drogo to do some damage. As she climbs aboard and takes flight towards the attacking fleet of ships, Dany is joined by her fellow firebreathers Rhaegal and Viserion, whom Tyrion sought to unchain early this season and escape their prison beneath the pyramid amidst the chaos. Needless to say, the fleet was very well roasted as the dragons did what they do best.
On the grounds of Meereen, we caught glimpses of the Sons of the Harpy back in the streets, their first appearance of the season. That appearance was very short-lived, as Daenerys’s newly acquired Dothraki hordes make quick work of them. Needless to say, all is now well within the city of Meereen. Dany’s forces have bulked considerably with the Dothraki additions, and the Slaver’s Bay should serve no more problems.
But we’re not quite done here yet, as more storylines converge with Yara and Theon Greyjoy arriving in Meereen, seemingly in the aftermath of Dany’s carnage. Both sides make their goals clear, with the Greyjoys promising their fleet for passage across the Narrow Sea in return for helping Yara claim her place on the Salt Throne as head of the Iron Islands and taking down old Uncle Euron. We get some witty banter and interaction between Yara and Daenerys, who certainly have an unspoken respect for one another as women seeking to claim the thrones men have held to for so long. Dany agrees to support her claim, on the condition that the Greyjoys put an end to their plundering ways that have gone unheeded for years. After initial hesitation, a pact is forged, and Dany has the fleet she needs to finally make her move make to Westeros. It would also appear that Uncle Euron’s time on the Salt Throne will be rather short-lived.
Dany forged her first major alliance from the Seven Kingdoms from the better part of the Greyjoys, and preparations are likely to be made in preparation for crossing the Narrow Sea. This episode was also a huge payoff for Tyrion’s decision to unchain the dragons, who appear to be falling more in line for the time being. We are also seeing a different Daenerys, one that, while it might appear she has the ruthlessness of her father, the Mad King Aerys Targaryen, it is a different kind that stands as more righteous and good. Her insistence that the Greyjoys end their continual pillages and raids, which are inherent to the House, speaks to Daenerys’ continual homage of “breaking the wheel” and ending these practices that have endured for hundreds of years. Dany now has the backing of the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the mercenary army of the Second Sons, and the fleet to carry them all. Oh, and three dragons. Can’t forget about those.
IN THE NORTH:
Now, we get to the main course of the episode, where illegitimate sons square off against one another for Winterfell and the claim for ruler of the North.
Events in the North begin by giving us the calm before the storm, in which Jon, Sansa, and their allies meet with Ramsay alongside his bannermen. It’s very intriguing to see the stark (no pun intended) differences between these two labeled bastards of the North. The numbers are clearly in Ramsay’s favor, with the biggest Northern bannermen under his wing, while Jon’s patchwork force of Wildlings and paltry additions of lesser bannermen equate to less than half of the half-Bolton’s forces. Despite this, Jon is able to get under Ramsay’s skin, challenging him to single combat, which he easily brushes off in all his sneering glory, allowing the more experienced half-Stark to get under his skin a little. Sansa, meeting her captor for the first time since the end of last season, assures his death is at hand and that his defeat is inevitable, before riding away without another word.
The following night, as final battle plans are laid out, Sansa urges Jon not to fall for Ramsay’s ploys and mind games. Despite his battle experience and swordsmanship, Jon has never had to deal with a crafty, psychotic mind like Ramsay’s. Having fought wildlings, mindless zombies, and white walkers, Jon is understandably not intimidated by Ramsay when it comes to his fighting strength, but Sansa remains concerned given their disadvantage from a numbers standpoint. Jon then pays a short visit to Melisandre, who was not present at the final meeting. He requests that, should he fall in battle, to not bring him back as she did before. Melisandre insists that the Lord of Light deemed he come back for a reason, and it was not solely her power through which he returned.
On the other side, Tormund and Ser Davos talk about the things they do the night before a major battle. Tormund likes to drink himself to sleep, while the more pensive Davos usually walks through the night, as he finds sleep near-impossible on the eve of a major clash. Both make mention of their previous leaders and how they’ve been on the losing side in recent months, fighting for the sake of those who would call themselves “kings.” Tormund notes, however, that Jon is not a king, putting his faith in Jon to lead them to victory. As they go their separate ways for the night and Davos takes his usual pensive walk, he notices the burn pile where Shireen met her end last season, picking up the stag figure she favored. Just as he realizes what likely befell her, the horn sounds for battle.
Ramsay, in all his sneering glory, brings Rickon out to play a little game: reach the other side as fast as he can. Jon, playing right into Ramsay’s hands, quickly rides out to retrieve his brother. However, it is all in vain, as he is shot in the heart by Ramsay right before Jon reaches him. That becomes the trigger for the battle, and the opposing cavalries smash together to commence the long-awaited true battle for Winterfell. (Sorry Stannis, can’t really say you really had much of a battle.)
Carnage is everywhere as Jon dodges arrows, striking at all enemies within reach of Longclaw, and getting plenty of close saves along the way. As the bodies mount, Ramsay’s numbers begin to overwhelm Jon’s patchwork group. Encircled, it only looks to be a matter of time before failure comes again. But we hear a horn in the distance, and we see the sigil of House Arryn rise as the Knights of the Vale come charging in to smash the encirclement and turn the tide in their favor. In the process of this new development comeback, the remnants of Jon’s forces find a new will to fight. Tormund deals a major defeat by killing Smalljon Umber, a major bannerman who betrayed his loyalty to the Starks by turning Rickon over to Ramsay and providing him many of his forces.
Seeing the Knights of the Vale overrun his forces, Ramsay decides to make for a quick exit behind the walls of Winterfell, but Jon, Tormund, and Wun-Wun pursue the Bolton bastard and break down its door with the help of the giant as Jon’s soldiers stream inside. Wun-wun is a living pin cushion at this point and falls to Ramsay’s arrow. At last, both Northern bastards standing face-to-face, Jon quickly snags a shield and fends off Ramsay’s remaining arrows before pounding his face in the ground for all its worth, but stopping short at a look from Sansa.
Later that evening, Sansa pays a visit to the now-captive Ramsay, tied in the center of the pen where he keeps his hounds, stating that now that he has lost, his words will be forgotten, and his House will forever be erased from existence. A bloodied Ramsay still shows no fear in the face of defeat… that is, until his hounds are released and the remaining Bolton is reminded of the fact that he left his dogs without food for a whole week anticipating Jon’s defeat. In dramatic fashion, Ramsay’s hounds devour their master in much the savage manner that he deployed them. And on this day, fans can officially rejoice in the death of arguably the most hated character in the series.
Game of Thrones does many things well, and the scope of their battle during the run of the series has only grown, and this battle serves to signify that gap. From the use of Roman encirclement to the Civil War references with the mountains and shields of corpses, the scope of this battle is unlike any before it, matching the scale of only “Hardhome” from the previous season, with Miguel Sapochnik directing that epic fight and taking the lead in putting this one together. With episodes like this, it’s easy to see why Game of Thrones garners the acclaim that it does, and rightfully so.
Jon’s victory places the Starks back in control of Winterfell, and an opportunity to once again reunite the North and return to becoming the defense of what lies beyond the Wall. And Sansa’s clever move to ask Littlefinger’s aid proved to be the crux in their victory, as they now have the Knights of the Vale in their corner. Of course, with Littlefinger back in the mold, nothing is ever simple, but through Sansa’s connection to him, the Starks were able to win back their home. While Rickon’s death was unfortunate, it could not have surprised many, especially given his long-term absence since the end of season three and the fact that his lone appearances this season were very fleeting and his lack of importance to the overall plot. With his death, Bran is the lone pure-born male Stark left in the series.
WHAT WE KNOW:
While this episode focused on just two locations, both were heavy with plot progression as Daenerys solidified her hold on Meereen and the rest of Slaver’s Bay while forging an alliance with the Greyjoy siblings. The interaction between the Mother of Dragons and Yara was very intriguing, and these two women trailblazers are certainly looking to break the wheel in their own ways. With this new partnership, we are beginning to prepare for the inevitable Westeros invasion, as it appears that Yara and Theon apparently grabbed a good number of ships on their way out of the Iron Islands. Looks like Uncle Euron’s reign on the Salt Throne won’t last too long.
Meanwhile, up North, we were witness to the largest scope of battle, one that easily meets, and arguably surpasses, the Battle of Hardhome from Season Five. With the Starks having reclaimed Winterfell once again, the North now has the opportunity to become the united front it was before the Starks split up to go their separate ways at the start of the series. An underlying revelation in the episode was Ser Davos discovering Shireen’s stag figure. To recall, Davos was sent back to the Wall prior to Shireen’s death and was unaware of her fate even in Stannis’s defeat. He was already not the biggest fan of Melisandre or her Lord of Light, and finding that she had a hand in Shireen’s death won’t bode well for internal stability.
The season finale is upon us next week, and Cersei’s impending trial will finally come to light, and we can be sure the Queen Regent is cooking up some schemes for this impending trial. And with no trial by combat, it appears the full force of The Mountain will be on the shelf for a little while longer. King’s Landing is sure to dominante a bulk of next week’s time, but we will also see just what the next move from Jon and Sansa in a reclaimed Winterfell will be. Previews of the next episode will be taking us back to revisit Jaime Lannister alongside the Freys celebrating their reclaiming Riverrun, and word is bound to travel fast regarding the Starks’ resurgence.
It also seems that Sansa’s decision to reconnect with Littlefinger for his help will have implications of its own, but if she has shown us anything, it’s that she is a far cry from the spoiled child we met back in season one and has come into her own as a Stark.
AND NOW THEIR WATCH HAS ENDED:
Rickon Stark, Smalljon Umber, Wun-Wun, The Slave Masters, Sons of the Harpy, Ramsay Bolton (to raucous applause)
