Last week’s “No One” was the second of two episodes directed by Mark Mylod and saw the reintroduction of some old characters and pushed the pieces into their final places on the chessboard that is Game of Thrones. As a result, this week’s penultimate episode, “Battle of the Bastards” is both fantastic in its use of visual effects (yay dragons!) and serves as a testament to the show’s ability to choreograph epic battles. Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who will go on to direct next week’s season finale “Winds of Winter” , is both gripping and sensational; this is the same director who brought us last season’s acclaimed “Hardhome” episode.
This week’s episode picks up where last week’s ended, in Meereen. Tyrion is trying to remain upbeat in the face of overwhelming odds, an entire fleet sits in Slavers Bay, peppering Meereen with artillery, a scene quite reminiscent of battles in Age of Empires 2. However, Daenerys isn’t pleased and proceeds to outline her plan; burn the cities that the Masters control to the ground. Thankfully for her, Tyrion is there to cool her down, reminding her that a blind massacre is what her father, the Mad King, contemplated once. As a result, Dany, Tyrion, Grey Worm and Missandei once again meet with the Masters in an effort to resume peace talks. Unfortunately for the Masters, things don’t go their way as, lo and behold, Drogon arrives at the meeting in all his VFX splendour. Subsequently, Dany proceeds to mount Drogon and the pair make their way to the attacking fleet, destroying it with the help of Dany’s other two dragons – Viserion and Rhaegon. Meanwhile, the Khalasar led by Daario also attacks the city, killing members of the Sons of the Harpy. The result is a resounding victory for team Targaryen, with two of the Masters being killed by a swift strike from Grey Worm. The latter is left near prostrating on the ground as Tyrion calmly walks up to him and tells him who’s boss: Daenerys Stormborn. The whole arc, from the cliffside “peace talks” meeting to the burning of the fleet by the dragons is beautifully shot and more than makes up for the lack of VFX and dragons we’ve seen this season. It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see Tyrion ride a dragon too.
While the truce between Daenerys and the Masters (brokered by Tyrion) has ultimately fallen apart, a new one swiftly takes its place. Yara and Theon have made their way to Meereen in what could possibly be the shortest amount of time possible. It feels a bit low on epicness considering it comes off the back of the epic scene beforehand; I for one expected Yara and Theon to attack the Masters fleet with the Iron Born fleet. Tyrion is quick to agree on the fact that Theon is not fit for command, a statement everyone seems to agree upon, but initially isn’t too keen on supporting Yara’s claim to the Salt Throne; he would rather not see each of the seven kingdoms gain independence. However, the alternative is waiting for Euron Greyjoy to arrive with his fleet and his “manly prowess”. As a result and after a nod from Tyrion, Daenerys decides to agree to Yara’s treaty, expecting the Iron Born to no longer ravage the land. It’s a promise I don’t expect Yara to fulfil, especially considering the fact that she seemed to be flirting with Daenerys throughout the meeting, with quick replies and witticism. Knowing Yara, I fully expect a Dany-Yara romance next season; I for one am intrigued to see if the two can find true meaning in that relationship, they do after all have many things in common, or if it’ll be solely political. If it’s the latter I have a feeling Yara won’t live through season 7.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Winterfell, Jon, Sansa, Davos, and Tormund meet with Ramsay and his retinue on the no-man’s-land between both armies. Ramsay in his usual sick, twisted demeanour treats the whole meeting as a joke, first thanking Jon for returning Sansa to him and then proclaiming that he’s a man of mercy. I’ll be honest I snorted at the latter and I could have sworn that most of the actors failed to maintain their composure at that line. Luckily, Jon cuts through Ramsay’s wordplay and demands one-on-one combat, something that is refused, however Jon then riles Ramsay up by subtly stating that he’s a coward. Unfortunately, things escalate and Rickon’s wellbeing is brought into the talk, with his direwolf Summer’s head, being thrown in the mud. The meeting quickly comes to an end with Sansa proclaiming that Ramsay would die the next day.
A subsequent war meeting sees tactics being drawn up, something that would work against a normal enemy. But as Sansa points to Jon at the meeting’s end, Ramsay is not a normal man. He’s demented, twisted and is a master manipulator. As a result, Sansa tells the brutal truth to Jon: Rickon is most likely a dead man walking, considering that as the legitimate son of Ned Stark, he poses a greater threat to Ramsay than either Jon or Sansa. However, Sansa’s adamant refusal to tell Jon that she’s sent a plea for help and that they should wait a while for reinforcements to arrive is maddening. The fact that she’s holding her cards this close to her chest when she has a straight flush that could win the game and save her allies doesn’t make sense at all from a story perspective. She finally states that she would kill herself if the battle turns against them before storming out.
Jon then goes to visit Lady Melisandre, who we haven’t seen much since Jon’s revival. She’s appeared in a few episodes but was relegated to near off-screen presence. It’s great seeing her once again, especially since she no longer seems full of herself and is in fact still quite doubtful about her abilities and beliefs. However, she refuses Jon’s request to not bring him back from the dead again if the latter falls in battle. But she does also refuse to fill Jon’s head about being the chosen one, opting for a more cautious approach by stating Jon’s path in life is unknown.
Meanwhile, Ser Davos and Tormund both get a decent chunk of screentime this episode, with the duo sharing their pre-battle rituals with each other. The formers’ is to take a walk and proceed to have an upset stomach while the latter opts for a more relaxed drunken approach. The two also talk about their previous leaders, the men each respected: Stannis and Mance, but they both agree that each had their failings. However, as different as these men are, they are both bound together by one thing, or rather one person: Jon Snow. As Davos takes his pre-battle stroll he makes a startling discovery: the carved toy that belonged to Princess Shireen, right next to a pile of burnt logs. Putting one and one together, we see that he’s come to the realisation that the Princess was burnt at the stake, due to Melisandre’s actions. It’s a sombre moment and a heartbreaking one at that; Shireen was the person who helped teach Davos how to read, which in turn led to the events that brought Davos to the Wall and to Jon Snow.
The next day the battle lines are drawn and the field is littered with the corpses of men being burnt at the stake; Ramsay was always one for theatrics. As each army sizes each other up, Ramsay makes his way to the front of his army, dragging poor Rickon Stark behind him. We know what to expect as Ramsay unsheates a blade but we’re left amazed when he instead cuts Rickon free and tells him to run to Jon. Our europhia is cut short, however, as Ramsay soon nocks an arrow and proceeds to shoot at Rickon. While the first misses, Ramsay isn’t deterred, and I for one was on the edge of my seat with both dread, at the fact that Ramsay’s aim would find its mark, and hope, that Rickon would dodge. heartbreakingly, just as Rickon is moments away from being rescued by Jon, an arrow pierces his back fatally wounding him.
It’s a harsh moment, especially for Jon, considering he was only a metre away from Rickon when the latter died. As a result, Jon charges recklessly towards Ramsay; meanwhile, both armies also start their charges. Alas for Jon, his steed is taken down by a volley of arrows and just as he’s about to be overcome by Ramsay’s knights, his own cavalry comes to his rescue and the armies clash in a tide of blood, flesh and steel. And thus, the Battle of the Bastards begins. It’s an enthralling clash that grips the viewer, through both the masterful choreography and immersive sound mixing. Unfortunately, the visuals and sounds bring to light that Jon’s army is badly outnumbered and soon they’re surrounded and about to be cut down. Then, just as the battle is about to be lost, Knights of the Vale charge to the rescue, in a rather cheesy attempt to recreate the Charge of the Rohirrim from Lord of the Rings. However, cheesiness aside, the knights serve their purpose, killing most of Ramsay’s men and letting Jon, Tormund and the giant Wun-Wun chase after Ramsay, who flees into Winterfell.
Winterfell, however, provisioned can’t withstand a giant’s strength and as a result, Wun-Wun easily breaks down the gates, though he sacrifices himself in the process as Jon and his men storm the castle, killing most of Ramsay’s men. Ramsay himself is left at arrow point, though he still attempts to skewer Jon through when the latter advances on him. Luckily, Jon closes the distances and resolves to punch the living daylights out of Ramsay, something I can get behind, before stopping at seeing Sansa’s reaction. The banners of the flayed man are taken down with the Stark’s Direwolf hung back on the walls of Winterfell, however, the toll of the victory is high; Rickon’s body is brought back in, sobering the audience. Later on, we see Sansa make her way to the kennels where Ramsay is being kept hostage. In a rather unpleasant but apt scene, he’s killed by his own hunting dogs, putting an end to one of the vilest characters in Game of Thrones.
For the penultimate episode of the season, Battle of the Bastards delivered a superb and surreal viewing experience, putting to rest one of the show’s hated characters whilst also giving viewers a sense of hope, when it comes to Jon and Sansa. Furthermore, seeing Daenerys fly and control her dragons is a spectacle that will go down in history as one of the best scenes in a fantasy series.
