Holy fuck Game of Thrones. Went in with pretty high expectations and you still managed to amaze me.
My beasts are loyal -Ramsay Bolton......
Action-9/10, having a logical plot- 5/10. Literally "Fan Service the Episode"
Pros
+Really cool battle scenes in the North
+Negotiations and planning in the North
+Dragons burning the slave fleet
+Satisfying ending
Okay
*Negotiations with Asha and Theon. Interesting in some aspects, though it really went against the flow of the episode.
Cons
-Meereen story tried to make it seem like it isn't an obvious choice to burn the fleet but not entire cities. also the Dothraki action was really fucking retarded looking and the way Emilia Clarke portrays Dany continues to make her look like a total condescending bitch. It's going to be hilarious when Euron steals her dragons and sinks her fleet.
-The way the battle started off in the North was idiotic. Sansa told Jon already that he was going to kill Rickon and Jon isn't a retard. Also the general disregard for tactics throughout a majority of the fight was dumb.
Shout out to Iwan Rheon's (Ramsay) performance. The best villain ever, makes Joffrey look like an angel. I'll definitely miss his presence in the show.
Game of Thrones is a show that thrives on violence. The visceral thrills of the show, from Ned Stark's beheading to the various battles that have constituted the series' "special event" episodes tell stories, but don't skimp on the swords and sangre to help fill them out. Westeros is a world founded on violence, once where those in power gained it, and kept it, by waging war, and killing, and trafficking in the kind of brutality that wins kingdoms and helps break ratings records.
So when Dany mounts Drogon and leads her tripartite team of dragons to destroy the slavers' fleet, it's new and different since our winged-beast attacks in the show so far have largely been much more limited in scope, but it's also part and parcel with the show's usual M.O. It's a fist-pump moment, not only because it's the first time we've seen all three dragons engage in this type of badassery, but because we believe in Dany and her cause. Flame reigning down from the sky, trying to guarantee that Meereen never again becomes a land of slavers, feels righteous.
But then there's that little voice in the back of your head that says the people on those ships are probably slaves too. Sure, it's a necessary evil, a show of force that is required to ensure the other masters of Slaver's Bay don't get any ideas and think twice before they challenge Dany's regime. Those deaths, however, take on a new light. They're not just the end result of some awe-inspiring dragons; they're human beings consumed by fire and left to die a horrible death.
Then, after an appropriate bit of pre-battle planning at Winterfell and post-battle denouement at Mereen, we get to the titular "Battle of the Bastards." And it's cool to see Jon Snow face the oncoming cavalry only for his own forces to crash into them just as he steps into battle. It's cool to see a fight that we've been promised for so long come to fruition. It's cool to watch as, within this chaos, John takes down enemy soldiers, and Torumund picks him up out of the dirt, and Ser Davos orders his men into the fray.
Then the camera pulls back and you see those piles of bodies. You see people begging for help and being trampled over. You see people flanked on three sides by spears and shields and blocked in the other by the amassed dead. You see behind Jon Snow's eyes as he begins to suffocate amid the bloody tumult around him. You see people grasping at their own viscera, the blood spilled all around, the crying suffering men in a mass of black and gray and red where friend cannot be distinguished from foe. This is not a triumph. This is not simply some thrill. This is hell on earth, and a horrific price for any of them to have to pay to resolve this conflict.
At the end of it, Jon Snow pummels the dastard Ramsay into the ground, leaving him gurgling in his own fluids. But the man is not dead. Sansa goes to visit him in captivity. He taunts her one last time, but Sansa stands there stonefaced, confronting the man who caused her unimaginable suffering. She aims for a little poetic justice, as Ramsay's starving dogs are turned against their master. This too is a horrible death, as we see his hounds chomp his face. The camera zooms close onto Ramsays hands as they drip with blood. Sansa turns away from the carnage, but the hint of a smile emerges on her face as she walks away.
Ramsay's words carry. "I am a part of you now." Sansa has been through so much. She has been under the bootheel, nearly driven into the ground, by so many cruel lords and ladies. She has been abused, manipulated, tortured, and lived through it. She is not, however, unscathed. How long can you commit violence on someone, can you show them that this is how the world works, that no one can protect anyone, until they take it to heart. How long can they witness such horrors, can they experience such tragedies until the abyss starts to take hold of them. Westeros is a harsh world, and perhaps the greatest indignity it imposes on those within its borders is how it makes them just as harsh, just as cruel, just as mired in the muck and the blood as those who inflicted it upon them.
"Battle of the Bastards" is a tremendous episode of Game of Thrones. It features some of the best shot, best directed, and best edited action scenes the show has ever done, that rivals many of its blockbuster Hollywood brethren. It keeps those conflicts meaningful, rooted in the characters we've come to know and their goals, inclinations, and motivations that we've witnessed over the past several years. But it also gradually invites you to recoil from the violence that in many ways has fueled the series. There are moments of joy, of excitement, of success that the audience is supposed to feel a sort of cathartic relief and happiness at. Dany is back in power; Winterfell belongs to the Starks once more, and Ramsay is dead.
But there is much talk in the episode of the hidden cost of all this. Tyrion warns Daenerys how her father aimed to kill the loyal and the rebellious alike. Jon asks not to be brought back again if he is killed, not to have to face more of this horror is it's meant to fell him once and for all. And Sansa makes a deal with the man who led her to such harm, and takes a moment to revel in the cruelty of her abuser's demise. Each of these leaders has a righteous cause. Each of them has legitimate grievances, noble reasons, and pragmatic motivations for why they do what they do. Each of them, however, also takes a step toward being what they hope to stamp out. As Sansa feels her soul darken just a bit, halfway across the world, Daenerys declares that the old regime is done, and that a new age will come. The regime being left behind is one built on those piles of dead bodies that seem so horrific. It is soaked in the blood of the righteous and evil alike. Let us simply hope that it does not stain those who would carry a new banner and break from the past before they have the power to do so, and instead find themselves perpetuating the wheel that has ground so many into the dirt, rather than breaking it.
This episode was amazing. They closed all the arcs superbly. That last scene- I got goosebumps. There must be something wrong with me cuz I thought Sansa was friggin hot being so vengeful. But god revenge is sweet. You got Danerys putting the smack down on the Masters. Full blown dragons killing everything. I knew Sansa was gonna go rescue him but they waited all the way till the end to pull the reveal- the timing was just perfect. Then you have the cinematography with John Snow was amazing in the midst of battle. This episode.......was the most finely tuned emotional roller coaster cram-packed into an hour. Amazing.
That was the best battle I've ever seen!! the sound editing was amazing, all those crashes sounded epic!!
SANSA STARK QUEEN IN THE NORTH
That was a great episode with many things happening that we wanted to see for a long time. Dragons as war machines, The Bolton Bastard eaten by his dogs etc. Additionally an Epic-ly filmed battle scene that reminded me the original impressions I got when I saw Braveheart when it was released in the theaters back in 1995 (https://trakt.tv/movies/braveheart-1995).
There were though a few things that bothered my square logic:
1) Rickons cliche death. The moment rickon was told to run we all new he is going to die last minute by an arrow, unless you haven't watched tv before in your life. And whats with people always running in a straight line?
2) the circumstances under which john snows army got surrounded. Basically sitting there and watching while the boltons are making a nice line
3) The giant: He can take a thousand arrows. He can crash through castle gates. He can lift the iron gate at the wall...but he can not step through a line of shields
4) There are several troops around with bows and arrows pointed at ramsay but when he raises his bow against john (repeatedly) nobody takes a shot. If somebody was about to kill your commander and you haven't been told to stand down why would you?
Still epic, but the above (drama supporting moments) took away something.
8/10
"Your words will disappear.
Your house will disappear.
Your name will disappear.
All memory of you will disappear."
As always the 9th episode is the best episode of the season but this one is special it's one of the best episodes I've ever watched and this one saved this season from being a massive disaster.
I hope that they could keep this season finale at that level of greatness.
So let me sum up Sansa's decisions:
She met Littlefinger in secret, he offered her whatever she would require from him. And he had the troops of the Vale with him. She denies him.
She keeps pestering Jon for more troops. He confirms that they'd need more but that they tried all options.
Sansa obviously changed her mind and sent for Littlefinger, she doesn't tell Jon a single word about that option though, resulting in him trying a battle that almost gets them all killed.
She acts like she did great.
Best episode ever. Finally a surprise to save the favorite instead of killing him!
Best episode of Game of Thrones so far. There were so many shiver-inducing moments my skin nearly started to peel. Dragons always reduce me to a giant shameful mess but this time there was three of them together fighting and I couldn't fucking breath. And then there was that sick battle, and Rickon died because he never learned to run in zigzags, and then they boromired One One (right when I said to my friend that at least Ramsey won't shoot him in the head) and it was awful, but then Jon destroyed Ramsey' stupid ass face and Sansa fed the fucker to his own dogs like I predicted and wanted and it was beautiful and satisfying and the only thing that would have made it better is if the camera stayed on the cunt and the lighting was better. This show made me psychotic. I love it.
The best episode, I’m so glad Ramsay got the worst death, a taste of his old medicine. I absolutely hated him but the actor did a brilliant job, I’m not quite ready to finish this season now...
We all smile with Sansa in the last scene!
38:56 The best battle scene in a war I've ever seen. Really amazing.
I don't think that Ramsay is gonna walk that one off.
i knew, i knew, i knew the giant won't last that season =(
Wow, Fireworks all around and no nonsense at all.
Daenerys is strong again! The scene with the two masters and one beggar was very cool too.
The Fight before - awesome
John Snow was awesome for the first time ever and i liked Sansa for the first time.
Vengeance is a dish best served cold.
I would have just punshed him in the nuts till he died from it. The dogs were way more fitting.
All in all the only thing that makes me sad, is that i can't give more than 10 and don't have the time to decrease the value of every Episode i ever rated 10....
One of the best episodes of any TV show I've ever seen
That scene where the camera follows Jon Snow through the chaos of battle may be the best depiction of the Chaos of Battle that's ever been committed to film, in my lay-opinion. I think Joe Abercrombie's battle scenes where he jumps from person to person may be the only place I've seen it done better, but those are novels.
I say and repeat that this episode is pure cinema. Everything here works perfectly. The special effects, the direction of the actors, the choreography of the fights. And of course, the narrative. Rickon has been gone for so long and we haven't even heard his voice since he was captured by Ramsay, but it is STILL suffocating to see him die, at least for me. Maybe because of my attachment to the Starks and he was so close to reunite with Jon and Sansa... I feel this pain.
As for Ramsay, he really got what he deserved. Go to hell, you little shit.
Truly Amazing! mi heart was beating so hard... one of the best episodes of entire saga!
Spoiler alert dj khaled comes and shows them the pathway to success
Am I the only one who is a little bit disappointed by this episode ?
I mean Rekon death scene... The guy is shooting you with an arrow that takes good 10 seconds to arrive, couldn't you just change the direction of your run the speed or stop altogether, it's a freaking arrow, not a head guided missile.
Sansa is such a Cunt(That capital 'C' is not there by mistake) in this episode ... Before the battle, she and Jon argue about how they are not prepared.She says they need more men, Jon agrees but points out there are no other men they can turn to. This whole time Sansa could have said: "You know actually there are those knights of the vale who will totally fight for us, and will totally bring the odds to our favor" Instead, she says nothing and chooses to ignore the whole issue just to show up with them after the battle started and half of Jon's forces had perished.
If Jon had known about them he would have waited another hour and started the battle later at full strength.
This is so disappointing because those things do not make any sense and in GoT usually everything makes sense. I made perfect sense when Tywin orchestrated the red wedding. Or when Ygritte died. Even when Jon died it made sense. But here it makes no sense what so ever that Sansa would hold on to such important information without telling anyone.
The most satisfying hour used on TV of my entire life.
In retrospect, this episode is highly predictable. But the execution is top notch, making us completely forget the next steps and become totally engulfed in the moment. Battle of the Bastards combines the best elements of the Omaha Beach battle from Saving Private Ryan and Battle at Helmsdeep from Lord of the Rings: The Two Tower. The end result is breathtaking.
And most astonishing is that it made me totally forget the epic dragon battle at Meereen just moments earlier, which is at least on par with what I think is the most orgasmic scene to date, "And Now His Watch Is Ended" from season 3 episode 4.
If I were to nitpick, it's why Sansa chose to summon Littlefinger until the last minute (aside from the obvious reason of keeping audience in suspense). That's a minor nitpick in otherwise flawless episode.
We all laugh with Sansa in the last scene! So fucking cool!
The taste of a sweet revenge by Sansa Stark!
Finally Ramsey is fucking dead!
Jon was on fire!
He is the truly king of the north.
Khalessi is the fucking queen.
These two are powerful.
This epiase is THE BEST of all the seasons (at least for now)
oh my god, this episode is crazy!!!! i couldn't peel my eyes off of the screen!!!! fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge
EPIC. That's all I've got to say.
get rekt ramsay ❤
The entire episode was exceptional, but the battle scene was beautifully executed. Also, glad to finally see the dragons in action. Good job, GoT creators!
Holy shit this episode! Breathtaking until the end! One Bastard to rule the North!
The best hour I spent in my life, in front of the TV. Thank you, Game of Thrones.
Sansa has become such a badass, I love her! Also why on earth did Rickon run in a straight line?! It would have been much smarter and not much more difficult to zig zag in the field.
Uajajajaja... Amazing, this episode is perfect from one to the last minute. The best battle scene a was seen since LOTR, this is WAR....and Sansa is a kick ass, I love her new role.
Well, I don't know... That was too black-and-white for Game of Thrones. The good on one side, the embodiment of evil on the other. And then Gandalf comes riding over the hill. In the past there wasn't the good party. You could find positives and negatives for every participant of a battle. The "Battle of the Bastards" is a too much Lord of the Rings.
Rickon needed more scenes in order to not just be a vehicle to start the battle. It was obvious that he was going to die and his absence for most of the season (and series for that matter) didn't affect me as much as other deaths have. Also: SERPENTINE!!
Daenerys actions or at least her first intentions indicated Mad King–which is awesome. See above: Not everything should be black and white in Game of Thrones.
Rated by visual quality this episode was one of the best the show has ever produced. Content-related it was one of the weakest this season.
Finally people, finally i could see jon snow's combat skills and his power to avoid all arrows shot at him. Best episode in the whole series, the battle was truly amazing, especcially impressed with some kind of dead bodies wall. Sad to see ramsay dead, although he is a motherfuc*er i love that guy, but for now: hail to Jon Snow, THE KING IN THE NORTH...
One of the best episodes an any and all tv shows. BRILLIANT!
Great episode, Battle was awesome, just wish that Ramsey got a bit more of a punishment before being fed to the dogs, the smirk was epic.
Excellent series! Kept in suspense, I watched without stopping.
I have literally no idea why fans loved this episode.
RANT: I stopped watching Game of Thrones after how horrible season 5 was. (but I've seen s06e07 and this ep.) I have read all 5 books, loved them. And I hate seeing my favourite characters being completely different on the show than in the source material (Stannis not caring about his daughter he's supposed to love and protect at all cost, Tyrion lacking any negative traits, Dany being "most queen of all queens", JON NOT EVEN CHANGING A BIT AFTER RESURRECTION?) I hated how they focused so much on Ramsay just to have a 'very evil, pure evil' villain. The plot holes are endless, characters travel at the speed of light. The character development too is 0. Tyrion is still an arrogant, very funny & smort lil man, Sansa is still a whiny young lady, Arya is just like before she went to Bravoos (but more badass I guess, surviving several stabs is super feminist), Daenerys is still a mega queen who can control dragons she didn't even care about for a long time, JAIME still loves Cersei and cares about her? Is this season 1 all over again?
ABOUT THE EP: The CGI and the cinematography was on point, but I couldn't care less about well shot scenes when the plot lacks logic. How did Sansa know the hounds weren't fed? Why did Rickon run in a straight line? Why didn't Sansa tell Jon about the Vale army? How does Dany have control over the dragons all of a sudden?
The battle is epic! Amazing episode!
The best episode ever. One of the best battles as well. Would have been awesome if they released this one in the movie halls. Can e10 trump this ? It must have been a hell of a budget too.
Simply amazing! Best episode this season!
Perfect 10!!! incredible battle, 3 dragons on air and Bolton being killed by his dogs!!
#Queen_of_the_North
WOW. Just WOW. Not often that I give 10/10 to anything, but that episode was perfect. WOW.
The very best of GoT! Unbelievably good!
Now THAT was a good episode! Good thing I didn't gave up watching this show because this season is the best one.
The epic of all epic battles
We all knew Sansa's secret raven would be a helping hand from little finger...
One of the most well choreographed and directed battles in all of cinema.
Best episode this season. Sad the Giant died.
There's so much to love about this episode, including the taste of sweet sweet revenge.
The best episode this season and perhaps the best from the serie got
SPOILER ALERT: Ramsay tastes f*cking amazing!! What a feast, amiright?
The f*cking north is our!!!
Holy fucking shit! That was the best episode of the season. Easily. Beautiful!
Bastardbowl get hype!!
I wonder if Cleganebowl will also be in this episode... Wouldn't that be incredible.
Knowing the shit show that’s to come
there’s absolutely no way d&d didn’t have any help from grrm for this episode lol
That whole war scene is one of the best I've ever watched.
The battle scenes alone in this episode were film-worthy. I really forgot that I was watching a TV show at one point, and it felt like watching a movie. I wish that they had shown that sadistic subhuman being ripped apart by its own dogs, but you don't always get what you want.
Ramsey deserves better he is so sweet
I love how Tyrion is always in awe at the dragons
i think this is one of the best episodes of a tv show i’ve ever seen
Razdal mo Eraz: "Your reign is over."
Daenerys Targaryen: "My reign has just begun."
I don't get trakt.tv ratings. How is it possible all the acclaimed episodes are in the high 8s?! This one is rated 9.9 on imdb and with more votes.
After an exciting battle we get Ramsay dying in a painfully good way! What an episode!
This is truly the best episode of the show.
Fuck you Ramsey, good bye lol!
Both battles: Dany's battle with the slavers and Jon's against Ramsey were great, visually impressive particularly the dragons in flight, for the first time shown in the battle whereas the battle for Winterfell was more gritty. It is sad that Rickon was killed but it was obvious from the beginning that Jon and Sansa wouldn't be abile to save him since he was in Ramsey's hands. They could have tried shoot Ramsey with arrows instead of having Jon ride towards Rickon maybe then they would have an off-chance of saving him. Anyway, it is nice to have a happy ending for the Starks for a change, in fact when I read in the spoilers that there was going to be a battle between Jon and Ramsey, I automatically thought that Jon's losing is a foregone conclusion, since bad guys usually win in GoT, so this is a nice surprise. Westeros is definitely a better place without Ramsay and he had it coming.
That ending was EPIC!! I was waiting for so long!! YES! YES!!!
Truly amazing from start to finish, the battle parts had me almost not breathing with anticipation.
an epic battle scene, very intense! very sad for the death of Rickon and my all time favorite Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun. the thing i don't know is why the dogs didn't attack Sansa and how did she know about the dogs "7 days"!!!! Perfect episode to end an amazing Season6
Totally amazing. I loved this entire episode.
Bwahhaha watching that evil little prick Ramsay die was even more satisfying than I'd hoped. Also: MOTHERFUCKING SANSA STARK. Always listen to the women, guys. We keep a cool head while you're roaming around having pissing contests.
ammaizing oh God what i can say
Yes it is as good as it says and yes the battle is awesome and yes, fuck you
Red Woman, revive Rickon, please!
Just when u think it couldn't get any better......boom! Can't wait to see how the finale sets up next season's episodes.
The battle was stunning but a little bit too cliché.
I don't know how to feel, happy for the win or sad about Rickon and the piles of corpses on the battlefield.
I guess I'll take the win.
GoT S06E09
General Plot: 9/10
Single Plots:
Jon Snow (9/10)
Daenerys Targaryen (9/10)
OH MY GOD YES!!! FINALLY!!!!
John snow knows everything !!! very good ep
This episode made it even more apparent how what's currently happening in Kings' landing is pointless and idiotic. There are dragons burning ships in the south, great houses teaming up with wildlings to conquer castles in the north, fucking white walkers and their army of revived corpses are north of the wall, and in Kings' fucking landing which is the supposed heart of Westeros, people care about who slept with who as well as parading naked queens around the streets. Come on, set your priorities right. If Sparrow won't die in the finale... I won't do shit. But it will be stupid.
I seem to be in the absolute minority here, but I wouldn't rate this episode 10/10.
It was a great battle and I'm sad Wun Wun died, I'm happy Ramsay got eaten by his own dogs, I'm glad Davos figured out the truth about Shireen (especially after praising Stannis a few minutes before) and I like how Dany and Yara seemed to bond, but nearly everything was so predictable. Of course Jon would lose his mind after seeing Rickon get killed and of course Sansa would save the day and of course it would be Ramsay who's dead by the end of the episode. I did enjoy this episode, but I was missing some kind of... surprise :/
That was almost satisfying!!! No way he could speak after that bludgeoning ..... Yeah!! the dogs of war!!!
Wun Wun, the real MVP.
sansa is fucking amazing in this episode
Shout by -ABlockedParentSpoilers2016-06-20T02:16:46Z
THINGS THAT MADE THIS EPISODE F*CKIN AMAZING:
- Getting to see the dragons in action was truly beautiful;
- Dany and Yara interaction was GOLD;
- The battle was very very very good. Tense and visually stunning. I couldn't breathe throughout it;
- Ramsey FINALLY being killed and ultimately by Sansa;
- >>>Sansa's character development!!!!<<<<
- Rickon dying as well was awful, but I can't say it was a wasted death nor a bad executed scene.
S06 was worth it mainly because of this entire episode. Still can't believe how good it was. I hope the finale is even better.