'Game of Thrones' review season 6 episode 9: One of the best battles brought to screen

The wait for the biggest battle filmed for television finally came to an end with ‘Battle of the Bastards’. If you thought ‘Hardhome’ was incredible, this one is absolutely stunning. Director Miguel Sapochnik makes the battle’s predictable outcome a gripping watch with some superbly choreographed scenes.

Episode nine was as much about women taking charge as it was about the bastards. In Mereen, as the city burns again, Daenerys wants to “crucify all the masters, kill their soldiers and return their cities to the dirt”. Tyrion points out that Dany’s plan is not very different from her father Aerys’ plan to burn down King’s Landing.

A parley with the Masters shows that they are not willing to surrender or back down. They tell her that her rule has come to an end. Why you would say that to a woman with three dragons is beyond me. Daenerys, of course, says, “My reign has just begun” and then flies off on Drogon to deal with the war. Drogon’s dramatic entrance is followed by Viserion and Rhaegal joining them to burn the Masters’ ships down. Drogon has been roaming free for two seasons. Are the captive dragons not angry at Dany for keeping them chained in the catacombs?

Tyrion, Missandei, and Grey Worm quickly transform into henchmen. After Grey Worm kills two of the masters, Tyrion tells the third, almost Godfather-like, "Tell your people what you saw here... Remind them what happened when Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons came to Mereen". Pat on the shoulder, off you go. Mereen has been handled.

Theon and Yara finally reach Mereen and meet Daenerys to offer her a hundred ships from the Iron Fleet. Between negotiations, Daenerys parses through their demands and makes eyes at Yara who says “I’m up for anything.” When Yara asks to rule the Iron Islands, Tyrion brings up his concern of each kingdom in Westeros wanting its own independence. Dany agrees to let Yara rule on the condition of maintaining allegiance to the throne and the integrity of Westeros. It is more than fitting that in the new world they seek to build this pact between two women decides that there would be no more reaving, roving, raiding or raping.

So shippers, here’s your new couple. Dany and Yara— both children of terrible kings, forced to flee their home, their thrones taken away by usurpers and thought of as unfit to rule. Tinder couldn’t have brought together a better match.

Now we come to the piece de resistance. The day before the battle, Ramsay and Jon meet where the Bolton asks Jon to kneel before him in exchange for pardon. Ramsay says the word 'bastard' with such scorn, you’d think he’d forgotten he was one. He plays this power game just like any of his others, toying with people and their minds. Lyanna Mormont's face during this encounter is pure gold. 

The Stark side later converges at the war council to talk strategies. Sansa is present but not invited to contribute. After the council concludes and everyone leaves, Sansa asks Jon, “Did it ever once occur to you that I might have some insight?” (said/thought every woman who's ever been in a meeting) “You’ve known him for the space of conversation... I lived with him. I know the way his mind works.”

Sansa tells Jon to not underestimate Ramsay and that he’s been playing with people and laying traps all his life. Jon is quick to take this as an affront. This conversation between the two siblings is a study in well-intentioned masculinity. Promise to protect the woman, shelter her but don't listen to what she's saying when you make a decision that could change the course of her life. 

“I will never let him touch you again. I'll protect you, I promise.”

“No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone.”

Despite all he’s been through, Jon’s driven by honour and idealism. Sansa's words, however, are the essence of the harsh realities of a woman’s life in Westeros.

Sansa's readiness in giving up on Rickon startles Jon. It startles us too. Is this how calculating and ruthless Sansa has become? We get the answer further into the episode.

The Battle of the Bastards is unlike anything you’ve seen before. If ‘Hardhome’ was about desperation and survival, this is about family and honour. The scene begins with Jon going down to the head of his army. His horse’s trot sounds like the beating of a tense heart. On the Bolton side, Ramsay comes forward with Rickon on a leash.

This is what Sansa was talking about. “Don’t do what he wants you to do.” As drums beat in the background, Ramsay lets Rickon run towards to the Stark army and a heroic Jon rides forward to meet him. Ramsay smiles as he nonchalantly shoots arrows into the air, deliberately missing Rickon each time. The drums reach a crescendo as Ramsay fires and misses the traditional third shot. You have two seconds of hope when Rickon almost reaches Jon before Ramsay’s arrow skewers him.  Sansa was right, Rickon never stood a chance. For some time, we all forgot how manipulative and ruthless Ramsay is and what Sansa had already been through.

The battle begins with a devastating blow to Jon, his plans and strategies all for nothing. The entire sequence is full of incredible, heart-stopping scenes.  Arrows shower from the sky over dead men flayed and burning on the cross and the dead body of Rickon. A vengeful Jon charges forward alone, his army springs into action far behind. A cavalry racing forward, shown in slow motion, builds the pace for this clash.

Jon stands alone in a field of arrows in front of the Bolton army after he loses his horse. Kit Harington is excellent as he stands looking at the Bolton army advancing towards him.  He takes a moment for mourning and steeling himself as he lets loose his sword belt and stands with sword in hand, a lone figure standing against an army. The scene is held for a few seconds as the music swells before Jon is lost in a mess of horses, men, swords and spears.

Soon, there’s a pile of bodies on one side and the Bolton defence lassos around the Stark army, surrounding them with shields and spears and slowly closing in on them like a death trap. The trap pushes men to run close to the centre and converge so close that they can't breathe.

The battle is seen mostly from Jon’s point of view, our reaction as an audience mirrored in his face. In a terrifying scene, he suffocates as he’s caught under a stampede, struggling to breathe as he drowns in a sea of men both dead and live. The entire battle is made a visceral experience for viewers. You don't just see blood and gore as bodies fall on bodies and men cut each other down, you hear it in Jon's gasping breath, in the wet smack of Smalljon's head hit Tormund's and in the cries of a man holding his spilt gut in his hands.

Do yourself a favour and watch this episode and watch it several times. It’s impossible to not be taken in by this spectacle each time you see it. You discover something new every single time.

As Jon emerges from among the men, gasping for breath, the army from Vale shows up to save the day. (Remember that letter Sansa wrote to Littlefinger?) The battle is almost over here as the Arryn army cuts through the Bolton formation like knife through butter. 

Jon sets his sights on Ramsay. Sansa watches from over the hill as Wun Wun, Tormund, and Jon chase after him on foot towards Winterfell. Wun Wun studded with arrows, breaks down the Winterfell gate. A final arrow shot by Ramsay brings tehe gian down. Fuelled by rage and bloodthirst, Jon takes on Ramsay with a shield in hand, getting to him before Ramsay fires his fourth arrow. Jon knocks Ramsay to the ground, pounding his face bloody. When Jon stands over him, his mud-and-blood covered face against the blue sky, it’s not a moment of triumph.

That is reserved for Sansa who visits a Ramsay in the kennels. Ever the manipulator, Ramsay tells Sansa, “You can't kill me. I'm part of you now.” Here she says, “Your words will disappear. Your House will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear,” punctuated by the growls of Ramsay’s hounds who’ve not been fed for a week. And so the most hated character on the show meets his gruesome end. It’s both gratifying and horrifying to see Sansa watch Ramsay torn to shreds. She stands and watches without blinking before walking away with a small smile on her face. It almost seems like an opportune moment for the ‘Reynes of Castamere’ to play.

Winterfell is taken. Sansa is finally home.