‘Game of Thrones’ Mini-Recap: And the Last Bastard Standing Is...
(Photos: HBO)
UPDATE: Read our full recap for the “Battle of the Bastards” episode of Game of Thrones HERE.
In the end, a dog ate his face. An episode entitled “Battle of the Bastards” deserved a memorable ending, and boy did we get one: Ramsay Bolton IS DEAD.
Ramsay 👏 Bolton 👏 Is 👏 Dead.
If that’s not a joyful, satisfying sentence, I truly don’t know what is. But! Since this was Game of Thrones, Ramsay’s very wonderful death (which, again, involved wild dogs eating his face) did not come without cost. In the process we lost at least two beloved characters: Rickon Stark and Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun (a.k.a. Giant Liam Neeson). Further, the battle between Jon Snow’s rag-tag crew of soldiers and Ramsay’s much larger and better equipped legion was one of the bloodiest, most horrifying, and downright confusing melees ever filmed. We’re talking WALLS of bodies and enough flying gore to make 300 blush.
Still, Ramsay is dead, and it was all because of Sansa. Though Jon Snow certainly put up a heck of a fight, he spent fully half of it running around in a daze and nearly getting trampled to death. It was Sansa’s last minute contribution of thousands of Knights of the Vale (courtesy of Littlefinger) that turned the bloodbath in favor of the Starks, and then after Jon Snow personally pummeled Ramsay to the ground, he allowed Sansa to strike the killing blow. Which, in her case, meant releasing his own starved hounds on him. A gruesome end but a highly satisfying one. Have we said that yet?
That would be enough action for a normal TV show, but Game of Thrones also treated us to a bonus battle scene right at the top of the episode! As Meereen came under attack from the invading Masters, the Masters mistakenly believed they’d captured the city. But Daenerys and her dragons had other ideas, and in another one of her patented “you’ve underestimated me” moments, she informed the Masters’ representatives that they had lost, then climbed atop Drogon so that she could fly over their naval fleet and set many of their ships ablaze. And while THAT was happening, the Dothraki swooped in and made short work of the masked Sons of the Harpy. Again, couldn’t have happened to worse people!
Aside from those two incredible sequences, “Battle of the Bastards” managed to add in a few quiet but important moments. Not least of which was Theon and Yara’s very productive meeting with Daenerys in which they all agreed to combine their forces for the common good. (Yara made sure to openly flirt with Dany as well, which she seemed to appreciate.) Also, shortly before the titular battle, Jon Snow had a nice moment with Melisandre in which he attempted to shrug off the mantle of “chosen one” and she refused to listen. There was also a lovely moment when Ser Davos returned to the scene where Princess Shireen had been burned alive and among the ashes, he found the wooden carving he’d once given her. Just proves that as bombastic as this show can be, it’s sometimes the quiet moments that are most devastating.
“Battle of the Bastards” was an exhausting, bloody episode, but man was it great. Much more happened throughout, so check back shortly for our full photo recap!
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
Revisit last week’s character power rankings. Who should be on top now?
