Breaking Down ‘Battle of the Bastards’: A ‘Game of Thrones’ Fight Preview
Winter really is coming, because this Sunday, Game of Thrones will feature Snow and more Snow.
It’s the epic “Battle of the Bastards” episode, which pits Stark bastard Jon Snow vs. Ramsay Bolton (nee Snow, before he was legitimized). Jon is leading his army made of Wildlings and 62 Mormont men to take back Winterfell and restore the Starks to their ancestral home.
The ninth episode of Game of Thrones seasons tend to feature huge events (Blackwater, the Red Wedding), but “Battle of the Bastards” might outdo them all. Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, calls the episode “absolutely extraordinary.”
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“HBO threw everything including the kitchen sink at it,” Cunningham told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s one of the most expensive episodes of television ever made. We spent roughly a month just doing this particular battle.”
The face-off between Jon and Ramsay is one that many fans have been clamoring for (Bastard Bowl!). Count Iwan Rheon, who plays Ramsay, among them.
Jon is “the antithesis of Ramsay. They’re almost a yin and a yang,” Rheon told Entertainment Weekly. “They both come from such a similar place yet they’re so different. And even though they’re enemies, they’ve both risen so far as bastards, which is almost incomprehensible, and now they’re both here facing each other. They couldn’t be any more different, yet more similar.”
OK, let’s break down the two bastard-led sides in our battle preview:
The Leaders
Jon received top-notch martial training from Winterfell’s master-at-arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel, and continued to hone his fighting skills when he joined the Night’s Watch. He was chosen as the Lord Commander’s steward, because Jeor Mormont wanted to cultivate him as the next commander. Mormont even gave him his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw. One on one, there are likely very few men who could best him in a swordfight.
As for Ramsay, his personal fighting skills are unknown. He has experience leading an army, though. He besieged and took over Winterfell from Theon Greyjoy and the Ironborn. He also besieged Moat Cailin and won it from the Ironborn. He can employ underhanded tactics, like taking a small group of men to torch Stannis Baratheon’s supply tents. And he’s got a pack of trained and vicious hunting dogs.
The Armies
Jon’s army is severely outmatched by Ramsay’s. Sansa estimated Ramsay’s forces to number 5,000. Plus, they have the advantage of a homebase in Winterfell. They are better supplied and more well-rested.
Meanwhile, Jon’s army numbers a little over 2,000. The bulk of his forces are Wildlings, who are excellent fighters (not to mention the fearsome giant Wun Wun). He also has 62 men from Bear Island, given by Lady Lyanna Mormont.
However, Sansa sent a raven to a mysterious recipient. Could she have asked for Petyr Baelish’s help? He controls her cousin, Robin Arryn. If Littlefinger can rally the knights of the Vale, that could potentially add thousands of troops to Jon’s side.
And then, of course, there are fan theories that the Karstarks and Umbers — families previously loyal to the Starks — could turn on the Boltons and return to their original allegiance.
The Motivations
Here, Jon and crew have a lot more going for them than Ramsay. Ramsay is a sadistic psychopath who thirsts for power, but he doesn’t have a huge amount at stake. He has no family remaining, and he’s incapable of caring about his people.
But Jon and Sansa have many reasons driving them. Winterfell is their rightful, ancestral home. Their youngest brother, Rickon, is being held captive there. Sansa wants payback for what Ramsay did to her. And Jon is well aware that the White Walkers are coming. If humankind is to survive, they need to consolidate at Winterfell to prepare for the fight of their lives. Really, the fight of everybody’s lives.
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Who Will Win?
Look, Game of Thrones has never been a show that gives out happy endings — particularly for the Starks.
But this time, we have a feeling things are going to go Jon and Sansa’s way. It would be too heartbreaking to reunite the siblings, have them marshal their ragtag forces, and pit them against the show’s biggest monster (even worse than Joffrey)… only to have them lose. So, we’re going to predict that Jon wins the Battle of the Bastards.
Then again, we remember Ned Stark’s beheading. And the Red Wedding. And holding the door. And Shireen Baratheon. This is Game of Thrones, and it loves nothing more than to stick a knife in your gut.
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
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