A look back at the game-changing Battle of the Bastards

Game of Thrones season 6 was one of the best seasons of the show, in my opinion. Between Jon’s resurrection, Hodor’s sacrifice, and Cersei blowing up the Sept of Baelor, it was a thrill-a-minute affair.

Still, when the dust settles, the most influential episode from season 6 may be “Battle of the Bastards.” Or at least, that appears to be what Entertainment Weekly was thinking when it included the hour in its “Best of the Decade” series.

EW talked to people in the industry, as well as people who worked on “Bastards,” to get a sense of how it changed TV. The battle sequence was filmed in Northern Ireland over 25 days. Director Miguel Sapochnik remembers the experience as “[w]et, muddy, windy, a bit gruelling, occasionally painful.” At least it prepared the cast and crew for the 50 nights of shooting on the Battle of Winterfell a couple years later? “BoB was a meticulously planned war in every aspect,” Sapochnik continued. “We were battling time, the elements, fatigue, and ourselves.”

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Netflix exec Channing Dungey heaped praise on Sapochnik and on showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss. “There are certain battle sequences committed to film that are unforgettable, and the Battle of the Bastards ranks with the best of them,” she said.

"Dave and Dan devoted a decade of their lives to Game of Thrones, and all that work is evident in what feels like the pinnacle moment of the series. The degree of difficulty here is just massive — night shoots, stunt work, the CGI dragons — and director Miguel Sapochnik delivers all with incredible scope and specificity."

Let’s not forget that “Battle of the Bastards” also featured Daenerys and her dragons chasing off the slavers’ navy in Meereen. This thing was stacked with action top to bottom.

For myself, I can remember having to remind myself to breathe while watching the battle, especially when Jon Snow was lying at the bottom of that giant mass of bodies.

Somehow, Kit Harington thinks his performance had room for improvement. “I loved it, and to everybody else it looks good, I guess. To me, I look at it and see the things I could have done better.”

For us, the battle was perfect. I wonder if anything else from Game of Thrones will show up on the Best of the Decade series. I’m sure we can all think of lots of candidates.

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