20 takeaways from Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon, behind the scenes of Game of Thrones

14. Sansa’s final shot in “Battle of the Bastards” was improvised

Speaking of things that weren’t originally in the script for “Battle of the Bastards,” here’s a surprising detail about Sansa’s final moments in the episode. After retaking Winterfell and caging Ramsay Bolton, Sansa goes to visit him for one last conversation. As Ramsay insists that he’s influenced Sansa enough that he’ll live on as a “part of her,” the eldest Stark daughter tells him that she’s going to feed him to his once-faithful dogs.

You remember the scene. Brutal, and cathartic for viewers who had watched Ramsay torture other characters for the better part of four seasons. And no one felt more catharsis than the actors involved.

“I feel really lucky he got a proper send-off,” said Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton). “It’s a gruesome death, and it’s so ironic as he’s been banging on about those hounds. And it leaves Sansa in an interesting place as a character. He’s saying ‘I’m inside you.’ [Rheon shudders.] It’s horrible, but he probably has done some damage. He’s got in her head, and he’s probably broken her in some way.”

“He just gets under her skin,” Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) agreed, “and that he violated her in such a terrible way, she can never get that part of her back again. He’s imprinted in her mentally and physically.”

It all culminated with a final shot of Sansa as she walks away from the cage where Ramsay is squealing in agony as he’s ripped apart. She smiles just a little, and the screen cuts to black.

“That smile Sophie gave as she walked away was all her,” said Dave Hill. “That wasn’t in the script. We saw it in one of her takes, and David and Dan were like, ‘Oh, that’s great…'”

Though Game of Thrones was not known for its improvised moments, that one is a total gem. Turner conveyed so much with that one expression. It might be one of the most haunting shots of the entire episode, and it was totally unplanned.