![]( "Game of Thrones season 6 episode 9 review: Sansa Stark emerges the real victor in the Battle of the Bastards!")
In this highly thrilling but predictable episode, the good guys had something to root for! Needless to say, SPOILERS ahead!
There is something about season 6. Unlike the previous season, there is actual plot movement here, though at the sake of character development. The ninth episode of the series also falls under the same line. Also like the previous ninth episodes of the other seasons, it is also the most thrilling and the most expensive episode of the series. After all it has a battle and a naval-air-force battle to show.
Unlike what the preview of this episode wants us to believe, this episode is not exactly confined to the epic Battle of the Bastards. There is also the Tyrion – Daenerys Meereen plotline as well, as Daenerys proves once again that she is not called Mother of Dragons for nothing. What happens in both the storylines is nothing short of exhilarating, yet it is also nothing short of predictable. You know what the outcome of both the battles are going to be – the maker just cannot let the evil guys win every time, even if Winter is too near now.
In a very rare episode, it is the good guys who wins overall, though we do lose a couple of beloved characters in the process. Oh, but did I mention that Ramsay Bolton is no more!
Yup, the master of cruelty finally gets a taste of his own medicine, as his own dogs ravage him! Don’t think of me as boasting, but I expected his doom to be like this, ever since he fed his stepmother and his infant stepbrother to the dogs.
Let’s give you an overview of what happened in this week’s thrilling episode. Sadly, we only have one more episode of the season before another torturous wait for the next one!
And one more thing, though it is the men who toil hard, it’s the ladies that emerge the ultimate victors!
# As the masters attack the city of Meereen, Daenerys and Tyrion have a tense talk about his failings. Tyrion accepts his fault but still convinces the Mother of Dragons to not burn the cities, like her father planned to do. Instead he suggests as alternative way, which is…
# As the Masters call out Daenerys to surrender and leave the city, she mounts on her fave dragon , with the other two joining her and they destroy a few of the attacking fleet. This forces the enemies to surrender, while Tyrion gets two of the three Masters killed, leaving one to live and tell the tale. Again, did I mention the fact that the Dothraki attacks the Sons of Harpy?
# Later, Yara and Theon meets Daenerys and Tyrion and asks for their help. Tyrion does get to return favour to Theon for his previous taunts, but overall the meeting goes well, as they realise all of them are children of really bad fathers.
# Moving on to Winterfell, Sansa Stark and Jon Snow have a little verbal duel with Ramsay the night before the battle. Ramsay asks Jon to surrender, while Jon asks Ramsay to have a one on one duel. Needless to say, nothing of that sort happens.
# Sansa and Jon later have a tense conversation where she accuses him of not including her in the battle plans, and telling Jon that he is really playing in Ransay;s hands. She also predicts that Rickon Stark, who is a captive with Ramsay, is a sure goner.
# As she predicted, Rickon gets killed by an arrow of Ramsay just before the start of the battle, making Jon Snow in fury mode.
# The battle starts and what a fantastic match happens, as Jon Snow and his friends slaughter many of the enemy forces, In a brilliantly shot long take, Jon Snow is caught between the incoming forces, not sure who is the enemy and who is on his side, as he slaughter on and all.
# Since this is GoT, the battle is not so easy as the enemy numbers are too large and Jon’s army get trapped between the enemy forces and the piling bodies. A claustrophobic scene follows when Jon gets trapped under his own escaping army.
#However, like the Eagles from Lord of the Rings, Baelish brings his army, which easily routs Bolton’s army, making Ramsay flee to his castle.
# Wun Wun, that fan favourite giant, leads Jon and his rest of the battalion to break open the doors of the castle, and lets everyone in, before he succumbs to his injuries. RIP Wun Wun, like Hodor, you will be missed!
# Jon Snow finally proves his return is worthwhile as he bashes Ramsay’s face into pulp, but doesn’t kill him. Don’t worry – Sansa later feeds him to his own starving dogs, before walking away with a smirk. Lesson to learn – Between loyalty and hunger, your dog will choose the latter!
# Davos Seaworth realise that Shireen was killed as a sacrificial offering and Melisandre was behind this. Expect a tense face off in the next episode!
