Battle of the Bastards

"**Battle of the Bastards**"
"Battle of the Bastards"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.	Season 6; Episode 9
Directed by	Miguel Sapochnik
Written by	David Benioff; D. B. Weiss
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Fabian Wagner
Editing by	Tim Porter
Original air date	June 19, 2016
Running time	59 minutes
Guest appearances
	Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm; Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy; Ian Whyte as Wun Wun; Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan zo Qaggaz; Paul Rattray as Harald Karstark; Dean S. Jagger as Smalljon Umber; Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark; Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont; George Georgiou as Razdal mo Eraz; Eddie Jackson as Belicho Paenymion; Rory Mullen as Bolton army captain; Mark Tankersley as Bolton general; David Birkbeck as a Northman warrior; Paul Garrett as a Northman warrior;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "No One"	Next →; "The Winds of Winter"
	Game of Thrones season 6
	List of episodes

"Battle of the Bastards" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones and its 59th episode overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

The episode’s main plot focuses on the eponymous battle at Winterfell between the combined forces of House Bolton, Umber and Karstark, led by Ramsay Bolton, and the combined forces of the free folk and the Night’s Watch, led by Jon Snow. Additionally, in Mereen, Daenerys Targaryen burns the Masters of Slavers’ Bay and their fleet and Yara Greyjoy offers her fleet and fealty to Daenerys.

"Battle of the Bastards" received immense critical acclaim, with several reviewers calling it a "masterpiece",^[1] and being praised as one of the series' best episodes as well as one of the greatest television episodes of all time. Critics described the battle in the North as "terrifying, gripping and exhilarating", while Harington's performance received high praise,^[2] and Daenerys' reunion with her dragons at the beginning of the episode was deemed "thrilling".^[3] The eponymous battle took 25 days to film and required 500 extras, 600 crew members, and 70 horses. In the United States, the episode had a viewership of 7.66 million in its initial broadcast. It won the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing; the episode was Kit Harington's choice to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Sapochnik also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the episode.

This episode marks the final appearances of Art Parkinson (Rickon Stark) and Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton).

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