GOT - there will be spoilers

Baron Silas Greenback

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="588816" data-time="1466113690">
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surely the next episode will be epic, by these numbers alone??
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/16/game-thrones-battle-bastards-preview?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter'>http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/16/game-thrones-battle-bastards-preview?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter</a>
 
Game of Thrones 
Posted June 16 2016 â€” 1:41 PM EDT
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The biggest battle in the history of Westeros â€“ that weâ€ve ever witnessed, at least â€“ is happening this Sunday on HBOâ€s Game of Thrones, and EW has some preview details on the eagerly awaited Battle of the Bastards. Above is an exclusive photo of Jon Snow on the battlefield, Longclaw in hand, and it looks like heâ€s channeling some serious war-rage as he prepares to take on the forces of fellow bastard Ramsay Bolton.
The hour (literally an hour; the episode is 60 minutes long) is directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who last season helmed the stunning â€œHardhome.â€
â€œEvery battle on Thrones is unique,â€ Sapochnik tells us. â€œI think thatâ€s why [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] keep doing them. In the case of â€˜Battle of the Bastardsâ€ â€“ or â€˜BOBâ€ as we affectionately called it in production â€“ David and Dan wanted to do a thing of spectacle, a strategic pitchfield battle they hadnâ€t had the resources to do back in season 1 or 2. I was particularly interested in depicting both the horror of war and the role of luck in battle.â€
The result required 25 days of filming, with 500 extras, 600 crew members and 70 horses â€“ horses, by the way, are â€œnot easy at allâ€ to coordinate in a battle sequence, notes Benioff, which is why theyâ€re rarely used except in big budget war films.
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â€œMiguel did such a fantastic job with â€˜Hardhomeâ€ last season, we thought we should bring him back, this time with horses,â€ Benioff says. â€œSome of the shots heâ€s pulled off are some of the best on the show.â€
Adds Weiss: â€œMiguelâ€s really outdone himself. Fully fleshed out medieval battles require a tremendous amount of resources and choreography to get them right. It feels like weâ€re doing something fresh that you donâ€t see on TV and movies very often.â€
More: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/15/game-thrones-battle-bastards-photos'>Battle of the Bastards 8 photos plus trailer</a>. Hereâ€s a rundown of <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/16/game-thrones-battle-bastards-numbers'>BOB by the numbers</a>. 
For much more on â€œBattle of the Bastards,â€ pick up <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://backissues.ew.com/storefront/2016/Ghostbusters/prodEW20160624.html'>this weekâ€s issue of Entertainment Weekly where we went behind the scenes in Northern Ireland</a>. And be sure to come to EW.com after watching the episode Sunday night, as weâ€ll have a recap and interviews. Iâ€ll also discuss my time on the â€œBOBâ€ set on next weekâ€s EW <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ews-game-of-thrones-weekly/id1099326209?mt=2'>Game of Thrones Weekly podcast</a>. Until then, enjoy the latest podcast episode below.
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The role of luck in battle? Fucking aye.
I am sort of playing a FPS game called overwatch at the moment, and it sort of confirms what I already knew. I would be fucked in a battle. Just when I think I have the upper hand in some situation, some bastard or bastardess pops up behind me and kills off my character. Usually I am just left thinking WTF?
I imagine this happening in a medieval battle all the time. Busy battling some guy.. doing ok.. and some prick sticks a pike in your back.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="588819" data-time="1466115735">
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The role of luck in battle? Fucking aye.
I am sort of playing a FPS game called overwatch at the moment, and it sort of confirms what I already knew. I would be fucked in a battle. Just when I think I have the upper hand in some situation, some bastard or bastardess pops up behind me and kills off my character. Usually I am just left thinking WTF?
I imagine this happening in a medieval battle all the time. Busy battling some guy.. doing ok.. and some prick sticks a pike in your back.
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I think that goes for anyone. Particularly if you have no plot armour.

taniwharugby

even just Paintball...we played a night game one time, and I found a great spot to hide near their fort, and had people walking about a metre from me while waiting for the right moment to get their flag, I was certain they'd of been able to hear my heart thumping, cos it sounded so loud, and this isn't even life and death with real weapons.
 
Cant even begin to imagine what it would be like for a person to have to go into battle, with your life on the line!

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="588821" data-time="1466117715">
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even just Paintball...we played a night game one time, and I found a great spot to hide near their fort, and had people walking about a metre from me while waiting for the right moment to get their flag, I was certain they'd of been able to hear my heart thumping, cos it sounded so loud, and this isn't even life and death with real weapons.
 
Cant even begin to imagine what it would be like for a person to have to go into battle, with your life on the line!
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Thinking up cool lines to say after you ruthlessly dispatch people would be the toughtest thing to deal with I think.

RoninWC

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="588826" data-time="1466118249">
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Thinking up cool lines to say after you ruthlessly dispatch people would be the toughtest thing to deal with I think.
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Lines such as... 
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<div>Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last? I lied</div>
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<div>One of my all time favorites. :good1:</div>

Rancid Schnitzel

Yeah that'll do, that'll do. It'll obviously be completely different in the books and now I'm hanging to find out what happens. 
Still pissed off about the Rickon and Umber thing though.

Chris B.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="588819" data-time="1466115735">
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The role of luck in battle? Fucking aye.
I am sort of playing a FPS game called overwatch at the moment, and it sort of confirms what I already knew. I would be fucked in a battle. Just when I think I have the upper hand in some situation, some bastard or bastardess pops up behind me and kills off my character. Usually I am just left thinking WTF?
I imagine this happening in a medieval battle all the time. Busy battling some guy.. doing ok.. and some prick sticks a pike in your back.
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Yeah - that's a worry for you "bit-parters". 
 
I, on the other hand, would be like Jon Snow and have time to give my arrowed girlfriend a long, slow motion hug, whilst the battle raged around me - before sticking a claw hammer through King Richard's skull, dispatching half a dozen minions and drinking the most piss at the post-battle feast! :)

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="589933" data-time="1466393370">
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Yeah - that's a worry for you "bit-parters". 
 
I, on the other hand, would be like Jon Snow and have time to give my arrowed girlfriend a long, slow motion hug, whilst the battle raged around me - before sticking a claw hammer through King Richard's skull, dispatching half a dozen minions and drinking the most piss at the post-battle feast! :)
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I can buy Wun wun picking up close to a hundred scalps in battle before succumbing. The Mountain a few less maybe.......
 
.....but Jon Snow ? naaaaaaaa

Rancid Schnitzel

The battle was very cool, as were the dragons (although how the f did the other 2 just suddenly break out of their chains and through a wall?). But why on earth wouldn't Sansa tell Jon about help from the Vale? That nugget of info would have saved thousands of lives, not to mention an awesome giant. And what was all that shit about not being asked for her counsel? Not to mention the sisterhood of the daughters with the evil dads.
 
No idea what's going to happen next week. Without an epic duel, it looks set to be a bit dull.

Milk

I was on my feet in awe watching that battle. Very, very cool.
 
Totally agree about how awful it was that Sansa didn't tell Jon help was coming... and then she smirked as the Vale rode in as if it had worked out perfectly.

MN5

Ha, I haven't even the episode but just mentioning a hypothetical situation, will try and catch it tonight.
 
You enter this thread at your own peril I guess.

Rancid Schnitzel

Just wondering what book readers (all 3 of you?) actually think will happen. Anybody who doesn't want book spoilers or is allergic to uber-nerd don't read any further: 
Obviously some of the events in the series are completely impossible in the books. The greyjoy siblings are prisoners of Stannis, Davos is looking for Rickon, the Umbers and Grovers support Stannis, Stannis' daughter is nowhere near him to be torched (perhaps he orders via Raven?), Tyrion is not with Dany, Sansa is in the Vale and has never met Ramsay, there is also no way the Vale army is getting to the North, Bran ain't going nowhere, Brienne is likely luring Jamie to the SH noose. 
Stannis obviously can't get offed by Brienne, so what is his fate? Does Ramsay beat him or does he hand Ramsay his arse and effectively get to where we are now in the place of John? Could it be that the Vale becomes a player together with the White Harbour fleet? Does Cersei get her duel? 
One thing I was worried about was that the show would ruin the books, but that hasn't been the case at all. The two have become so different that if the next book ever comes out there will be plenty of new stuff and surprises.

Rancid Schnitzel

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="589949" data-time="1466399575">
I was on my feet in awe watching that battle. Very, very cool. 
Totally agree about how awful it was that Sansa didn't tell Jon help was coming... and then she smirked as the Vale rode in as if it had worked out perfectly.</blockquote>
 
One other thing. Having been resurrected himself, why didn't John at least try to get the witch to have a go at Rickon?

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="589974" data-time="1466405016">
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One other thing. Having been resurrected himself, why didn't John at least try to get the witch to have a go at Rickon?
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Fuck Rickon, I want Wun wun back !
 
Better yet they could start a fun drinking game of constantly bringing Ramsay back and killing him in all new imaginative ways.......

Virgil

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="589974" data-time="1466405016">One other thing. Having been resurrected himself, why didn't John at least try to get the witch to have a go at Rickon?</blockquote>
 
I'm guessing because he's still not sure why he is back, I don't think he really wants to be bacn

No Quarter

RS - Tyrion already released the dragons from their chains. Unsure why they hadn't left the dungeon before then though, maybe waiting for the big fucker to return. 
Well that was a step up from previous episodes, the battle was pretty incredible. Good to see Wun Wun tear a few guys in half, but gutted to see him go down at the end. Wun Wun v the Mountain in a future episode would have been fun. 
Like others I can't understand why Sansa didn't say anything about the extra help - maybe she didn't know if it was coming or not? A heads up would have been nice though... or is there some beef between Snow and Little Finger that I can't remember? That part doesn't seem to make sense. 
I was wondering how they were going to finish Ramsay. His own dogs was a nice touch.

MN5

Now that I've actually seen the episode instead of accidentally reading spoilers I can only but concur.
 
The battle at the start was a mere warm up compared to the carnage than ensued later on, holy shit how well was that fight choreographed ? Just intense fucken action all the way through, Jon Snow, Thommond and Ser Davos were lucky they had some serious plot armour to protect them not only from arrows, swords and spears but also Westeros own version of Hillsborough towards the end. Good old Wun Wun looked like a pin cushion by the end but he did his bit and then some. Imagine how much carnage and army of Giants could cause ?
 
.....and of course Ramsay getting his, probably not quite as satisfying as I'd hoped but you can't have everything.
 
I speak for us all when I say that episode was better than this whole season put together. Rip roaring fun to watch.

Rancid Schnitzel

Battle was great but where the furk was Ghost? The only direwolf to be seen was on the Stark flag.

taniwharugby

I liked Bolton, has a very dark sense of humour, never gave up either, right to the end he thought he was going to be fine. 
Agree with the above about Sansa keeping that wee nugget about LF coming to the rescue...assume Jon thinks the gods had a plan for him so cruised out thinking they want him alive so is untouchable. 
The dragons, my guess is the chains never really held them anyway, although the walls a bit more? Gotta say the CGI of the dragons up close with Dany on the back is superb. 
That Greyjoy girl has a fine ass....

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="590110" data-time="1466449271">
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I liked Bolton, has a very dark sense of humour, never gave up either, right to the end he thought he was going to be fine. 
Agree with the above about Sansa keeping that wee nugget about LF coming to the rescue...assume Jon thinks the gods had a plan for him so cruised out thinking they want him alive so is untouchable. 
The dragons, my guess is the chains never really held them anyway, although the walls a bit more? Gotta say the CGI of the dragons up close with Dany on the back is superb. That Greyjoy girl has a fine ass....
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All the other chicks on the show and SHE is the one you perve at ?!?!?!
 
Bolton was just such a good despicable arsehole bad guy, every time you felt a shred of sympathy you could always guarantee he'd get rid of those feelings with his next actions. I will definitely miss him though. Lets hope Euron Greyjoy is as much of a prick.
 
that first battle was spectacular enough and could have easily livened up a few duller episodes ( of which there's been a few ), last nights episode is definitely gonna need repeated viewings methinks.

The Silver Fern

GOT - there will be spoilers