Battle of the Bastards (S06E09)

The unsurpassed Battle of Winterfell, probably the best shot historical battle ever – yes, it’s even better than that one in Braveheart, which may be a little clearer for the viewer in terms of editing, but this one brings it down a little lower in terms of pure experience. The actual turmoil is anything but uncluttered, and if anything can reflect it best, it was here. I might compare it to Stone's battle of Gaugamel in Alexander. It was properly brutal and bloody, but that one didn’t have literal mounds of dead bodies and horses beating against each other. Very dirty, suggestive and dramatic. Some moments are even reminiscent of the best of Saving Private Ryan and the landing in Normandy with the handheld camera behind the main character. And the episode’s ending is again flawless, a total emotional catharsis not only for the main characters but also for the viewer. (06/10/2017)

I'm giving this episode my highest rating of the season because it packed two battles into one episode, finally giving us some action. However, I can't give it more stars due to the sheer amount of nonsense. For instance: where were the bulldozers that piled up the bodies so neatly during the battle? Why did Daenerys wait until half the city was burning before destroying the enemy fleet? Why did Jon act like an idiot in battle? Yara and Theon left the Iron Islands with a fleet of a hundred ships, which would require at least 2,500 crew members (assuming 25 per ship). This would make House Greyjoy the most powerful in Westeros, as most of their population stayed with Euron. Sansa's advice to Jon can be summed up as, "Why don't you ask for my opinion when I know nothing about warfare?" (12/17/2017)