Spoiler alert!
Dragons, battles, revenge and death - the episode had it all.
Kicking things off in Meereen, Daenerys used her dragons to defeat the masters and reclaim her city in what was a badass and exciting opening 15 minutes.
It was great to see our Khaleesi back in action after being largely quiet this season. She may not have enjoyed the same amount of screen time as usual, but it's more of a quality over quantity thing here.
Having struck a deal with the Greyjoys, Daenerys can finally set sail for Westeros. How her Dothraki horsemen, dragons and Unsullied will fit in across the Narrow Sea will be interesting to say the least.
There was also a healthy helping of foreshadowing as Tyrion spoke with Daenerys about her father's madness. Discussing the Mad King's stockpile of Wildfire, Tyrion revealed to her that he planned to burn the citadel to the ground; the reason Jaime killed him and became known as the Kingslayer.
The Wildfire was also shown in one of Bran's visions a couple of episodes back, so with all of this foreshadowing, could this be the rumour that Cersei had Qyburn investigate? Is this the weapon she will use against the High Sparrow? Will we find out next week?
While the Daenerys plot was important in terms of giving the Meereen storyline a bit of closure and moving things forward, the episode will really be remembered for the events in the north.
Ramsay Bolton was a great villain, but like Joffrey before him, he had to go. Having inflicted enough pain, torture and suffering, Ramsay met his maker at the hands of his own hounds via Sansa by way of Jon Snow. Made all the more satisfying after the "game" he played with young Rickon, the Stark we barely knew, and whose death is only really sad because of what it stands for, and for the hurt it caused Jon, who thought he could save him.
Ramsay Bolton - a great villain
The battle for Winterfell was epic, with Jon proving himself as a true warrior yet again. As great as it was, it was all very predictable; the Knights of the Vale were always going to show up just in the nick of time to save the day, Ramsay was always going to die a slow death, Littlefinger would always resurface, and Rickon would never be reunited with his siblings. Where is the shock factor that Game of Thrones became known for?
What makes no sense, however, is why Sansa wouldn't just tell her big brother that she had reached out for help, that there was an army ready and waiting to join their cause. Surely this vital piece of information would've been handy to have when they were plotting their attack?
She's been through a lot, and I really enjoy seeing Sansa develop into a strong character, but I don't trust her not to turn on Jon, and I don't trust that she can avoid being manipulated by Littlefinger - the great puppet master of Westeros.
With the Stark sigil flying high on the walls of Winterfell once again, it seems like things are starting to go right and fall into place, but it's only a matter of time before the real threat to the realm finds its way south of The Wall.
The Battle of the Bastards was a beautifully shot, edge of your seat episode that will definitely stand out as a highlight from season six.
As the finale rolls around next week, will the show buck tradition and up the ante for an even bigger finish? We'll know in a matter of days, and then it'll be back to almost a year of rumours, theories and spoilers as we count the weeks until season seven. How are we nearly finished already!?
Sinead Brennan
