‘Game of Thrones’: ‘Battle Of The Bastards’ Delivers Fans Some Satisfaction [SPOILERS]
[Warning: Game of Thrones Season 6 Spoilers Ahead]
Not since the infamous Season 4 episode “The Lion and the Rose” has Game of Thrones delivered a death fans have been dying for. Back then, it was heinous King Joffrey, the spoiled arrogant teenager responsible for ending the life of Ned Stark and setting in motion the chain of events that is the Game of Thrones itself.
This time around, in Sunday night’s “Battle of the Bastards,” it’s the truly vile Ramsay Bolton who meets his maker after tormenting, among others, Theon Greyjoy and Sansa Stark, and even slaughtering his own father and step-mother before feeding their offspring to the dogs. And while Joffrey also tormented Sansa Stark, it was in a completely different and much less sadistic manner. Ramsay’s last words to her, in fact, right before he’s devoured by the aforementioned starving hounds, is that he’s forever changed her.
“You can’t kill me,” he says weakly. “I’m part of you now.” And in many ways he is, as evidenced by Sansa’s glee after setting the hounds on Ramsay.
“Sansa stares for a moment as the hounds rip him apart, and as she walks away to the sounds of shredding and screaming, a smile creeps to her lips. She might finally be back in Winterfell, but Sansa doesn’t seem much like a Stark here; indeed, if she resembles anyone in this moment, it isn’t Ned, or Littlefinger, or even Daenerys. It’s Cersei.”
Meanwhile, the actor who portrayed Ramsay himself, Iwan Rheon, revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he found his character’s end to be quite fitting.
“I think it’s kind of right he goes down,” Rheon said. “Because what else is he going to do after this? He’s done so many things. It’s justified and it’s the right thing to do. It’s the right path. He’s reached his peak. It’s nice for the audience that he goes out on this high, if you will.”
And what about the dark turn that Sansa takes as a result?
“It leaves Sansa in an interesting place as a character, because he’s saying, ‘I’m inside you now.’ [Rheon shudders] It’s horrible, and I think he probably has done some damage. He’s gotten in her head. But I think it’s nice too, because it’s such a great scene to go out on.”
“Whether or not her twin, Jamie, will fulfill any prophesy ending the Queen Mother’s life remains to be seen,” the article teased.
“But what fans do know, going into next week, is that King Tommen’s reign (and his life) definitely needs to come to an end. The fact that he could meet his downfall at the hands of his mother, whose only passion has ever been to protect her children, is especially devastating, but Cersei has been living a charmed life without any consequence, so perhaps during the finale episode she could find herself fending off her enemies with not only heart break, but the sheer viciousness that comes with being Lannister Lion.”
And with said finale still days away, Game of Thrones fans can instead revel in the death of hated nemesis Ramsay Bolton for just a little longer.
I am disturbed at level of satisfaction I took from Ramsay Bolton’s violent and deserved death. But I’m going to watch it again and like it.
— Erin S. Thompson (@ErinSThompson) June 20, 2016
Ramsay Bolton meets his death at the hands of his own dogs. Still as arrogant AF #GameofThrones
— Day 22 Celibate (@flex_sa) June 20, 2016
There’s nothing more satisfying than a Ramsay Bolton death???????? #GameofThrones
— Trenaayy (@Trey_Naay) June 20, 2016
Nothing to me is more epic than seeing Ramsay Bolton get punched to death by Jon Snow.
— Layla (@Laeei) June 20, 2016
the death of Ramsay Bolton was magical pic.twitter.com/ucqmmkg5IC
— Nickuhlys (@Nip_le) June 20, 2016
Me when Ramsay Bolton got fed to his precious hounds.
Best death on #GameofThrones so far. pic.twitter.com/RrorW40Coi— Macenzi (@peaceoutloserss) June 20, 2016
The Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale airs Sunday, June 26, at 10:00pm EST on HBO.
[Image via HBO]
