Game Of Thrones Season 6: 10 Ups And 2 Downs From 'Battle Of The Bastards'

5. Jon In The Battle

Game of Thrones Jon Snow battle of the bastards
HBO

Although he fell into Ramsay's trap (more on that later), let's give it up for Jon Snow the warrior. Already regarded as an incredibly fine swordsman, he backs that up and showcases the bravery and sheer will to survive that goes with it.

The battle is absolutely huge. There are horses everyone, and even more people. Limbs flying, heads rolling. At the very heart of it all is Jon. He's the character who grounds us viewers in the fight, who gives us a centrepoint to follow and a person to root for. And he does it all brilliantly.

By the end he's a bloody mess, and it's an excellent performance from Kit Harington. Before we get there, he's slicing through soldiers, dodging out of the way of attacks, trying to rally men but getting completely lost in the sea of the war, and then almost drowning in it. He gets worn down, beat down, but somehow keeps on surviving, and it's thanks to Harington's performance and Miguel Sapochnik's direction that we're invested every step of the way.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.