(Spoiler alert: Please do not read on if you haven’t watched the Season 6 episode “Battle of the Bastards.” And seriously, please catch up if you haven’t, it’s amazing!)
In a season of “Game of Thrones” that got fans constantly talking, the biggest scene of them all came at the end of the Emmy-nominated “Battle of the Bastards,” when Sansa Stark finally gave Ramsay Bolton the brutal death that had been coming to him for so long. So what was it like on set when this critical moment was filmed?
Director Miguel Sapochnik, who earned his first Emmy nomination for his work in that brutal Season 6 episode, told TheWrap that Ramsay’s final scene was filmed in a kennel on a cold winter night, and the crew was looking forward to filming it just as much as the fans were looking forward to seeing it.
“There’s always a level of excitement or anxiety when shooting the death scene of any of the characters in the show,” Sapochnik revealed. “That said, it was also a complicated scene because it was late in the shoot and therefore late in the year. Iwan [Rheon, who plays Ramsay] was covered in sticky blood and actually tied to the chair. And then there were the dogs who were pretty ferocious in real life.”
Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Will Be the Last, HBO Confirms
In case you were wondering, the breed Ramsay’s vicious hunting hounds come from is called the Cane Corso, a.k.a. the Italian Mastiff. According to the American Kennel Club, the Cane Corso was bred to hunt down difficult game like the wild boar. The AKC also recommends that owners have Cane Corsos interact with other people and dogs from an early age so they know the difference between friend and foe — something Ramsay’s dogs clearly didn’t.
Cane Corsos are also said to be fiercely loyal to their masters, but when their master is an abusive, amoral monster like Ramsay who conditions them into seeing anyone and anything as a potential food source, well, you saw what happens.
Sapochnik also says that the kennel they filmed Ramsay’s death in was also very cramped, and he estimates that up to 40 people were crammed into the space during filming.
Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Director Miguel Sapochnik on Making Brutal, Brilliant 'Battle of the Bastards'
“That kind of overpowered ‘what’ we were shooting. And it should,” he said. “Part of a crew’s strength is the way they behave in difficult shooting conditions and the Dragon unit of ‘GoT’ are impeccable when it comes to being even-keeled, whether it’s [shooting] the death of a main character, the biggest, most expensive shot of a battle, or an intimate two-hander.
“It also allows the actors to set the tone a bit and I think this was a tough scene for Iwan because it was the death of a character he’s lived with for years. I thought he did a great job as did Sophie [Turner],” Sapochnik said.
'Game of Thrones': What's Next For the North After Ramsay's Death (Photos)
(Spoiler warning: Don't read unless you're caught up on "Game of Thrones")
Since the death of Robb Stark, Ramsay Bolton has been the core around which events in the North on "Game of Thrones"revolved. Every storyline in that region came from other characters reacting to Ramsay's horrid atrocities. Now that he has been killed off and Sansa and Jon have Winterfell, things get much more complicated moving forward.
HBO
For starters, there's the matter of what to do with Jon Snow. It would seem that he is using his death and resurrection as a loophole out of his service to The Night's Watch ("Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death."). Despite his reluctance to lead and the fact he nearly got everyone killed, a speech by Lyanna Mormont led to Jon becoming the new King in the North.
HBO
But Jon's reign is a tenuous one. Bran Stark, the true heir to Winterfell (though presumed dead), has discovered that Jon is the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Depending on what Bran does with this information, it could mean bad news for Jon and a massive shakeup of the status quo in the North.
Speaking of status quo shakeups, what about the Free Folk? Thanks to Jon, Tormund and his kin are no longer held back by the Wall and are now living among noble houses that will surely resent their presence. Perhaps the wildlings could find a new home in the lands that once belonged to the Boltons, but how long could Jon maintain an uneasy peace when there is still so much prejudice between the wildlings and kneelers?
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Petyr Baelish saved the day at the Battle of the Bastards with his reinforcements, but everything Littlefinger does comes at a price. He claims he wants the Iron Throne with Sansa at his side. Sansa rebuffed him, only for Littlefinger to point out that she by all rights should be in charge, not Jon.
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When Jon was declared King in the North, Sansa and Littlefinger shared a meaningful look at each other. Is Baelish in Sansa's head. Could she and Jon soon be working against each other?
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There's also another little secret Sansa doesn't know about Littlefinger: his involvement in the capture and death of her father, Ned. Sansa already has trust problems with Littlefinger after his schemes led to Sansa being raped by Ramsay. If she learns that he sold her father out in an attempt to gain power with the Lannisters, the relationship between the two could get ugly very quickly.
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Thanks to Arya, Walder Frey is now dead, along with his sons. That means that Riverrun is without a man in charge, though still technically under Lannister control. Will the Stark or Targaryen forces move to grab it?
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As for Arya, what's next for her? She will no doubt attempt to return to Winterfell at some point. After working independently through much of the series, what role would Arya play if she ends up being reunited with the sister with whom she once had no shared interests? Or maybe she will take a detour, and end up reuniting with a certain Hound...
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We are also now closer than ever to finally seeing Daenerys and her dragons make their grand arrival to Westeros. While she has Tyrion and Varys on her side to help her gain allies, Jon and Sansa will likely be considered major obstacles in the campaign to restore the Targaryens to power. Could a collision between some of the most popular characters in the series be ahead?
HBO
But the biggest question of all is this: How will everyone in Westeros deal with the coming of the White Walkers? It has been put off for quite some time now, but one of the Starks' motives behind retaking Winterfell was to unite the North in the face of this oncoming threat. With so many dead after the last battle, are there enough forces left to save the Seven Kingdoms?
HBO
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Jon and Sansa may have Winterfell again, but things are only going to get tougher for them next season
(Spoiler warning: Don't read unless you're caught up on "Game of Thrones")
Since the death of Robb Stark, Ramsay Bolton has been the core around which events in the North on "Game of Thrones"revolved. Every storyline in that region came from other characters reacting to Ramsay's horrid atrocities. Now that he has been killed off and Sansa and Jon have Winterfell, things get much more complicated moving forward.
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