“Blackwater” was 55 minutes and “The Watchers on the Wall” 51, so Season 6, Episode 9 should be the longest episode entirely situated in one place yet, assuming that’s the kind of episode it is.Īnother thing to note from this list: Episode 4 has a runtime of 59 minutes. Looking at the above list of spoilers, is it any wonder that Miguel Sapochnik spent so much time in Saintfield filming this scene?Īt 60 minutes, Episode 9 looks like it’ll take its time with this battle. A ball on a stick stood in for the giant during filming, much like one that stood in for Drogon during the filming of the Daznak’s Pit scene from Season 5. There will be a giant involved in the battle, which if Jon is in fact leading the wildlings, has to be Wun Wun.Ramsay will tie two people to Bolton crosses (X-crosses upside-down), and burn them during the fighting. Both main and minor characters will reported die in this battle.Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) was seen filming near the battlefield, which could mean that Sansa will be involved in some fashion.The team spent many weeks in the area, longer than they usually spend on fight scenes. Miguel Sapochnik and the production team filmed this battle scene just outside Saintfield, Northern Ireland.Locals in the area had reported seeing smoke rising from the filming locations.And there may be other combatants we’re not sure of yet (possibly the Army of the Vale). This picture also indicates that loads of other Northern Houses will be involved. Rumors have it that Jon Snow will lead the wildlings into battle, and maybe soldiers from some other Northern Houses, while Ramsay Snow Bolton is reportedly backed by the Karstarks, and surprisingly, the Umbers.People on the production have given the battle nicknames: “ The Battle of the Bastards” is a popular one, and “The Battle of Six Armies,” is another.Given how much time was spent on it, we’re betting that it takes up the entire episode, a la the Battle of the Blackwater in Season 2’s “Blackwater” or the Battle of Castle Black in Season 4’s “The Watchers on the Wall.” Here’s what we know so far: “Hardhome” director Miguel Sapochnik spent several weeks filming what we believe to be a giant battle scene that will probably take center stage in Episode 9.
We know that Episode 9, is going to be huge. So what can we deduce from the Season 6 episode lengths? Be forewarned: our analysis will include SPOILERS. The Season 5 finale, “Mother’s Mercy,” was 61 minutes, and two episodes from the same season clocked in at 60 minutes: “Hardhome” and “High Sparrow.”
The series premiere, “Winter is Coming,” was 62 minutes. It’s not just finales that tend to run long. The Season 3 finale, “Mhysa,” lasted 63 minutes.
“Valar Morghulis,” the Season 2 finale, was 64 minutes. If we look back at previous seasons, we can put this in context.įor now, the longest episode in the series is the Season 4 finale, “The Children,” which runs 66 minutes.
As you can see, Episode 9 will run for a full hour.