Thank god for Miguel Sapochnik.
Almost every week J and I tend to harp on the editing and camerawork in Game of Thrones. It’s been a bit better this season, but in general we’re both fairly underwhelmed with the technical side of the show. That’s why it feels like a breath of fresh air having Miguel Sapochnik—the director who brought us the excellent episodes “The Gift” and “Hardhome” in 2015—return to wrap up the show this year.
In tandem with cinematographer Fabian Wagner (set to work on 2017’s Justice League with Zack Snyder), Sapochnik brings meaning and beauty to shots that didn’t need either. J and I begin with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) in Meereen and thematic conversations about gender and power dynamics in the Game of Thrones world.
We then delve into the entire Battle of the Bastards itself moment by moment with particular emphasis on the most interesting sequences: the long take following Jon (Kit Harington), quick cutting through time with matches on Jon’s face and Jon drowning in bodies. Each of these
This is a much longer podcast than we normally put out. With that in mind, the episode generally splits into “Gender, Power and Meereen” from 0:00–1:12:46, “Sapochnik and Wagner” from 1:12:47–1:26:24 and “The Battle of the Bastards” from 1:26:25–2:33:11.
And remember, #DanYara forever. Called it at the beginning of June.
~ Søren
As always, you can subscribe to our podcast feed (including all episodes of “Stark Contrast”) using iTunes or by copying this link into your RSS reader. Alternatively, you can check out the episode online or download it here. Happy listening!
Head back to Movie Fail next week for the Season 6 finale, “The Winds of Winter.” Seven blessings upon you.
This podcast uses a clip from the song “Bughici—Suite for Violin, 8 Ardeleneasca, moderato” by Advent Chamber Orchestra / CC BY 3.0.
