The truce she brokered later on with Theon and Yara -- who now take the absolute prize this year for longest distance traveled in shortest amount of time (that old Ice and Fire bullet train’s been working over time, and even crossing seas) -- felt a bit rushed, but some of that just might be because of the miles the two Ironborn magically jumped as they were the last people I thought I’d see in Dany’s pyramid this episode.

I do like that, despite her returning to find Meereen under siege, Daenerys is still willing to listen to Tyrion and rely on him for advice, because she did return at the absolute worst time. Well, worst for him, but best for the crisis at large, since she was able to end it with a simple “Dracarys!”

But let’s shift away from the dragonfire spectacle that was the Meereen battle and over to the North, where things were a lot more gritty and grimy, centered on a hard-hitting, massive battle sequence, featuring an impressive amount of stunt work, choreography and storytelling. There was even a fun tracking shot right in the thick of it, as Jon plowed his way through enemy forces, occasionally getting saved by good fortune. This battle was a massive undertaking and one that overflowed with drama. Would our heroes win? This season has been really big on payoffs and satisfying wins, so there was almost an expectation here for a swerve - for this year’s big tragedy. But it didn’t come and the Starks took back their home.

And it was for the best, really, since I don’t think, especially this close to the end of the series, that we could have taken another cold, harsh loss. It’s funny, Game of Thrones viewers are so used to having the rug pulled out from under us that sometimes we don’t know when to ease up and enjoy a solid victory. It’s almost like we don’t trust it. But this one felt super-earned given the long journey of the Starks. It even felt earned just based on this season alone, in fact.

One of the dynamics I loved here, as the armies prepared for battle, was the differences between Jon and Sansa stepping forward in big ways. The two of them even argued the night before about tactics, with Jon being very Ned-like and Sansa, fittingly, coming from a much more detached, Littlefinger-type stance. Hell, she was cold and logical enough to firmly realize that Rickon was a goner, no matter what, when Jon wasn’t willing to accept it. She knew they needed greater numbers but Jon was stubbornly going forward with an assault anyway.

And then, the very next morning, on the precipice of battle, Jon got manipulated into mounting a full-fledged assault because he was overcome with emotion over Rickon’s death - which was an expertly crafted bit of theater totally conceived by Ramsay in order to pull Jon’s entire army out into the open. I know a lot of viewers have had their fill of Ramsay being terrible, since there’s been so much of it, but this really was a horrible and evil ploy. As for poor Rickon, well, I don’t think many expected much from him character-wise regardless, so he died in service of the battle and as part of Ramsay’s final attempt to rule the North.

There were so many great, ferocious moments here, from Jon facing down Ramsay’s arrows with his a shield at the end, to Tormund killing Lord Karstark, to the giant Wun Wun using his last breaths to break down the Winterfell gate. And yes, there even was a point when it looked like Jon might be a goner, as he started to get trampled and suffocated within one of the giant mounds of bodies. It was sort of a slight scare though, since we knew that Melisandre was still around to bring him back from the dead if need be, whether he wanted her to or not. Still, the stakes here were Winterfell, not Jon’s life. Jon’s army couldn’t fail. Not now, not this time.

The arrival of the soldiers from the Vale may not have been a huge surprise since, many guessed that’s who Sansa had written a letter to, but it was still a very crowd-pleasing moment given just how crushed and defeated Jon and his men were. It also somewhat mirrored Jon getting saved by Stannis’ forces back at the end of Season 4 (an event referenced in this episode).

Even though Season 6’s bounty and splendor of payoffs can sometimes feel very un-Game of Thrones, who couldn’t love Sansa exacting sweet revenge on Ramsay? And with his own dogs too? That was so satisfying. And yes, it had to be her who did it. Even Jon knew that much as he stopped himself from killing Ramsay with his bare hands so that he could be at Sansa’s mercy -or lack thereof.

THE VERDICT:

Game of Thrones did not disappoint when it came to this season’s great northern battle as Jon and Sansa’s differences were spectacularly highlighted in a savagely strong war chapter that saw House Stark overcome huge odds to reclaim their home. Plus, Daenerys got to soar as her dragons quickly stopped a violent siege with fury and fire.