‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners Reveal Their Favorite Scenes From the Series

The end of Game of Thrones is almost here. On Sunday night, the blockbuster HBO series will kick off its eighth and final season, but even as fans start to look towards the end, series showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are also looking back at the show’s eight year run and reflecting on their favorite scenes from Game of Thrones. As it turns out, both Benioff and Weiss have the same favorite.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Benioff and Weiss revealed that the Season 6 episode “The Battle of the Bastards” is they are most proud of.

“That two-episode arc that Miguel [Sapochnik] directed [“The Battle of the Bastards” and the season 6 finale, “The Winds of Winter”],” Benioff said. “The montage where Cersei got her revenge against the High Sparrow. So many departments came together so beautifully, and Miguel’s direction was incredible.”

Weiss had the same general choice, though he was more open to hoping something gin the final season would ultimately end up his favorite.

“‘The Battle of the Bastards’ turned out very well,” Weiss said. “But I hope it will be a scene in this season. It’s nice to go out on your strongest notes.”

The penultimate episode of Season 6, “Battle of the Bastards” is one that comes up as a favorite for a lot of fans of the show as well as critics. The episode sees Jon Snow and Sansa Stark retake Winterfell from Lord Ramsay Bolton, the Warden of the North and thus restore House Stark as the ruling house of the North. While the plotline of the episode itself is epic, the battle scene itself is incredibly well-constructed and strikingly realistic for a fantasy setting. The episode overall is also a fan-favorite because it sees the vile Ramsay get his comeuppance. He’s literally devoured by his own dogs, a fitting end for the character.

Of course, the favorite-scene isn’t the only thing that Benioff and Weiss revealed to Entertainment Weekly. They also explained that Bella Ramsey, who plays Lyanna Mormont in the series, was originally intended for just one scene but her powerful performance led to her becoming a recurring character.

“Part of what excites me is the performance of these actors. So many of them have been with us since the beginning and they’ve grown — both literally for the kids, and as characters. In many cases, they’re going so far beyond what was expected for them,” David Benioff revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “Some, like Lyanna Mormont, were just supposed to be in one scene. Bella is such an incredible actress that we kept bringing her back because we wanted more Bella.”

Game of Thrones‘ final season kicks off on April 14th.