" Battle of the Bastards " received immense critical acclaim , with several reviewers calling it a " masterpiece " . and being praised as one of the series ' best episodes as well as one of the greatest television episodes of all time . Critics described the battle in the North as " terrifying , gripping and exhilarating " , Harington 's performance received high praise , and Daenerys ' reunion with her dragons at the beginning of the episode was deemed " thrilling " . The eponymous battle took 25 days to film and required 500 extras , 600 crew members , and 70 horses . In the United States , the episode had a viewership of 7.66 million in its initial broadcast . It earned '' Game of Thrones '' six Primetime Emmy Awards , making it the most Emmy Award-winning episode ever . It notably won for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing ; the episode was Kit Harington 's choice to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor . Sapochnik also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the episode
Primetime Emmy Awards
68th Primetime Emmy Awards
Battle of the Bastards