The Game of Thrones episode featuring the battle at the wildling settlement of Hardhome is “Hardhome.” It is the eighth episode of season five and was directed by Miguel Sapochnik.
At Hardhome, Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane try to persuade the wildlings to join the Night’s Watch and travel south. Their uneasy negotiations are interrupted when the Army of the Dead attacks the settlement. The assault introduces viewers to the overwhelming scale of the White Walker threat and ends with the Night King raising the dead.
The episode is remembered for its bleak atmosphere, sudden escalation, and striking battle choreography. It is sometimes confused with “The Watchers on the Wall,” another season-four episode built around a major defensive battle, or “Blackwater,” the season-two naval siege. Hardhome is also important because it gives Jon direct evidence that the dead can be organized and commanded by a supernatural enemy.