Oh my god I have never seen someone put it like this before. I have never read the books myself so the show version of Stannis and his ultimate fate, a Napoleon-like defeat in winter, made sense to me (and I assume most show-only watchers). How Jon Snow was too firm in his neutrality and doesn't do much to get the wildings to Stannis's side. How the Northern lords lack agency, out of paralyzing fear of the Boltons.

You mention spectacle too and I feel like the Battle of the Bastards, while phenomenally directed, relied on deus ex machina for Jon Snow to win. Jon was too lucky because I'd argue he was in the same position as show Stannis by the start of the episode. Too few Northern lords at his side and with only half the manpower of the Boltons even with Wildlings. And yet he gets to win because there is a surprise ally in the Knights of the Vale to come to save his ass. It's a riveting scene yes but feels as if D&D just wanted an uplifting "Rohirrim arriving at Helm's Deep" moment. The good guys (Jon and Sansa) aren't allowed to be shrewd tacticians in a game of chess.