Photo Credit: HBO
I hope this goes without saying, but MAJOR Game of Thrones SPOILERS ahead, so stop if you haven’t watched yet.
I was not ready for Game of Thrones Sunday.
All day, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. The only comfort was knowing millions of others felt the same way.
“The Long Night” or “The Battle of Winterfell” began with a little optimism. Maybe they would come out of this. After all, they had the entire Dothraki army, all of the unsullied, and two dragons.
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The Red Woman shows up out of nowhere and lights up the Dothraki swords, and all I can think of, “It’s on.” My hope is snuffed just as quickly as those Dothraki swords. This was going to be a long, anxiety-ridden episode.
I’m going to be honest, a lot of times I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. I couldn’t tell who was alive and who had died. It wasn’t until I saw various characters fighting, I knew for sure they were still alive.
But the episode overall was incredible. It played like a movie. It was a suspenseful, action, and horror flick all rolled into one. At times it was poetic, and at times it seemed all hope was lost.
And about 30 minutes in, we knew the “Night King is Not Stupid” theory would not come true. In fact, the Night King was the big loser of the episode! Yup, he lost, and humanity won. Now that the main antagonist of the show is gone, what’s left?
One last war between the queens, Daenerys and Cersei. Or will it be someone else?
Photo Credit: HBO
Surprises of the week
1. Melisandre makes her grand entrance.
I figured the Red Woman would show up at some point in the final season of Game of Thrones, and it turns out she showed up just in time. She was instrumental in many aspects that led the Night King’s defeat, especially inspiring Arya not to give up. “What do we say to the god of death? Not today!” Yes, we heard Syrio Forel utter those words in the first season, and she repeated them to Arya when she needed to hear them most.
2. So many characters survived.
We’ll get to those who are no longer with us soon. But I am stunned at how many actually survived. All I kept thinking was, how are they still standing? Brienne, Jaime, Podrick, Tormund (is he a cat or something?!), the Hound, they had literally been swinging their swords for hours. But somehow, they all survived. Even Davos, who doesn’t know how to fight. Where the hell was he even hiding? I’m sure not all of them will survive the last three episodes.
3. Jon and Daenerys MIA most of the time.
When I say “MIA,” I mean that they were sort of non-significant to this battle. They flew around most of the time looking for the Night King and nearly got Drogon and Rhaegal killed. (Why didn’t Dany fly away sooner when the wights started climbing onto Drogon?) But it seems as though this just wasn’t their moment. This wasn’t their battle. Their real battle will be with Cersei, maybe even each other.
4. Theon, the warrior.
Though most people wouldn’t think of Little Theon as much of a battle guy, he killed an awful lot of wights. In fact, he was the last of his men standing while they protected Bran. When they cut to an aerial shot of the Godswood at Winterfell, and there he was surrounded by dead wights, I was shocked. Maybe it was being finally forgiven by the Starks and the drive to do right by them, but he found something within himself to protect Bran so well.
5. ARYA F-ING STARK!!!
That’s right. Arya Stark of Winterfell defeated the Night King. She saved all of humanity. All of her training, starting with Jon giving her Needle and telling her to “stick ‘em with the pointy end” (in which she told Sansa to do with the dagger), to her journey with the Hound, to her training as a faceless man had let her to this moment. This was her very first battle! Sure, she had killed lots of people on and off her list. But she was really kicking as with her custom-made weapon until she was being chased around her home by wights. And like I said earlier, her re-meeting Melisandre was significant because she reminded her who she was. That darkness she saw in her back in Season 3, it was what Arya needed to transition her back from a scared girl to a lethal, ruthless, killing machine who would do anything to save her family. When she jumped on the back of the Night King, and he grabbed her by the throat, I thought to myself, “I’m not ready to lose Arya.” How could I doubt her? With the drop of her dagger and into the belly of the Night King, he shattered into a million ice pieces, and all the dead fell for the final time.
I am officially naming my first daughter after Arya Stark.
Photo Credit: HBO
Not surprised
1. Sam was useless.
This not only was unsurprising, but it was also annoying. There was too much time wasted on showing Sam crying or needing to be saved. He was nothing but a liability. He was utterly useless in this battle and should have been down in the crypts with the women and children. Maybe that’s harsh, but it had to be said.
2. Bran was pretty useless, too.
This is how I feel right now about Bran warging into some birds the entire 90 minutes of this episode. We only saw what he was doing for a brief moment. I hope whatever he was doing all that time will pay off in future episodes.
3. The Starks in the crypts were raised by the Night King.
What is it Littlefinger said about the Starks back in season 1 about the Starks? “Ah, the Starks! Quick tempers, slow minds.” No, I don’t think the Starks are stupid. But they do make some really poor decisions and putting the defenseless in the crypts knowing that the Night King can raise people from the dead was pretty dumb. But at least we got that touching moment between Sansa and Tyrion, where it seems as though they were about to die fighting her ancestors. I am a bit disappointed that we didn’t get close-ups of Lyanna or Ned.
4. Jorah died saving Daenerys.
It was evident that Daenerys and Jorah would never be, although she loved him and he was completely in love with her. And even though I predicted this months ago, it wasn’t easy watching Jorah die.
5. The 400-year-old woman dies.
I mean, she said it in Season 7 that she would die in this strange country, meaning Westeros. So, it should come as no surprise that she dies.
Photo Credit: HBO
In memoriam
Instead of a “thing you missed” this week, let’s pay our respects to those we lost this episode. (Cue the sad Sarah MacLachlin song.)
Eddison (Edd) Tollett
From the Night’s Watch to the Great Battle, he was a loyal guy, even earning the title of Lord Commander. Of all the characters left on the show, he had the smallest role, however, so his death was to be expected. RIP Edd.
Beric Dondarrion
As part of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Beric was brought back to life six times by Thoros of Myr. But since Thoros died last season, his lives had literally run out during the Great Battle. The Lord of Light clearly had a purpose for him, and that was sacrificing himself to save Arya and The Hound. RIP Beric.
Lyanna Mormont
At just 13-years-old, Lyanna ruled Bear Island, and there was no way she would sit in the crypts during the Great Battle. When as the wight giant crushed her, she killed the thing ten times her size right before she died. She’s one of the most badass characters on the entire series, and I’m going to miss her. We shouldn’t feel sorry for her either. She had more honor, more loyalty, and more heart than anyone else in that Battle. Name that courtyard after her, pronto. RIP Lady Mormont.
Theon (Reek) Greyjoy
Little Theon’s journey was quite amazing. He’s the only character that I felt every emotion possible for. I went from not liking him, to hating him, to being disgusted by him, to feeling sorry for him, to feeling horrified for him, to cheering for him, to be annoyed with him, to being proud of him, and finally, being impressed by him. His character development was written perfectly and acted perfectly. We saw Theon fully formed, fully developed by his death and I can’t think of a better, more honorable way for him to have gone. RIP Theon.
Jorah Mormont
This guy wasn’t always the best guy. But damn, did he make up for his past transgressions. After first betraying Daenerys, he saved her life, many, many times. It was only appropriate that he would die saving her one last time. But he died in the north, his home. And he died killed a crap-ton of wights. Throw a statue up for this guy, too. RIP Jorah (the explorah).
Night King
Bye Felicia! Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out of this life. He wanted an everlasting night, and he got one, for himself. He’s nothing but ice crystals now, outsmarted by a 20-year-old girl. RIP Night King.
Melisandre, the Red Woman
She may have helped the living win the Great Battle, but she’s done some truly heinous things in her 400 years. It was her time. She served her ultimate purpose, and I’m glad she went out the way she did. Although, I wish Davos got to kill her to avenge Shireen. RIP Melisandre.
Bonus tidbit: Ghost is alive! Here’s the proof.
What did you think about the Great Battle of Winterfell? The fourth episode of Game of Thrones season 8 airs next Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.