Game of Thrones Ep. 8.3: What do we say to the god of death? (spoilers)

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Attend A Commonwealth Day Youth Event At Canada House

SPOILERS for Game of Thrones Ep. 8.3, “The Long Night.”

WELL. I was expecting a lot, but I’m not sure I was expecting that. I was awake for what felt like a full hour after the show aired, reflecting on how certain men around Arya Stark seemed to always sense that she had an important role to play in the destiny of Westeros. All seven season which came before led up to Arya’s moves – it was not Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow who saved the Seven Kingdoms, it was the youngest Stark girl with Littlefinger’s dagger. And yes, I’m mourning the losses too, only I find myself slightly pleased that so many beloved characters really did survive. Let’s get to it.

The Red Woman Returns. I mused (on Twitter) just minutes before “The Long Night” began that I wished that Melisandre was there, just in case. In the first few minutes, she appeared. They were waiting for the swarm of undead, and Mel’s horse came strolling up. Don’t worry, she told Ser Davos, you don’t have to kill me, I’ll be dead by morning. Mel’s first deed: using the Lord of Light’s magic to turn all of the Dothraki’s swords into FLAME-swords.

The Dothraki are all gone?? Like, the Dothraki were the first line of attack and the way they shot that… with the the fire-swords all being extinguished… haunting. I don’t think any Dothraki lived. AND GHOST WENT OFF TO FIGHT WITH THE DOTHRAKI. Jorah did too, but Jorah got the f–k out of there pretty quickly.

Retreat as a battle plan. It didn’t feel like Brienne’s army and the Unsullied and the Wildling army really fought outside the Winterfell gate for that long, but it was long enough for Edd to die because Sam just wanted to lie on the ground like an a–hole. The retreat into Winterfell felt like it began happening super-quickly. Dany couldn’t see Davos’ signal to light the trenches, so Melisandre came out – in one of the best sequences – with the Unsullied soldiers protecting her – to use her magic to light the trench. It was amazing.

The dragon stuff. I know those were probably the most expensive sequences to film, but I could barely understand what was happening in the air with the dragons, with Jon and Dany riding. There were mid-air collisions with the Night King, and there was a White-Walker-made blizzard, I get that. But beyond that, I couldn’t really see what was happening.

Arya’s battle moves. She stayed within Winterfell, and did you see Ser Davos’ face when he watched her take down like 20 undead all by herself?? The Hound was feeling scared and nihilistic and Beric was like “fight g-ddamn it” and the Hound wouldn’t budge until Beric pointed out Arya was in trouble.

Lyanna Mormont went out like a boss. Little girl, commanding the ground immediately inside the gate of Winterfell. A zombie giant tosses her aside and she still fights. He squeezes her we know she’s a goner… and that’s when she spears him in the f–king eye. Forever my Queen.

Beric & the Hound. It was left unspoken as to why Beric and the Hound seemed hellbent on protecting Arya, but I was really thinking about this (as I said in the intro) and in retrospect, they knew. They had seen it in the flames, same as Melisandre, that Arya was the MVP of the War of the Undead and that she must live. Arya was trying to outmaneuver the undead who were already in Winterfell, and she was legit scared, and then the Hound and Beric burst in to save her.

RIP Beric Dondarrion. I mean, we get it, he had been resurrected a million times, did we really need the crucifixion imagery? He died protecting Arya, and I truly believe he knew that Arya is basically Azor Ahai.

Melisandre’s pep talk. Beric dies, and the Hound and Arya are confronted by Melisandre. Arya looks like she doesn’t know if she should kill Mel. Mel’s like, I saw all of this in your eyes when we first met. And Mel repeated the question Arya’s first teacher Syrio asked her: “What do we say to the god of death?” Arya: “Not today.”

Jon Snow gets knocked off his dragon. Did the dragon die? I don’t know, maybe. But what I know is that finally we got to see Jon in his element, on the ground, alone, with a Longclaw. He sees the Night King… and Jon runs for him. Dany is still on her dragon. Dracarys, she orders. FIRE. Everything burns. Except the Night King. The Night King stops and looks at Jon Snow and begins to raise his arms. I literally screamed “OH FUUUUUUUUCK” then.

Raising the dead. Edd, resurrected. Lyanna, resurrected. Dothraki, resurrected. All of the dead within Winterfell, resurrected. The crypts are shaking. The Night King walks off. Jon is alone and trying to fight his way out. Dany rides up, again and rescues Jon. He runs off. But Dany is stuck there with a dragon who is being attacked by undead. The dragon flies off. Dany is alone. Until Jorah somehow finds her in the chaos and it’s two against ALL.

The Crypt. Welp. The crypt peeps only got resurrected when the Night King was resurrecting everybody else. Sansa, Tyrion, Varys, Gilly, Missandei and more were like “holy f–k” and Tyrion and Sansa managed to hide behind something as everything in the crypt went to sh-t. Tyrion, Sansa’s “best” husband, kissed her hand as they thought they would die. I honestly think Gilly might have died too? But Varys, Sansa, Tyrion and many of the children survived.

Theon of House Stark. Theon and his men were protecting Bran the whole time. Theon was the last man standing protecting Bran when the Night King and his bros rolled up. Bran had been f–king warging throughout the entire battle, but Bran snapped out of it long enough to tell Theon “you’re a good man.” I cried. Theon cried. Then Theon went to fight the Night King. At least Theon died a clean death, and he died protecting his brother.

The Night King Cometh. The NK rolls up to Bran who is sitting there like f–king Yoda and everything is in slow-mo – we see Jorah Mormont dying for Dany in a cutaway – and the NK looks like he’s about to stab Bran or something and then, out of f–king nowhere, Azor Ahai ARYA jumps on the Night King. He grabs her by the throat and she drops her Valyrian steel dagger… and catches it with the other hand. In one clean motion, she stabs the NK in the gut. He explodes in a million pieces. All of the White Walkers explode. All the undead finally collapse. The dead are finally just… the dead. It was not Dany who saved the day. It was not Jon Snow who saved the world from the Long Night. It was little Arya Stark, the survivor, No One, A Girl.

In the end, I think most of the main characters survived – Jaime and Brienne seemed to survive, and I think Pod, Greyworm, the Hound, Tyrion and Varys did too. It was epic, it really was. I’m still absorbing that sh-t. I’ll have more posts about this today and in the coming days.

50th NAACP Image Awards

50th NAACP Image Awards

Photos courtesy of HBO/Game of Thrones.

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321 Responses to “Game of Thrones Ep. 8.3: What do we say to the god of death? (spoilers)”

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  1. Caity says:

    Rhaegal lived. In next weeks trailer.
    Gilly lived (and little Sam) they were to the right in the shot of the crypt survivors.
    Ghost is in next weeks trailer.
    I cried. I screamed. I begged. I cried some more.
    Hoping next week Arya is all – I killed the Nigh King, I make the rules.
    Will Arya also kill Cersei? I think she will, but she might be wearing Tyrion / jaimes face.

    • snappyfish says:

      Both dragons are in the trailer for next week. Although it looked as though one had a slightly torn wing. I was so happy I burst into tears. Arya is an effing badass. We all knew that but HOLY HELL!! Everyone at our watch party cheered like it was a national championship game. Even the Dog barked!!

      Now on to king’ landing so Cersei can get what’s coming.,. But seriously who gets the honor of killing that skank. Only thing that irritated me is Sansa’s Dragon Queen issue. She needs to pull her head out of her butt. Dany lost an entire army of Dothraki & Sansa KNEW that before she entered the crypt & made that statement. It makes her petulant & frankly back to her earlier days. She has been through a lot but she was being protected by this woman’s 2 armies (people loyal to her not the North) Show a little gratitude. Next weeks party we are serving king slayers in Arya’s honor!!

      • msd says:

        Sansa’s line was said merely to serve the plot. That’s annoying but it’s unfortunately how D&D are writing now. Plot determines what people say and do, not character.

        SPOILER …

        Tyrion’s “divided loyalties” are about to become a major issue.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Speaking of gratitude, Dany will have to start showing some too. Isn’t this the first fight she’s been in where she/her ppl didn’t save the day? The Mother of Dragons can’t do it all by herself and hopefully, she’ll have learned from it. What Sansa said was a bit stupid considering all that was happening but she was thinking about the future of the north if there ever was going to be one.

      • Nibbi says:

        @msd: good point about plot vs character-driven storyline. The characters do feel more like pieces on a chessboard than real individuals with all of their foibles, as in the earlier seasons.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yes, Dany’s armies helped a great obviously, but Arya saved them all, and Jorah died protecting Dany.

        I’m hoping that this shows everyone that they all need each other, even without the walkers.

      • Gaby says:

        I got annoyed by what Sansa said too, but after the show, I was thinking that maybe she meant Cersei and just didn’t spell it out? As in, she kinda knows that Tyrion won’t really let her die or something? I don’t know, just wishful thinking.

      • Becks1 says:

        Sansa’s line didn’t bother me, I thought it was more a dig at Tyrion than a dig at Dany.

    • Mel says:

      I need to watch next week trailers again for Ghost! I hope he’s still alive! I didn’t think he made it.
      This episode was AMAZING! Brutal from start to finish, I literally paced my living room during the whole episode too worked up to sit.
      ARYA!!!!❤️ Not only is my girl alive but she is the GOAT! I don’t know why her killing the night king came as such a shock for me, she is literally the best trained for the job! And after thinking she was going to die earlier in the corridors, she went and did the damn thing! I am so proud lol!

      • Becks1 says:

        I was so shocked at Arya as well, I don’t know why. It makes sense. Even when Melisandre said to her the line about killing lots of blue eyes – I knew she meant the WWs, but I thought she just meant in general, not that Arya could take them all down. I guess she knew what Meli meant though because she took off running.

      • Mel says:

        @Becks1- right? I though after she said “ Not today” 🤗 and took off, she was maybe going to come up with a plan to kill more WW but not actually the Night king himself, when I saw her face coming right behind him, I screamed so loud! And when he grabbed her throat I though she was a goner for a second! Phew! When he died we were all cheering so loud for HER! After my shock passed, it made total sense, she’s been preparing for this since the beginning! People are saying that green eyes mean Cersei, ahhh, I sure hope that’s true!

      • Lightpurple says:

        Ghost IS in the trailer for next week

      • AryasMum says:

        And there had better be more Ghost/Jon interaction. Dany got a damn hug from her baby and Ghost rides off with the Dothraki?? Ghost belonged with Jon or defending Bran. They are very dismissive of the direwolves but worship the dragons.

      • Evie says:

        Ghost is alive !!!! How he survived the suicide charge into the woods, I have no idea. I’m just glad he’s alive. Rhaegal also survived although looking a little worse for wear in the very fast two second clip we saw of the dragons in the preview. Now is it too much for me to hope that on the march to King’s Landing that Arya once again meets Nymeria and her pack and they join the battle?

      • Sharon Lea says:

        I got up and paced for part of it too! It was so nerve wracking!!

      • Mel says:

        how are you laser eye people seeing Ghost? I have watched the trailer 3 times already and still can’t see him. how do you do it? tell me your secret lol

    • Agirlandherdog says:

      I need to watch the episode a few more times to be able to fully dissect it. Initial thoughts: I’ve been disappointed in the cinematography in general this season. Last night’s episode was obviously the worst. You could barely see what was going on. On the episode itself: Jon Snow is the WORST EFFING strategist in the history of Westeros. For real. Do NOT send your first charge out into the night when they can’t even see what they’re going up against! What the hell. They basically just wasted the entire Dothraki hoarde! For nothing! He always always charges in when he should wait. Wait until they’re closer. Start with your catapults to thin the field. THEN send in your first wave. God. I feel like I should not have to explain these things. But when I really think about it, Jon was never trained as a strategist. Robb was. Because he was the next Lord of Winterfell. But Jon was just a bastard. He was trained to fight, but not really to lead men. Even when he joined the Watch, he wasn’t trained to strategize. He did well at the battle of the wall, but that’s because his enemy brought the fight to him. They completely devalued their most effective weapon against the wight army – dragons. Sweet lord of light, it’s like they were actually TRYING to sabotage their armies.

      Last week Gwendolyn Christie was the freaking MVP. The week it was Carice von Houten. Every scene she was in was amazing. God, that scene with Arya. What do we say to the God of the Dead? When Arya took off, I was going through all the possibilities in my head and started yelling at my husband, “She’s going to the godswood!” I always firmly believed that Jaqen H’ghar’s training was never about turning Arya into a faceless man. I thought he knew she had an important role to play, and his goal was always to make her into the Arya Stark she needed to be. Whenever he asked “who are you,” he was just waiting for the moment when she’d realize she’s Arya Stark, baddest motherf***er is the history of Westeros. I just never would have guessed that she’d play the role she did.

      Where the hell is Ghost? That is some cheap, lazy storytelling D&D. God. It was a total waste of Ghost, but obviously, they just wanted him out of the way, so they wouldn’t have to spend money on his sequences. Ghost’s fighting ability would have been better utilized inside the keep, in close quarters. And yet…

      Theon fighting off the wights after his other men had fallen was a thing of beauty.

      Overall, I was more disappointed than anything. Obviously Arya was amazing. Theon was good. The Sansa/Tyrion handholding was good. I do like how they’re repeating lines from season 1 in this last season and bringing that full circle. When Arya gives Sansa Needle and tells her you stick them with the pointy end, just like Jon said to Arya when he gave it to her… that was poignant.

      And now the trailer for next week shows Dany celebrating their “victory” and ready to march up to the Red Keep… it feels very anti-climactic. Arya just destroyed the GREATEST threat to humankind. Your forces have been DECIMATED. Everyone has lost someone they love. No one gives a sh*t about who sits on the Iron Throne right now except Dany and Cersei. Give people some time to grieve and recover for gods sake!

      I’m happy you saw the Rhaegal lived though. That was one of my big questions because you just couldn’t see anything.

      • swisshansa10 says:

        COuld not agree more on strategy. It was poor at best – Dothrakis are sent in the dark on offense when they were supposed to defend and nobody was defending Winterfell when all were chilling in Formation to fight the dead…. Lighting was very poor, had to guess half the Action esp with the Dragons in the storm…. Poor showing on These Counts. But the rest was amazing.

      • Valiantly Varnished says:

        I liked the episode overall but I completely agree about Jon. You make the enemy come to YOU. You dont send your men out in TOTAL DARKNESS to their deaths. And why did no one think to have the dragon create a ring of dragon fire around Winterfell?? They could have killed a ton of them that way before they ever reached the gates.

      • Becks1 says:

        I wasn’t sure why the dragons weren’t burning more of the walkers, lol. I know they got caught in the storm, but when the walkers were storming the barricade I was like, OR Dany or Jon could just burn them now. I wasn’t really sure what the point of riding around on the dragons was.

        And the dothraki seemed like a waste. It seemed like something that was done for the visual effect, not for actual battle strategy.

      • AryasMum says:

        I think the producers just wanted to get rid of the Dothraki – none of them are even named and I wouldn’t recognize a face if I tried. The Dothraki knew it was a suicide mission and the audience got to see them screaming and doing their thing one last time. It also now cuts all Dany’s ties to Drogo, especially now that Jorah’s gone.

      • M.A.F. says:

        Because I have an older cable box but a newer HD TV, half the time I can’t tell if it’s the show or my set up because when I watch it again on streaming, it’s clearer. I could have sworn Pod died but then I saw him at the end alive so I chalked it up to the lighting. The part with Dany & John in the storm, I could barely tell what was happening.

      • Eleonor says:

        I agree with you about Jon Snow as strategist.
        He is the worst, seriously.
        He is a good fighter, but every single time he plans something there is a woman: Sansa, Danaerys and Arya who saves his Targaryan-Stark a§@.

      • Cali says:

        @AGIRLANDHERDOG Thanks for writing all of that, it’s exactly how I feel especially the major disappointment with the NK’s killing and then watching the previews for next weeks episode like Ehhhhhh, who really gives a $hit the best villain for a decade perished with a simple trick and dragon glass , Cersi is NOT a better or even more interesting villain than the NK. You can so tell that the show is completely different ever since the books ended, the tragic deaths haven’t even been the same all though I could go without that, but it also goes to show how talented GRR Martin is. I hope he writes his own ending so that we can see what the final chapters were supposed to look like. I’m going to DVR the final shows as I’m only waiting for a Jaime and Brianne hook up, Ghost and for Tyrion or Jaime to kill Cersi.

      • Anance says:

        Jon lost every battle he’s led; in most engagements, someone else saved him and the remnants of his army at last minute.

        — The Wall — Stannis defeats the Wildings
        — Hardhome — a complete defeat, a massacre.
        — Battle of Bastards — Sansa rides in with the Vale
        — Wight Hunt — Dany, who lost a dragon in the process
        — Siege of WF — Arya’s destroy NK & AOTD

        MVPS:

        — RHAEGAL taking out Viserion — sick moves by our green friend that forced the NK off his mount;
        — GREYWORM fighting a rearguard holding action to save countless lives;
        — JAIME warning b/f the battle the NK would not reveal himself, which he didn’t until he had to;
        — THEON killing enough wights protecting Bran until the NK decided to do it himself
        — BERIC & HOUND saving Arya
        — MELISANDRE being in the right places to use her powers to gain time and to guide Arya
        — ARYA using all her FM training to get the kill shot

        LET’S NOT FORGET:
        — JON for uniting the North and the wildings and bringing Dany to the fight
        — DANY for acquiring overwhelming military strength over years in Essos to prevent annihilation of the North
        — SANSA for putting WF on a war footing; saving countless lives

      • Anance says:

        @Agirlandherdog

        “And now the trailer for next week shows Dany celebrating their “victory” and ready to march up to the Red Keep… it feels very anti-climactic.”

        It shows that humans learn nothing — after defeating an existential threat, Sansa cares abt the North, Dany, Cersei & Euron want the Iron Throne and Tyrion weighs his options. That we know of.

      • MoxyLady says:

        I yelled that at the tv. “You had months to prepare and this is the plan you came up with!!!! Run into the dark! Pointy sticks?!? Where is the hot oil?!? The fucking moat?!?” Rage.

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        To all Jon’s critics, he tries to UNITE people, rather than play games, because he knows that they (and him) can only win if they work together. So we shouldn’t be surprised that Jon prevails only because other people are working with him. And he is always fighting against incredibly bad odds, but as he said they have to fight the battle with the men they have. And even if you know you will probably lose, as Beric said, you have to fight anyway.

        As for people “saving” him, if I hear one more time about Sansa “saving” Jon with the Vale, I will virtually slap you across the internet. She lied to Jon when he was planning that battle. She kept crucial information from him. It’s a miracle Jon survived long enough for the Vale to finally arrive, and in the meantime many loyal men died in that battle because Sansa back-stabbed Jon. And as for Dany “saving” Jon with her dragon, she saved them all. And she was there to save them all because of Jon’s efforts to bring her north. Sansa can stab Jon in the back by undermining him in front of the other houses, and withholding information from him, etc., yet she doesn’t offer ANY alternate plans. Complaining and undermining someone else is not leadership. Dany and Jon have shown leadership, and people chose to follow them because of that, and not because of back-stabbing and political manipulation like other characters (Sansa, Cersie, even Lady Tyrell).

      • maisie says:

        Thank you! Listening to Dany effectively pat herself on the back in the preview made me think: “You’re almost as bad a Cersei. Take the damn throne and let everyone else go (except your nephew/boyfriend Jon, who was as useless as you were in that battle).” I foresee lots of cold words from Sansa – and more from Tyrion when they all find out who Jon really is. This will not be good.

    • Himmiefan says:

      In the trailer for next week, Dany says that “we” won the war. I want someone to stand up and say, no Arya won the war.

      • Linn says:

        Sure, she kicked everybody’s ass all by herself.

        She didn’t get saved by the hound and Beric. Dany and Drogon didn’t knock the Night’s King of his Dragon so he had to pursue Bran on foot, Theon and his Ironborn didn’t kill the other people who tried to kill Bran before Arya was there, thousands of people didn’t gave their lives so Arya had the time to make it there, Mellissandre didn’t work her fire magic and stirred Arya in the right direction etc.

        Arya was the hand that killed the Night’s King but it really was a joint effort by the side of the living and Dany’s “We” is the right choice of words.

      • liriel says:

        Linn, agree. I just have no words, it was such a joint effort and Arya did something most memorable but with great teamwork!

    • Turtledove says:

      “Hoping next week Arya is all – I killed the Nigh King, I make the rules”

      This!! The next time Sansa ad Dany have a “what happens to the North after you get your throne”” talk… Arya needs to be there and weigh in. She should get whatever the hell she wants. Tiny girl…with a tiny dagger saves the god damn day.

    • Isabelle says:

      Also want her to bring up to Dany, yo I saved you all and have a say in who is crowned. not Arya’s style but would love to see her challenge Dany on it.

      • Original T.C. says:

        And all Dany has to say is “Dracarys” and Arya is toast! Remember Westeros was conquered with only 3 Tarygaryans and 3 dragons. If Dany wanted to, she could fly over The Red Keep and burn Cersei and all her thousands of soldiers as well as Eueros like she did last night to the Wights. Then come back and kill all the Starks. She is now battle tested and better riding her dragon than Jon. Heck, she can get her dragon back from Jon any time.

      • Arpeggi says:

        @Original T.C. But if she was doing that, she’d be no different than her mad father. What’s the goal of being on the throne if you don’t have subjects anymore? Dany needs to learn how to earn respect other than from fear of retaliation if she wants to rule and not just be in a perpetual war and that’s something she could definitely learn from Jon who’s far better at understanding what’s best for everyone (even though people are greedy and short-sighted and refuse to see that in the long run, compromise would be better than immediate gain). Also, I’m not sure the dragons are truly hers now that they’ve met Jon, their allegiance might change (kids can be ungrateful like that) depending on how she behaves.

    • MrsBanjo says:

      Oh it would be beautiful if Arya kills Cersei with either Jaime or Tyrion’s faces.

  2. Stormyshay says:

    Still processing everything that happened. Great episode. Did not see that coming at all.

    • LoonyTunes says:

      Sooo… the prince that was promised is Arya’s kid with Gendry? The Targaryens (Jon and Dany) are red herrings?

      • smcollins says:

        Or Arya. Remember the “prince” could also mean “princess” since in Valaryan (?) the term has no gender. I know she’s not a princess but it may not be literal?

        Fantastic episode, although I’m still processing everything. I’ll be watching it over and over throughout the week, that’s for sure.

      • ByTheSea says:

        but Arya isn’t a princess. That’s the only thing that has me stuck. Or does the prophesy not have anything to do with the Night King at all and it was always about getting a murderous despot (Cersei) out of the way, in order to usher in peace and prosperity to all.

      • Des says:

        Technically, Arya became a princess when her brother Robb declared himself King of the North. And while Jon has bent the knee, it’s not entirely certain that the North will honor that bend.

        But also, GRRM has said many times that you can’t rely on prophecies in this story because just like the real world, people tend to over rely on them being literal and then retcon the reality into fitting with the prophecy when things invariably go differently.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Prophecies only have power if you believe in them and feel they’re about you. That’s sort of the point, ultimately, who cares if you’re a Stark, a Targ, 2nd born or a bastard: you do you and act according to the moment. As the Hound would say: F@&k prophecies!

      • styla says:

        The prophecy was that Azor Ahai would be born of Aerys and his wife’s children… which is why they were married despite being brother and sister. She is not Azor Ahai.

      • Sof says:

        The prince that was promissed is suppossed to be a Targaryen (that’s why they let Duncan Targaryen abdicate and didn’t annule his marriage with Jenny of Oldstones ).

      • Original T.C. says:

        The Prince that was promised Azo Ahai was supposed to be A Targaryen. Rhaegar Targaryen believed the prophecy meant his own son (or daughter). In the House of the undying, Rhaegar claimed to need 3 children, 3 heads of the dragon. His first son he named Aegon as part of the prophecy. He needed a third child but his wife would have died in childbirth if she tried for a 3rd. That is why Rhaeger Targaryen left his wife children and ran away with Lyanna Stark. He then married her and impregnated her. He believed his three children would one day save the world from the long night. Jon was the 3rd child and 2nd boy.

        Instead it started a huge civil war that resulted in the death of thousands, including both of his wives and his other 2 children, and the Targaryens lost the iron throne. So the dragon only had 1 head-the Prince that was promised. All this time his actions were supposed to be justified as the death of thousands would save the entire planet from the Whitewalkers. A Stark saving the world instead means he had it wrong all along.

      • Isabelle says:

        There is no Prince that was Promised on the show. Not enough time and zero reason to include that now.

      • Megan says:

        If the Azor Ahai prophecy is wrong, Maggy the Frog’s May be wrong as well.

      • SpilldatT says:

        But there is also the Last Hero that Sam reads about who is supposed to end the Long Night.

        Arya is the Last Hero.

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        About that “Prince” thing, my problem with the “Prince that was Promised” being Jon is that Jon was never a prince. He was born after his father and grandfather were dead, so he was king from the moment of birth and jumped over ever being a prince. So the Prince(ss) would have to be Dany or someone else — like Arya, or Bran (since Robb was declared King in the North).

  3. Fran says:

    Just unbelievable. Now what do I do with the rest of my week?

  4. Sara says:

    What a masterpiece. People complained of the dark and the chaos but that’s what war is. For the first time in ages I could fear the terror that has gripped so many innocent soldiers marching to their death for the powers that be, confused and lost and expendable. It felt like the beginning scene of Saving Private Ryan in a way.

    • Lo says:

      All I kept think was, they could’ve just done massive multi layered fire pits instead of that piddly little fence and when the walkers got in they could have been welcomed to vats and vats of oil lit up with fire. They had all of last season to prepare.
      Once the white walker king came, it could’ve just been Bran and a sneaky Arya with a small contingent ‘protecting’ the garden.
      All those soldiers died for what?

      • Nona says:

        Lo, that’s exactly how I felt. All those unnecessary deaths! It would have been so easy to prevent all that with just a few changes.
        I liked the ending—I love that Arya was the hero—but this episode did not move me.

      • Agirlandherdog says:

        Agree with you both. I posted something similar above. It’s clear they don’t have a brilliant, or even good, tactician among them.

      • AryasMum says:

        I wish they’d had a giant hook thing like they had on the wall. They let it swing and the wildlings were knocked off to their deaths.

      • Isabelle says:

        …..or Dany & Jon could have reigned down fire on the Dead before the troops charged. Took out as many as possible before the assault began would have helped.

      • liriel says:

        I agree, I’m in the minority here but majority on reddit it seems but this episode fell flat. On emotional level and I do miss brilliant strategists. They were mostly killed off in earlier season but this war.. Was kind of dumb and killing KN so easy..

    • ReginaGeorge says:

      I raised the brightness on my TV. Somw folks had to do the same during the encoré. Lol.

    • Becks1 says:

      I mentioned the oil bit to my husband too lol. He was like, “but they don’t feel pain” and I said BUT IT WOULD BURN THEM!!!!

      The quality was definitely off last night with the show. We kept changing our settings and adjusting the brightness and could not see what was happening. It wasn’t just “blurry,” it was almost like it wasn’t filmed in high def or something. IDK. We are going to watch again tonight so I wonder if it will be better. But we noticed the quality issue almost immediately, it wasn’t just because of the motion of the battle.

      • Turtledove says:

        “It wasn’t just “blurry,” it was almost like it wasn’t filmed in high def or something.”

        My husband is trying to convince me that we need to buy a new tv because of this! lol. Our tv does get a bit wonky when there is a lot of black onscreen….but this was just BEYOND that. I understand that part of it was intentional, because they wanted the audience to experience the chaos the characters were. But it got to the point where we often couldn’t tell what was happening at all. When Jorah first comes riding back…when the undead Dothrakis are attacking…they showed him almost in slow motion and it still was not easy to identify him.

      • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

        @Becks1 and @Turtledove I’m so glad to read it wasn’t just me and I also thought about buying a new TV. But, when I read it’s everyone I’m glad. I get what the poster above said @sara, it’s the true chaos of war/battle and I’ll try to understand it from that perspective.

    • ChillyWilly says:

      I agree Lilly. The dark and chaos made me feel like I was there. I thought it was a genius episode.

  5. Cecilia Overballe says:

    *** spoiler alert ***
    I was left wondering if the dragon Rhaegal survived. He did! Yay!
    Here’s proof:
    https://www.google.dk/amp/s/heavy.com/entertainment/2019/04/dragon-rhaegal-live-die-game-of-thrones-season-8-episode-3/amp/

    • Mel says:

      Thank you! The dragons fights were the most confusing and hard to see, I wasn’t sure if both dragons had made it out alive, I thought only one. If both dragons and Ghost made it, and I know Arya obviously did, I am satisfied, that’s all I wanted.

  6. Morrissey says:

    I don’t even watch this show – don’t have a subscription – but I love to read the recaps here and watch Gay Of Thrones and Game Of Jones and Leslie Jones’s live-watching. This episode managed to make me ugly cry anyway (and guttural laugh cause Leslie Jones is so funny and I love her so much my god).
    So sad about Lyanna, but damn that was a way to go.
    Jorah was sad too, but I’ve watched several shows lately where Iain Glenn has been such a rotter that my partner and I now call the bad guy in anything “Iain Glenn”.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Leslie seemed to watch it in her own time because she was still only halfway through the show an hour after it was over.

      • Morrissey says:

        I think it’s because she watches a minute, then rewinds it and does her bit, then watches a minute more. Then tweets it out. Then regroups everything afterwards and instagrams it. It takes her a bit of effort. She has expressed before now that it is quite a bit going on to watch these shows for us.
        But as I’m a recap watcher and not a live-watcher, it’s still all good to me.

  7. Taya says:

    And that’s why Arya is my fave. #goat

    Jet lag combined with the heart racing episode = I’m still awake at 4am.

    My theory is that if we didn’t see their death on screen, then they’re still alive. For main characters of course. My friend thought Jamie and Brienne died, but I think that if they did, they would have shown it.

    • Becks1 says:

      That was what I said to my husband in some of the scenes, where I couldn’t tell what was happening – “Did Jamie just die? Was that Brienne?” But then I figured they would make a point of showing us those deaths. It would be clear.

  8. Arpeggi says:

    I was not expecting this! But I’m pleasantly surprised. Though it seems ridiculous that none of the main/secondary characters died, it was unbelievable.

    Also, goddamit CraveTv! Isn’t the show filmed in 4K? Why can’t we get a true HD stream?!? It was so difficult to see most of the stuff because of the low quality 🙁

    • drea says:

      my crave app on firetv kept having issues so I tried to watch it through the app on my phone casting to my chromecast and it didn’t work there either. I missed some stuff but I can watch it again. Crave tv needs to up their game.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Crave’s been bought by Bell Canada and we all know Bell can’t do technology properly. It’s really a pity. It seems that it’s not just an issue in Canada, so maybe they really messed up during prod?

    • Jess says:

      We have all the latest tech and gadgets and it still looked like complete shit on HBO hd. For the first time ever with this show I was disappointed in the quality, we had to turn all the lights off and fiddle with the volume a few times, but it was worth it!

    • Alissa says:

      I think it’s a little funny that everyone was convinced everyone was going to die, and all that happened was a couple of secondary characters that no one really cared about died. I’m hoping that means there’s going to be a big battle with Kings landing that will have a little more impact, but it seems strange that they kept pushing that the night king was the real threat and he didn’t end up being all that impactful.

      • Becks1 says:

        YES, Alissa, I agree. At the end I was like, “that’s it? No one else?” Jorah was vaguely a surprise, but not shocking. I think we all knew Theon was not going to make it, but like I said below, it was a good death for him. I was so anxious over who was going to die, and it seemed most of them made it. So now if you can survive the NK, Cersei seems like a peace of cake, right?

      • Arpeggi says:

        It just makes no sense!!!! The Unsullied and the Dotrakis were always meant to be cannon fodders, it’s their job, and yet Greyworm survives?!? I was expecting Varys to die in the crypt while pushing the children out of harm’s way (a bit like Beric did), some of the “seasoned” soldiers (and Pod) too… Jorah was a goner, he was always gonna die saving Dany, Lyanna was a goner too. I wanted Ed to survive (would it be only because of my dead pool) because I didn’t want the Night Watch to be exterminated, though in hindsight it makes sense cuz the Wall isn’t needed anymore… But c’mon! In battles, you can’t only have nameless extras dying!

      • Megan says:

        Jorah got to die in his homeland.

      • AryasMum says:

        I cared about all the dead, especially Jorah and Theon. I was wrong in my theory that every house or place will have one left living. Edd was the last known brother at the wall, and both Mormonts died. I still have faith that Gendry will live to be the last Baratheon. Looks like Arya is getting it on again, and that surely includes Gendry.

      • Becks1 says:

        @AryasMum – it didn’t even click for me that the house of mormont is dead. I knew they both died, but it wasn’t until I read your comment that it clicked. That is sad.

      • Jenns says:

        I hope we’re finished with big battles. While visually stunning, the writing on the last few(Battle of the Bastards, Beyond the Wall and The Long Night) hasn’t been good.

      • Arpeggi says:

        And can we talk about how stupid was Theon’s death? You don’t run towards the NK, it’s suicide, it’s silly. You make it come to you, try for a fight of some sort.

        Theon was better than that

      • liriel says:

        Theon knew there was no chance for him. Honestly, his death moved me. After all the torture porn he redeemed himself and I wanted for him to be happy for at least a few days more…

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        Yeah, the only death that really made me feel something was Theon. Great redemption arc for him. While I never thought Jon or Dany (or Sansa, Tyron, Arya) would die in this episode, I seriously expected Bran to be the “important” death, so I was surprise he made it. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t see how the battle against Cersie can be exciting if Bran is still around. He can control her mind to bend the knee, or kill herself, or whatever, and the war is over right then. I still think the show has to come up with a way to get Bran out of the picture.

    • Starkiller says:

      I watched it in a brand new (literally out of the box yesterday) iPad Pro and couldn’t see sh*t. I was starting to think I received a lemon.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Considering we’re all complaining, I doubt you have. My roku TV is 5mo old (bought it mostly thinking about GoT), Crave/HBO isn’t available on roku (because Crave/Bell sucks) and I stream it from my laptop w/ an HDMI cable… everything that’s supposed to be 4K looks great. GoT though? Nope! The quality is terrible, woulda looked better on my 1999, cathodic TV

      • Agirlandherdog says:

        We have a top of the line 60″ flat screen. Trust me, it’s not your device. The cinematography is crap this season and even worse last night.

      • Anance says:

        You need to darken your room to interrogation level.

  9. Digital Unicorn says:

    I did it see the Arya plot coming, I think we knew she was going to have a big part to play but being the one, wow.

    At the rate their r going Cersei will be dead at the end of next week episode and what next. I think they r setting up for a Jon and Dany show down, potentially with Sansa. The 3 of them fighting over the throne if it’s still left. The Sansa/Tyrion moment has me thinking they r being set up as the next rulers of Westeros. Am still not convinced either of them will rule.

    Saying all that Cersei would rather burn the whole kingdom down than give up the throne so there might not be a Westeros left at the end.

    Is Tormund still alive? Couldn’t tell.

    • Jess says:

      He better be! I didn’t see him die.

    • Ainsley7 says:

      Tormund is still alive.

    • Megan says:

      So Azor Ahai was just a fairytale? Feeling a bit cheated.

      • LoonyTunes says:

        Why does no one consider Gendry? He’s the son of a king (prince) and he’s potentially gotten Arya pregnant.

      • Megan says:

        But what about lightbringer and plunging the sword into the heart of the one you love most?

      • Lucia says:

        Not a fairy tale…just Arya.

      • Himmiefan says:

        Unless it is Arya with Melisandra as the Lightbringer and “sword” is a metaphor.

      • Va Va Kaboom says:

        It’s easiest if we just pretend this is an example of prophecies being wrong. Because the truth is D&D included plot points, like the prophecies, in the early seasons when they still thought they’d be following the source material. Now that they’ve got to make a satisfying ending on their own, without spoiling the book series. I’ll be shocked if the Night King’s defeat is anything like what we saw last night. If you enjoyed the episode, as I did, just don’t question it too hard…

    • Kelly says:

      I loved that Arya was the one to take out the Night King. It’s a direct reference to Eowyn taking out the Nazgul Witch King in Return of the King with an assist from Merry. The prophecy was the no man could take him out and it took a woman to do so.

      It’s also so in character for this show to have Jon draw up elaborate battle plans, only to have them fall apart at the beginning and a woman’s decisive actions save the day. Hopefully by the time they get to King’s Landing to take on Cersei and Euron, Jon and Dany can stick to the plan.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I’ve noticed more of the LOTR overtones this season. I know GRRM created this in response to everyone living in LOTR but definitely have seen more homage this season.

      • Megan says:

        I’ve noticed a few too many LOTR’s overtones this season. If they get on a boat and sail away in the end I am going to be seriously peeved.

    • Lucy says:

      He’s alive! Right after Arya kills the NK, you can see him standing on a mountain of corpses, next to Gendry.

    • Isabelle says:

      Think most of thought she was taking out Cersi (which may still happen) instead of NK but many did speculate she would take out NK. Other than Jon she was close to the top for speculation as the NK killer. Still it was a surprise.

  10. Ai says:

    The unclear dragon riding scenes and slo-mo were annoying but other than that it was a fantastic episode. We all knew the battle would be ugly because the NK was would outnumber and outsmart our gang.

    I’m soooooooooooooooooo glad that Arya saved the day, Ghost and both dragons are still alive. Bran set himself up as the trap I see. I was thinking that he would come with some good intel or something but noooo he was just chilling and flying via crows. Happy that the death count wasn’t as bad as I initially feared although it was still sad to see some of the good characters go. Jon and Dany remains a bit useless was what I kept on thinking. Everyone had a role to play but I feel like these two keep failing their potential. 3 episodes left and all to fight Cersei? Hmmmm

    • msd says:

      The showrunners have said they decided Arya was going to kill the NK three years ago. Because, why not, right?

      This really doesn’t bode well.

      I just hope the final three eps have more GRRM in them. Say what you will about the man but his storytelling isn’t cheap.

      • Ai says:

        I agree with you that I am also worried about the storytelling of the last few episodes. Maybe next one to take down Cersei and then the remaining two between Jon and Danny. I dunno – just guessing.

      • ReginaGeorge says:

        Well GRRM gave them the basic plot and outlined endgame, so he was part of the process. He also said recently that the book won’t deviate from the major points of the show and that only certain things would be changed.

      • msd says:

        The Night King as such isn’t GRRM though. Killing the Night King kills the AotD isn’t him either. We can safely assume The Others (book name) are defeated in the books but the other stuff we saw is just D&D. The book presumably was simply too complicated. Or perhaps GRRM hasn’t decided.

        I’m hoping that the political stuff in the final 3 eps is something that comes from GRRM. It will be better, more logical, more interesting storytelling if it is. Fingers crossed.

      • Ainsley7 says:

        I don’t think you should get your hopes up about them having more GRRM in them. D&D didn’t even understand why Jenny’s Song was as important as it was in the second episode. They aren’t the ones inserting the Easter eggs. They literally said they *think* the song is from the books. Meanwhile, it’s a song about the tragedy of Summerhall when Ser Duncan the Tall died and Rhaegar was born.
        Brienne is a descendant of Ser Duncan being Knighted in the episode and Jon reveals he is Rhaegar’s son. Yet, they didn’t seem to know this significance at all. Cogman is the one who usually gets this stuff included and that was his episode. D&D were super protective and secretive about the last four episodes. So, we will get their decisions for the rest of the season. They should have handed it all over to Cogman since he’s willing to put in the work.

      • Isabelle says:

        It makes just as much sense for Arya to have killed than anyone else on the show. Especially Jon the golden boy of the show. I’m glad it was Arya.

    • Turtledove says:

      “Everyone had a role to play but I feel like these two keep failing their potential. 3 episodes left and all to fight Cersei? Hmmmm”

      I have the same “hmmm”. I am very curious how they use the next 3 episodes with “only” the Cersei plot left.

      I was so shocked by Arya. (It was funny because when Melisandre asks “what do we say to the god of death?”…Arya replies “Not today” and RUNS AWAY. My husband and I were both like “Where is she going?” Even though we stopped to question that..we had NO inkling that she was going for the NK.

      I think Dany and Jon did play their parts. Jon fought his way through a horde of undead to try to get back to Bran…though he was kind of impotent when the ice dragon was there in front of him and Arya “killed it” via killing the NK. But Dany came in with her Dragon and did a lot of good a few times during the battle.

      • Isabelle says:

        We 100% are going to have a Jon and Dany showdown on who gains the throne and then an episode tying it all together. If anything we don’t have enough episodes left.

  11. msd says:

    Oh man, I guess I’m the party pooper. I had a lot of problems with this episode after a great start.

    Plenty of technical brilliance on display but it was dragged out, oddly structured, and the storytelling was a mess. Was the whole NK, AotD a red herring? I guess it was. That explains why it never had any depth to it. And Bran did nothing except warg into some ravens. Is the 3ER also just a storytelling device, a piece of world building? I don’t mind if the characters and politics are important but if the magic was just a diversion, that’s cheap and lazy.

    • Nona says:

      Nope, I’m with you. Thought the beginning was fraught with tension. Loved that. Kind of went downhill from there. I was never emotionally swept away—and I usually am with GoT. It felt so sterile to me. I know that’s a strange word to describe an epic battle, but I so irritated by the stupid writing—by the countless needless deaths that could have been avoided with a few simple strategies—that I rarely felt invested in what I was watching. I was impressed with the technology. I’ll give them that. And I did love the Arya ending.

      • Agirlandherdog says:

        Agree to all points. They rushed to get everything into a few final episodes, and it just feels lazy. It’s missing the quality we’ve loved. Last night was so poorly written I didn’t even care when my girl Lyanna died, and last week, I was ready to riot in the streets if anything happened to her.

    • BookOwl says:

      Yes. All this.

    • Jess says:

      You’re not the party pooper, I have a few negative thoughts on it I’m just scared to post them, lol. I almost feel bad criticizing because it’s such an amazing show. There were some great parts that gave me chills and I’m happy with the end result, but I laughed a few times at the dramatics and unrealistic survivals and last minute saves that just kept happening, I was like oh come on!

      • Jenns says:

        I laughed when the Night King owned Jon yet again by raising the dead. And was he just going to yell at that dragon at the end?

      • Lady D says:

        Yeah, what the hell was his plan with that dragon? Was he hoping this would be the moment the dragon ran out of fire or tripped and fell on John’s sword or what? Would Valeryian steel take out an wight dragon?

      • Becks1 says:

        I just rewatched the last 25 minutes or so in the gym while working out, and I laughed so hard at that part – I literally said out loud, “they were right! he is just yelling at the dragon!”

        and in general, Jon was just kind of running around Winterfell there. I guess it was supposed to show the sheer chaos and helplessness? He hears Sam and just keeps going.

    • Jennifer says:

      The overall episode was fine but it the eyestrain it caused forced me to leave the room a few times. I understand why it was so dark and chaotic, but I hoped for more artistry than mess.

    • noodle says:

      I have to agree. I was left quite disappointed. After all this buildup, the killing of NK was just so anticlimactic (not sure if it’s the right word). It was an awesomely executed move from Arya but after that I was left with a “and that’s it?”
      Episode 2 left me more shaken up than this one.
      NK smirk was epic thou. He don’t burn, ha! But he can raise the dead.
      Too many characters survived. We might just get our Disney ending after all.

      • Megan says:

        Why didn’t he burn? I can’t figure that out.

      • AryasMum says:

        The WWs have been shown to be fireproof when they walked through fire to get to Bran. That was the episode where the 3ER, Leaf, Summer, and Hodor died.

      • Isabelle says:

        NK lost the Game of Thrones. He simply lost. Just like many before him who we had for seasons and then poof gone. We have whole houses die off…poof…gone. GOT has never don’t big send offs, they are there cause all kinds of havoc and in one episode gone. It has never nor will even be sentimental show that does huge send offs. When you lose the throne you are dead and gone. That is it and it has been the pattern of GOT since S1.

      • GreenTurtle says:

        One of the lieutenants also walked through the fire at Hardhome while the wights were cowering from it.

    • Pandabird says:

      You’re not alone. I thought this episode and battle was just plain sloppy. Arya was scared shitless after being chased by the wights; yet after one little chat with Mel, she’s all “Night King? Piece if cake!” And the dead Starks in the crypts managed to break through concrete, but somehow the wight they brought back in season 7 couldn’t break through the wooden box. Huh?

      • ByTheSea says:

        Arya acted to save Bran DESPITE her fear.

        And after rewatching episode when they captured the wight, it was in chains and the box was bolted, reinforced, chained, etc. It wasn’t just a simple wooden box.

      • Agirlandherdog says:

        The thing with Arya didn’t bother me. I thought that was a great scene with Melisandre. She WAS scared shitless. She was once again the scared little girl from season 1. Lost and just trying to survive. But Melisandre reminded her who she is now.

      • Pandabird says:

        Ha! So the chains did the trick? Please.

      • Yennefer of Vengerberg says:

        Concrete, ByTheSea. Concrete. Solid rock. Chains and bolts and wood is still easier to break than concrete.

      • GreenTurtle says:

        That was so dumb. I thought the crypts were supposed to be stone, too. They could’ve just had some wights find the secret passageway into the crypts.

    • Turtledove says:

      The entire NK plot did seem to just sort of “fart out” at the end, right?

      I was waiting for some huge twist. Bran is warging…and for what purpose??? He literally says “I’m going to go now” and goes all wargy into the ravens…but what the hell was he looking for/at??

      Then once Theon is dead, the NK walks slowly…ever so slowly…to Bran. And I was waiting for some huge reveal. (I know one theory was that Bran WAS the NK and I thought we were about to see something like that) and then he really was JUST walking up to kill him. It was so bizarre.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I was waiting for the NK to say something. I really thought he was going talk.

      • Isabelle says:

        As all that have tried to gain the throne. Stannis, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Robb, Renly…gone in one episode for the show to only move on quickly without them. It is a pattern on GOT for them to wreck havoc and go out in a snap of a finger.

    • laura-j says:

      Nope, I called it Lame of Thrones afterwards, the battle with the night king is a way bigger deal than taking the throne from my girl Cersei. People die and rulers change, but if there is an army of the undead hanging around, that’s a bigger deal. And seriously none of the main characters died, they all just skirted the fire and zombies. What was the show that teased a main character dying then it turned out to be a maid or something? Felt like that.

      I mean yay Arya and all, but it was so anticlimactic. It would have been better to at least end the episode with him holding her by the throat… some sort of cliffhanger. Because I don’t really care who “wins” at this point.

      • Deedee says:

        I think the NK should have crushed Arya while she stabbed him, killing both of them. For Lyanna, I would have changed her death scene by having her sacrificing herself to save another (maybectgat girl who looked like Shireen) and then have her come back as a wight and force Ser Davos to kill her, thereby understanding to some degree why Shireen had to be sacrificed,

  12. broodytrudy says:

    Okay, but like, what the hell was that? “Oh, you know this great story we’ve been weaving throughout seven seasons? Let’s just chuck it all out the corner and hope the fans forget about it.”
    NO Azor Ahai, no Prince that was promised, no lightbringer??? WTF. SO disappointing. And Arya, seriously? They just jacked the plot vehicle from Independence Day and stuck it on her because…?
    What a GD mess. Honestly not even sure I will watch anymore. Total disregard for the story. Episode was so dark you couldn’t hardly see anything. Soundtrack was amazing. Choreography was amazing. NK got jacked monologing. Whatever.

    Deathcount for you is all tertiary characters. Edd, Beric, Jorah, Theon Greyjoy, Lyanna Mormont, and Melisandre. Everyone is is living. Including Jon Snow who AGAIN didn’t do shit except shout at a dragon for five fxcking minutes. God I’m sick of him.

    • Lory says:

      Arya was Azor Ahai. They set that up with Missandei correcting Dany when she translated it to the prince that was promised. Missandei said it could be both prince or princess. I’m actually glad they did this great big battle without getting stuck on the fantasy side of everything. I always liked the political and military side of game of thrones more than the fantasy side. We now know the night king isn’t the big bad but just a secondary character that greatly weakens the northern army before the real battle goes down: Cersei versus everybody else. She has a fresh new army and is crazy enough to want to burn the whole thing to the ground.

      • broodytrudy says:

        Literally nothing about the Azor Ahai prophecy fits Arya.

        “There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.”

        “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.”

        NONE of that fits. God this was SO LAZY and I’m pissed.

      • Megan says:

        Maybe the Night King isn’t who Azor Ahai is meant to kill? IDK, the prophecy is so prominent in the books, just chucking it would, indeed, be so lazy.

      • shouldawoulda says:

        Arya was bleeding. Beric and Mel both believe this prophecy and had flaming swords.

        Nevertheless, I think Mel though was wrong as she manipulating the prophecy, even killing people. Bran is right, be a good person when you are called to do so.

      • Isabelle says:

        JFC broodytrudy….I’m glad the writers doesn’t always listen to fans. We had a few, freaking one to two lines on the Prince that was promised to give fan service in 10 years. Fans trying to make something happened that the show has never focused on at all. When Dany was talking about “her” she meant herself and it was just a moment where they were trying to reflect that Dany is full of herself and her ego so big at this point she thinks se is the Promised one. It is really not that hard.

      • Megan says:

        @Isabelle – the entire Stannis storyline in the show was about Azor Ahai.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Megan – thanks, I had actually forgotten about that (it seems so long ago!) that was why Melisandre was involved with Stannis, right? she thought he was the Prince who was promised.

      • broodytrudy says:

        LOl isabelle, what show are you watching? The entire show, from the very first scene, has focused on Azor Ahai and the Prince that was promised. That is literally the main plot of the show, that one of those would need to defeat the NK. Wtf are you watching?? My god.

    • Ai says:

      I think the whole Melissandre googling Arya the question was suppose to make us now connect that Arya is Azor Ahai. I don’t think they did a good job with the story telling in this episode, everything was jumpy. I agree that the tension was really good at the beginning but then you see our gang fail spectacularly re their war strategy and then like choppy cuts to each key characters.

    • Div says:

      I feel like there’s an argument to be made, at least in the books, that trying to follow prophecies exactly or forcing circumstances to fit prophecies can lead to doom…especially as not all prophecies pan out. So many characters cause chaos because of their belief or their worries about a prophecy.

      I mean, arguably Beric could count as Azor Ahai but I feel like the point is it doesn’t necessarily matter. It’s the actions that count, not some prophecy.

    • ReginaGeorge says:

      The Prince that was Promised as Azor Ahai can two different things.

      Jon is still TPtwP. But this Arya thing does throw the AA prophesy our of the water. I mean you could argue that she couldn’t have done it without Jon or Dany. And Jon was basically the whole reason everyone was banded together there in the first place. But I wonder if AA is now meant to prophesize something more metaphorical at this point.. Like they are meant to bring them out of the dark ages.

  13. Seán says:

    Death toll of named characters was Edd, Lyanna, Beric, Jorah, Theon, Night King and Melisandre. Ghost and the 2 dragons survived (appear in promos for next week’s episode) as well as all named characters in the crypt.

    I might be in the minority here but I hated the episode. 7 and a half seasons of build up for a very anti-climactic finale and poor set up.

    • Ainsley7 says:

      They have been shy about killing people ever since season 7. I agree that it sucks. I hate all the fake outs. Last minute saves shouldn’t be the norm and it kills tension with every save. If all the characters they haven’t killed really have to be alive then maybe they shouldn’t have killed so many other characters by having Cersei blow up the Sept. GRRM was annoyed about that and this might have been why. Not enough expendables to keep tension.

    • Becks1 says:

      I liked the episode a lot, and I LOVED the ending with Arya, but I see what you mean about it being a little anti-climactic. None of the deaths were shocking (and I’m not saying that more characters have to die for it to be good) but everyone that I thought would survive, survived. I like when it keeps me on my toes a bit more.

    • noodle says:

      +100

      It feels like they were just f***ing with us. They’ve gotten everyone to watch the show and rake in the big $$$. So now they can film weird storylines and make no sense cuz they are done anyway. Sad

  14. Loretta says:

    Poor Jorah, he died for his queen. His last scene with Dany was so moving.He was the king of friendzone.

  15. Scal says:

    Don’t hate me and I’m not 100% sure why-but upon a second watch (I stayed up sooo late) I was kind of disappointed? The first time I was so nervous about the tension and who was going to make it, and all the battle sequences. My heart was racing the entire time.

    The second time around? What actually happened? 2 years of the night king and we still don’t know anything about him or his narrative. Just he’s after memory and a weapon gone bad. Most of the cast made it except for some secondary characters. The plot armor was strong, people kept ending up with mounds of the dead on them and still making it over and over again? We did learn Jon snow is still a terrible General. Seriously we ALL saw how the crypt was going to go.

    I find it hard to explain why I feel kind of bummed the second time through. Any one else?

    • BookOwl says:

      The more I thought about it, the more disappointed I was. It seems like they’re tossing all the “inconvenient” stuff out the window so they can make a satisfying ending to the show. I expected the death count to be a lot higher than a slew of redshirts and a few secondary named characters (yes, Theon has been a major player, but literally no one thought he was surviving this episode for a reason; same with Jorah). There’s a LOT of main characters still around, having the same conversations.

    • broodytrudy says:

      We do know about the NK’s narrative, but i think a lot of people forgot because it wasn’t particularly exciting. He wants to destroy humanity because that’s what he was created for. That’s it. Just a generic baddie.

    • Arpeggi says:

      That’s because the series’ writers made up the NK character a bit out of nowhere (the Others have no true leader in the books) and with 6 episodes to go, they realized they had to close this side-story to focus on the stuff GRRM gave them to finish everything and they had no idea how to do it… I’m glad the whole NK’s arc is closed, the fight for the livings is a great concept, but they messed it up a bit. I’m still happy for Arya though, almost disappointed that more characters didn’t die (Brienne/Pod or Jaime should have, Greyworm too as the head of the human shields). But yeah, it was an odd arc

      • IlsaLund says:

        Agree….the series writers erred in building up the Night King/AOTD and deviating from GRRM on this plot point. They magnified the Night Kings importance and it feels deflated and hollow in how they’ve resolved it.

      • Becks1 says:

        It was like they couldn’t decide which plot to go with – Night King or battle for Westeros – so they tried to combine them with the whole “Dany putting the battle against the NK above the battle for the throne” but it just didn’t pan out. I have always felt that they seemed like two very distinct story lines – what was happening north of the wall with the walkers, and what was happening in the rest of Westeros – but sort of assumed that it would all come together at the end, but it didn’t really.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I think both plots could have worked if 1. the NK was even in the books and 2. if we had all 10 episodes. As it is, we get 3 for Winterfell & 3 for Kings Landing. Too short to fully wrap it all up.

    • msd says:

      I haven’t rewatched but I suspect it’s a case of the more you think about it, the worse it gets with this episode.

      • Jenns says:

        This is where I am. I re-watched and felt nothing. I’m just confounded and frustrated with how it all went down.

    • Cara says:

      I am not disappointed that the NK was not a layered character with a motive. He is literally death, nothing bigger than that. I think the show has been making that point for a long time now. It’s a battle of life vs. death. That’s why erasing all memories of life (i.e. Bran) is so critical.
      I also think that is why Arya had to be the one to kill him — because her whole storyline has been about ultimately facing death.

  16. Lightpurple says:

    As the show began, I was screaming at the TV: “stop building tension! We’re tense enough!” My cat snored in a nearby chair. By the battle of the dragons, the cat was sitting next to me on the couch, staring in the direction of the TV, her little body rigid with tension.

    Rest in Peace, House Mormont.

    Dear Edd, and now his watch has ended.

    • Birdix says:

      My dog was next to me on the floor and he rolled onto his side and covered his eyes with his paws!

    • Myrtle says:

      My dog and boy cat also became nervous wrecks over the course of the episode—restless, pacing, etc. (The girl cat wasn’t bothered, she just slept.)

      To me, the long dark battle was EPIC. Sure, the lighting was awful—so hard to see what was going on. But it was hard for them to see, too. Some of Jon’s strategies maybe were not the best, but I’m glad most of our favorite characters survived. And that ultimate moment when Arya appears out of nowhere, flying through the air to stab and shatter the NK? EPIC. I jumped up and cheered, hell yeah!

  17. ReginaGeorge says:

    Lyanna’s David and Goliath number made me cheer and cry at the same time. No little bear. She’s the biggest bear of all. RIP!

    And way go Melissandre with the assist! She really went all OUT!

    The Dance with Dragons in the air! That was visually stunning. I was like yeah Jon! Go get ’em!

    Dany finally using a weapon in hand to hand combat, even after having Jorah as a meat shield. RIP Jorah but you died in the arms of the woman you loved and defending her life

    Sansa and Tyrion definitely had a couple of moments there, eh???

    Also, once again this show blew my mind and literally flipped the script. I didn’t know how I felt about Arya being the NK SLAYER at first, but it makes sense. In Ep 2,she sneaks up on Jon in the same location at the Godswood. He literally mentions it. Also, she knows all of the tunnels and passageways of her home getting there would have been easy for her. The NK was expecting everyone else because he’s fought them before. Arya added that element of surprise with her ninja warrior assassin behind. Bravo, Arya.

    RIP Theon, Beric, Ed (who died thanks to Sam, honestly) but so happy Ghost and Rahegal made it.

    Happy Jaime and Hound can go to KL and fulfill their arcs there.

    OH this show having me in the feels. I couldn’t sleep I was awake until about 4am. I’m exhausted!!

    • Megan says:

      The smallest fighter killed the largest wight. It was kind of poetic.

    • Myrtle says:

      Yes! Agree with everything – I couldn’t sleep either! The tension and excitement….after waiting all week. Also want to say how much I love being part of this cultural moment, and having this online community to share it with. xx

  18. Lory says:

    Now we know it’s not the night king who is the big villain of the show but Cersei. The Dothraki have been decimated, the Unsullied for a large part as well. The northern armies have for the most part been killed so now it’s two dragons (which Cersei knows about and can prepare for) and a small and run down army left against Cersei’s fresh new army. I look forward to that battle….

    • snappyfish says:

      I agree Cersei is the big villain. Remember she is the true usurper. Robert was never rightfully King as he lied about Lyanna to start Robert’s Rebellion. Her children weren’t Roberts and no one. Outside her hand & the mountain are loyal to her. Euron will change like the tides & I hope Yara shows back up to stab him in the nuts.

      The question is who get to kill her. The list is long.

      • Yennefer of Vengerberg says:

        He didn’t ‘lie’. He simply didn’t know. It was Rhaegar’s father, the mad king Aerys Targaryen, also the father of one Daenerys Targaryen who killed the lord paramount of the North, and his son, and demanded the heads of the next in line of the North and the Stormlands because his own son and Lyanna Stark decided to heck off and make a baby, Elia Martell andher children, AEGON Targaryen and Rhaenys Targaryen be damned, without telling anybody that it was consensual.
        Robert didn’t lie. He read the situation as everybody saw it: the crown prince abandoning his wife and children to bang a 16-year-old who was already betrothed to one of his own major subjects.

        Robert’s Rebellion was started by the Targaryens and their mad tyranny and belief in their own exceptionalism. You can follow a prophecy and not be a complete freakin’ idiot about it, Ragger.

      • snappyfish says:

        When Sam and Bran are talking about Rhaegar and Lyanna’s wedding Bran says Robert’s Rebellion was based on a lie. Last episode season 7. He is the 3 eyed raven plus all of cersei’s Children are not Baratheons this makes her the usurper. My point is simply the last person with a right to sit on the Iron Throne is Cersei.

    • Megan says:

      IDK, I feel like Dany is going to have a LOTR- style army of the dead. I think Bran might know how to raise the dead.

      • snappyfish says:

        I like this idea…since Cersei was so “let the dead kill them”

      • Arpeggi says:

        If anyone was to have some dead people in their army, it’d be Cersei: she already has one and Qyburn loves to dabble in that sort of stuff. Bran/3ER knows better than to raise the dead: that idea backfired when the Children of the Forest tried it, didn’t it?

  19. IlsaLund says:

    It was an interesting episode but at the end I kind of thought, that’s it? All this build up for the Prince who was promised and the destruction of the Night King and AOTD and that’s how it all ends?

    Also, I think I read on a blog that lots of the Dothraki and Unsullied survived cause they were seen filming a scene storming King’s Landing.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      TBH, I think the NK and Dany/Jon are red herrings that’s diverted from the real baddies and hero’s. Even in the books the NK isn’t a big deal and Jon/Dany are a bit useless.

      Cersei is clearly the real threat with Arya and the others being the real hero’s. The show runners have said it won’t be a happy ending and its certainly going that way. I think they will defeat Cersei and her army but it will cost them and I don’t think Westeros as we know it will survive.

      Given last nights episode its clear the show runners are going to turn the plot over and rip up plot lines setup in the previous seasons.

      • ByTheSea says:

        I’m thinking the lack of death in this episode is to set us up for a bloodbath in the next one. And I’m thinking Cersei takes it all.

      • Pandabird says:

        Westeros as we I know it WILL SURVIVE. Even if there’s no more “Iron Throne”, the same shitty people will still be around. All those people and Maesters who never believed the White Walkers will continue to tout it as just folklore.

      • Original T.C. says:

        Actually if you watch Seasons 1-7, the Game of Thrones was supposed to be the Red Herring to distract the superficial humans from the real threat. That’s why Jon did not GAF about a crown. Kings and Queens-mere mortals, Cersei is a paper tiger. The Whitewalkers had the biggest wall on the planet built to stop them for a reason. You are up against the NK and the dead, including your own dead during the battle. After surviving that, traditional warfare against a greedy power hungry Queen is just Wednesday. You can find millions of movies like that, the magic and nontraditional story is what set GOT apart. Based on last night’s episode, Arya could kill Cersei blindfolded with her legs and hands bound.

      • snappyfish says:

        I agree. Arya killing Cersei would be like swatting a fly. Arya is a badass BOSS

  20. Daisy says:

    This episode was A LOT. I forgot how to breathe for a few times. It was amazing seeing Arya, whose god was Death, ended up being the one to kill the Night King, the actual representation of all things dead, thus giving hope to everyone and saving them.
    And now I kinda think Jaime (or Arya with his face) will kill Cersei and then we’ll see Dany go full on Mad Queen mode for the throne.

    • Becks1 says:

      I’m less on board with the idea of Dany as a Mad Queen now. You all know I’ve been saying for weeks now that Dany is starting to crack, not fit to rule, etc, but last night changed my mind. Not entirely, I still don’t think she would be a good queen/ruler, but I thought last night was a good chance for the show to really show that she is starting to descend into madness – have her abandon Winterfell, kill one of her dragons and burn it so it cant be raised, something along those lines. But instead she did what she said she was going to do – it wasn’t that helpful, lol, but it was the plan.

      Still not super pro-Dany, but I am now less convinced the show is setting her up to go crazy.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        I agree that she might not go crazy but the plot is setting her up for a conflict with Jon over the throne. However, last night’s episode showed that that show runners have surprises up their sleeves with regards to tying up plot loose ends and ripping up prophecies. The battle at Winterfell made Dany vulnerable, she lost her armies and nearly lost her dragons – she and the North need each other now.

        I’m beginning to think that someone else is going to kill Cersei – the prophecy refer’s to little brother, but who’s little brother? Am not sure Jaime or Tyrion have what it takes to kill her. The real threat in KL is not Cersei but Euron, he’s playing her not the other way around – she’s made another serious mistake that is going to bite her. He wants to be ruler of the 7 Kingdoms and Cersei is a way to achieve that goal.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yeah, I think Euron is going to be a big problem for Cersei. there has to be something else going on.

  21. Jenns says:

    The Long Night–or, in this case, The Long 1 Hour and 20 Minutes.

    I thought that episode was mess in regards to storytelling. It reminded me of Lost, where much like the island, the creators didn’t know what to do so they took the easy way out. It should not have been that easy to kill The Night King. In the end, the WW and the NK proved to be totally useless. I have way more questions that answers.

    I will say that the final 10 minutes were shot beautifully, and that Ramin Djawadi is a genius with his score.

    • IlsaLund says:

      Agree about the the musical score….the music was beautiful.

    • ReginaGeorge says:

      The episode was not perfect. And one of my issues was exactly what you said. I wanted a fight between the NK and humans before he got his. Maybe have Jon make to fight the generals and then having Arya swoop in with the assist would have been more satisfying to me.

    • Lady D says:

      That music at the end was something else. It was actually distracting me from the show.

  22. Anitas says:

    In hindsight, it only made sense for it to be Arya. Amazingly done and shot. But I am a bit deflated in that White Walkers didn’t turn out to be the main threat after all, all this buildup since season 1 and they’re basically done with in one big battle, and turns out Cersei is the big boss after all. Bit anti-climactic really. I would also hate for Arya to be the one to kill Cersei, that’d be just way over the top. They might as well call it the Arya show at that point. Also huge plot armour on all main characters and most secondary ones, the only ones gone are the characters nobody thought would survive anyway.

    • Ai says:

      It won’t be Arya to take out Cersei 100% guaranteed. Remember the prophecy by the witch when she was a child? Don’t want to spoil it for those have not read the books.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Yeah, Cersei should be killed by Jaime, he deserves to make this kill. I want Arya to kill Qyburn because he’s a pervert weirdo and she’s great at killing those (and then Cersei will freak out cuz she’ll be all alone with no one to protect her).

        I’m glad the whole NK distraction is over and that we can focus on the real Game of Thrones

    • ByTheSea says:

      I’m thinking it’ll be Jaime. He’s evolved during the run of the story and–from the beginning–people have been asking him whether he doesn’t see what a psycho she is or if he just doesn’t care and loves her anyway. He’ll do it for the greater good, like he killed the Mad King.

  23. I Didn't Do It says:

    I really liked parts of it and really did not like others.
    The tension in the beginning was palpable. Mel riding up was great.

    Sam is a studious dude and never should have been on the field.

    I just don’t see Ghost running out with the Dothraki. He doesn’t know them. He should have been with Sansa or Bran.

    Lady Lyanna was badass. For someone who was only supposed to be in one scene, she ended up a scene stealer! You go baby girl.

    The dragons going up above the clouds to be able to see was almost balletic. The rose up above the clouds and hovered then dove back down. Beautifully shot.

    Arya fighting with her weapon was fantastic. I could have watched more of that. Loved how Beric and the Hound were inspired by her and protected her.

  24. Fa says:

    Brown eyes- father Frey
    Green eyes- Littlefinger
    Blue eyes- Night King

    • Lucia says:

      No. Green eyes is Cersei. In the book there’s a passage about her eyes being as green as the emeralds she wore.

      • Fa says:

        I know she has green eyes but the red witch was not talking Cersei. Listen what the red woman said in this episode. She said to Arya, brown eyes, green eyes (and) Blue eyes, then Arya ran away because she knows what the red woman is saying, she has to kill the Night King to complete what the red witch said.
        Littlefinger had green eyes.

      • Lucia says:

        Littlefinger had grey eyes in the book.

    • Myrtle says:

      Here is the original clip from Season 3 when Mel and Arya first met, when M prophesies about the eyes:

      https://twitter.com/askifang/status/1122694092322934784

  25. Mgsota says:

    I f-ing hate Dany. She is completely inept during battle, her ass should have been in the crypt. Her and Jon had a plan and she ditched that plan and put everything in peril. She lost her first dragon because she was a dumbass and when I saw her dragon get covered in the dead because she was stupidly low to the ground just stationery, I lost it. I’m happy to hear it seems both survived, but she’s horrible.
    But Arya…omg…I was not expecting that. It was amazing. So was Lyanna. Flipping Sam was annoying and should have been in the crypt as well. I loved the episode. It definitely took you through a roller coaster of emotions. Some hope, complete dread, gut wrenching. But yeah…I’m glad most of the people I love, lived.

    • Patty says:

      Gotta disagree on the Dany bit. She was actually pretty useful. She saved Jon, twice. Used her dragon to burn a hell of lot of wights, she was supposed to light the trench but couldn’t see Davos signal. She may have done more if not for the windstorm created by the NK. Everyone in the battle (probably with the exception of Sam and Bran) did the best they could with what they had. She also picked up a sword and fought alongside Jorah. She’s a lot things but I wouldn’t say she’s inept.

      • I Didn't Do It says:

        I agree. Dany did a ton. In her first pass on her dragon, she killed countless wights. She knocked the NK off the dragon and saved Jon from certain death. She isn’t a warrior. She didn’t grow up shooting bows or wielding swords like Arya.

        She also brought two armies. Then she fought on the battlefield. Girl did a lot. I love how her dragon encircled her and Jorah. That was moving.

      • ByTheSea says:

        Agree. She did a lot. Jon, on the other hand, was not as useful as he could’ve been.

      • Mgsota says:

        Her DRAGONS are useful…her…not so much. THEY LIT UP ALL THE DEAD, they saved Jon. I stand by my disgust for her. I’m mean for God’s sake she puts her dragons (the only 3 in hundreds/thousands?) of years in danger because of poor decisions on her part.

      • Linn says:

        @Mgsota
        You are acting as if the Dragons just randomly happened to show up to defend Winterfell on the own accord and the not there purely because of Daenerys.
        The Dragons are there because Dany the were born because Dany believed in their existence and took the risk to walk into the fire in Season 1. They are still alive because Dany went into the house of the undying to get them. The Dragons fought in the battle because Dany brought them to the north and and because she’s telling them where to go and who the should burn. If Dany had been in the Crypt Jon, Brienne, Jaime and many others would have died as the Dragons would not have done a single of the things you listed.
        And the Night King would have gotten to Bran on his Dragon and Arya would have had zero chance to kill him.

        Dany is far from perfect and has a lot to learn if she wants to rule but it seems like many people simple want to hate her for the sake of hating.

        And yes, I know Jon was riding Rhaegal, but that probably didn’t make to much of a difference as Rhaegal was fighting alongside Dany and Drogon in the battle of Meereen and the battle north of the wall even without a rider.

    • Dina says:

      Like really? We probably didn’t watch the same episode if you honestly think that Daenerys staying in crypts would give us the same outcome. One of the toughest badass characters getting this kind of treatment, I’m sick of it!

      • Patty says:

        Right. It’s starting to feel like shipper wars. People who like Sansa, have to hate on Dany. Well, one was useful in episode three and one did nothing except be petty. I’m actually disappointed in Sansa’s storyline from last night. Even though she was in the crypt it was a wasted opportunity to show leadership skills and strategic planning. She’s down there with three of Dany’s trusted advisors and she doesn’t to advance the argument for Northern independence. She also did nothing to endear herself to the women and children down there.

    • Grant says:

      I’m a Sansa fan so I guess that means I’m supposed to hate Daenerys but honestly last night gave me more of an appreciation for her. Yes, taking to the skies was a terrible and premature decision, but Dany couldn’t just sit back and watch her people get slaughtered. Sending the Dothraki off into darkness to lead the offensive seems like an idiot strategic move when they can’t see where they’re going and they’re lit up like beacons in the night thanks to their flame swords. I don’t know why Dany didn’t 86 that strategy from the get-go but it was a nice reminder that Dany does have empathy and she isn’t this cold, uncaring conqueror. Like Sansa, she isn’t content to sit back and abandon her people to their deaths. Now that the NK is out of the way, I am hoping against all hope that Dany will wise-up and cede northern dominion to Sansa Stark as the Lady of Winterfell and Queen in the North, and let Yara Greyjoy rule the Iron Islands. Let the ladies run the show for once and maybe Dany can usher in an era of peace and prosperity! Is it possible that we could get such a happy ending? Probably not.

      • AryasMum says:

        I hate that some fans take sides. I love Sansa and Dany and Arya. I don’t know why some feel they need to be pitted against one another. I see their weaknesses and strengths, and appreciate that they are pretty fleshed out characters.

      • Jenns says:

        I’ve had my issues with Dany this season, but last night wasn’t one of them. I thought she did the best she could given the situation. And I like that she picked up the sword and fought alongside with Jorah.

      • Becks1 says:

        I’ve been pretty vocal about being anti-Dany, so I’ll say that while I thought she wasn’t the best last night, she also wasn’t the worst. The things she did that I thought were kind of dumb weren’t her fault, lol. (like why didn’t they blast the AOTD to get rid of some of them before letting the Dothraki charge at them like that?) But that was clearly just a choice for visual effects/cinematography.

        I did think we saw how the dragons have spoiled her, in a way. (both last night and in other episodes.) She has them and she assumes that they assure her victory. They do not. I think that may be some foreshadowing for the episodes to come. She did fight alongside Jorah, but not at first. She spent some time just standing there letting him protect her. I understand that was his role, but it seemed like she sort of froze in the heat of the battle. I don’t blame her, necessarily, but still.

        But, I think she did what she thought was best in the moment for Winterfell, which was good to see. She could have just taken her dragons and fled, especially after her armies were wiped out.

      • Becks1 says:

        Also now that I’ve said that about her just standing there in the battle, I’m trying to imagine Cersei picking up a sword in the middle of a battle and fighting, and the image makes me laugh. So Dany gets points for that.

  26. Eleonor says:

    I had one thought: Cersei is on Arya’s list, and my girl gets the job done.
    The end.

  27. Anna nuttall says:

    I found the entire whole episode so dark. It might just be my screen/monitor but it was often too dark to see anything clearly.
    Also, we never found out more about the Night King, which I found strange.
    I can see Sansa hooking with Tryion.
    The rest of the series I think will lead up to an epic battle between Dany and Ceci.

    • I Didn't Do It says:

      It was very dark. I hope they go back and tweak it.
      The ending of the Night King was a let down.
      They built an enormous wall for protection, the walkers stole babies, killed Rangers, killed several three eyed Ravens but why? That story was not fleshed out. I was waiting for Bran to look at the NK and say something pithy like “hey uncle (or whoever) let’s rule the world” or something. Anything. Arya was awesome but all the build up for one stab.

      • Lady D says:

        I truly thought Bran was going to have a familial greeting for the Night King, too.

      • Megan says:

        I did, too. I assumed he was a Stark, but the story is becoming increasingly straightforward.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        I have a feeling that the NK story is not completely over – the way he and Bran looked at each other before Ayra made her attack was telling. To me it read like ‘this is something that has to happen’. IIRC the show runners said we are going to get the NK’s back story this season.

  28. Jess says:

    I hate battle scenes and this one was so dark and confusing and some of the “strategy” decisions didn’t make sense. But I loved Arya’s moment so much I’ve already forgiven the rest.

  29. Lucy says:

    NOT. TODAY. SATAN. It was more than I ever expected. It was badass, tragic, scary and beautiful. Farewell Lady Lyanna, Ser Jorah, Lord Beric, Edd and Melissandre. THANK YOU, Theon Greyjoy. Bravo, Alfie Allen. And last but not least, A Girl Is Finally A Woman.

  30. Nibbi says:

    Whoa, reading this is literally the first time the idea of Arya as Azor Ahai has occurred to me… but yeah, she prevented the Long Night. Wow.
    Gotta say I didn’t expect that AT ALL. Which is why I love GoT, really… I felt sure that Jon and/or Dany (w/ dragons) would do the main ass-kicking/ day-saving.
    I really feel like this season is one big masterpiece so far. Visually stunning, emotionally rich. I was literally quivering with anxiety for almost the entire show last night. Outstanding. And the music!!!
    Only thing is it seems almost unreasonable that so many of our “mains” came through living. I didn’t want either Brienne or Jaimie to die, but it just seems super unrealistic that they were dog-piled pretty much the entire time and made it out alive. Same with Grey Worm. Talk about plot armor… So while the show does still manage to surprise me, the whole sense of WHOAAAA WTFFFFFFFF ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN of the George RR Martin-written stuff (beheading Ned, the Red Wedding, Oberyn Martell’s head exploding) isn’t there. I guess that’s just par for the course. It’s a weird sensation, not wanting the mains to get offed, but then feeling like it’s unrealistic that so many came through alive despite being on the frontlines of ongoing apocalypse for an hour and a half.

    • Turtledove says:

      “Only thing is it seems almost unreasonable that so many of our “mains” came through living. ”

      Agreed. There were so many people I did NOT want to see die, and I am happy they are still here, but it still seems so unrealistic that those on the front didn’t die. I mean, even Jorah. He went in on the very front line, and nearly ALL of them bit it…but that was not how he died.

      I am grateful that Jorah and Theon had such noble deaths, if you had asked them…they both died how they would want to, I think. And Lyanna went out like a bad ass. But as thrilled as I am that Brienne, Tormund, Greyworm and Jaime are alive………..it seems SO far fetched.

      I wonder if some of the “disappointment” fans are having is due to the fact that with social media, we are all able to discuss these shows and have more expectations? For example, we all “knew” pretty much for sure that Theon and Jorah were going to die the way they did. So when it happened, it was expected. I think *I* personally recognized that Jorah would die when I read comments and had other people speculate. Theon I came to on my own…but Jorah, I may not have assumed until I saw a lot of others saying so. So while I love reading other’s thoughts on the show, I think it might affect how we all view the show.

    • Candikat says:

      @Nibbi YES. Exactly this. Lazy writing to have just about everyone die except all the people we’re supposed to care about. And how did everyone in the crypts survive those wights? They were defenseless against the undead, (and if it’s ancient Starks being awoken then you’d think they’d be extra fierce, plus Sansa having to fight her ancestors or even her father would have been an interesting twist…) and then a minute later they’re all just like standing in the corner unharmed? Lazy.

  31. Nibbi says:

    Also I was thinking- haha, what a night for Arya. “Welp, I jumped my crush’s bones & lost my virginity, then killed the Night King and saved the entire world of the living. What did you do last night?”

  32. Becks1 says:

    I’m going to be obnoxious and write my comment before reading the others (I’ll go back), because good lord CBers, 70 comments by 8 am! I cant keep up!

    I wish they had made the fate of the Dothraki a little bit clearer. Like….they just were all killed immediately by the walkers?

    I thought there was a difference between the walkers with blue eyes (are those the”white walkers”) and just the plain old zombies, but there didn’t seem to be a difference last night. Was I just misunderstanding the whole time?

    I was getting a little frustrated as we neared the end – the fire wasn’t working anymore (not really), they were so outnumbered, was just EVERYONE going to die at Winterfell, because I could not figure out how they would survive, since every solution did not seem to be working – and then BAM! Arya!!!!!! That was amazing. Like I woke up at 430 this morning and just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I love that the women are the heros of this series in many ways.

    I realized that Dany cannot fight. Which makes sense – when or why would she have learned – but it does seem to be a flaw in the overall plan, because her being separated from a dragon was a really foreseeable thing. Maybe they did that on purpose, so that we would think Dany would die? Draw out the suspense a bit?

    I’m sort of annoyed that now it just seems like “okay, killed the night king, lets move on to Cersei!!” but that was always going to be the issue here in my opinion; they needed to decide which is the “real” conflict and it seems they want the real conflict to be the “Game of thrones”(ha, surprise.) I wonder how many are still living in the North, my guess is they will all ride against Cersei – if it were me, I’d be like “bitch, you left us to die up there, now we’re coming for you.”

    Lyanna’s death got me – I was sure she was a goner, but it was a good death. What a way for her to go out. I was so upset when she woke with the blue eyes.

    I was not surprised that Theon died. That seemed to be an easy guess. But again, it was a good death. I feel like he definitely redeemed himself as a character, and ended the series a better person than he was in the beginning, which is a pretty good thing to be able to say, I guess.

    What on earth was Bran doing, just flying about, seeing what was happening?

    Part of me cant believe that the Night King was defeated. Then another part of me is like, GO ARYA!!!

    I’m definitely rewatching it tonight.

    Okay off to read the other comments.

    • Jess says:

      I cried the most during Theon’s death. All he ever wanted was a family and to feel like he belonged. I’m rewatching the series and I feel bad for early Theon, he was given away at a young age and didn’t know where his loyalty should be once the war started. In the end he got the praise he needed and died a hero protecting his true family!

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        I think in the end Theon realised that he always had in the Starks what we wanted – they loved him like their own brother and son esp after seeing how his own family were not just toward him but to each other. Am glad he and Yara were cool at the end.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yeah, I feel pretty bad for Theon overall, because he grew up in such a weird position as a ward of the Starks, so didn’t belong at Winterfell, didn’t belong on the Iron Islands, so I don’t blame him for trying to find his way, even if he was pretty heinous about it.

      • Yennefer of Vengerberg says:

        He wasn’t even ‘given away’, he was quite literally taken as a hostage, to be killed if the Greyjoys decided to get funny thoughts.

      • Jess says:

        Yes I worded that wrong, couldn’t remember exactly how it happened but I knew his father never fought to get him back, thank you!!

    • amilou says:

      If I’m not mistaken all the white walkers and wights had blue eyes. I didn’t see any dead without blue eyes, but it was very dark/smoky/snowy.

  33. Lucia says:

    I have never been so stressed out watching a television show in my life. I kept grabbing tightly on to my husband’s shirt during the episode. Yet I’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out. The episode was very dark though and we had to turn off all lights to see it properly so I wish that they had thought that through a little better.

    I really don’t like how we didn’t learn more about the Night King’s motives. Maybe Bran stays behind and we do? But I feel like the next episode is going to pre-game whatever happens in King’s Landing.

    • ByTheSea says:

      At the end, when Bran and the Night King kept looking at each other, all I could see was how much alike they looked. I hope they give some back story next week.

      also, they HAVE to take Kings Landing now, don’t they? Winterfell is literally rotting with the dead.

      • gingersnaps says:

        That was my thought, what are they going to do with all those bodies? Glad they still have the two dragons, easier to just lit them up and cremate them so as to be sure that there is no chance of them re-animating.

      • 10KTurtle says:

        Can they reanimate now, or was the end of the Night King the end of the blue-eyed zombies?

      • Becks1 says:

        @10k – the end of the NK is the end of the blue eyed zombies. (supposedly?)

      • Lady D says:

        The DM showed (spoilers ahead) a picture a few months ago of Winterfell burning to the ground. I kept waiting last night for the place to burn. I thought they were going to get the wights inside, have everyone escape through the crypts and burn all the white walkers and wights. Now I’m thinking they must do it to burn all the bodies and then redo Winterfell. Course, it’s winter and all their supplies are in there too. Plus the animals.

      • Emilia says:

        @lady I remember seeing those pictures but now I’m wondering if we all just misinterpreted what we saw? What if the pics where taken while they were filming the lighting of the trenches but the angle of the camera and the height of the flame just made it look like winterfell was burning?

  34. I Didn't Do It says:

    The score for this episode was amazing. Truly beautiful.

  35. Div says:

    I feel like I’m the only one who loves the Arya reveal. I like the idea (although I feel like the book might lead to this more) that prophecies can cause chaos, can be false, not pan out like people “interpret them,” or just be plain wrong. There are so many tragedies caused in part because of prophecies: some of Cersei’s actions, Rhaegar and Lyanna running away, the tragedy at Summerhall where a ton of Targaryens die, and more. I like the idea of Dany ruling not because of her blood or a prophecy, but because of her military prowess and political experience.

    However…am I the only one wondering if they are going to set it up as Gendry and Arya ruling or a democracy? The two would tie the Stormlands, North, and Riverlands together and if Sansa supported them the Vale (the Vale seems to be following Sansa for the most part even if Robin Arryn is the ruler). I doubt the Reach is going to be that willing to bend the knee to a Targ after a ton of Reachmen and grain got roasted, and Dorne will never bend the knee to Jon after how Lyanna and Rhaegar treated Elia and Jon’s half-brother Aegon. For some reason, Jon and Dany ruling seems…too obvious now. And Gendry has Targ blood through Robert, whose grandmother was a Targaryen, so it would be “ice and fire” ruling.

    • Patty says:

      Except nothing in the Arya storyline suggests that she’d want to rule anything, ditto for Gendry – also he’s still a bastard. The Northern lords declared Job Snow KITN because everyone “knew” from the start and believed that he was Ned Starks bastard son. Highly unlikely that other folks would just accept that Gendry is Roberts son and then just accept his rule.

  36. I Didn't Do It says:

    I really liked the nod to Syrio. Hope I spelled his name correctly. “Not Today.” I think that was the little push Arya needed to wake her up from her fatigue and head crack.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      I think that comment made her realised what she had to do, Melisandre made mistakes and it wasn’t until the very end she realised who was the ‘one’, she came back to make sure Arya did what she was meant to do. Save her brother and kill the NK.

      Bran still has a part of play in the overall plot.

  37. Nibbi says:

    i think it’s funny how everyone’s like, “i was up til 4 am stressing out about this show… ”
    me too.
    perhaps millions of people around the world are sleep-deprived today bc of GoT, especially those fans outside of the US (like me) who couldn’t stand to wait to watch. in that sense, it seems like it’s brought a lot of people together, albeit in a small, passing way.

    • Jess says:

      Awe I completely agree and was thinking the same thing. It’s nice to feel like we’re all united for a change, even if it’s over something insignificant like a tv show. I wish it could feel this way politically, we all stand together and demand better leaders.

  38. IlsaLund says:

    I’m wondering now if the North (what’s left of it) will finally acknowledge that Jon was right about the Great War. It seemed no one in the North really believed Jon’s warnings about the coming battle with the AOTD and why he felt he had to enlist Dany’s help in fighting them. Now that they’ve fought the battle and lived, how will they feel about Dany? She literally lost most of her army helping to defend the North. Also, how can the other people of Westeros support and fight for Cersei when she put all of them at risk by not joining in the battle against the AOTD?

  39. Iknow says:

    I was so happy neither Jon nor Daenarys killed the Night King. It being Arya was a very fitting ending for the show. That being said, even if Arya killed the Night King and is Azor Ahai, Azor Ahai was not destined for the Throne. Only to “end the darkness.”

  40. gingersnaps says:

    I am still processing this. What an episode. I know that some people are complaining about the lack of deaths from the main characters but man, the Dothraki being wiped out, including most of the Unsullied, Wildlings and others hit me hard.
    I would love to know how Arya snuck up on the Night King without being detected by his army, there was just a brief warning when one of the hairs of the Night King’s men moved before we saw Arya going in for the kill.
    Also that moment that the Night King and Bran had when NK finally reached him, I don’t know if the NK’s eyes were conveying that he was doomed or if he really thought he had the upper hand against Bran/Three Eyed Raven.

  41. PlayItAgain says:

    Fantastic episode. I’m sure I scared the neighbors, yelling at the screen. When the Night King raised the dead and Jon was surrounded, I was just…what the hell, you crazy writers? You bring him back to life, only to be torn apart by a bunch of zombies? I was so into it at that point, I’d forgotten that Dany and Drogon were still out there to save him.

    Arya. Holy f*cking h*ll. I knew she was going to be a major kickass in this epi, but I really didn’t see her being the one to kill the NK. It seemed too perfect—I figured there’d be some twist at the end. I’m so glad I was wrong!!! That ending was FANTASTIC.

    I cried when Theon and Beric died, although I expected it. Lady Mormont—my heart! A true warrior.

  42. Sean says:

    I’ll say it. I hated the episode. I hated how it was shot and I hated how poorly thought-out the battle strategy was. I understand watching the Dothraki horde ride valiantly with flaming swords into the darkness only to watch the flames extinguish was meant to convey how screwed the living were and build tension. However, the Dothraki were supposed to be the best fighters and you had them as the first wave when you didn’t even have a good visual of the enemy? And now they’re gone. Wasted.

    The fire trench was a great idea but why not have that as the first defense along with some oil on the field that can be lit? As the dead are working through that have a dragon flank them, decimating even more of their numbers. At the same time, launch flaming arrows and other projectiles at them. Try to save as many human soldiers as possible until it’s absolutely necessary. When the dead overcome the fire trench, have The Unsullied waiting for them as the first human line with their layers of shields and spears. Brienne, Jaime, the Wildlings and everyone else after that. Save the Dothraki as the final defense.

    I know the plan was to lure the NK in and kill him at close range. However, I always find my head shaking at how clumsy and stupid the battles are. I have no idea why this show receives the praise it does. While it is entaining, I always felt it was on the same level as Hercules or Xena only with more gore and sex.

    • Ai says:

      Well from this fan and I also had problems with this episode, I will say that GoT is one of the best TV series I followed. I like that our protagonists aren’t perfect and make mistakes like the rest of us. For me, this is what makes me really enjoy GoT because there’s a strong dose of reality embedded in the fantasy, especially for the characters. I can relate them all in some ways and it’s not about the perfect execution. People learn from failure more than than do success. On this note, our gang has never really fought the Night King in a proper battle so it makes sense that that battle strategy failed….or else the would be beating a huge horde of zombies which isn’t possible if the NK can just keep on raising the dead.

      • Sean says:

        Of course they didn’t know exactly how fighting the NK himself would go or how dragon’s fire would affect him personally. However, they did know what the majority of the AotD was capable of and susceptible to. It was still extremely stupid to send your “best” out first into darkness against an enemy they couldn’t see. Also, they were using their traditional weapons. Why weren’t they using dragon glass? Wasn’t acquiring dragon glass part of the reason why an alliance with Dany was formed? My issue with the writing is they often employ plot-induced stupidity just to create suspense or devise challenges. This undermines the interesting characters they’ve forged and built up over the years.

    • Cindy says:

      I agree. I hated this episode as well.

      You know what I really hated about it, though? This is the second time they go on some kind of encounter with the formidable, mighty, scary White Walkers – and only the most secondary, pointless characters die. I was just waiting for that – some game-changing death or event. Those game-changing moments were what made the early seasons so exciting to me. Ned’s death, the Red Wedding, the purple Wedding, etc.

      At the end of the day, the White Walkers came, they made a mess, they didn’t kill anything important, and now they went away. That’s it. The scary threat they’ve been building for 8 seasons wasn’t that scary after all.

    • Veronica S. says:

      I’m not even focused on the Dothraki as a strategy failure. I’m focused on them from a metatextual level. What the hell was D&D thinking wiping them out? Are they actively trying to be racist at this point?

      • Sean says:

        I see what you’re saying but I don’t think racism played a part in the Dothraki falling, just bad writing. I’m not opposed to the idea of the Dothraki getting wiped out but having them go just like that without a decent fight? They’ve been built up for almost a decade as being the most formidable warriors around. King Robert and Ned discussed a possible Dothraki invasion with trepidation. Jaime just about crapped himself when he finally saw them in action. And their story ends with them acting stupid in battle and literally being extinguished? They were sacrificed in the worst way to make the dead seem more imposing.

        Imagine how great it would have been had the Unsullied been the first line of human defense after the dead managed to cross the fire trench. They form a human barrier that battles courageously until the dead finally break through. Brienne, Jaime, etc form the second wave. They’re overcome, all seems lost and just as the dead are about to reach the entrance to the Godswood where Theon is guarding Bran…

        (recalling my youth of watching WWE) In Jim Ross’ voice: BY GOLLY IT’S THE DOTHRAKI! THE DOTHRAKI ARE HERE!!!

        The Dothraki commence on cleaning house; giving the dead a run for their money. Until the more powerful white walkers show up and begin to wipe out the Dothraki. Then, we get a POV shot moving into Winterfell among the fighting. Soldiers are killed, white walkers step aside and the dead begin to rise. The camera reveals the NK has entered Winterfell. Several Unsullied/Dothraki and others take a shot at him but they are easily struck down. It’s then we see that it was all for naught. It didn’t matter if the humans could withstand the onslaught, the NK was far more powerful than any of them. We then get that awesome climax between the NK/Theon/Bran/Arya.

      • Veronica S. says:

        Oh, it’s terrible writing, to be sure, – hell, the fact that the NK is already dead is a dreadful decision – but it also shows a significant lack of awareness on the parts of D&D and the writing team as to how they frame POC (and women, frankly) in their stories. They could have thrown any group of soldiers to the front of the line and had them equally sacrificed. Instead, they chose the Dothraki, a group that stands in for ethnic minorities and who are treated as inferior savages by more “civilized” groups like the Northerners. This is the problem when you don’t have diversity in the writing room. The fact that nobody said, “Uh, are we thinking through the implications of this properly?” is the entire problem. Somebody should have been able to stand back and not just recognize the writing issues but also the implications of the storytelling.

      • Sean says:

        I see your point and agree. The writers were so concerned about making the WWs look dangerous, they didn’t stop to think about the poor optics that would be created by obliterating the Dothraki as they did.

        On another note, does anyone else get the impression David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are very impressed with themselves in the “Behind The Episode” features?

      • msd says:

        I’m not handing out gold stars when it comes to representation on the show but …

        The dothraki battle role was one of the more logical things. They’re supposed to be famously unbeatable in an open field. They did what they’ve done in other eps – charged on horseback towards the enemy in an open field. Every other time it has succeeded. That it didn’t was supposed to be shocking and indicate how grim things were.

  43. ReginaGeorge says:

    I found it interesting how Dany pulled a Jon at the Battle of the Bastards when she went after NK even though they were supposed to stay back and wait for him, the way Jon got baited to take the fight to Ramsey when he brought out Rickon. They’re really not that different at times.

  44. jammypants says:

    Apparently Ghost lived. There was a screenshot for next weeks episode and he was standing by the Starks.

  45. ds says:

    I loved the episode. I loved that there was no talking really. The only thing that frustrates me is Bran. I get that he’s the 3er and all of that. Did you guys feel like him and the NK were actually having a conversation – like alien telephatic way? Or am I just imagining it?

  46. Nina Simone says:

    Give the eps everything! An EGOT – Tony. Grammy! Oscar! ! A masterpiece. I was at the edge of my seat

  47. lower case lila says:

    Arya rocks. I think I am going to name my future daughter Arya.

  48. Valiantly Varnished says:

    I liked the episode but their strategy SUCKED. First – NEVER send your men out in total darkness to fight an enemy they can’t see. Why didn’t they wait for the Night King’s Army to come to THEM?? The Dothraki were amazing warriors and it’s crappy that they went out like that.
    Second – why did NO ONE think to create a barrier of DRAGON FIRE around Winterfell and keep the bulk of the army INSIDE??

    • Lightpurple says:

      They were going to create a barrier of dragon fire but Dany couldn’t see the signal from Davos because of the storm. So, Melisandre did it.

  49. DTTIMES2 says:

    so…soooo much to unpack. House Mormont- gone. Lyanna’s death – killed me- but what a way for such a fierce warrior to go out. Jorah died protecting the love of his life *sob*. EDD protecting Sam-for the final time. Melissandre coming at the last minute was great-still wish she had risen Cat Stark but honestly what would be the point now? WTF was the good of Bran…oh hey im just gonna sit here and roll my eyes back like a heroin addict getting my fix. Theon- poor Theon – i sobbed for your death.

    Davos looking at Arya with such admiration – this guy needs to live and found an orphanage for all the lost children. Sam was his usual useless self -he should\ve been in the crypts.

    So question? Is house Stark technically done lineage wise? There are no male heirs to procreate- unless Bran meets some 3 boobed green alien chick. Sansa and Arya may never marry and their children would have their husbands name if it happened?? Jon isn’t a Stark or a Snow.

    • Cindy says:

      Jon is a Stark. He was raised as a Stark, everyone recognises him as a Stark, he recognises himself as a Stark, and he does have the same ammount of Stark blood he’s always thought he had.

      • DTTIMES2 says:

        But he has Snow as a last name not Stark…the Stark male line has no heirs unless Bran can father a child but i don’t see that happening.

    • Kelly says:

      Either Arya or Sansa could follow the models of the Mormont women and their kids could have the Stark name. If Arya and Gendry survive and end up together, they’re an unlikely pair to be interested or willing to rule a great house. Gendry may not even be interested in being legitimatized as a Baratheon, so any children should have the Stark name.

      Sansa likely has very little interest in being married again, even if it is to Tyrion. She’s been through enough and deserves to find some happiness with whoever she wants. Jon probably will let both her and Arya make their own choices if they marry.

  50. ChillyWilly says:

    My neck and shoulders are sore this morning from being tensed up during that entire episode! It was so stressful!

  51. Kateeeee says:

    How is it possible that this is all there was to the NK? What about Dany’s vision of snow swirling the Iron Throne? The AotD is just done? What a complete waste. Cersei is a strong character and certainly evil but she is not magical, and to have her be the ultra baddie seems ridiculous after that. Please have something else up your sleeve.

    The main fighting (most of the episode) was edited like a Bourne film and really suffered for it. Sure, fine, realistic battleness, but not great television. The writing was awful. Respect their characters and their histories. OF COURSE the NK can and will raise all the dead things, you’ve seen him do it. That’s how he got his ice dragon. But let’s all ignore this fact that we know because it will be inconsequential. Hide in the crypts full of bodies! Run into the middle of a bloody battlefield! Lazy lazy lazy.

    For me, best sequence was the long vignettes set to music as things looked especially grim near episode’s end. Otherwise, I think the whole thing was a bit oversold. Not a bad episode but flawed.

    • Veronica S. says:

      This show drives me up a wall as a professional writer because there’s just so many more interesting directions D&D could have taken the Night King, and…didn’t? If they insist on setting up Dany and Cersei as foils vying for the throne, wouldn’t it have been smarter to keep the NK around and have Cersei ally with him? If they insist on “humbling” Dany (lolol don’t get me started on this plotline), wouldn’t it be smarter to have Cersei represent the absolute corruption of power and ambition by embracing death as a way to power, symbolically sacrificing her humanity? Then you can logically set Dany up as the person who steps back from that corruption and fights for what matters. It just seems so baffling to me to give up the symbolic gesture of Cersei facing off against Dany with Viserion at her heel – the mother who would sacrifice everything, including her own children, for power, versus the mother of dragons, who seeks to give birth to a new world. (And yes, I’m aware there’s some fundamental sexism in that theme, but at least it’s logically supported by the context.)

      • A says:

        @Veronica S. the Night King’s MO isn’t to form alliances. His MO is to slaughter everyone who’s south of the wall and bring a permanent winter to Westeros. That was the purpose for which he was created by the Children of the Forest, to fight the First Men, except he turned on them and eventually became the instrument of their downfall. He came back to finish the job, and failed.

        Cersei demonstrated countless times throughout the whole series that she’s already been corrupted by her power. Even before she became the sole ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, when she was Robert Baratheon’s wife, she was ruthless and determined. The idea of power corrupted her long before she properly attained it. Her motherhood within the series is entirely hollow, it’s only afforded to her because she birthed children, and she utilized only insofar as it was valuable to her. But otherwise, it’s the first part of her character that she willingly discards. There’s no appropriate comparison to Dany at this point in the series on that front at all, not one that wouldn’t be shoehorned in at this point.

      • Veronica S. says:

        A – The Night King is a fictional character whose motivations are created by the writers. My example is one of MANY things that could have been plotted out in advance better to make the threat’s resolution seem more compelling. My point is that the payoff for all the tension they built up isn’t there because nobody on the writing team thought this arc out in advance properly, which is why we have this hack ending.

    • Cindy says:

      I agree about the NK and about the WW in general. For 8 seasons they’ve been portrayed as this huge, scary threat – but in the end they only got away with killing some secondary pointless character.

      Walder Frey and Olenna Tyrell felt like bigger threats to me, being decrepit and non-magical. I mean, when they killed someone, they changed the game completely.

      Though I guess there was one scene that kinda foreshadowed this – that scene in Oldtown where Sam talked to one of the Maesters about the WW, and he was like “Meh, we’ve thought the world was going to end like 93 times by now and it never did. Get over it”. Everyone thought the WW were such a scary threat but it turns out all you needed to kill an army of zombies is 1 highly tained assasin.

  52. CES says:

    Omg I think I said that at least a dozen times after the show was over. Arya is the ultimate bad ass and just like everyone else I didn’t see that coming. When she ran off I figured she would plan to kill the NK, but when she finally reappeared it was out of nowhere. After Theon died I was like maybe this is just Bran seeing everything before it happened. Maybe no one will die after all. Obviously I was wrong and I’m so relieved to see all the major characters are still alive. I was balling during the Tyrion and Sansa scene. I knew it would be over for them and to die in such a horrible way it broke my heart. I’m so glad they’re still alive! I have a feeling they’ll remarry when it’s all over.

    So Cersei has 20,000 soldiers now fighting for her. I doubt there’s that many left in the North, but they have Arya which is 20,000 men in one girl. Maybe some of the soldiers will change sides since they’re just hired mercenaries anyway. There’s still 3 more episodes right? We’re halfway there so still a lot of plot lines to cover.

    • Lady D says:

      The Golden Company numbers 20,000. Euron also has a whole navy with thousands of sailors also ready to do battle. Come on Yara, sneak up behind him. I’m hoping some of the Dothraki and Unsullied were held back from the battle.

  53. Grant says:

    Man, that scene with Sansa and Tyrion hiding together in the crypts just GUTTED me. The way she showed him her dagger and the way he kissed her hand, two survivors ready to face death… I just lost it. What a show!!!

    • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

      Thanks for highlighting one of my favorite parts.

    • Veronica S. says:

      Yes, that is one part of the episode I really enjoyed. I wish Sansa was given more meaningful content to work with story-wise, but I do love the relationship between those two and their tenacity. I ship it hard lol.

  54. Giddy says:

    What a little badass Lyanna Mormont was to the end. I love that she and Arya made the huge kills. They were physically the smallest warriors, but had the hearts of lions.

  55. Emilia says:

    So anti-climactic, 5 books, 8 seasons and 20+ years of storytelling for the White Walkers to die in the first big battle with the living? Jon Snow constantly droning on that the throne doesn’t matter and the real war is between the living and the dead and they wrap that up in episode 3? Also I still can’t believe they actually had the dead Starks reanimate. All those 100+ year old brittle mummies breaking through stone crypts? Sure, Jan.

  56. Becks1 says:

    Okay so I watched the last 20-30 minutes again on the elliptical lol, and here are two other thoughts I have:

    WHY the hell didn’t they give Theon dragonglass or a sword of Valaryian steel? *sorry I know my spelling of these things is awful.* He was literally the one who was most likely to come face to face with the Night King. He had those fire arrows and they were helpful, but I think something a bit stronger might have been helpful when push came to shove (unless his spear WAS dragonglass and the NK just snapped it?)

    And, where does this leave the “Song of Ice and Fire?” It made sense when it was the NK vs Dany and her dragons. It made sense when it was the NK invading Westeros. It made sense when it was the North vs. the “South” (or more or less the south.) It doesn’t really make sense now. Dany and Jon are both Targs, so “fire,” Cersei has the gold company, KL, etc, so also fire – where is the ice now? Or are we still classifying Jon as the “ice” since he’s a stark? (I guess you could say that Jon is the Song of Ice and Fire, being both Targaryen and Stark. So maybe he does win the throne after all?)

    • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

      My thought with Theon and the Ironborn was that their traditional weapons are arrows, but I’m no expert. I also thought his spear was dragonglass when I watched… again could be wrong and, as all have established, it was hard to tell. I really don’t know from Ice and Fire and I still think Jon has the ice. I won’t predict, though; I’m terrible at it. However, I believe elliptical thoughts carry a lot of weight, a great thinking spot.

    • Laur says:

      Don’t forget that in the books there is no NK so he was probably never meant to be the ‘Ice’, it just made it easier to translate onto TV rather than a mass of Others with no real leader. I don’t know what the ending is going to be (or even if it is going to be the same as GRRM’s, something tells me it won’t be despite everything I’ve read!) but perhaps it will be Jon, or perhaps someone else seeing as technically in the books Jon is still dead. Who knows!

  57. Original T.C. says:

    The Good:
    Dany going out to trim the herd and burn the dead. She has the true heart of a conqueror (let’s overlook her keeping her dragon on the ground to be ravaged by the dead instead of flying away and burning them. Men like Jon tend to cloud her good sense)

    The unsullied: held the line and the only ones who carried out the retreat plan saving lots of ungrateful Northerners.

    Arya: pulling that knife trick to kill the NK. Genius.

    Melisandre: brining the fire, literally and lighting one figuratively under Arya. I’m glad that HBO kept the “grayness” of GRRM’s creation. She went out on her own terms. No offense Ser Davos but she would have fried you like an egg!

    Greyworm: Finally some character development! Fear, fatigue, hopelessness and still brave.

    Lady Mormont using her last breath to take down a giant. Heart of a lion.

  58. diffraction says:

    Amazing episode! I’m not going to say anything that hasn’t already been said.

    BUT – what was Bran during for the majority of the battle? Where did those ravens go? Does he now have some good intel on King’s Landing and what Cersei has up her sleeve? There’s no way he just checked out for no reason, right?

    • Becks1 says:

      I was just talking to someone about that, and he said that the NK can tell when Bran wargs, so he was flying around in the ravens to basically lure the NK into the open, I guess to make him easier to kill? or to taunt him and make him come find Bran? But he was always going to find Bran, right?

  59. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Omg. Just watched it for the first time. Finished reading everything above. We all know this season and last season feels rushed. We’re already at the half mark. We’ve obviously been done with major storytelling for some time. In light of all that, this episode was awesome! Truly a fun ride. I’m in love with all the characters interacting. The war starter, Little fingers and toes, was dealt with. The Starks’ huge enemy, the Lannisters (Cersei), is armed and ready for battle. This last episode has me so excited about what’s coming. The ice zombies didn’t amass the most time throughout the show. It’s mostly been about that damn throne and who lives or dies fighting for it. I’m ready for a Cerseitacular crucifixion. Which remaining episode does the deed? I’m thinking five…who knows, can’t wait.

  60. HeyThere! says:

    WOW, I will probably watch this several times before next weeks! Simply amazing! So many epic parts to this episode. Can I say I personally love that two young girls won this war for them!!!!!!!! I love that!!!! WHO RUN THE WORLD??? GIRLS!!!! I’m practically speechless!!

  61. Andrea says:

    The Sansa and Tyrion surprise love was one of the best things of the night!

  62. Helena says:

    LOL at everyone in the comments being a screenwriter, military strategist AND cinematographer.

    • Becks1 says:

      I don’t know what I would have done different, from a military perspective, but I did think someone on one of these threads raised a good point, that all the good military strategists ARE dead. Robb was the one raised to be the leader, not Jon. (for all the good it did him.) But I am laughing at your comment because its true. We are all so talented!

    • Totally Old says:

      Thank you @Helena! Someone needed to say it, there are so many experts in the comments. It was a wonderful episode after 8 fantastic years of simply the best TV ever produced. I’ve loved everything and wouldn’t change a thing. I appreciate D&D for bringing the magnificent story to TV and I will never 2nd guess them or GRRM.

    • Veronica S. says:

      What military strategist could offer a professional opinion on this lol? It’s a fictional world involving zombie warriors and dragons. There’s no real world application for it, nor are there any rules by which it abides beyond which the writers create.

      Criticizing a work doesn’t require highly specialized professional experience. That’s a strawman’s argument. Plenty of people can recognize a poorly thought out character arc without years of education preceding it.

  63. CK says:

    I enjoyed it, but I’ve found some of the reaction to be baffling. This first thing that irks me is that for a show that’s cast a great deal of skepticism on magic users/prophecies (RIP Shireen) etc., people seem to be disappointed that once again a prophecy didn’t line up to be %100 what an elderly witch said it would be decades before the story. The Red Women couldn’t even settle on who Azar (sp?) was since Dany, Stannis, and Jon were mentioned as candidates. The show has portrayed them as incredibly powerful, but has cast a lot of skepticism on the extent of their power and foresight. These things are never fool proof. Heck, Jon didn’t have to deal the final blow to have contributed significantly to the NK’s defeat since he gathered the armies, retook winterfell, and put everything into motion. Without Jon, everyone gets mowed over in their various strongholds.

    It also wasn’t “easy” to kill the NK. His army slaughtered a great deal of fighters. In fact, had Arya approached him like a normal combatant and looked like more of a threat, she would have been cut down like most of the other people. It would have been beyond cliche (and quite gary sue-ish) if Jon took him down in 1v1 combat. He was an unstoppable force.

    I also feel like I must have been watching a different show as imo everything as been building up to the final battle over the iron throne. The WW threat while greater and more dire has been an undercurrent for most the series, but it really over served as a unifier. It’s basically the arrival of the Orcs during the battle of the five armies at the end of the Hobbit. A bigger threat, but not something that was ever intended to overshadow what was on the front burner since the beginning.

    • DP says:

      Very good point. It unified them, but the battle has always been between the north and the south. And Dany vs everyone.

  64. Katebush says:

    The final scene with Arya was amazing I didn’t expect t loved it!! I cried when Theon died too finally receiving the forgiveness and recognition he needed/wanted.
    All the dragon scenes kinda bored me tbh i prefer the scenes with characters interacting moreso than the fantasy elements.
    My favourite parts were Sana’a and Tyrion interacting on the crypts and all of Melisandres scenes she was great last night. Jon and Dany were a bit lame.
    And I feel like either Brienne and pr Jaime should have died. I agree with all the other posters who said it’s too unrealistic for all the major characters to have survived all that carnage.
    The whole battle seeemd so hopeless that I felt like it was a big lazy to resolve it all in one second. It does seem that they should have fleshed our the night king a bit more .

  65. DP says:

    I thought Arya was going to wear the face of one of the white walkers in order to kill the night king. Even though she’s a trained assassin, it’s unbelievable that she snuck up on him in that crowd.
    I also thought she was going to die as she killed him. Dark, but ultimate sacrifice to save them all?
    That she survived makes me think she may have a bigger story line ahead.
    Maybe the sisters take the iron throne together?

  66. liriel says:

    I think GoT lost its uniqueness. I just can’t..