Ryan Shoots First: Game of Thrones (S8 Ep3) “The Long Night”
Wow, what a spectacle and what an epic episode. “The Long Night” will go down as one of the most intense climactic episodes in entertainment history. The Battle of Winterfell delivered. I feel like all the combined dialogue of the episode could have been like 3 pages of a script.
The episode starts with everyone in Winterfell amped to 11. Everyone’s eyes as wide as could be, there was some amazing acting in this episode as characters are clearly terrified and have very little hope but are driven by duty and honor. After seeing some well done uncut scenes we cut to outside the walls as a cloaked figure approaches. It’s Melisandre and Davos is of course not excited to see her as he told her the last time they met he would kill her. She tells Davos not to worry and that she won’t make it to the morning. With that she heads out and sets all of the Dothraki weapons on fire. With that they go against the plan and charge into battle. The following scene depicts everyone else slowly seeing every last flame burn out in the distance essentially ending the Dothraki. Dany not wanting to sit by hops on Drogon to head out even though that was not the plan. Jon follows reluctantly as they search for the Knight King.
On the ground a literal storm swirls in making everything hard to see as a tidal wave of wights crash into the army of Winterfell. Things continue to not go well and eventually they fall back into the castle walls as the unsullied cover their retreat. While retreating Melisandre comes out again and lights ablaze all the trenches around the walls. Inside the walls Arya tells Sansa to head to the crypts as Sansa is visibly shook, but not before giving her a dragon glass dagger and tell her to “stick them with the pointy end”. Outside unfortunately the first relevant death of the episode comes at the expense of Ed who dies saving Sam.
Meanwhile in the sky, Jon and Dany are flying around blind chasing the Knight King in the storm and actually run into each other showing how not on the same page they are. On the ground the Hound is struggling and is losing his nerve as he loses hope. Beric wakes him up by pointing to Arya atop the wall doing work with her new weapon from Gendry, this snaps Hound right out of it as he races of to save Arya. Arya finds her way into the Library in what was a very tense scene, eventually she links up with the Hound and Beric and they run into Melisandre who reunites with Arya from way back seasons ago when she took Gendry and told her they would meet again and that she would shut many eyes. She reiterates again to her that she will shut Brown eyes, green eyes and…. Blue eyes, this causes Arya to race off.
In the crypts Sansa and Tyrion share a moment wondering what good they are in a situation like this. Tyrion jokes they should have stayed married and when Sansa tells him “you were the best of them” he mentions how terrifying that is. Eventually things go south when the Knight King who is face to face with Jon out side revives all of the fallen Winterfell, Unsullied and Dothraki warriors into his army. This also causes all of the Starks of old in the crypts to start busting out of they tombs.
Jon is unable to get to the Knight King as he is stuck fighting all of the new Wight soldiers. Danny is also in trouble as Drogon becomes overrun with Wights and bails on her to get away. Luckily for Dany Jorah is always there to save the day. Under the were wood we see Theon making his last stand to protct Bran as the Knight King approaches with his captains. Bran fulfils the redemption of Theon by telling him he is a good man and Theon charges the Knight King to his death. Jon is now pinned down by Ice Viserion and is unable to get to Bran, finally he stands right in the face of the Blue Fire breathing dragon as we reach the absolut down point of the episode. Just as the Knight King reaches out for Bran Arya comes in out of nowhere and makes the kill shot with her Valyrian Steel dagger. That’s right Arya fulfills the prophecy from Meli and takes down the Knight King!!!
The episode ends with Dany crying as Jorah dies but not before seeing the war has been won. The good guys have won but there is no time to rest as Cersei is looming and Dany has lost a significant portion of her army.
Observations:
- I guess I was wrong about my Arya death prediction, quite the opposite actually.
- Freaking Lady Mormont…. What a way to go out.
- I’m a sucker for long tracking unedited shots.
- Winterfell needs air traffic controllers.
- Is the Knight King the most menacing bad guy ever? Seriously when he raises’ everyone from the dead and withstands the dragon fire he seems untouchable.
- BTW did anyone thing dragon fire would actually work? No.
- Pod and Sam vying for most surprising to stay alive in the fight.
- Another Ghost sighting! But did he make it?
- In the opening credits the entire North is Ice now.
- Jon making a decision to not go back to save Sam was a intense moment.
- Those shots of the storm with the dragon fire were spectacular.
- Beric can finally rest.
- Music in this episode was incredible.
- ARYAAAAAAA!
Predictions:
- Who knows now kinda in a reset right now.
- North will adopt Dany now.
- Her and Jon work out their issues.
- Jamie still gonna kill Cersei.
- Next week the second half of the final season begins! On to King’s Landing!
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