GAME OF THRONES - THE LONG NIGHT REVIEW (S8:E3)

Seven Hells, were you not entertained!? I certainly was. We finally got one of the most anticipated events of the season and, it was epiiiiiiiiiiiiiic! Arguably up there with some of the series’ best episodes. The first two episodes of the season had been tranquil affairs; with reunions, happier moments and a pinch of foreshadowing. It looked like a storm was brewing, and man did the Night King bring it! This episode had me on a roller coaster of emotions, and eventually I just gave up guessing, because it hardly went in any direction I suspected. Episode 3 spoilers have been all over the web since Sunday night and this article is no exception. (If you’re reading this, you most likely have already seen Episode 3, why else would you be here?). There were many highlights, but I’ll attempt to relive and dissect the biggest and best moments in the episode.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE IS DARK AND FULL OF SPOILERS

DEATH OF THE HORDE

My hands are shaky, my breath short, and I’m just as tense as every man and woman outside the walls of Winterfell. The Fray is about to begin, a lone rider approaches, its’s Melisandre: back to play her part in the great war and ‘die in this strange land’. She’s crazy but has a way with fire, the wights hate fire, so she’s totally welcome. Like everyone else, I’m super stoked when Melisandre sets the swords of Dothraki horde ablaze, (Hell yeah, these wights gon burn tonight!) score one for team life! But the jokes on me, its short lived, very short-lived. The Dothraki charge is 'extinguished' in seconds. Who’s ‘smart’ idea was it to charge into bleak darkness to fight wights anyway? Seriously.

HE BRINGS THE STORM…. AND A SMILE

After the Dothraki fiasco, it becomes quite obvious the army of the living have very little in terms of tactics, for dealing with the army of the dead (and who would blame them?). Unsurprisingly, the Night King shows his prowess in strategy again, blinding Jon and Daenerys with a blizzard, before laying siege to the castle walls. Jon and Daenerys manage to intervene, but the damage is already done.  What follows, is a frantic chase through the skies and a scuffle between the three Dragons. Viserion and Rheagal are locked in mortal combat, but just as Viserion is getting the upper hand, Daenerys and Drogon knock the Night King off his perch, while Jon and the severely injured Rhaegal topple to the ground. Now hovering above the grounded Night King, Drogon and Daenerys, prepare to make some King Kebab (surely, it’s over now, big bad blue is gonna be toast). “Dracarys!”- Drogon unleashes a point-blank blaze of fiery glory on the villain and it will be the last of him…in your dreams! The cold, cool and collected villain resurfaces from the fiery chaos gracing a rare smirk - his first show of emotion ever! (Oooooooohhh shit!) He launches a spear towards the big Dragon (No, not again!), but Drogon and Daenerys scurry away just in time as the spear misses its target. Phew! That was close. A battered Jon makes his way towards the Night King on foot hoping to engage him in one on one battle. But the Night King isn't as honourable - raising his arms, and waking the newly dead to deal with Jon while he makes his way to the godswood. Daenerys and Drogon lend a hand, dispatching the wights and clearing a way for Jon. Jon sets off toward the godswood as Drogon is attacked by more wights.

STICK THEM WITH THE POINTY END

For her first Battle, Arya Stark proved to be anything but out of her depth. As the battle begins, Arya  urges her sister to find safety in the Crypts with the other non-fighters. After giving cover to the retreating troops and saving the Hound, she then proceeds to show the other warriors how its done. In a moment that would make Jaqen H'ghar proud, Arya impressively dispatches a number of wights with her bow staff, but is eventually overrun and makes a run for it. Bloodied and bruised she tries to avoid wights in Winterfell’s library until she's helped by Beric and the Hound. They meet with Melisandre in the great hall and the priestess reminds Arya of the prophecy she made many years ago that the young girl would close many eyes, brown, green … and you guessed it, blue.

THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF GREATER MEN

For most of the series Sam has needed protecting, but since Gilly and Sam came into his life, he’s had some protecting of his own to do. And he did just that, irked by his friends’ instructions to stay in the Crypts with the women and children or just from a desire to prove himself brave, Sam joins the front lines as the battle is about to begin. Impressively he takes a fair number of wights down, but ultimately plays a part in the death of his friend and fellow Night’s Watchman, Dolorrus Edd as he gets killed after saving Sam from certain death.

HERE WE STAND (AND STAND THEY DID)

Can we have a 10 minutes of silence for House Mormont. The unyielding Bannermen of House Stark lost two major members in Lyanna Mormont and Ser Jorah Mormont (previously exiled). And true to the words of their House both Mormonts stood their ground when it would have been easier to do otherwise.

LADY LYANNA MORMONT

The Lady of Bear Island and current Head of House Mormont had earlier dismissed the Lords of the North and even her cousin Jorah's plea to stay in the crypts during the battle, insisting that she would rather fight. Unsurprisingly she proves to be an efficient leader as she commanded her men to open and protect the gate during the retreat. However, their efforts are wasted, when a giant wight bursts through the gates, brushing the the young but mighty Lyanna aside. Battered, bloodied and in one final rally the young warrior charges at the wight who picks her up and crushes her tiny body, but not before the young Mormont thrusts her spear through its head, killing it and giving us one of the saddest and most die-hard deaths of the series. She will be missed.

SER JORAH MORMONT

After leading the failed Dothraki charge, Ser Jorah is among the survivors who retreat to defend the castle. In his last act of valor, Daenerys loyalist, bodyguard, and friend (zoned) protects the Dragon Queen from certain death after she falls of Drogon. Jorah arrives just in time fighting alongside the Targaryen and warding off a never-ending stream of wights. Jorah takes one stab too many, and eventually succumbs to his wounds only after the wights begin to die off and he is certain that Daenerys is safe. Loyal to the very end, we all need a Jorah in our lives, wouldn’t you say? Sleep well Ser Jorah.

THE 6th MAN

After leaving for Volantis with a promise to return to Westeros to ‘die in the strange land’, Melisandre returned just as the Great War was about to kick off. While her initial blaze of the Dothraki swords was very short lived and a total waste. Melisandre’s contribution to the battle was immense, helping to light the trenches when Jon and Daenerys couldn’t, temporarily slowing down the advance of wights and giving the living some respite, before reminding Arya of the destiny she was to fulfill (Does this make Arya Azor Ahai?). When the battle is won, and her role in the war against the god of death fulfilled, the red priestess walks into the orange horizon, removing her necklace, she ages rapidly and turns to dust. Now I just have to find another red priestess to drool after.

BLUE DEAD REDEMPTION

Theon Greyjoy returned to Winterfell to fight for the Starks, and as I had suspected, met his end at the Battle of Winterfell as his character came full circle. After Bran revealed that he was a prime target of the Night King, Theon had volunteered to protect him in a plan which involved baiting the Night King with the Three-eyed Raven (a plan that clearly didn’t work). Theon attempts to apologize to Bran for his past sins, but Bran tells him it all led to this moment and to where he belongs: Home. As the army of the dead break through the castle defenses and towards the godswood, Theon and his Ironborns are the only ones standing between them and Bran. With Theon as the last man standing, Bran ominously thanks him for everything. In one last act of bravery and redemption, the Ironborn makes a foolhardy charge at the Night King who cuts him down with ease. I really, really enjoyed this character, and he’s had one of the finest character arcs we’ll ever see. Thank you Theon Greyjoy. What is Dead May Never Die.

LIGHTS OUT

Just as in the Battle of the Blackwater, the Hound is crippled by the fear of fire (It’s called Pyrophobia by the way) and an imminent death. Sandor Clegane ignores Beric’s calls for assistance as the wights continued to ravage the castle grounds, until Beric points out Arya’s defiance in the face of it all: fighting back despite the unfavorable odds. It’s quite touching to see his fatherly instincts kick in as he and Beric rush to help her. Fortunately, the duo happens upon her just in time as she’s attacked by wights. Beric gives his ‘last’ life to protect the Hound and Arya as they make their way to the Great Hall. There they meet Melisandre who assures them that Beric had served his purpose and  won’t be coming back again.

TALES FROM THE CRYPT

Tyrion, Varys and the women and children too old or young to fight are resigned to the Crypts to wait out the battle and are soon joined by Sansa as the battle begins. Tyrion believes he should be doing more in efforts to help rather than hiding but being a witness to some of the battle Sansa assures him that he would die if he were up there. With imminent death approaching, the formerly married couple reflect on their marriage and where their loyalties lie. And as long suspected the dead in the crypt begin to break out of their vaults and attack. Tyrion and Sansa brace themselves for death as they ready themselves for a fight.

NOT TODAY!

With former dead allies being awaken as wights, Daenerys and Jorah being overrun, Jon’s path to the godswood blocked, and the Night King finally alone with Bran. You’d forgive anyone for being hopeless. Perhaps in true G.R.R Martin style the Dead would win this battle and everyone would die and maybe Cersei would be the saviour of Westeros. The Night King reaches for his sword to finally end the memory of men in Westeros. Except Arya Stark was yet to have her say, *Drumroll* the young Stark leaps out of the grim darkness to stab the blue-eyed fiend. The Night King blocks her attack, gripping her weapon arm and throat (that's it, final hope dead) but, wait, the faceless man cleverly drops her dagger in her other hand and stabs the Night King in the gut. There’s a shrieking explosion as the Night King and his white walkers shatters into a thousand pieces of ice. The wights are lifeless, Viserion collapses, it’s all over, it really is?

EPISODE ROUND UP: VALAR MORGHULIS

Being the longest episode yet in the series at 1 hour 22 minutes, the Long Night certainly didn't feel that long. An intense episode which took a couple of minutes to process after seeing it. The Battle of Winterfell was certainly nothing like I predicted, as the tide of the battle shifted radically in true GOT fashion. Last week I predicted that Theon, Grey Worm and maybe Brienne would meet their deaths at the Battle of Winterfell. While only one of my guesses was correct, we saw other unexpected deaths as major characters like Jorah, Lyanna Mormont and Beric lost their lives. A small token to pay in the war against the mammoth Night King.

Ever since Bran handed Arya his Valeryian steel Dagger (safe to say he knew she would need it), there was always some foreboding on Arya playing a critical role in the fight against the Night King. And while it came in a very enjoyable manner, it would be amiss to deny that her defeat of the Night King was just another conveniently placed Deus Ex Machina to make fans 'happy'. The Night King had been a villain of massive proportions, an unstoppable force of cold and death, and while it isn't the fact that Arya took him down that bothers me, it is the manner in which she did. The White Walkers have served as a backbone to the narrative of the series, right from the very first scene of the episode till date. They had been this looming danger that the audience had at the back of their minds wherever the scenes took you, be it Kings Landing or Meereen. A unifying threat that would end the squabbling among the great houses of Westeros, and bring about a final showdown with every hand on deck, alas their story arch is disappointingly over midway through the season.

Probably more disappointingly is the fact that the Southern Kingdoms had no collateral damage in the 'Great War' as they remained untouched. Even the naysayers of the Citadel will continue to live in denial. And with effectively half of Daenerys and Jon's army decimated by the dead, it would be fair to say Cersei now stands a better chance in the war to come than she did a few episodes ago. Episode 4 will be a relatively uneventful episode; as the remaining survivors, mourn their losses and regroup ahead of the war with Cersei. Now with the Night King presumably out of the picture, my guess is as good as yours on the direction the next few episodes will go.

Reject Rating: 7.5/10

Images Courtesy of HBO