S08.E03: The Long Night

[lovinbob]

46 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Holy fuck, that was relentless. So, in a way, Littlefinger saved the day.

How did Littlefinger save the day? Was it his knife?

I loved the Sansa-Tyrion moment, but I am not here for them getting together. I just can't see it.

I watched last week's episode 4 times already. I don't think I'll watch this more than once, in part because it was so hard to see but mostly because I was way too tense the whole time. Thank you, Arya, for ending all of our misery. 

[Conan Troutman]

12 minutes ago, ShannaB said:

  I will say that I am a bit disappointed that the Knight King was killed so soon and so easily.  I wonder if Bran was able to block the Knight King from seeing Arya sneak in for the final blow.  Smart girl with her design.  I was oddly pleased to see Dany effectively fight like she did.

There really only were two options - Jon in a more drawn out fight or Arya by stabbing him from behind (or above in this case). And the latter just has to be quick. I also don't think I could've taken any more fighting, so I'm A okay with it being a short scene. 

7 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I want to know where Gendry and Thormund are. 

I think Gendry's okay. Didn't see him alive at the end, but I didn't see him him a terrible spot either. Should be okay. There was some with a beard like Tormund being raised by the NK, but I don't know if it was him. 

2 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

I don't get all the ragging on Jon... The plan was to ride the dragon... Lay down cover fire until the NK shows up and try and kill him... More or less that's what they did... The NK brought the frost winds and it was hard for Dany and Jon to see so they got lost.. But when the NK and Viserion showed up Jon attacked.. He fell off and attempted to go after the NK and he raised more dead... Jon( with help from Dany)  got away from some of the wights and was making his way thru all sorts of mayhem( including leaving Sam to deal with his own fight)  to get to Bran.. But he got pinned down by a dragon... Not sure what y'all wanted him to do about that... 

I always suspected that it would be Arya or Jon to Kill the NK... Mainly because I assumed( correctly)  that Dragon fire wouldn't do it... So it would have to be up close and personal... And based on what I had seen those were the two... Tho if I'm honest I thought Aryan would have put on the face of a WW and get the NK that way.... 

That was exhausting and amazing... I can't even watch the other shows I dvr'd tonight... Ima just be up reading comments.. And watching Arya Kill the NK over and over until I hit the bed... 

Next week we better get a real Jon/Arya convo.. Shit everybody line up to thank/talk to the real Lady of Winterfell ( tho I am a Sansa fan)  the princess who was promised Arya Azor Ahai

Totally agree re: Dany and Jon.

As for Arya: I half expected that she had to kill Bran and take his place to jump the NK. But thankfully the old hiding in a tree trick did the job. Still, kinda weird to have Bran survive - now that the NK's dead, the 3ER doesn't have any purpose any more. But I guess it just means he can be Bran again.  

[Giselle]

2 minutes ago, sweetcookieface said:

Forgot to say, I was never a Melisandre fan, but I found her death at the end surprisingly affecting (esp after being one of the MVPs of the battle).

Gotta give the old broad her due.

[bluvelvet]

Just read this on Twitter and didn’t even think of it. The Lord of Light brought Beric back all those times to fulfill his role to protect Arya. Hence why Mel said he fulfilled his purpose. Mel also fulfilled her mission and let herself die. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by bluvelvet

[TaurusRose]

26 minutes ago, GodsBeloved said:

It may be my heart eyes for Pod but I could have sworn I saw him inside the walls but never saw him fall. Not sure about Ghost tho they best not have touched a hair on his fury furry head or Imma go Arya Stark on their asses.

Fixed that for you.  And hell yeah!  

[Macbeth]

As Lyanna Mormont said 1 Bear Island knight fights with the strength of 12 men. 

I am not one to disrespect the Queen. But I believe you and Jorah  each fought with the strength of 50 men. 

Both of you were such wonderful, brave characters. Thank you. 

Thank you Dothraki. You were the Vanguard and went out like the bad asses you were. Too bad you didn't' have dragon fire for cover like the Loot Train  Battle.  But Dany was too busy watching you die on the hill. 

Thank you Unsullied. You held strong and fast while all those Northeners retreated.   You showed what true bravery is. 

Thank you Theon. As Bran said Winterfell is your home. Best redemption story ever. 

Edd.  Too bad your last act was trying to get Sam to fight.  You should have used him for cover. Now your watch has ended 

Edited April 29, 2019 by Macbeth

[Growsonwalls]

I;m glad they also gave Melisandre a hero's death because I'll admit, I almost stopped watching GoT after Shireen was sacrificed. That sweet wonderful girl dying like that was so hard for me to watch that I really almost stopped watching. And I'll never forgive Melisandre for her role in Shireen's death. But at least she redeemed herself.

[GodsBeloved]

5 minutes ago, sweetcookieface said:

Forgot to say, I was never a Melisandre fan, but I found her death at the end surprisingly affecting (esp after being one of the MVPs of the battle).

I could barely see but I totally missed her dying.

[Xantar]

So the thing about the Dothraki is they were always going to be mostly useless in this battle. They are light cavalry. Their tactic is to race around on horses, carving up the infantry and moving too fast to get hit. But that doesn’t work when your enemy is almost infinite and has no fear. Moreover, this was a defensive battle which the Dothraki don’t do. They are nomads, after all.

So really, the best way to use them was pretty much what we just saw. It’s unfortunate that they weren’t more effective, but they really never could be in this situation. 

[BitterApple]

The second the episode ended I knew there was going to be a lot of ambivalence.

Like others, I had a tough time following the action. It was so damn dark, I couldn't tell who was who or what was going on.

When the AOTD was climbing the walls, I was screaming, "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE DRAGONS?!!!!!!." Dany and Jon could've knocked the mob out in one shot, but were off playing tag with the Night King. 

Regarding Bran, can he just be useful for a frigging change? What's the point of having all these visions when they can't do jack shit to help the cause? 

I can't speak for all of you, but personally the emotional impact wasn't quite as deep as I expected because the deaths were already long predicted. The only one that was a slight surprise was Lyanna. Props to her for going out like a boss. 

My favorite moment was Tyrion and Sansa.

Overall, decent, but I think they could've gotten everything accomplished in an hour.

[LadyChaos]

41 minutes ago, rozen said:

I know the plot demands Dany take enormous losses to make her battle for the throne harder, but wtf was sending the Dothraki to their doom with no support? Literally why? 

Personally, I think that it was a plot convenience.  When the final showdown between Jon and Dany for the throne, a lot of people were likely going to have a problem with half her army being made up of a horde whose pastime is pillaging, raping, and taking slaves. So they probably thought it was best to kill them all off.

41 minutes ago, saxon57 said:

Was Ghost lost? Didn’t see him after initial charge

He is alive, he is in the preview for the next ep.

39 minutes ago, QuinnM said:

Nonsense, he gave Arya the dagger she needed to save him.  He knew he was safe.

He certainly did, that sly bastard.

5 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

I don't get all the ragging on Jon... The plan was to ride the dragon... Lay down cover fire until the NK shows up and try and kill him... More or less that's what they did... The NK brought the frost winds and it was hard for Dany and Jon to see so they got lost.. But when the NK and Viserion showed up Jon attacked.. He fell off and attempted to go after the NK and he raised more dead... Jon( with help from Dany)  got away from some of the wights and was making his way thru all sorts of mayhem( including leaving Sam to deal with his own fight)  to get to Bran.. But he got pinned down by a dragon... Not sure what y'all wanted him to do about that... 

Exactly! Like WTF! What could Jon have done differently. They all did the best they could.

A few other things:

any sympathy I had for Sansa I lost.  She literally had a weapon and hid to save herself while people died.  Even if she didn't know how to use it, she could have tried to save the people.  

My Mom literally ran into the kitchen and hid about 45 minutes into the ep.

Totally didn't see the badass moment Arya had coming, and LOVED IT!

I don't think any of them probably could sleep for fear for nightmares for days.

Going ahead, next week seems dull in comparison already.

[Andromeda]

1 hour ago, QuinnM said:

I did send an email to the folks that set up my home theater to say ‘nice job I apparently am the only person that can see Game of Thrones’.  The tech emailed me back to say that he uses GoT to set the specs.  So I’m very lucky.

I turned up the brightness on my tv years ago. Maybe black isn't true black, but I can definitely see better.

ETA: 4K isn't really the answer until the show is broadcast in 4K. As I understand it, a 4K TV can upscale the 1080p signal to improve it, but it won't be that much better.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Andromeda
techie TV stuff.

[tennisgurl]

...maybe watching this and Avengers Endgame on the same day was a bad idea?

[Kanner]

What a team effort. 

Jon got them all together, Dany supplied the bulk of the force and fire power, Bran supplied the weapon, and Arya executed. 

They all did their part (well maybe Sam not so much lol). 

I think I was drained from Endgame. I did not get as emotional as I thought I would. 

I don’t know how but Ghost better be alive. 😊

[Leroux]

24 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

It's saying something when Dany was more useful than Jon in this battle. I wonder if the Northerners are going to bend the knee now. Without her dragons and her never give up Unsullied the battle would've been over in 5 minutes. 

Dany has ridden dragons for years, Jon only once before this.

I can't really blame Jon for much during the battle. He did as much as Daenerys, Drogon is bigger and stronger than Rhaegal so it was meant to last longer.

At the end it wasn't the dragons, it was BAMF Arya Stark. 

[Meredith Quill]

I'm focusing on things that made me feel stuff.

Lyanna M - Sad that she died but if she had to die at least she took that big motherfucker with her, YOU GO GIRL.

Dany - Saved Jon's life proving to all the doubters that she isn't a mad queen in the making and doesn't *only* care about the IT.

Arya - I connected it when Mel said the eyes quote to her again but I assumed she'd try to protect Bran and fail - was hyped AF when she took out Icy Darth Maul. AWESOME!

Theon - I wanted him to survive but realised it was likely a forlorn hope. Alfie Allen is a damn fine actor.

Jorah - The last scion of House Mormont - I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING. RIP.

Is it next Sunday yet?

[Conan Troutman]

5 minutes ago, sweetcookieface said:

Forgot to say, I was never a Melisandre fan, but I found her death at the end surprisingly affecting (esp after being one of the MVPs of the battle).

I was suprised she didn't have a more spectacular death, but I agree, that was very well done and a great way to end the episode. 

6 minutes ago, Brn2bwild said:

We still don't know what those spiral symbols mean... and there are one million fresh bodies in King's Landing.  Jon may be the one who finishes off the Night King yet.

They're just the symbol of the Children of the Forest, there doesn't appear to be any deeper meaning, other than the NK using it to mock them. What do you mean by finishing off the NK? He shattered and his entire army went down with him, Sauron style, he's gone for good. 

[CletusMusashi]

The problem with people calling Arya the Princess Who Was Promised is it reflexively makes me think of a very silly song. Is this the version of her tale they'll be telling in a thousand years?

Edited April 29, 2019 by CletusMusashi

[Traveller519]

3 minutes ago, sweetcookieface said:

Forgot to say, I was never a Melisandre fan, but I found her death at the end surprisingly affecting (esp after being one of the MVPs of the battle).

In her mind, she has fulfilled her purpose/destiny.

I guess we're left to wonder that is. It obviously wasn't only to keep Jon alive.

Was it to aid in the killing of the Night King? To save Arya? To empower Sandor?

Speaking of Sandor... If there's any Lord of Light prophecy left to fulfill or explore, it would appear to be up to him at this point. I wonder if we will get a full Clegane bowl, and if he is now fully over his fire phobia. 

I hope somebody has the mind to pick up Jorah's Valeryian steel sword. Something tells me they're still going to be quite useful.

[paigow]

1 minute ago, bluvelvet said:

Mel also fulfilled her mission and let herself die. 

Maybe Davos will give the magic necklace to Sansa - then she can live to be 500 years old....

[dirtypop90]

12 minutes ago, screamin said:

Well, now that the Big Bad Night King Who's Coming Right NOW! has come and died somewhat anticlimatically, what's the rush? There could be a time lapse of months before the episode in the time Dany's armies and dragons are recuperating and regrouping.

I can’t imagine Dany won’t immediately march on Cersei. I can only see a time jump after cersei dies, during the last episode. But I don’t think it makes sense to introduce a baby during the last episode of the series. I’m also expecting Dany to die during the finale at this point. I don’t think she will ever rule. But who knows.

Edited April 29, 2019 by dirtypop90

[LadyChaos]

16 minutes ago, Hiacios said:

I agree with you on Jon. Let's just be glad he's not going to set on the throne. Lord that would be bad.

Wow! Assume much! Just because you don't like Jon, doesn't mean that he won't be on the throne and that most of us couldn't see he was doing all that he could while THEY WERE ALL FAILING!

[Joimiaroxeu]

I have never been so scared when I was about to watch a TV show as tonight.

So did the Red Witch's fire incantation on the trenches work or was it the dragons who showed up in time? Gee, what a crisis of faith for her. Too bad there weren't any innocent little girls for her to sacrifice.

Lady Mormont. Went out like a mf-ing hero.

Heh, the Night King was like, howya like me now, bitch? Dracarys this.

Good on ya, Theon.

ARYA FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!  

Game of Thrones now owns the Emmys, lock, stock, and barrel.

[GodsBeloved]

4 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

...maybe watching this and Avengers Endgame on the same day was a bad idea?

It was

[Minneapple]

Ladies and gentlemen, ARYA FUCKING STARK!

[enoughcats]

2 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

When the AOTD was climbing the walls, I was screaming, "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE DRAGONS?!!!!!!.

I thought they might have a pendulum like devise similar to the one that knocked attackers off the ice wall. OK, several pendulums, because that was predictable.

Anybody else note at the very beginning that the blue 'dominoes' stopped and engulfed Winterfell so reports of a side group attacking Kings' Landind weren't going to happen tonight?

[elizacat]

50 minutes ago, Law Mom said:

And all the Emmys go to...

That was seriously spectacular. When a TV show makes you FEEL something, the apprehension, the fear, the sense of loss, not like you are watching it but like you are living it, that is something special.

Oh my god I was so anxious I could barely watch!

[Conan Troutman]

4 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Regarding Bran, can he just be useful for a frigging change? What's the point of having all these visions when they can't do jack shit to help the cause? 

I guess he can't influence people and events around him too much or he's risking changing too much and he told Tyrion last week something - afterwards, Tyrion was a lot more hopeful in the fireplace scene. So I take it that Bran has seen the outcome and is just trying to lay low and not mess things up by telling people too much. 

Same goes for the writers, the more they let Bran do the more they can mess things up logic wise. So best let him sit around and talk in cryptic sentences. 

[mothmonsterman]

I adored this episode and it was the best thing I've ever watched on TV, period. 

With that said, I do have to say that I yelled "where the hell are the dragons! Why aren't Jon and Dany roasting these mf-ers right now?" And the dragon fight scenes; it was like the dragon forgot it had fire, it should have roasted that other dragon. Yes, ice hurts, but the fire would have ended the fight.

I guess Jon and Dany were supposed to be lost in the sky, but at times it seemed like they would find the castle, then I don't know what the hell they were doing.

Edited April 29, 2019 by mothmonsterman

[Popples]

24 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I want to know where Gendry and Thormund are. 

They're still alive, I took a photo of my TV. This is just after Arya took out the Night King, and all the White Walker, wights, and Viserion fell.

[Nanrad]

Arya was just a flat out a bad ass. 

I was ready for her to fight and when she did it was everything. That double headed spear gave me life. 

Then she was shook for a moment, which mad sense, but she was bad ass during her stealth scene.

When she spoke to Mel and disappeared, I kept asking where she was. 

But, when appeared out of the air and did the knife trick, I was cheering. I thought the NK almost had her and felt bad about doubting her.

When she delivered that blow, I was like, “it just makes sense.”

[GodsBeloved]

5 minutes ago, Leroux said:

Dany has ridden dragons for years, Jon only once before this.

I can't really blame Jon for much during the battle. He did as much as Daenerys, Drogon is bigger and stronger than Rhaegal so it was meant to last longer.

At the end it wasn't the dragons, it was BAMF Arya Stark. 

Damn straight!

[Carmel Cub]

53 minutes ago, NeenerNeener said:

Now I understand why the cast is bitching about that being an absolute death march of a shoot. I think I read somewhere that it took 58 nights to film that sucker.  Did Jon's dragon survive, or not?

Spoiler

The previews for next week show two dragons in the air.

[UNOSEZ]

Now that I've had a bit of  time.. I think something that upsets me ( nitpicky I know)  is that so many southerners won't know ( or believe)  what really went down... I wouldn't have minded if they could felt that terror themselves.. Even if it was like a small splinter group the NK had sent on  ahead to KL.. Because seeing the preview for next week and cersei's smug face got me wanting to break something.... All those wildlings and dothraki and unsullied died to keep the southerners safe.. And they'll never really know... Unless the show makes a point before its over to say somn about it

[paigow]

Dumb People:

White Walkers that could not hear Arya running all the way from Winterfell and let their boss die.....

All the Winterfell archers: Thousands of zombies are motionless behind a wall of fire, Nobody shoots them....

[GodsBeloved]

3 minutes ago, Popples said:

They're still alive, I took a photo of my TV. This is just after Arya took out the Night King, and all the White Walker, wights, and Viserion fell.

Thank you for this! I wasn't sure about Tormund.

[Giselle]

So was Headless Ned amongst the living dead Starks?

[CeeBeeGee]

WRECKED.  Oh my God. I am a fucking mess. I am so, so sad over Lady Mormont. Yes, she went out like a badass but...man, that awesome, tiny, amazing badass. Rest in peace, Lady Mormont. No doubt you are taking tiny charge and kicking tiny ass in the seven heavens (or whatever version of the afterlife to which the Northerners subscribe).

I sobbed, watching Drogon comfort Dany. This is what our pets do. This is why we love them so much. Poor Viserion. 

The dance of dragons was electric. PLEASE let HBO adapt that. The first time we've seen dragons fighting.

ARYA. No words. Thank God Beric snapped the Hound out of it. "Tell that to her!" She has seen Death; she knows Death. And she looks forward to seeing this face. FUCK yeah. Not today.

The very beginning was absolutely terrifying. All that darkness. Strange sounds. A random horse galloping away in terror. That gorgeous scene from above showing the Dothraki vanguard with flaming weapons...and then they are snuffed out. Incredible direction.

Melisandre really helped them out. It doesn't make up for Shireen--nothing could--but thank God she was there. Thank the seven gods.

Is Brienne still alive?

When the White Walkers with the Night King were approaching the weirwood, I was reminded of that picture of the outgoing Obama administration out front of the White House, watching as Trump's transition team approaches. The White Walkers indeed!

Tyrion and Sansa--that was lovely.

Oh God I'm off to drink. I really need a drink after this.

Edited April 29, 2019 by CeeBeeGee

[QuinnM]

19 minutes ago, Conan Troutman said:

I thiink Gendry's okay. Didn't see him alive at the end, but I didn't see him him a terrible spot either. Should be okay. There was some with a beard like Tormund being raised by the NK, but I don't know if it was him

Well Arya was kissing someone in the preview clip.  So Gendry lives or Arya’s a ho.

[CletusMusashi]

13 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Nope, not even a bit of villain gloating at the end and he still got Valyrian-shanked. Kinda unfair.

I disagree a bit. I think the NK took forever to stand there thinking about how cool he looked, and how even cooler than that he was for not making "cool" puns like "Ice see you, Bran. There's snowbody that can save you now," (even though you know he's time to think of a zillion of those things,) before he decided to slowly, dramatically pull his sword out and do something. That's why Arya won. The NK disregarded his primary objective. Arya did not.

Now all I need is someone to fanwank why the giant wight decided to pick up and slowly one-handed crush Lyanna instead of just stepping on her and moving on. It was a very satisfying payoff, and it made me take back absolutely everything I've speculated lately about the possibility of her just being a loud rich kid with delusions of mightiness, but the setup on it was a tad wonky.

[maydaymayday]

Am I the only one who thought Theon would rise up and kill the night King?

Edited April 29, 2019 by maydaymayday

[30 Helens]

I have questions.

Why must battles always be in the dark on this show? Daytime battles would be suspenseful, too, and easier on the eyes.

Why did Jon and Dany hold their dragon runs until so far into the battle? By the time they started spraying fire, they were hitting as many of their own guys as the zombies.

Why didn’t they make a moat around Winterfell? They knew white walkers can’t cross water.

Did Gilly die? I saw a woman being dragged away that looked like her, but couldn’t be sure, because: see question 1.

I also thought I saw Bronn die early on? Or was that someone else?

WHERE IS GHOST??

Not questions, but comments:

I thought Brienne was a goner when it looked like she was being pulled into a Walking Dead-style feeding frenzy, and am so glad I was wrong.

Loved the kiss on the hand from Tyrion to Sansa. A very sweet moment amongst all the tension.

Liked the callback of Arya running through the underground tunnels of Winterfell to an early episode in Season 1 when she did the same thing, only that time she was seeking adventure and this time it was for real.

THE POINTY END, INDEED! 

[catrice2]

When Game of Thrones gives you a better battle than multiple superheroes........

[MVFrostsMyPie]

18 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

My favorite moment was Tyrion and Sansa.

I only just now got teary-eyed at the end of watching "the game revealed" of this episode when Iain was talking about his death, but yes, that scene was actually the closest I got to really feeling sadness (instead of just stress, confusion, apprehension, etc during the rest of the episode) and sentiment. 

[Nanrad]

Dany and Jon were waiting for the NK, but Dany broke the plan to help out the soldiers.

[Giselle]

Thank the Gods, the old and the new they didn't end with a cliffhanger of Bran and the Night King having a stare off.

I would have thrown the empty wine bottle at the TV. 

[Conan Troutman]

1 minute ago, CletusMusashi said:

I disagree a bit. I think the NK took forever to stand there thinking about how cool he looked, and how even cooler than that he was for not making "cool" puns like "Ice see you, Bran. There's snowbody that can save you now," (even though you know he's time to think of a zillion of those things,) before he decided to slowly, dramatically pull his sword out and do something. That's why Arya won. The NK disregarded his primary objective. Arya did not.

Now all I need is someone to fanwank why the giant wight decided to pick up and slowly one-handed crush Lyanna instead of just stepping on her and moving on. It was a very satisfying payoff, and it made me take back absolutely everything I've speculated lately about the possibility of her just being a loud rich kid with delusions of mightiness, but the setup on it was a tad wonky.

Well, the NK could've hurried up a bit, kill Bran - and then still get yanked by Arya just the same. It's not that Bran was controlling the living. 

There were a couple of implausible things (Jon not getting killed in at least two instances among them, same as Dany surviving surrounded by wights after Drogon stupidly sat on the ground and let himself get climbed), but overall not so many as to ruin the immersion. The giant letting himself get killed was indeed a bit wonky, but I'll take it. 

[LadyChaos]

22 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

My favorite moment was Tyrion and Sansa.

Why? All they did was hide as talk about how they never would have worked out and continued to hide while everyone around them died.

[Drogo]

I guess Sansa forgot the all-important "Pointy End" advice?

[Grumpymonkey]

1 minute ago, catrice2 said:

When Game of Thrones gives you a better battle than multiple superheroes........

Did you mean Battle of the Bastards?  Cause imo that's the only one I would compare.

I couldn't see any real decent battle scenes in this episode with it being so damn dark. It was so disappointing.  😕