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The Battle of Winterfell

'Game of Thrones' is better than anything on TV.

By SamPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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Look at the face of the most amazing woman in the world.

I may have just watched the best episode of TV in my life. "The Long Night" is the longest episode in the series’ history. It clocks in at 82 minutes and involves the Great War between the living and the dead.

To put it simply, this battle had it all. We juggled multiple characters and story lines, held our breath at each twist and turn, and honestly went on a roller coaster of emotions.

This episode encapsulates the entire battle between the Night King and his forces against our remaining cast of characters. It works so well in terms of pacing that the hour and twenty minutes pass by without a dull moment. We start with a ten minute build pretty much devoid of dialogue. The living prepare and we get a long tracking shot of most of our heroes looking a little nervous for what’s about to happen. The battle itself is also extraordinary. We get fast-paced charges and action scenes combined with smaller, more focused battles with only a character or two involved. For example, as Winterfell is in chaos while the dead take over, it cuts to an amazing, tension filled scene of Arya avoiding the undead in total silence within Winterfell’s library. They were careful not to have too many scenes of foot soldiers in loose combat so we wouldn’t be too confused or overwhelmed.

What I also enjoyed was the scale of the battle. It’s shot to give viewers fear in two different ways. There are the wide, sweeping battle shots with thousands of undead charging at Winterfell, and small, tight scenes within the halls inside the castle. Creators Weiss and Benioff mentioned agoraphobia for the battle shots in the behind the scenes for the episodes, and it works. You’re scared at the sheer number of forces coming at our favorite characters. The dead have the upper hand for about 90% of this battle, which is unreal. It’s so anxiety producing. On the other end, inside Winterfell changes the pace to become claustrophobic instead of agoraphobic. I’m mainly thinking of Arya running from the undead in the sharp, narrow corridors looking scared for her life. It’s like something out of a horror movie. Overall, the creators knew what they were doing in each scene. They knew how to evoke fear and anxiety in their viewers. When you have Miguel Sapochnik, the director of the famous "Battle of the Bastards" episode, behind this fight as well, you know it’ll be great.

I need to mention the use of visuals. This episode had little to no dialogue. It was fantastic. The opening charge at the White Walkers by the Dothraki army was gorgeous. The Dothraki have flaming weapons as they charge into the dark. Once they reach the undead, we go back to the castle and see the little lights go out one by one from the castle. Seeing the lights gradually flicker out was horrifying. It seemed so small, coupled with the few horses and men running back from the blackness, but it was a scary moment. It showed early on that we were in for a devastating ride. Overall, the visuals were stunning. The light from the fires provided a creepy, almost bloody orange glow throughout the whole episode that was a bit unsettling. Many shots stick out to me. There are the scenes of the Night King looking back at Jon Snow amidst a battlefield of corpses that took my breath away. Keeping with the Night King, the first few shots of him on his dragon were so good. He was shot from below, putting him in shadows with only his bright blue eyes standing out. The colors and shadows were fantastic. Another small standout was Beric Dondarrion and his Christ-like pose, stopping the dead from going after Arya and sacrificing himself. Finally, Jaime and Brienne fighting side by side while they’re lit from behind by fire was awesome to watch. There were so many great shots in this episode, I really can’t list them all here. It was a visual experience. I’ll probably go back and watch it again just for the cinematography and lighting once I’ve had more time to process it. If there was one thing I would change (and this was my mother’s biggest problem with the episode), it would be that there were some scenes that were too dark or confusing. The snowstorm made sense to hinder our characters, but goodness was I confused while watching.

Let’s talk about our characters. What I enjoyed was seeing some great character moments amidst all the insanity, and not exactly from characters we’d expect. Dany and Jon did almost nothing the whole episode. The dragons helped with their fire, but Jon literally hid behind a wall from a dragon, and Dany stabbed a few ice zombies while Jorah died a hero's death. They’re both great characters, but I was more invested in what was going on around them.

Sansa and Tyrion making amends of sorts in the crypts was touching for me. I’ve always been a fan of the small friendship and respect they have for one another, and the moment of Tyrion kissing her hand before they start to navigate through the crypts was fantastic to me. We also need to give Lyanna Mormont a shout out. This girl is a star. I had a feeling she would die this episode, but she went out like a boss. Her scream as she took down a giant was inspiring, and I’ll truly miss her in the coming episodes. Another tiny thing was Sandor Clegane being afraid of fire. I loved how he was terrified, but the moment he saw Arya in trouble, he threw that fear aside and bolted toward her. It was a fast scene, but one of my favorites.

Similarly, Theon’s last stand was respectable. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Theon, even while he’s been on his redemption arc. I loved seeing him back at home, defending Bran again. It felt like he’d truly come full circle and was back to protecting his family. We knew the moment he charged that it was over, and so did he. However, Bran gave him the validation he needed to be at peace with himself before he went. It was sad watching Theon go, but I couldn’t think of a better way to end his character arc.

Jorah’s end was one I saw coming, but damn, did it hurt. I’ve always liked Jorah. His dedication to Dany has always been admirable, and I’m happy that he died the way that he would’ve wanted: defending Daenerys to the end. He was always a great character and it was sad to watch him struggle to say "I love you" to his queen one last time. To top it off, Emilia Clarke did a great job with her acting. She really lost a lot this battle, and seeing her weep over her oldest friend while her dragon huddled around them was something to remember for a long time.

Alright. We need to talk about Arya. Maisie Williams is easily our MVP of the week. Scratch that, MVP of the century. The Stark sisters are two of my favorites for a reason, and tonight it was Arya’s turn to shine. This. Girl. She kicked ass on the top of the wall, she had an amazing few moments in the library, and of course, we all know what she did. After years of questioning who was the Azor Ahai to save the day from the Night King, some fan theories were correct; Arya is our savior. This scene was so awesome. The Night King thought he won, but Arya put him in his place. She’s always been a strong, smart woman, and her knife trick was jaw-dropping. What makes it better is that she stabbed him with the very knife that was first used in an attempt on Bran’s life. The weapon originally used to try and murder him in season one saved him from the ultimate danger in the final season. Bran gave her the dagger last season and didn’t tell her what it was for. Now we know. It also fulfills what Melisandre told her back in season three. Arya would “close many eyes” including blue ones. Seeing things come full circle is so satisfying. I was so happy, I jumped out of my seat, ran around my apartment, and grabbed the nearest bottle of rosé and chugged it in celebration. Overall, things went pretty well for me tonight. Sansa, Tormund, and Ghost are still alive, and my girl Arya is the most badass lady in Westeros.

At this point, the final season is halfway over. I have no idea what to expect in the coming weeks, as Cersei is more unpredictable than the Night King. If this episode is any indication, we’re in for some stellar TV in the coming weeks.

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Sam

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