What an episode! Ninety minutes of relentless gore, bloodshed and action. My heart was still racing when it was all over! However, once the haze of the battle settled, and the sun was up, I couldn’t help feeling ‘WTF’?
This is one of those episodes that you absolutely loved while watching but afterward you are left wondering; what was it all for?
< Major episode spoilers ahead…>
The Battle For Winterfell
As a cinematic spectacle, this episode is probably the best in television history. Deliberately shot in the dark in a smoky haze of fire, with multiple vantage points, with action and horror sequences – it keeps you at the edge of the seat ( and in my case screaming and jumping and down). If you felt disoriented and overwhelmed by the action, then it was intentional. The show runners did an excellent job of creating an immersive experience and looping us into the sense of doom that set in the first 15 minutes. Nothing could have spelled fear in the eyes of the living, as to see the light of the Dothraki riders go out in a few quick, cold minutes.
The astounding soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi complimented the many hopeless moments of the battle. Whether it was the dragons fighting high up in the sky, or the hordes of zombies clambering up the walls of Winterfell, the music kept pace. I can’t imagine that this could have been done in any other way!
And this is pretty much where the greatness of the show ends….
He Came. He saw. He lost.
Since the 1st scene of the 1st episode of the 1st season, Westeros has lived under the shadow of the white walkers. The biggest threat to humanity kept at bay by a magical wall. The fall of the wall (😊) was the worst thing to have happened on the show. And now that apocalyptic army was at the gates of Winterfell. And then they lost.
I strongly feel that the writers backed themselves into the corner with this one. The hordes of zombies were so deadly that 30 minutes into the episode, it was clear that the living would not survive this. The Night King had to die.
And therein lies the problem, you can’t build up an enemy for 8 years and completely destroy them in a night of fighting. No matter who plunged the dagger, his end is anti-climactic. We will never know if he was a Targaryen or Stark. We will never know why he couldn’t die by dragon fire but instead by Valyrian steel (forged in dragonfire)? So many questions.
Valar Morghulis
Well, clearly not. As much as I would have hated to see any of the characters die, it did seem out that GOT writers are totally wimping out on major character deaths. There is no way that Sam, Brienne, Gendry, Podrick, and Jamie have all survived the hundreds of zombies piling on them. We are now beyond plot armor protection, this is pure fan service now.
No one is Azor Ahai
Did she ever get this right? Did she finally land on Arya? Somebody explain this to me!
The Azor Ahai prophecy is fairly significant in the books and often referred on the show (as late as last season). It talks about a Prince/Princes of Light who would end the endless night by defeating the Night King.
I don’t think Arya Stark fits that prophecy, even though I really enjoyed her killing the Night King. It kind of makes her whole training useful and relevant.
As someone says in the earlier season, prophecies are not reliable and I guess that turned out to be the case here. So that theory bites the dust. I mean no matter how many ways you look at it and if you go online chats, you can see that people are really trying, there is no Prince/Princess of Light to end the darkness.
“Without the Dragon Queen, there would be no problem at all. We’d all be dead already”
Missandei snarky comeback to Sansa was pointed and true. And as much as I was annoyed by Dany’s smirking over the last two episodes, she did come through. I mean she put her entire army on the line and she did what she could with her dragons. And again, saved Jon’s ass several times through the night.
What is the point of Jon Snow?
Jon Snow was somewhat of leader before he died. Now, he seems to be the worst tactical commander. Why did the Dothraki charge into the dark fog? Why wasn’t there more fire? Why let people in the crypt knowing that the Night King can raise the dead? What was his grand plan when he stood in front of Viserion and just yelled?
His only accomplishment since coming back from the dead is to convince other people to die for him. Also, if he wasn’t meant to defeat the Night King, what was the point of all the face-offs and why bring him back at all?
Cersei almost deserves the bloody Throne
Well, she played the long game and it paid off. She is going to fight a greatly reduced army. I hate her but I think she is the smartest person on Westeros and who said anyway, that kindness was even a requirement for the throne.
Lost Opportunities
- Bran and Night King – The moment between Bran and Night King was such a lost opportunity to give some context to this whole war. Anything would have helped.
- Jon and Rhadgal – So Jon is a legit dragon rider now. It would have been nice that in the moment he is facing off the Night King and the wights, that it is Rhaegal that comes to his defense, and not Dany. It would have highlighted the bond between the rider and dragon.
- Sansa & Tyrion – Their honest exchange in the crypts of Winterfell spoke such volumes about their relationship. I wish we had seen more action from them when the zombies broke free in the crypt.
Random Thoughts
- What’s up with Ghost, again? Why is he suddenly popping up in Winterfell in Season 8 and why don’t we see more of him?
- What was Bran doing during the battle? Why was he just sitting and warging into ravens?
Check out reviews of Episode 1 and Episode 2.
