Wow, just wow. What can I say about the last episode (8/3) of “Game of Thrones”, which may very well be the most intense episode of a series ever aired? Many of us experienced a gambit of emotions. We were left in awe, heartbroken, and even had a moment of celebration in the end. Let’s talk about it.
Please stop reading now if you have not seen it. There are MAJOR spoilers ahead!
Let’s go ahead and get the problems with the episode out of the way. It’s simple, there was only one issue I had, the battlefield was too dark to see much of the action. It was a waste. Now that I’ve said that, I must say that I do understand why it was filmed that way. I believe it was done to not only emphasize the soldier’s fear of the unknown and build tension but to also save money on special effects. If that last part is true, it’s a shame. It’s the last season of an incredible series with a huge following and the scene left many disappointed.
Can you imagine standing on the front line, your heart pounding as you know you are about to face death? The actors did such an amazing job. Both those playing the roles of fighters and the undead. Their every expression was believable. They absolutely looked like they had been fighting a war and the sweat, the dirt, the wounds, and the pain looked so real. The makeup and special effects departments did an amazing job!
As for those we lost to the Night King and his army, the numbers are unfathomable. We did lose several important characters, but until the next episode, we won’t know exactly who all died. We do know that the Queen lost her faithful soldier and advisor John Mormont (Iain Glen), The House of Stark said goodbye to Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) who made amends for his prior betrayal, but he did die a noble death. Eddison Tollett of the Night’s Watch (Ben Crompton) laid down his life for Winterfell.
This death, we need to discuss in detail. The Lady of Mormont (15-year-old Bella Ramsey) had one of the most epic deaths of the night, and of the series in general. After most of the soldiers had retreated, Lady Mormont and her remaining men stood guard over the gate. Suddenly, a giant white walker enters, swinging his club. Men charge him but they are quickly swatted away like flies. Lady Mormont charges the giant but he captured her in his grasp. As she’s lifted by the giant and we hear her bones crunching, she jabs her blade into his eye, fighting until her last breath, and taking the giant with her. That my friends, is an epic death, a hero’s death. The spunky, blunt, honor-driven character will be missed.
For those of you who are animal lovers that are worried about Ghost (John’s white wolf), you’ll be happy to know that he’s still here, as are John and the Queen’s dragons (shown in the next episode’s preview).
Am I’m the only one who jumped to their feet, screaming, when the Night King caught Arya (Maisie Williams) by the throat? I then found myself yelling her name and jumping for joy as she slid her blade into the frozen bastard and he fell apart. We then watched as the undead fell like dominos (I love this show!) just as the fighters had no fight left to give. While the dragon’s fire did nothing, Arya stabbing him in the same spot where he was given his “gift”. Did her moves look familiar? They should. As Arya killed the Night King she went through the exact motions that she practiced with Brianne of Tarth.
As for Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), he did very little. While he waited with Theon and his men for the Night King’s arrival he zoned out, but we didn’t really see much besides several ravens. We assume that he knew exactly how the battle would end and if that’s true, shame on Bran for not giving John a heads up.
This season is all about women and their power. They are fighting wars, flying dragons, defending their people. They united races, religions, and houses, took up arms, shed blood and more to fight an impossible battle against an undead army and they won! As a woman, I can’t even begin to explain how much that means to me. Often women are portrayed as weak, needing a man to come and rescue them. Not on this show. Thank you to the writers!
Episode 3 really was incredible It was absolutely everything that I was hoping for (except for the lighting issue). This has never been done in the history of Horror Fuel, I’m giving the episode a 6 out 5!
Now, we face one more war, which really concerns me because of the fact that most of the soldiers are dead. I truly hope that Daenerys and John can take the Iron Throne back from Cersei. She so deserves to die! Oh, there’s just one more thing that I NEED from “Game of Thrones”, that’s to see Lady Brienne of Tarth get with Tormund.
The Making of Episode 3:
Episode 4 Trailer:
