Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 just featured an epic battle scene and every moment seemed worthy. Of course, it was not perfect. Fans immediately complained about the lighting in the scenes being almost null. But, nevertheless, it was quite a spectacle. The Long Night was what we had expected it to be: long, terrifying and dangerous.
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If you had noticed, the opening credits of the third episode showed the miniature structure of Winterfell. This was quite justified since every possible nook and cranny of the place was used for the epic battle scene.
How did ‘The Long Night’ start?
The tension and palpitation had started from the first scene itself. Sam is utterly confused and worried since he is not a fighter. The Unsullied take their positions on the battlefield. And the Dothraki get ready with their horses on the frontline. You already feel the tension and pounding hearts.
The arrival of Melisandre at the beginning and lighting up the Dothraki’s weapons and everyone’s spirits up was just magnificent. It gives you hope and a boost before the war. But, it soon goes into darkness. And that is when you understand that maybe this war is the end after all. That was an immediate message to everyone.
The battle of Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3
The battle scene gets confusing by the minute and deliberately so. The lighting was poor (I feel you). Director Miguel Sapochnik has used the dragon’s eye view and the men on the foot view comprehensively. And the whole battle is overwhelming too. Daenerys and Jon Snow try to man the skies and burn half the army of the dead. But, it seems pointless as they seem to be innumerable. They are coming from everywhere and stopping at nothing. Brienne and Jaime Lannister do an amazing job of having each other’s backs even during the battle. And when Arya jumps into the battlefield with her special spear; it’s just fierce beauty.
One of the good things about Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 was that almost every character got a hero moment. Of course, Arya stole most of the show. But, we did see even less crucial characters getting a moment or two to show their contribution. Who can forget Lyanna Mormont’s bravery in front of that huge giant? She managed to take him down even though she was just a fourth of his size. The army of the dead outnumbers the living army and it seems hopeless at one point. The hopelessness increases when the people down at the crypts share their own misery.
Tyrion starts complaining about being useless to the war. And Sansa Stark just tells him to accept the truth and sit tight. The scene where Arya is quietly trying to hide from the wights in the halls of the castle shoots up the tension immediately and holds it there. The people hiding in the crypts keep listening to the loud thrashes and bangs and it increases the tension.
The episode hardly contains any dialogues and it’s just the silent tension that seems to be everywhere. Beric Dondarrion and the Hound share a few. The most important dialogue was probably the one which was shared between Melisandre and Arya. She had already predicted that Arya could/will kill the Night King (blue eyes). Theon and Bran had also exchanged a few words before the Night King arrived.
The pros and cons of the package
The entire Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 was a package of brutal deaths, emotional deaths, edgy moments and thrilling scenes. It was not perfect, but it was quite a package. There were some shortcomings like, the lighting of the scenes was very poor. The Night King was hyped up a lot and yet, he was killed by Arya so easily. That was a little disappointing. Jon Snow, Dany, and her dragons did not prove to be of much use as we would have thought to.
But, this was an achievement. The ending stole the show. And the epic background music by Ramin Djawadi, titled ‘The Night King’ serves as the perfect side dish. The music makes you feel the helplessness of the army, who are badly injured but are still fighting. Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 was definitely worth every moment that we had waited for.
