Last Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones, The Long Night, featured the long-awaited battle between the living and the dead. There were many thrilling moments: Melisandre providing excellent lighting; darkness slowly engulfing the Dothraki; the wave of wights striking the Unsullied like a tsunami; Sansa and Tyrion's bittersweet bonding; a mini-survival horror film with Arya; a dance of dragons; Theon's redemption; Jorah's sacrifice; the beautiful score by composer Ramin Djawadi; and the shocking twist of Arya killing the Night Knight King, not Jon.
However, the episode also received some criticism: the battle scenes were too dark; nearly 20 main characters survived despite being overwhelmed by wights; questionable battle strategies, like sending the Dothraki to die in the darkness and placing armies in front of pits; Bran warging into ravens for unclear reasons, instead of, say, warging into a dragon like a boss; a eight-season threat snuffed out after one night; Arya killing the Night King, which appears to clash with the prophecy of Azor Ahai, mentioned multiple times in the show. People had opinions!
Watch the preview for Game of Thrones season 8, episode 4This Sunday, the fourth episode of season eight airs, which is approximately 80 minutes long. It's directed by David Nutter, who helmed several episodes in the past, including stand-out The Rains of Castamere - aka The One With The Red Wedding. And just in case that doesn't make you more excited than Sam in a library, Kit Harington said the next episode is one of his favorites.
"One of my favorite episodes is 4 because the characters have seemingly got what they needed,” Harington told Entertainment Weekly. "The world is safe now. They’re celebrating and saying goodbye to lost friends. But as an audience you’re going, ‘This is only episode 4, something’s going to happen.’ And that’s the cool thing because I think the characters are aware of this as well. There’s something twisted and uncomfortable about it. It’s so Shakespearian."
Watch Emilia Clarke discuss the epic Game of Thrones battleJon Snow, aka Aegon Targaryen, spent most of the Battle of Winterfell flying on dragons with Dany, instead of swinging Longclaw on the ground. That meant Harington spent most of his time cooped up in a green screen studio, and sometimes he missed his castmates.
"I was slightly pissed off I was on a dragon, it stops me from fighting in a crowd," Harington said. "It’s going to look cool but I wanted, in some ways - just as Jon does - to get back down on the ground. The fact he can fly a dragon means he has to but his place is down there amongst the sword swingers. But that whole episode should be mesmerizing."
Last Sunday's The Long Night smashed previous ratings records, attracting 17.8 million viewers. That makes the drama HBO's most watched series and the biggest scripted series on television. That explains why so many parents are seriously considering naming their kids Arya.