The Long Night! The Most Epic Moments from Season 8 Episode 3!

When I tell you on was on the edge of my seat this entire episode! The battle scenes in Game of Thrones, from the Battle of the Blackwater, to Hardhome, to the Battle of the Bastards, have just gotten bigger, better, and more dynamic. This battle was a battle of epic proportions and The Long Night did not disappoint! Again I will list my favorite moments as they happened.

A Sea of Fire

All of the forces of Winterfell and Daenerys are lined up and ready for the battle. The Unsullied and the Dothraki are among the front lines of defense. Suddenly Melisandre, the red witch, appears out of nowhere and works her magic. She asks Ser Jorah to tell the Dothraki to lift their arakhs so that she may work her spell on them. She says an incantation in what I think is High Valyrian. Suddenly the arakhs are aflame and you see the ripple effect of them lighting up throughout the Dothraki army. It was a sight to see and a small burst of hope for the Long Night at the beginning of the episode.

Dragonfire

The Dothraki then ride off into battle and you see their flaming arakhs die out almost immediately. Feeling responsible, Dany nixes the battle plans and immediately employs her dragons. She and Jon mounts Drogon and Rhaegal and begins to light up the Long Night with Dragonfire, wiping out as many wights as possible.

Lighting the Trench

Once again Melisandre comes through. Despite Dany and Jon’s efforts on the dragons, the wights are too many. They make their way towards the castle and the barrier of the trench needs to be lit. The signal to Dany and Jon fails and Melisandre steps in once again to work her magic. She repeats her incantation many times, all the while archers are loosing flaming arrows, the effort looks futile.  Finally, the magic takes root and the trench catches alight just in the nick of time!

Bran and Theon

Though I still harbor a grudge against Theon, I loved this moment between him and Bran. Theon apologizes to Bran for his actions of which Bran tells him led him back here. To his home where he belongs. Yes, Theon is a Greyjoy from the Iron Islands. But he grew up and was raised among the Starks from the time he was a young boy. For all intents and purposes, Ned was a father to him as well. It was nice that Bran could forgive Theon for all of the shitty things he’s done in the past.

Lyanna Goes out like a G!

Of course, we all were anticipating some deaths as a result of The Long Night.  But no one went out quite like Little Lyanna Mormont! My girl got up after being smacked down to face a whole dead Giant! We thought all was lost when the Giant picked her up and began to crush her little body. For a minute it looked as if the Giant was going to eat her. But once close enough to its face, Lyanna stabbed the Giant in the eye and down goes the Giant by the hands of a fierce, small girl!  Three cheers for Lyanna!

The Hound Barks

Just as we saw on the Battle of the Blackwater, the Hound is amidst the fire, death, and destruction and is losing his entire shit. He believes it is fruitless and pointless to continue fighting the dead. Oh, but when he finds Arya in trouble and surrounded by wights he gets his ass in gear. He and Beric Dondarrian come to the rescue and extracts Arya from her precarious situation. I absolutely adore that his affection for Arya has grown so great that he would risk himself for her.

What do we say to the God of Death?

After being rescued by Beric and the Hound, Arya confronts Melisandre. She is reminded of their first encounter when Melisandre told Arya that she would shut many eyes. Brown eyes, green eyes, and BLUE eyes! Melisandre then reminds Arya of who she is and who she was trained to be. “What do we say to the God of Death,” she asks? “NOT TODAY!!” That is all Arya needed to hear.

The Dance of Dragons

In the midst of this, we’re all wondering where the hell is the Night King? We finally see him enter the battle riding an undead Viserion. Viserion takes off after Drogon and then ends up in a fight with Rhaegal. The fighting is intense and wrought with anticipation on who the victor will be. At some point, Drogon manages to unseat the Night King and he falls from the sky quite gracefully. Eventually, Rhaegal falls from the sky upending Jon. At this point, we are unclear on whether or not Rhaegal is ok, but the Dance of the Dragons was awesome!

The Unbothered

After the Night King and Jon are thrown from their dragons, Dany spots the Night King. She wheels Drogon over to him and gives the infamous command “Dracarys!” The Night King is engulfed by Dragonfire. But we soon find that Dragonfire has no effect on the Night King, and that is a devastating blow for everyone. At this point, Jon knows he must get to Bran in the Godswood.

The Crypts Come Alive

OMG! After we find the Night King is unaffected by Dragonfire one of my worst fears going into The Long Night episode is realized. The Night King raises up the dead comrades of those fighting this battle, and they have a whole new army of the undead to deal with. It is then we are taken back into the crypts. This is supposedly the safest place to be. Now me myself and I had reservations about this, to begin with. I’m like they’re supposed to safe among the dead when the Night King can raise the dead? Soon the crypts come alive with all the dead Starks and begin attacking the people hiding there who would not be beneficial to the battle. It is madness and mayhem.

Bran and Theon Part Deux

All of Winterfell’s defenses have been exhausted and the Night King and his White Walkers have made their way into the Godswood for Bran. Knowing what’s to come, Bran gives Theon a little more peace and tells him he is a good man and basically thanks him for his service. Theon was giving those wights coming for Bran the business, but his part in this story is over. He goes out defending Bran to the last moment, and maybe I feel like he’s redeemed himself just a smidge.

Little Sister For the Win!!!!!!

You talking bout somebody jumping from their seat and shouting in triumph!! We just know it’s all over. The Night King is standing over Bran, Jon is facing off with Viserion, Dany is surrounded by wights and Theon has just given his life. But then!!! We see a small puff of wind blow the White Walker’s hair and the Night King reaching for his staff when Arya comes out of nowhere, valyrian steel dagger in hand! The Night King catches her mid stab and you’re like damn it’s over! Then Arya employs a move she used with Brienne. She drops the dagger from one hand, catches it with the other and stabs the Night King in the stomach! He bursts into ice and all of his undead cronies follow suit!

Game over…No One wins!!! OMG I couldn’t contain my excitement! I was jumping and yelling and screaming! Arya Stark for the MF win!!! Yes! This was such a triumphant moment and I love that Arya was the one to defeat the Night King. She’s been badass since she was a girl, and all of her training paid off.

Come the Dawn

I just want to acknowledge those we lost this episode because they went out fighting with honor and for the living.

-Melisandre takes her choker off and dies of old age, her purpose served
-Lyanna Mormont dies killing a Giant wight
-Ser Jorah Mormont dies defending Dany from the wights
-Theon Greyjoy dies defending Bran from the Night King in the Godswood
-Ed Tollet aka Dolorous Edd dies rescuing his brother Samwell Tarly from the wights
-Lord Beric Dondarrion dies rescuing Arya from a hoard of wights
-Pretty much the whole Dothraki army is lost and many of the Unsullied

The Long Night, Overall Thoughts

This was undoubtedly one of the best episodes in the entire history of Game of Thrones! The Long Night was both heartbreaking and triumphant, and I loved every minute of it. Please share your thoughts and favorite moments of the Long Night in the comments!  To read my recaps of the first two episodes in season eight, click here and here!  For video recaps of these episodes, check my Game of Thrones playlist here!