Game of Thrones | Season 8 Episode 3 | The Long Night
REVIEW
Is the great battle against the White Walkers as epic as hoped? This episode was a combination of bittersweet beauty, death and — according to some fans — a little disappointment. The Long Night was built to be one of the most epic episodes of the series, complete with ice against fire, good against evil, light against dark. With only three episodes left in the final season, the most powerful and menacing villain of the show was defeated by Arya Stark, in a matter of minutes. For this reason, not every fan was thrilled with the outcome, especially after waiting more than a decade to experience the final battle between the living and the dead.
Before its release, rumours promised relentless action once the battle began. The expectations came true. The Long Night opens with a strange stillness — some would call it the calm before the storm — a sepulchral silence charged with tension and fear for what is about to happen. The fact that the show made viewers hold their breath in the first minutes raised hopes for a potentially extraordinary episode.
What fascinates about The Long Night is how it seems to take its time with the action, making every moment of terror genuinely thrilling, letting each character fight with all their strength against an enemy that appears impossible to defeat. The fact that the battle takes place in the darkest hours of the night (a choice that sparked many complaints, as several scenes are too dark to see) reflects the brutal nature of combat in this universe: war rarely happens at a convenient moment. Even when fire lights the scene, the cinematography leans on the characters’ silhouettes: it’s wonderful to see Brienne and Jaime fighting side by side, but the only reason we’re sure it’s really them is the sound of their exertion as they fight.
The kinetic energy of many of the (dimly lit) battle scenes grips our attention and, thankfully, Arya’s electrifying killing spree is visible enough to magnify her moments. Meanwhile, however harrowing it is to hear Lyanna Mormont’s bones crack, her heroic death secures her a place among the show’s greatest characters. The episode leans more toward horror than fantasy. The zombie army becomes even more terrifying when the soldiers freshly fallen in battle begin to reanimate as wights. As many predicted, the crypts where Sansa, Tyrion and a few others hide are no safe place. The dead climb out of their tombs, ready to attack the defenceless.
Theon Greyjoy, Beric Dondarrion and Jorah Mormont die heroically to save the lives of other characters. The long night granted those who fell a moment to shine in the darkness. Very distinctive were the musical choices of the score by composer Ramin Djawadi, known for his unconventional decisions, marked by a crescendo that gave the episode a unique rhythm through the succession of events.
The end of the Night King means the finale of Game of Thrones is now reoriented toward the battles within Westeros. The revelation of who will sit on the Iron Throne draws near, but the characters will have to clash with one another in the coming episodes to find out who gets there. Overall, this season has so far centred on consolidating what came before; the first two episodes served to close many subplots of key characters.
In the end, The Long Night forcefully claimed the viewer’s attention, resolving a long-awaited dramatic event. What do you think? What did you enjoy, and what made you wince? Are there aspects you’d like us to explore further in future articles? Write to us in the comments or on our Facebook page!