Martyn Stanley's Blog - Posts Tagged "season-8"
Game of Thrones Season 8 Ep 3 'The Long Night' Warning! SPOILERS!
Well, I'd been looking forward to that episode for a long time. So far Season 8 has been all about tying up plot lines and bringing stories full circle. It spent two episodes focused on reunions and setting up this battle. Now the Night King has been defeated, it's on to the main boss. The Queen of Evil herself - Cersei.
What? Cersei more evil than the Night King? Well, I would argue yes. You really have to feel a bit sorry for the Night King. Was just some ordinary guy thousands of years ago, that got turned into the Night King by the Children of the Forest (Or Singers if you mean the books I think.) so they had a weapon of mass destruction to use against the First Men and the Andals. How were they to know he'd go rogue? Well, I have to say they should have guessed. Creating the Night King seems like such a retrospectively dumb-ass plan that I can't...
Anyway, so the Night King is actually a bit of a victim in this. Cersei is more evil not because of what she does, but her motivations and her character development. Many characters in Westeros have been on journeys of redemption. Jaimie, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Jorah, Danaerys, Jon Snow - they've all become better people for the hardships they've faced. Cersei has done the opposite. Her incestuous relationship with Jaimie and efforts to hide said relationship are the root cause of a LOT of the fighting and killing in Game of Thrones. She shows a likeness to the Mad King Aerys when she doesn't send troops to fight the dead. In that she'd rather rule over a pile of ashen corpses than give up the throne. There was no guarantee Jon Snow and his armies would win against the dead. If they'd lost, then Cersei would be facing an even HUGER undead army and Jon Snow had taken pretty much all the Dragon Glass on Dragonstone. I think almost all of the known Valerian Steel Swords were North as well. I suppose Cersei would have had her pyromancers and wildfire, but as we saw - White Walkers aren't vulnerable to fire. Only Wights are.
So how was the actual filming?
------------------------------------
Spectacular in a word. Some might complain that at times it was a blurry, mess, dark and difficult to tell what was going at all in places. This would be true, it's the same style that was used for the Battle of the Bastards. War IS chaotic, filming it in this way makes the episode incredible immersive. You don't feel like a passive observer - you feel like you're right there in the action. You can sense the danger and nobody ever feels completely safe.
What did you think of the Deaths?
[SPOILER MAJOR ALERT!]
-----------------------------------------
The Nights Watch guy who saved Sam went out like a punk. He was a bit player though and so his death was pretty 'Meh'. Jorah went out like a boss. He fought his ass off using Heartsbane? The Tarly family Valerian Steel sword. It was a really emotional scene when Danny watched him die of his wounds. Theon, at the end of his redemptive arc was fighting like a boss too. I knew he was going to bite it when Bran told him he was a good man. His charge at the Night King though was rather pathetic. I get it, the Night King is this 1000 year old supernatural mythical monster, near invulnerable... But couldn't they have had a little fight? Y'know? Wouldn't the Night King have at least toyed with him a bit? Then there's the death that bothered me the most. Who? Lyanna Mormont. She was a character who I loved to see on screen. She was feisty and badass and I would have liked to have seen more of her. The actress who plays her did a blinding job. They say she stayed in character on set even when they weren't shooting and you can tell she was loving the work. She went out like a boss, putting down an undead giant - yes. But I really would have liked it better if she'd survived. I really think her untold story of having to become who she was at such a young age would be worth reading/watching. Then there's the Night King himself. I first thought he might bite it when he got knocked off his dragon. Then when Danny char-grilled him. (As soon as she said Drakaris I knew he was immune to fire. Then I thought when he was on the ground with Jon Snow. Except Jon couldn't get to him in time and he did the whole. 'Let's raise the dead' thing again, putting a mass of bodies between him and Jon. So Arya assassinates the Night King. I actually thought it made sense. Mellissandre despite several seasons of utter stupidity and completely getting prophecies wrong seemed to know it was Arya's job to kill the Night King. Did Jaq'en H'Gar know her destiny and that's why he spent so long trying to teach her to be the ultimate assassin? I don't know if a fight between Jon and the Night King would have been that satisfying. I can imagine it, but I think it could have been anticlimatic and might have humanized the Night King too much. As it was, Arya appearing out of the shadows and leaping at him - dagger held high. That WORKED! The Night King grabs her throat and weapon arm - tying up both his hands, but only one of hers. Then in a beautifully foreshadowed moment of grace (See Arya vs Brienne from Season 7) she drops her dagger, catches it in her spare hand and 'Sticks him with the pointy end'. I have to say I called this. I thought about the possibles, and I thought the Night King really needed to be assassinated rather than fought - and he was. Proving I think beyond doubt that Arya IS the ultimate assassin in Westeros.
What about the Battle plans of the Humans?
-----------------------------------------------------
The battle of the Bastards was very historical, It drew on a couple of historic sources for the tactics. It was clever too how Ramsey used the Tactic Jon had intended to use on him - using Rickon to completely disrupt Jon's plan. This battle was always going to be unconventional though. How do you strategise against a massive, invulnerable 'Army of the Dead' ?
The Winterfell preparations were good I thought. The lit trench was a good idea, the dragon glass was great. Falling back as the dead advanced - all fine.
Once the battle was started though, I think the Winterfell side failed in a number of areas. Sending the Dothraki Blood Riders in a suicide charge at the dead was a waste of troops. I think they could have been much more effective if they'd waited until the dead were slowed by the trench, then they could have used a flanking maneuver. I also thought the dragons were seriously ineffective. It's mainly because the Night King made them ineffective by magicking up the fog and hiding with his dragon - it meant Danny and Jon didn't dare get involved as much as they'd wanted to. I also think they should have some backup plans on how to light the trench if the dragons couldn't. Luckily Melissandre was there.
When you looked at the little battle plan map with the models on it, you can see Winterfell knew they were outnumbered. However I'm not sure they knew just by how much. If the Bloodriders had charged into a shuffling ambling herd of skeletons they might have been more effective. As it was charging into a thirty foot tall tide of dead rolling over each other...
So mistakes were made, the humans fought hard and defended well. If the Night King hadn't been as well prepared they might have fared better.
And the Night King's tactics?
-----------------------------------
He seemed to know almost exactly what Winterfell was up to and he had an answer for everything. Keeping your generals away from the frontline is always a good tactic in battle. Yes, a general on the front can be good for moral - but not when he's killed. With the Night King it's WORSE than that because his death results in the death of his entire army. It should make for bizarre and interesting tactics and it did. The White Walkers sensible sent the dead to do the bulk of the fighting and only entered the battle themselves when their undead army's numbers were dwindling. The plan being to replenish their number by raising the humans their army had just killed. The Night Kings personal tactic of calling in the fog and flying around harassing Danny and Jon, then hiding worked brilliantly. If they'd have had free reign to defend the castle the dead would have suffered masses more casualties. As it was, the Night King cleverly kept them busy and let his grunts storm the castle unhindered by dragon fire.
Really the Night King SHOULD have won! But Arya had been training for that moment for YEARS unbeknownst to her. Right back to Jon telling her to 'stick them with the pointy end' and Syrio teaching her to be 'quiet as a shadow'.
I can't imagine how Game of Thrones is going to go now. There's a long queue of people who want to kill Cersei. However the dead have left the Winterfell army shattered. The Dothraki Bloodriders seem to be wiped out along with most of the Unsullied. The other units were smashed and even four major characters bit the dust. It also looked like they lost BOTH their dragons. Though one might just be injured? Either way, they are in a bad state and the Golden Company and Euron Grey Joy are going to be ready for them.
I also don't know what's going to happen between Danny and Jon. They're in love, but they're related, but they're Targareans? Can't they just share the Iron Throne?
Who will kill Cersei? I'd like to say Arya, but she got the Night King. I wonder if it could be Jaimie? Bronn won't betray his friends - he'll warn them. I think Sandor Clegane will kill the Mountain. Will they find Elia Martell locked in the dungeon with the rotting corpse of Tyle Sand? Will they find Septa Mordane, strapped to a table having spent months being periodically raped by the undead Sir Gregor Clegane? There's a lot to be wrapped up in three episodes. The really interesting thing is that the old moral ambiguity has gone somewhat. People have changed. There is now a clear distinction between the 'goodies' and the 'baddies'. The Night King is gone, but something tells me the final battle will be even harder and bloodier. We will see the deaths of more beloved characters.
After their little moment in the crypts I even wonder if Tyrion and Sansa might get back together and make a go of it. It seems an odd match, but they appear to 'have something' I just hope to god, they don't kill off Arya. She's always been my favourite character and Season 8 Episode 3 just reinforced that.
Poor Lyanna Mormant. She rocked! So sad. :(
Martyn Stanley
What? Cersei more evil than the Night King? Well, I would argue yes. You really have to feel a bit sorry for the Night King. Was just some ordinary guy thousands of years ago, that got turned into the Night King by the Children of the Forest (Or Singers if you mean the books I think.) so they had a weapon of mass destruction to use against the First Men and the Andals. How were they to know he'd go rogue? Well, I have to say they should have guessed. Creating the Night King seems like such a retrospectively dumb-ass plan that I can't...
Anyway, so the Night King is actually a bit of a victim in this. Cersei is more evil not because of what she does, but her motivations and her character development. Many characters in Westeros have been on journeys of redemption. Jaimie, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Jorah, Danaerys, Jon Snow - they've all become better people for the hardships they've faced. Cersei has done the opposite. Her incestuous relationship with Jaimie and efforts to hide said relationship are the root cause of a LOT of the fighting and killing in Game of Thrones. She shows a likeness to the Mad King Aerys when she doesn't send troops to fight the dead. In that she'd rather rule over a pile of ashen corpses than give up the throne. There was no guarantee Jon Snow and his armies would win against the dead. If they'd lost, then Cersei would be facing an even HUGER undead army and Jon Snow had taken pretty much all the Dragon Glass on Dragonstone. I think almost all of the known Valerian Steel Swords were North as well. I suppose Cersei would have had her pyromancers and wildfire, but as we saw - White Walkers aren't vulnerable to fire. Only Wights are.
So how was the actual filming?
------------------------------------
Spectacular in a word. Some might complain that at times it was a blurry, mess, dark and difficult to tell what was going at all in places. This would be true, it's the same style that was used for the Battle of the Bastards. War IS chaotic, filming it in this way makes the episode incredible immersive. You don't feel like a passive observer - you feel like you're right there in the action. You can sense the danger and nobody ever feels completely safe.
What did you think of the Deaths?
[SPOILER MAJOR ALERT!]
-----------------------------------------
The Nights Watch guy who saved Sam went out like a punk. He was a bit player though and so his death was pretty 'Meh'. Jorah went out like a boss. He fought his ass off using Heartsbane? The Tarly family Valerian Steel sword. It was a really emotional scene when Danny watched him die of his wounds. Theon, at the end of his redemptive arc was fighting like a boss too. I knew he was going to bite it when Bran told him he was a good man. His charge at the Night King though was rather pathetic. I get it, the Night King is this 1000 year old supernatural mythical monster, near invulnerable... But couldn't they have had a little fight? Y'know? Wouldn't the Night King have at least toyed with him a bit? Then there's the death that bothered me the most. Who? Lyanna Mormont. She was a character who I loved to see on screen. She was feisty and badass and I would have liked to have seen more of her. The actress who plays her did a blinding job. They say she stayed in character on set even when they weren't shooting and you can tell she was loving the work. She went out like a boss, putting down an undead giant - yes. But I really would have liked it better if she'd survived. I really think her untold story of having to become who she was at such a young age would be worth reading/watching. Then there's the Night King himself. I first thought he might bite it when he got knocked off his dragon. Then when Danny char-grilled him. (As soon as she said Drakaris I knew he was immune to fire. Then I thought when he was on the ground with Jon Snow. Except Jon couldn't get to him in time and he did the whole. 'Let's raise the dead' thing again, putting a mass of bodies between him and Jon. So Arya assassinates the Night King. I actually thought it made sense. Mellissandre despite several seasons of utter stupidity and completely getting prophecies wrong seemed to know it was Arya's job to kill the Night King. Did Jaq'en H'Gar know her destiny and that's why he spent so long trying to teach her to be the ultimate assassin? I don't know if a fight between Jon and the Night King would have been that satisfying. I can imagine it, but I think it could have been anticlimatic and might have humanized the Night King too much. As it was, Arya appearing out of the shadows and leaping at him - dagger held high. That WORKED! The Night King grabs her throat and weapon arm - tying up both his hands, but only one of hers. Then in a beautifully foreshadowed moment of grace (See Arya vs Brienne from Season 7) she drops her dagger, catches it in her spare hand and 'Sticks him with the pointy end'. I have to say I called this. I thought about the possibles, and I thought the Night King really needed to be assassinated rather than fought - and he was. Proving I think beyond doubt that Arya IS the ultimate assassin in Westeros.
What about the Battle plans of the Humans?
-----------------------------------------------------
The battle of the Bastards was very historical, It drew on a couple of historic sources for the tactics. It was clever too how Ramsey used the Tactic Jon had intended to use on him - using Rickon to completely disrupt Jon's plan. This battle was always going to be unconventional though. How do you strategise against a massive, invulnerable 'Army of the Dead' ?
The Winterfell preparations were good I thought. The lit trench was a good idea, the dragon glass was great. Falling back as the dead advanced - all fine.
Once the battle was started though, I think the Winterfell side failed in a number of areas. Sending the Dothraki Blood Riders in a suicide charge at the dead was a waste of troops. I think they could have been much more effective if they'd waited until the dead were slowed by the trench, then they could have used a flanking maneuver. I also thought the dragons were seriously ineffective. It's mainly because the Night King made them ineffective by magicking up the fog and hiding with his dragon - it meant Danny and Jon didn't dare get involved as much as they'd wanted to. I also think they should have some backup plans on how to light the trench if the dragons couldn't. Luckily Melissandre was there.
When you looked at the little battle plan map with the models on it, you can see Winterfell knew they were outnumbered. However I'm not sure they knew just by how much. If the Bloodriders had charged into a shuffling ambling herd of skeletons they might have been more effective. As it was charging into a thirty foot tall tide of dead rolling over each other...
So mistakes were made, the humans fought hard and defended well. If the Night King hadn't been as well prepared they might have fared better.
And the Night King's tactics?
-----------------------------------
He seemed to know almost exactly what Winterfell was up to and he had an answer for everything. Keeping your generals away from the frontline is always a good tactic in battle. Yes, a general on the front can be good for moral - but not when he's killed. With the Night King it's WORSE than that because his death results in the death of his entire army. It should make for bizarre and interesting tactics and it did. The White Walkers sensible sent the dead to do the bulk of the fighting and only entered the battle themselves when their undead army's numbers were dwindling. The plan being to replenish their number by raising the humans their army had just killed. The Night Kings personal tactic of calling in the fog and flying around harassing Danny and Jon, then hiding worked brilliantly. If they'd have had free reign to defend the castle the dead would have suffered masses more casualties. As it was, the Night King cleverly kept them busy and let his grunts storm the castle unhindered by dragon fire.
Really the Night King SHOULD have won! But Arya had been training for that moment for YEARS unbeknownst to her. Right back to Jon telling her to 'stick them with the pointy end' and Syrio teaching her to be 'quiet as a shadow'.
I can't imagine how Game of Thrones is going to go now. There's a long queue of people who want to kill Cersei. However the dead have left the Winterfell army shattered. The Dothraki Bloodriders seem to be wiped out along with most of the Unsullied. The other units were smashed and even four major characters bit the dust. It also looked like they lost BOTH their dragons. Though one might just be injured? Either way, they are in a bad state and the Golden Company and Euron Grey Joy are going to be ready for them.
I also don't know what's going to happen between Danny and Jon. They're in love, but they're related, but they're Targareans? Can't they just share the Iron Throne?
Who will kill Cersei? I'd like to say Arya, but she got the Night King. I wonder if it could be Jaimie? Bronn won't betray his friends - he'll warn them. I think Sandor Clegane will kill the Mountain. Will they find Elia Martell locked in the dungeon with the rotting corpse of Tyle Sand? Will they find Septa Mordane, strapped to a table having spent months being periodically raped by the undead Sir Gregor Clegane? There's a lot to be wrapped up in three episodes. The really interesting thing is that the old moral ambiguity has gone somewhat. People have changed. There is now a clear distinction between the 'goodies' and the 'baddies'. The Night King is gone, but something tells me the final battle will be even harder and bloodier. We will see the deaths of more beloved characters.
After their little moment in the crypts I even wonder if Tyrion and Sansa might get back together and make a go of it. It seems an odd match, but they appear to 'have something' I just hope to god, they don't kill off Arya. She's always been my favourite character and Season 8 Episode 3 just reinforced that.
Poor Lyanna Mormant. She rocked! So sad. :(
Martyn Stanley
