Episode 3 of the final season of GOT which clocked in at 1 hour 22 mins, aired today. And boy was it an intense one. It was directed by Miguel Sapochnik, famous for directing the Massacre at Hardhome and the much talked about Battle of the Bastards. And just so you know, this is the longest recorded battle sequence ever filmed, for both tv and movies!
Battle of Winterfell
This episode was a masterpiece, we say. We felt emotions ranging from jitters to goosebumps, and glory and delight. And, heartbreak. Major heartbreak, as we lost some of the much-loved characters – Theon and Lyanna and Jorah Mormont (RIP House Mormont). While this got us shedding tears of despair, we were also thrilled to watch Arya take down the Night King (you go, girl!). So while a number of people died in this episode, a look on the brighter side- a number of people are still in the game and we are super excited to see what happens next!
But before that, here is a recap of all the epic GOT Battles that made us go WOAH!
1. The Frozen Lake Battle
Jon, Jorah Mormont, The Hound, Thoros, Gendry and Beric set out to bring a wight back to the wall. This was in an attempt to convince Cersei that the undead army very much exists and means business. This was not going to be an easy feat and Thoros ends up getting mortally wounded by a white walker and the Night King traps the group in the middle of a frozen lake. Danny then swoops in or rather flies in with her dragons to save the men. But, the Night King launches what appears to be an ice javelin at Viserion bringing him crashing down. He then resurrects the dragon- blue-eyed, ice-breathing- to include him in his already so powerful army of the dead. And with that, The Night King – 1; The side that we’re on – 0.
2. Battle of the Gold Road
Another heart-pounding battle was the loot train attack. This one got us confused as to who we should root for. Do we stand for Danny and her Dothraki army as they completely destroy thousands of soldiers? Or Bronn in his attempts to bring down Drogon? Or do we fear for Jamie’s life even though he wants to take out Danny? Ugh. To stop Drogon’s destruction, Bronn launches a giant bolt into the dragon’s side, forcing it to land. Tending to her creature’s wound, the Khaleesi doesn’t notice Jaime charging at her on a horse, ready to take her out. Moments before Jaime would be barbecued, Bronn knocks him into a lake. *Heavy Breathing.* Too much to take in, right? We feel ya!
3. Battle of the Bastards
The boss of all GOT Battles (until the Battle of Winterfell, of course!). The bastard of House Bolton, Ramsey baits the bastard of House Stark, Jon Snow into battle by killing his younger brother Rickon who had captured earlier. This quickly turns into chaos with swords, horses and arrows and long story short, Joon soon finds himself nearly trampled to death under the dead bodies of his own troops. Just as we started to lose hope, Sansa and Little Finger (Yeah, for once he’s doing a good deed) arrive with the Knights of the Vale to save the day! Sansa is definitely smarter than she gets credit for. Side note, Sansa also gets the much-deserved revenge on Ramsey by feeding him to his own hungry hounds!
4. The Massacre at Hardhome
This was a high adrenaline action sequence wherein Jon learns of the true power of the Night King. The undead army attacked the Jon, Tormund and the members of the nights watch as they evacuated wildlings from the village of Hardhome. The heroes suffered many casualties but the true star of this battle was Longclaw, Jon’s valerian steel sword. Jon barely made it out of a one-on-one with one of the leaders of the white walkers, thanks to longclaw which helped him shatter the creature to ice shards. As the men all escaped via longboats, the Night King gives a real demo of his power, by resurrecting ever corpse on the battlefield with just a silent raise of his arms.
5. The Battle of Castle Black
Probably one of the saddest battles as it marks the end of Jon and Ygrittes romance, that too in the most devastating way possible. The Wildlings attack the Night’s Watch and Castle Black with Giants and Wooly Mammoths. Jon tried to keep the attack from his former wildling companions at bay by ordering his Night’s Watch brothers to shoot flaming arrows and drop explosive barrels on the wildlings. Grenn holds the gate against an attacking giant, reciting the Night’s Watch oath to give him courage, and Dolorous Edd releases a gigantic weapon from the Wall to knock off wildling climbers. And then comes the heartbreak as Ygritte takes an arrow through her chest and dies in Jon’s arms. Oh, the agony!
6. The Battle of Blackwater
The one that started it all. The explosive (quite literally) battle at Blackwater Bay saw the attempted siege on King’s Landing by Stannis Baratheon only to find an impassable led by Tyrion Lannister. Bronn started off the battle with a surprise attack: he shot a flaming arrow into a ship full of wildfire and took out a fleet of Baratheon vessels in a fiery green explosion. The Hound walked around beheading and bisecting men with effortless slashes of his longsword, before deserting the fight. While King’s Landing stayed intact, Tyrion ended up with a scared across his face. A reminder of a close call in battle.
Featured Image Source: Business Insider Singapore
