The Long Night (Game of Thrones)
The episode's title refers to the prolonged winter that occurred thousands of years earlier, in which the White Walkers first descended upon Westeros.
A wight giant breaks through the castle walls and is killed by Lyanna Mormont as it crushes her to death, and the dead begin pouring into Winterfell.
Stapleton said his management contacted the show asking if he could be considered for a bit part in an episode and the producers invited him to fly to Belfast to film his scenes.
The site's critical consensus reads, "Winter is here and Arya Stark may officially be the baddest woman in the land, but despite delivering some epic and emotional moments 'The Long Night' leaves a few things to be desired (lighting, anyone?)
[14] There was praise for the direction and cinematography, with James Hibberd for Entertainment Weekly describing it as "an action epic that manages to weave character-driven stories through clear and comprehensible battle...GoT continues to make every fight unique, compelling and grounded".
Alison Herman wrote for The Ringer: "That Arya was the one to seal the deal is heartening, at least...it was the woman who learned to master death and, ultimately, reject it, wielding the very weapon that caused her family so much grief".
[17] Many criticized the handling of the White Walker mythology, what was viewed as the lack of catharsis, and the use of dark production lighting which was seen as gratuitous, artistically unnecessary and disorienting.
[18][19][20] Caroline Fromke of Variety wrote: "After years of underlining just how huge and terrifying and all-consuming the threat of White Walker destruction would be, plunging back into 'who gets to sit on that pointy chair' will feel very silly.
"[21] Zach Kram of The Ringer called it "a strangely unsatisfying conclusion to a story line that has sustained the show from the very beginning... it seems like those most central questions will remain forever unanswered.
Erik Kain of Forbes argued that it was a perfect ending to what was ultimately a secondary storyline to Game of Thrones, writing, "The Night King (who isn't really in the books) is pretty one-dimensional and uninteresting.
"[26] On the contrary, Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post called the ending an "intellectual letdown, where a big episode of Game of Thrones felt like badly shot and edited fan service rather than a genuine revelation.
Jolie Lash of Collider called it "an emotional and courageous ending", and said by opening his eye after death instead of closing it, the "character remained intriguing".
Mick Cook, an Afghanistan war veteran, agreed that the army of the living incorrectly placed its infantry, catapults and trench, and ineffectively used its wall defenses and light cavalry (Dothraki).
[32] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the polarized reaction a demonstration of the impossibility of pleasing an entire audience of a television show with the scope of Game of Thrones, comparing it to the reception of the final seasons of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and The Wire.
