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WARNING: Spoilers ahead for “Game of Thrones” season 8, episode 3: “The Long Night”
I’ll be honest, here: There wasn’t much quotable content in last night’s big battle episode -- mostly because there isn’t a lot of time for chatter when you’re staring death in the face, as basically everyone was doing for the entire 80 minutes at Winterfell in “The Long Night.” What did happen was heroic deaths (POUR ONE OUT FOR LYANNA STARK), Sam Tarly crying in a corner the whole time and Arya Stark casually saving humanity all by her damn self. Not Jon Snow, not the Mother of Dragons, Arya freakin’ Stark.
I’ve never cheered louder at a TV screen than I did for Arya, as everyone across the country surely did, and in a moment of sheer terror for the audience when everything seemed lost, seeing Arya dive at the Night King and trick him with some fancy handiwork (literally) was nothing short of stunning. She singlehandedly took out the Army of the Dead, a perfect ending to the long journey she's endured since season 1.
The episode was beautifully done, keeping everyone on their toes and giving the characters that they did kill off (I’m surprised there weren’t more, TBH) appropriate endings. (Though I’ll mourn my stallion Jorah Mormont forever.) There were slim pickings for quips, but even in one of the darkest episodes to date, there were moments of note.