Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3: Fans are Overjoyed, Relieved and Disappointed at The Same Time

After 8 years, 8 seasons and 70 episodes, the most awaited episode in Game of Thrones, the ‘Battle of Winterfell’ has just been aired and it left fans bawling their eyes out and on edge on their seats. The aftermath however was a different story and induced a mix of feelings. Some were relieved that their favorite casts survived, some were still high on the show’s cinematography, but others were dumbfounded and annoyed with the script writing.

There are a lot of fans that felt the episode was too dark to have enjoyed the battle scenes, and that it lacks plot lines that should have been there. There were a lot of questions that weren’t answered and a lot of fan theories that were disproven. Contrary to what these fans believe, the episode was great and did receive a lot of good reviews from two of the most popular show critics, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

What fans hated about the episode (Spoilers)

There were a lot of notable scenes in the episode that triggered the fans. Here are some of the most debated and argued scenes that left most of them confused and annoyed.

Questionable military strategies

One of the most argued battle scenes was the Dothraki’s charge on the undead army. It was quick and some argued it to be pointless. Fans could only see a glimpse of the battle, and what’s worse is that it was over in a minute. The Dothraki army that the show has been portraying as one of the best fighters in an open field for years is now ‘no more’ in a minute.

Though they played their part on previous battles, it was just too underwhelming to see them gone in a minute with a bold charge. And to top it off, there was no good reason to why they did what they did, it was just senseless. It may be a good way to show the fans how terrifying and invincible the undead army was, but it was a bad military strategy overall. From catapults not doing much in battle to not enough archers manning the walls, the Dothraki charge was the most argued scene.

Despite all that, the scenes were still entertaining. Every fan should have known by now that the show is based on a fictional fantasy novel. Military strategies were not made or were written to depict accurate medieval battle or strategies. It was made and represented on screen for entertainment purposes.

It is undeniable that the military strategies shown in the episode was lackluster, but it doesn’t mean it was that bad. It evoked a feeling of suspense, excitement and hopelessness, and it gave the ending more impact.

Too much plot armor

The buildup that was set up by ‘Episode 2: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ was great. It was a calm before the storm moment where the main characters were feeling a sense of dread to what’s about to come. There were also hints and foreshadowing scenes that were basically a ‘death sentence’ for some.

To the fans’ disappointment, a lot of the main characters still lived on to battle Cersei and her army in the upcoming episodes. The plot armor, as many have argued, was just too much. A handful of the main characters end up ‘almost’ dying but then suddenly, someone who is emotionally attached to that character ends up saving him or her. There were several scenes that seemed exactly alike, to which of course bothered the fans. It’s as if it wasn’t the infamous Game of Thrones that we know and love.

The death of the Night King

The death of the dreaded Night King was the worst of all. For those who watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi, they related and compared it to Snoke’s death scene. The very powerful antagonist died too swiftly.

The issue at hand was the buildup coming to the moment of his death scene. Seeing how the Night King was supposed to be the ‘Endgame’ of the Game of Thrones franchise, it ended abruptly with Arya stabbing the Night King with a pointy end.

To be fair, it wasn’t that bad a scene. It was exciting, surprising and thrilling to be honest. The whole scene was brilliant and it showed Arya’s prowess with all the struggles and training she had to go through. It’s just that the buildup for the Night King and his army was too strong that it ended just like that. It was a good scene, but it could have been better.

What fans loved about the episode

Not all fans were too technical about the episode, and they seem very happy and satisfied with the end result. As a fan myself, this should be the proper way to watch a fictional show or movie. It’s to entertain us with epic battle scenes, story arcs, and unexpected outcomes. People often forget that the show is not a historical depiction of medieval battles or a documentary.

The Intensity

From minute 1 to the final minute of the episode was intense. A whole hour of survival that led to hopelessness and then relief. The winter fog was a good touch as it covered most of the screen, and the fact that episode was shot in night time, it overall added suspense and excitement.

Other intense moments were the times where main characters were put in to a hopeless predicament. As mentioned earlier, the plot armor was a bit too much, but it did give the fans a feeling of anxiety and distress.

The beautiful cinematic scenes

Props to the people who are responsible for the cinematic scenes of this episode. It was surreal, especially the battle of the Dragons just above the clouds. The light that emanated from the moon was superb and it gave the scene much more epicness.

While others hated the way the Night King died, it had other effect on some. Fans loved the scene where Arya got to kill the Night King. It may be quick but it was done well, showing how nimble and deadly she actually is.

The drama of it all

From the music to the death scenes, it was heartfelt, but was also satisfying to say the least. The characters’ story arcs somewhat ended a few episodes ago, and there was nothing left for them to do, but to die as a hero. Some may argue that they still have so much to do, but looking at how many episodes are left in the series, it was just a matter of one last battle and a few political arguments, and then the show will end as it’s supposed to be.