The early 2010s are often hailed as a modern golden age of television where TV episodic content was constantly reaching new heights of cinematic brilliance. One of the vanguards of this movement was undoubtedly Game of Thrones, which became one of the most watched and critically acclaimed shows throughout its eight seasons.
But despite the craze surrounding the series, not every part of its epic saga was well-received. Today marks the fifth anniversary of one of the most controversial episodes of Game of Thrones in its eighth and final season, titled “The Long Night.” Naturally, fans took to social media to mark the occasion and express their support and/or poke fun at the ways in which the episode fell short of expectations.
Bringing An End To Game Of Thrones
By the time the final season of Game of Thrones came around, the series was suffering from success to a certain degree. The expectations for the final season were at a fever pitch. But there was also a certain amount of censure over the fact that the showrunners had decided to go off-book, quite literally.
This was because the previous seasons were adapted from George R. R. Martin’s best-selling fantasy novel series. But thanks to the author’s famously slow and deliberate pace of work, there were no more books left to adapt for the final season of the show. Viewers wanted a resolution one way or the other, and so the decision was made to make up a new ending for the series as imagined by the showrunners based on notes provided by George R. R. Martin.
Making A Final Stand At Winterfell
Due to this sharp departure from established lore, fans were quick to point out that something felt different about the show in its final season. And not always for the better. In The Long Night, the much-anticipated arrival of the villainous Night King with his army of the undead wrapped up one of the show’s longest-running storylines with an epic battle at Winterfell.
It is the longest episode in the series, and a lot of stuff happens on screen. Unfortunately, a large part of it is difficult to see because of the episode’s infamously darkened setting, with the battle taking place at night. Fans on X (Formerly Twitter), drew attention to this fact with jokes and memes, including one fan showing their favorite part of the episode with a completely black screen.
Crazy to think all this episode needed was a good lighting and a decent ending but they fumbled that miserably
— OB (@GhostRMCF) April 28, 2024
This was my favorite scene of the episode pic.twitter.com/pbvzOviDU4
— ItsSometimesBestThat (@ASometimesBest) April 29, 2024
There was also more than a little discontent over the fact that Arya Stark ended up being the one who killed the Night King. Even though for the longest time it seemed like Jon Snow was being set up as the Night King’s arch-rival, and the one who was destined to defeat him.
One of the most disappointing night also of my entire tv series life 😭 pic.twitter.com/uY0NU7zqCj
— Box Office Forecast 🎬 (@BoxOfficeFcst) April 28, 2024
Even Kit Harrington, who played Jon Snow, expressed his dissatisfaction with the way things played out between his character and the Night King. But still, Harrington was ultimately supportive of the storyline and congratulated Maisie Williams as Arya on being the one to defeat the main villain of the series.
Not Everyone Disliked The Episode
Despite the criticisms, fans were also generous with their praise for the episode. Appreciation was addressed towards the excellent battle sequences, and the feeling of dread evoked by the Night King and his undead army. Not to mention how good it felt to finally have most of the show’s scattered heroes uniting to fight a common enemy together.
4 years ago today, the longest battle sequence in TV/film history took place. Game of Thrones “The Long Night” episode, also known as the “Battle of Winterfell”. A truly epic episode that was 8 seasons in the making.
— PJ.Caz (@PJC_Raiders) April 28, 2024
“What do we say to the God of death?”
“Not today.” pic.twitter.com/2poiaMcbLB
With all the good and bad noise surrounding it, The Long Night was one of the most-watched episodes in the history of television. It also received eleven Emmy award nominations and will forever remain an important part of the Game of Thrones saga.
Game of Thrones is now available for streaming on HBO Max.
