Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3

Some twelve hours after watching the latest siege against Winterfell, I still find myself digesting everything that has happened in episode three. The previous episode had been one of foreboding tension before the army of the dead would clash at the Stark defences and now let's get ready for some spoilers.

The episode begins with our heroes getting into formation before the hordes of undead charge them and make quick work of Dany's forces. The show wasted no time in showing how helpless the situation was as Ed is quickly murdered and the big names are overun, yet miraculously survive the beginning. Battle sequences can quickly become dull but the creative teams behind this wisely pace the story and it is thrilling to watch. However, the action is so chaotic that I almost felted cheated when I saw many of the characters dusting their armour off at the end having somehow survived, which is a minor issue I had with this episode.

Regardless of that, it was still thrilling to watch as Arya finally found herself in the middle of the fight and also not forgetting the eerie arrival of the Night King via Bran's vision. For an episode set entirely at night with nothing but the moon and some torches, the show looked great and special effects were top-notch.

My real issue is that despite the many great moments we enjoyed here (Theon's redemption, the Night King's death and also the undead giant's death to name a few), I am concerned about the direction the show will take now and how far removed we are from the book. On the surface, it's now a matter of fighting Cersei to win and the whole mysterious world to do with Bran/the Night King has now been wrapped-up. Sure there is still the Iron Islands to reclaim, Bronn's mission to kill the Lannister brothers and the question whether Dany and Jon can coexist knowing the truth but this just seems rather straightforward compared to when the show was adapting from the book.

I'm hopeful the creators have this under control and can still make for a satisfying conclusion now the Night King is dead. TV shows have a notorious reputation of dividing fans when they end but hopefully George R.R. Martin is still in the background to make sure delivers a satisfying conclusion.