The numbers for "The Long Night" include 12 million television viewers who watched on HBO at 9 p.m. Sunday night. The rest were viewers who watched an encore presentation, combined with those who streamed the show with the HBO Go or HBO Now apps.
"The Long Night" — which pitted the living against the dead in a great battle in Winterfell — was one of the most anticipated episodes of the series.
The episode was 82 minutes long and required 11 weeks of night shoots in Northern Ireland, where much of the series is filmed.
Social media lit up after the episode. Fans created memes, discussed plot points and even complained about the episode's cinematography online.
Some viewers noted that the episode's battle sequences, which were set at night in a blizzard, made it too difficult to make out what was happening on screen.
HBO also said on Tuesday that the season premiere has now been seen by more than 38 million viewers across HBO's linear and digital platforms when accounting for delayed viewing.
It's Team Human, led by Jon "Oh, geez, this isn't going well" Snow...
HBO
Versus Team Undead, led by a formidable tactician who perhaps got a bit too cocky trying to relish the moment as he went for the final prize. Don't get cute on the one-yard line, Night King.
Warning: This story contains plot points and spoilers for the latest episode of Game of Thrones, S8E3's Battle of Winterfell.
Halfway through the last season of Game of Thrones, we put together an after-action analysis of the major military engagements driving the plot of the series in the season's two central episodes—"The Queen's Justice," in which the forces allied against Queen Cersei got seriously pasted, and "The Spoils of War," in which Daenerys Targaryen, her dragons, and her Dothraki rapid response force swept down on the Lannister army's wagon train and turned it into a macabre cookout.
Now we're halfway through the final season of the series, and we're at a similar pivot point. The second episode of the season—"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"—laid out the somewhat awful strategic position of the combined allied forces under the command of Daenerys Targaryen and her Warden of the North, lover and likely nephew Jon Snow. And in the most recent episode—"The Long Night"—that situation reached its climax and conclusion in what could set the record for the least number of photons registered in a film or video production of its length ever.
As we were writing this, we were beaten to the punch by one of our favorite military Twitterati and bloggers, Angry Staff Officer, a master of fictional tactical interpretation, in his excellent but perhaps slightly misguided analysis for our sister publication, Wired. It's definitely worth reading, and you should do so right after you read this—unless you have not seen the episode and are averse to spoilers. In that case, come back and read both once you're ready.
Situational awareness
Enlarge/ At first (like the first two minutes), it seems we have a steady human set of hands at the wheel...
HBO
Dany's Dothraki and Unsullied forces, Jon's army of the North, the remaining Night's Watch, the remnants of the Brotherhood Without Banners, and a sundry assortment of other good guys face a dire strategic situation to start. The Night King and his mega-army of risen dead people have them outnumbered; he can challenge their air superiority with his own undead dragon and proven anti-aircraft spear; and instead of getting reinforcements from the double-dealing Queen Cersei, they get a one-handed man famous for pushing a kid out a window and siring kids with his sister.
At their command post in Winterfell, the collected leaders looked at the bleak situation and laid out their battle strategy: hold out as best as possible while luring the Night King into a single combat situation using warg raven/drone operator and cryptic intelligence provider Bran Stark (that kid who got pushed out the window) as the bait. Then they mostly get drunk and wait for the onslaught, until forward scouts signal that the enemy is near. But other than toots on a horn, Dany's leadership has absolutely no battlefield situational awareness. It's like they don't have any sort of flying thing that could do reconnaissance or something.
While scouts have given a rough estimate of force composition and the order of battle is pretty well-known, there's pretty much no operational picture—and pretty much no television picture, either, as the director of photography chooses to present the first half of the episode mostly in various shades of black. As the battle approaches, flame priestess and general portent of doom Melisandre wanders up and provides some much needed lighting—giving the Dothraki cavalry some flaming swords to swing. Meanwhile, non-combatants are withdrawn to the super-safe crypt, surrounded by dead people who could be raised by the Night King. Nobody seems to think twice about this, not even Dany's supposedly savvy advisors Tyrion and spymaster Varys—but we've seen them fall flat on their faces before in the foresight department, so that's not a shocker.
Dany and Jon watch from a mountaintop vantage point, awaiting their cue to deliver air support. They can't see much of anything. But somebody eventually does, as the Dothraki charge the unseen White Walker line.
There has been a lot of criticism of the Dothraki cavalry charge. But we are here to say that the criticism should be focused on the lack of close air support. In "The Spoils of War," the Dothraki served as a "fixing force" to line the Lannisters up for mass destruction from the air. Here, the Dothraki are literally lighting the way to the enemy, and all they have is some artillery support in the form of catapulted flaming tarballs.
Had this illumination been used for, say, some timely dragon strafing by Dany while Jon flew combat air patrol above, the Dothraki sacrifice may have been considerably smaller. Instead, we just get to see their flaming swords extinguished by the advancing line of we don’t know what.
The primary failure of the Dothrakis' use as a shock force was that they ran into an enemy (literally) that could not be shocked. Hopefully there are enough of them left to play a role in the next engagement.
The Dothraki charge was just another example of how utterly unimaginative Dany's supporting staff have been in the face of new challenges. As the returning Dothraki retreat back to Winterfell, we get a good look at another major failure of imagination—the defensive works around the castle, which are, to be honest, embarrassing even from a medieval tactical perspective. While the defenses may have been rushed a bit, it's hard to believe nobody remembered that the enemy's main body was a relentless, berserker undead infantry. Winterfell's outer defensive works were:
A line of chevaux-de-frise—spiked anti-cavalry fortifications akin to tank traps
A trench filled with stuff that burns
That's it. There were no other engineering efforts made. There was no effort to use the moving mass of the Walkers against them, using stake walls or other defensive structures. There could have been concentric trenches. Nope. And the Unsullied and Dothraki and everyone else on the field before Winterfell had to retreat through the defenses, causing higher losses.
Sure, all of this would have taken time and resources. But even a little more effort could have bought more time. Unfortunately, this bit of tactical and strategic fail is often reflected in reality, where commanders go into battles thinking the enemy will just fight them by the rules they already know.
Combined arms… and legs
Enlarge/ When in doubt, have a witch light a bunch of trenches on fire.
Command, control, and communication is essential on the battlefield. But the Night King essentially jammed Winterfell's C3 efforts by bringing on a literal fog of war—masking the battlefield with Winter itself. Davos Seaworth waves those flaming sticks to signal to Dany to dragon-flame the trenches alight, but she can't see anything through the low deck. Fortunately (?), Melisandre goes out and does her thing one more time, setting the trench alight.
And then everybody just stands there and watches each other. All the catapults are outside the walls and the trenches. All the archers sit on their hands as the Walkers pause at the wall of flame. Another opportunity to thin the (easily replenished) ranks of the dead.
Meanwhile, Dany and Jon get tangled up in an air-to-air engagement with the Night King, astride his zombie, blue-fire spitting dragon. The Night King has failed to master the use of air power: he could have ignored Jon and Dany and just leveled Winterfell's walls with airstrikes like he did to that Other Wall, but nah. He obviously has no understanding of air-to-air tactics and attempts an attack from below—only to end up entangled with one of his targets. Both the Night King and Jon end up un-dragoned, their reptilian aircraft left to their own devices.
But this is not an apparent problem for the Night King, who has psychic C3 over his minions—and is able to raise all the dead around him as reinforcements. Dany tries to toast the Night King with dragon fire, but it's super-ineffective.
The Night King directs his dead troops to breach the burning barrier in a style reminiscent of World War I trench warfare (or, as Angry Staff Officer put it, "Soviet style")—by throwing their bodies down as a bridge over the obstacle. Suddenly, the lines are not so static. The walls are breached World War Z style by the masses of White Walkers. As the battle rages inside the walls, the Night King strolls into Winterfell with his squad of frozen bros.
Then, there is a lot of dying. Jon finds himself tied down by zombie dragon fire. Dany is defended to the death by Jorah Mormont after her dragon gets weighed down by White Walkers. Theon Greyjoy and a band of archers defend Bran at the bait-point to the end, before Theon is dispatched with his own spear by the Night King. It looks like this is the end… until Game of Thrones' ultimate special warfare operator, Arya Stark, arrives and dispatches the Night King with some really slick Valyrian steel dagger work. The King crumbles, and his minions all collapse. It's like a proton torpedo down the exhaust port. The end.
It's a win, at huge costs—one that considerably weakens Dany's fighting force for the coming battle with Cersei's mercenary reinforcements and fleet. But the win shows that the basic underlying strategy mapped out by the leadership was correct—even if the execution left much to be desired.
In the end, we believe that the Battle of Winterfell played out much as most military conflict does. Success in combat often hinges upon the determination, imagination and ability to adapt and overcome in the face of situations that soldiers haven't trained for. The enemy will not always conform to your tactical paradigm. And fortune favors the bold.
If you want the show's writers to justify the action of team human, HBO's latest behind the episode video does just that.
Game of Thrones' longest episode to date--Season 8, Episode 3--aired on Sunday, marking the biggest battle scene to date. A key component of that was the role that the dragons did (or did not) play, and you can read all about what went down with Rhaegal below. If you've already watched, be sure to check out our Episode 3 Easter eggs and references--there were quite a few, and given the issues some people had with the level of darkness and visibility, you might have missed something.
The third episode of Game of Thrones' final season, The Long Night, finally brought the climactic clash we've been waiting for since the opening moments of the show's very first episode. The Night King's army of the dead breached the Wall, and the forces of the living, led by Daenerys, Jon Snow, and Dany's two dragons, laid down everything to try to stop them once and for all during the Battle of Winterfell.
It was a pitched battle that had lots of casualties--check out our full rundown of everyone who didn't make it through, and our review for our take on whether The Long Night succeeded in its aims of resolving the conflict with the Night King. But after the dust had settled, there were still a few lingering questions. Ghost, Jon Snow's direwolf, disappeared in the first charge, leaving everyone online asking what happened to him (here's the answer). And then there was Rhaegal, the dragon ridden by Jon, who fell halfway through the battle and was never seen again. So what happened to him?
Despite it looking pretty harrowing for Rhaegal in the middle of the battle, we know for sure he survived the Battle of Winterfell. That's because he appears, albeit very briefly, in HBO's teaser for Episode 4.
Rhaegal and Drogon, the dragon Daenerys rides, were a powerful force in the battle until a snowstorm wrecked all visibility, and the dragons struggled to help out the fighters on the ground. When the Night King showed up riding the undead Viserion, things got even more hectic.
Viserion and Rhaegal literally slammed into each other in the snowstorm, with the wight dragon trying to cook Rhaegal's rider as they slashed away at each other. The Night King took the opportunity to try to spear Rhaegal and take him down for good, just as he did with Viserion during the Season 7 episode Beyond the Wall. But Rhaegal eventually won the fight, tearing off a piece of Viserion's face, and both the Night King and the wight dragon fell to Earth. But Rhaegal's injuries were pretty severe, and he went plummeting to the ground, too--he crashed, throwing Jon from his back, and that was the last we saw of the dragon.
So the question that remains now is what condition Rhaegal will be in going forward. Like Daenerys's other forces, Rhaegal took a beating during the battle with the Night King, with Viserion raking a huge gash in his chest. It's also looks like he has tears in his wings in the teaser (although it's tough to tell the dragons apart at any distance). It's very likely he won't be back to 100% for some time, and that could call into question his role in the coming battle for the Iron Throne at King's Landing.
Daenerys has already lost a lot of her military might leading up to her final push to take down Cersei Lannister, and the dragons have always been her ace in the hole. We've seen her get a lot done with just one dragon, but a weakened Rhaegal (and possibly Drogon) will definitely be a setback.
"F—king hell! Sorry guys!" That's what Maisie Williams said, more than once, while filming her big Game of Thrones battle.
"I think I probably hold the record for the most apologies on set," Williams said when discussing her long battle with White Walkers inside the Winterfell castle.
In the behind-the-scenes video below, Williams and the Game of Thrones crew detailed all the work that went into Arya's heroic day at Winterfell. Williams said she was told to start training a year before it happened.
"Maisie does almost all of this stuff on her own," co-creator David Benioff said about Williams' fight scenes. "She has an excellent stuntwoman for the dangerous stuff, but most of it is actually Maisie."
William's stunt double Kristina Baskett praised the actress. "Her coordination, and she's really quick, can make changes on the spot and it actually—she's really easy to work with," Baskett said over images of Williams training.
Arya's big episode culminated with the young woman taking down the big bad, the Night King.
"Just when you think that it's all over, and just when you think that Jon Snow is going to be the hero—again—we realize that Arya appears through the mist," Williams said.
In the video above Emilia Clarke, Daenerys Targaryen, gave her honest reaction to Arya's big kill and it must be watched, it's pointless to describe.
"In the read-through when Maisie was doing it, we are all just whooping and cheering," Clarke said.
Kit Harington joked he was pissed it wasn't Jon Snow who took out the big bad. "I would've given you, like—I'd have bet you thousands, before we read the finals, I was like, ‘Yeah, it's definitely me,'" Harington said.
Benioff said they've known for three years it was going to be Arya. "It just didn't seem right to us for this moment," he said about using Jon Snow as the hero.
For the show, director Miguel Sapochnik said, "Dan and David let me break all the Game of Thrones rules."
"The majority of it is shot 96 frames a second, it's all super-slow motion, it's all heightened reality, which is not what they usually do. It was a surreal nightmare," Sapochnik said.
To make the moment even more intense, Sapochnik said they kept cutting to "it's f—ked" shots of characters not going to make it to Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and the Night King.
In the video above, the cast and crew break down the wire right set up for Arya's big jump out of nowhere.
"Shooting that was tedious, but so great to be able to perform all these different beats within, maybe like, two seconds of footage," William said.
"It's exactly what you need…Out of the air she takes him down, it's so good. It's so good. It's perfect," Clarke said.
"Reading what I get to achieve and Arya's whole purpose in this world and everything she's trained for comes down to this one episode, it's just amazing. And it's beautiful, it's poetry," William said. "And I'm grateful it was me and not Kit."
The Iron Man actor had negotiated a unique financial arrangement with studio chief Kevin Feige to receive backend profit on the series, resulting in what sources say was at least a $75 million haul for 'Infinity War.'
After 22 movies and more than a decade, the gargantuan Avengers: Endgame was the last roll of the dice — or Infinity Stones, as it were — for several key characters. But figuring out which stars are staying in the fold at Marvel Studios or saying their final farewells isn't as easy as a Thanos snap of the fingers. (Warning: Spoilers below.)
Take the fate of Scarlett Johansson, aka Black Widow. Her story arc is definitive in Endgame, but the actress who plays the spy heroine will be returning for a 2020 stand-alone film, earning a figure in the $20 million range for both starring and producing. Or Chris Hemsworth, i.e. Thor, who signed with Marvel for five movies in 2010, then renegotiated in 2017 for Infinity War and Endgame, putting himself in the $15 million to $20 million range and ready for the next phase of films. Captain America Chris Evans, who also had a five-picture deal, not including cameos, renegotiated in the same $15 million to $20 million range before meeting his fate in Endgame.
Meanwhile, the face of the franchise, Robert Downey Jr. — Iron Man himself since 2008 — had negotiated a unique financial arrangement with studio chief Kevin Feige that over the years resulted in massive paydays for the actor. Downey receives backend from the Avengers movies: Multiple knowledgeable sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the actor likely walked away from 2018's Infinity War, which grossed more than $2 billion, with at least $75 million. Even in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, he received $5 million a day for three days' work.
For other star deals, the math is changing. As the Marvel films have hit new heights at the global box office since Iron Man grossed $585 million worldwide, the studio is said to have raised the threshold for star bonuses. Several years ago, a bonus would kick in after the $500 million global mark, says an agent with insight into the dealmaking process. That threshold later became $700 million. Now, especially for Avengers movies, bonuses don't kick in until the film hits at least $1.5 billion, this source says. (Marvel and the actors' reps declined comment.)
Part of Marvel's next phase includes the segueing of many characters to their own series on Disney's new streaming service, Disney+. Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) negotiated deals that are separate from the movie contracts for what sources say will be six to eight episodes.
Those contracts don't negate appearances in future Marvel movies, which could result in a separate round of dealmaking. The next few big-screen adventures build on the plot threads of Endgame. Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) have one more option apiece, which will result in sequels to their solo movies, say sources.
Then there are new additions to the cinematic universe such as Eternals, which will be led by Angelina Jolie and start shooting this year, and Shang-Chi, centered on an Asian hero yet to be cast that will shoot after Eternals. And Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is planned for a 2020 shoot — the current five stars are expected to reunite — with James Gunn back in the saddle as director. Adds one source: "With Marvel and with Kevin, there's always a long game in play."
A version of this story first appeared in the April 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
Is Woodstock 50 canceled? The 2019 festival’s principal investor said the three-day event in Watkins Glen, N.Y., has been called off and the county is set to “move on,” but Woodstock co-founder and 50th anniversary organizer Michael Lang insists the show will go on.
“We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture," Lang said in a statement via Woodstock Ventures. "Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support.
"The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and it’s going to be a blast.”
Woodstock 50 was scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen International raceway with a lineup that included Jay-Z, Santana, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Chance the Rapper, John Fogerty, Janelle Monae, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons, and Halsey. Financial backing company Dentsu Aegis Network announced Monday that the three-day 50th anniversary event had been canceled.
“...Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees,” Dentsu reps said in a statement.
But Lang told The New York Times on Monday afternoon that "They (Dentsu) do not have the right to unilaterally cancel the festival.” Lang said all the acts have already been paid in full and plans to continue with another investor.
Billboard reports more than $30 million has already been spent on the festival lineup. Last week, a representative reportedly reached out to Live Nation and AEG for a $20 million investment to save the event, but both concert booking agencies declined. It’s unclear what other investors Lang might seek.
Getty Images
Woodstock Music Festival co-producer Micael Lang attends a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock at the at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC on August 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
While the future of Woodstock’s 50th anniversary festival is uncertain, no refunds are required as tickets still hadn’t gone on sale (though some hotels and B&Bs in the area had already been booked). Cancellation rumors first emerged earlier this month when the ticket on-sale date was pushed back due to a late submission for a mass gathering permit.
Further concerns were raised when Lang said tickets would be $450 for three-day passes and reduced the expected attendance from 100,000 to 75,000. One headliner, The Black Keys, even dropped out due to an unspecified “scheduling conflict."
Still, the New York State Department of Health said it was “surprised” by the cancellation announcement, just 109 days before Woodstock 50 was scheduled to take place. A rep for the DOH told syracuse.com Monday that the cancellation was not related to the state permit application pending for the event.
Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn confirmed Monday that Woodstock 50 had been cancelled. Watkins Glen is located in Schuyler County, about 80 miles southwest of Syracuse and 150 miles northwest of the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y.
“We have been in contact with the Chamber of Commerce, who has been trying to salvage something from the fallout of this decision,” O’Hearn said Monday, according to Spectrum News. “This was an opportunity for us to showcase our great natural environment... We will lick our wounds and move on.”
But if you’re not ready to move on, you can hold out hope for Lang to pull a rabbit out of his hat. The original Woodstock Music and Art Fair lost its venue in Wallkill, N.Y., in July 1969, but Lang reached an agreement days later at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, near White Lake.
More than 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, at Yasgur’s farm in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock ’99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- was marred by riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault. Lang helped organize both anniversary events.
In the meantime, the original Woodstock site is still scheduled to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts scrapped plans for a weekend-long festival, but will have four days of events: A free concert by Arlo Guthrie and a screening of the “Woodstock” documentary on the field Thursday, Aug. 15; Ringo Starr, Guthrie, and The Edgar Winter Band on the pavilion stage Friday, Aug. 16; Santana with the Doobie Brothers on Saturday, Aug. 17; and John Fogerty on Sunday, Aug. 18. Guthrie, Winter, Santana and Fogerty all performed at the original Woodstock festival.
As unexpected as the big twist that ended Game of Thrones' "Long Night" was, the set up for Arya's Great War-ending dagger move traces all the way back to Season 1.
Digging into the Valyrian dagger's history on the show only adds layer upon layer of thematic meaning to Arya's clutch moment of glory. And it also might even foreshadow Arya's next target: Cersei Lannister.
Image: hbo
In the Inside the Episode, David Benioff said they've known for about three years that Arya would be the one to deliver the final blow to the Night King. And its clear now they planted a lot of seeds during that time.
The Catspaw Dagger (as fans came to call it) was first introduced in Episode 2, Season 1 during the assassination attempt on a comatose Bran after his near-fatal fall from the tower. Luckily, both Summer and Catelyn were still around back then to save the future Three-Eyed Raven from getting Night Kinged. But it's one of Game of Thrones classic, full circle callbacks to have the weapon that almost killed Bran return several seasons later only to save him — and the entire world.
It's the perfect way to honor Catelyn, too, who would be so proud to know her daughter took up the the mantle of protecting the Stark kids from all threats, no matter the cost.
Later in Season 1, the dagger went on to become the key piece of evidence Catelyn used to accuse and arrest Tyrion for the attempt on Bran's life. That's because Littlefinger told her that the rare dagger was his once, before he lost it in a bet to the imp. We don't know if Littlefinger was lying there, since at the time he'd been scheming to stir up trouble war between the Lannisters and Starks. But we do know that Tyrion was not behind it (the assassination attempt was actually probably Joffrey's doing.)
Catelyn lives on in Arya now
Image: hbo
What matter most, though, is that the dagger that launched the first major war on the show — the Starks versus Lannister conflict that lead to the War of the Five Kings — was then eventually used to end the Great War.
But it goes even deeper than that. When next we saw the dagger, Littlefinger was giving it back to Bran in Season 7 while trying to ingratiate himself to the Stark kids who were suspicious of him.
The dagger that launched the first major war on the show... was then eventually used to end the Great War.
"In a way that dagger made you what you are today," Littlefinger told Bran. "Forced from your home. Driven out to the wilds Beyond the Wall... To go through all that and return home only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine—"
"Chaos is a ladder," Bran said, cutting him off with a callback to the reasoning Littlefinger gave Sansa for his plots to destabilize Westerosi politics. Indeed, it seems as though Bran used the chaos of the Battle at Winterfell (like Theon charging the Night King) as a distraction to give Arya the ladder she needed to pull off her wild sneak attack.
Weirdly, Littlefinger turned out to be right, though: This dagger did cause a domino effect that lead Bran to become the Three-Eyed Raven, just like his fall from the tower. And that's also true for Arya. The dagger played a large role in making the War of the Five Kings happen, which lead to the Red Wedding. And the Red Wedding is what motivated Arya to go down the path to becoming an unstoppable assassin who could kill the Night King.
Brienne helped prepare Arya for the most important moment of her life
Image: hbo
Later in Season 7, Bran pointedly gives the dagger to Arya with a suspicious lack of explanation. Now we know it's because he saw what she'd do with it. And we also know why the show took the time to have Arya duel Brienne, when she wins by pulling out the dagger with her left hand in exactly the same way she did with the Night King in Season 8.
That's even more impressive when you consider that, despite being right-handed in real life, Maisie Williams made a point to depict Arya as left-handed. And looking back, we can assume that she probably committed to this small detail so that there was precedent for the left-handed trick shot that saves the world.
When Jon and Arya reunited in the Godswood in Episode 1, he's surprised by her sudden appearance. "How'd you sneak up on me?" he asks her. Well, she'll sneak up on a different King of Winter in the exact same spot two episodes later.
Arya's masterclass sneaking saved the entire world
Image: hbo
This all goes to show that on Game of Thrones, hindsight is always 20/20. Someone could have pieced all the hints together to predict this unpredictable twist, but the the foreshadowing only really becomes clear after the fact. And the exchange between Bran and Arya when he gives her the dagger in Season 7 might've foreshadowed yet another twist that flew over our heads at the time.
"I saw you at the crossroads... I thought you'd go to King's Landing," Bran tells Ayra after their reunion.
"So did I," she says. And when Sansa asks why Arya would go there, Bran explains, "Cersei's on her list of names."
At this point, we should take all of Bran's inexplicable actions, reactions, and creepy stares as hints at what's to come. So now we can't help but read this exchange as foreshadowing that Arya will go to King's Landing in the three remaining episodes to finally strike Cersei off her list.
Because at the time, Bran said that his visions were all a jumbled, fragmented mess. He seems to have gotten a better grasp on them in Season 8. But back then it's entirely possible he confused a vision of Arya killing Cersei in King's Landing in Season 8 with her Season 7 choice to go to Winterfell instead of King's Landing first.
Arya and her daggar can wipe that smirk right off Cersei's face
Image: hbo
What's true is that — like the poetic justice of Littlefinger getting executed by Arya with the very weapon he tried to use to manipulate Bran — the Catspaw Dagger has become a symbol of Arya as the avenging angel of death for House Starks. Since its reintroduction in Season 7, she's now slain two of her family's most major enemies with it.
And as we saw in the previews for the upcoming Episode 4, the show is not only going back to King's Landing but also seemingly returning to the Stark versus Lannister feud that started everything. It's also notable that in Melisandre's prophecy, she says that Arya will shut many eyes forever, "brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes." Walder Frey had brown eyes. The Night King had blue. And Cersei has green eyes.
Arya killing Cersei with the dagger might ruin the popular theory of Jaime as the valonqar. But don't forget that Arya can wear anyone's face, including Cersei's "little brother" Tyrion or Jaime.
Ultimately, though, Arya doesn't need to kill Cersei in order to complete the character arc that her list of names represents. Because to cope with the deaths in her family, Arya clung onto that list like her life depended on it. But after staring into the many faces of death with the Faceless Men and coming back home, she has chosen life, love, and family instead of revenge again and again.
The last enemy was death. And Arya conquered death without even needing her list.
While many characters were killed during Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones," the demise of the Night King at the hand of Arya Stark, and the disintegration of his army of wights and White Walkers, were likely the only ones met with thunderous cheers from fans. While the Night King may be dead after the Battle of Winterfell, the actor who played him is still very much alive.
The Night King has been played by 48-year-old actor and stunt man VladimÃr FurdÃk since season six of the show, taking over for actor Richard Brake, reports Entertainment Weekly (EW). The Slovakian performer may have blue eyes, but the rest of his look is all prosthetics, makeup and television magic.
The actor regularly posts photos and videos of himself, his fellow actors and his everyday life on Instagram, revealing the man beneath the mask.
He even posts behind-the-scenes images and videos from the show. He shared an image in March that showed the process of becoming the Night King, with his neck fully covered in prosthetics and his face in makeup.
The actor said he was a part of the hit drama before he got the Night King role but made a star turn after his performance as the White Walker who battled -- and was killed by -- Jon Snow in season five's "Hardhome." Afterward, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss asked if he would take over the role of the Night king for seasons six through eight, he told EW in March. "I never asked why," FurdÃk said. "Maybe they were happy with what I did in season five."
He also explained what his character wanted to get out of all of the destruction and death. "He never wanted to be the Night King,"said FurdÃk."I think he wants revenge. Everybody in this story has two sides — a bad side and a good side. The Night King only has one side, a bad side."
In addition to "Game of Thrones," FurdÃk has worked on stunts for a number of high profile projects including "Thor: The Dark World," the James Bond film "Skyfall" and as Channing Tatum's stunt double in "The Eagle," according to his IMDb page.
Warning: Contains ice-shattering spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 3.
All men must die.
We know this. But we also know that it's possible — if you're well equipped with some ninja fighting skills and a pointy dagger — to delay the inevitable for a little bit.
It came in the form of a video of her co-star and BFF Sophie Turner singing "Crank That" by Soulja Boy, coupled with a photo of the Night King himself (swipe right).
"How am feeling after that episode," wrote Williams. "Not today bby."
'GoT' CinematographerDefends Ep. 3's Darkness ...I Promise We Shot 'The Long Night' Right!!!
4/30/2019 1:00 AM PDT
EXCLUSIVE
"Game of Thrones" Battle of Winterfell left fans cheering and complaining -- the latter due to it being too damn dark -- but the cinematographer wants to make it clear ... the gripes aren't his fault.
Fabian Wagner -- who was also the cinematographer on lauded 'Thrones' episodes like "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards" -- tells TMZ, he's aware folks are upset that "The Long Night" looked TOO nightly, and he has an explanation.
First, Fabian believes the pixelation and muddy dark colors fans saw on their TVs and mobile devices are due to HBO's compression of the episode ... which leads to poorer visual quality. This is made worse if it's being viewed on a streaming service with a weak connection ... or in a room that's too bright.
As Wagner puts it ... "[GoT] has always been very dark and a very cinematic show" and should be watched in a dark environment. Ideally, this means viewing it like you would a movie -- in a dark theater.
Since that's not realistic for 'Thrones,' Fabian suggests making your viewing room at home as dark as possible, avoid watching on your phone or in places that are lit up ... and adjust your TV settings.
The cinematographer also points out ... the showrunners and director wanted the episode to be dark. Wagner says the battle scenes were intended to be intense, claustrophobic and disorienting -- like they would be in real life -- but not confusing.
Fabian says, "We tried to give the viewers and fans a cool episode to watch," and he believes they did, adding ... "I know it wasn't too dark because I shot it."
Avengers: Endgame is finally in theatres, and it brings about an end to storylines and narrative arcs that started a decade ago.
One major storyline has been the Infinity Gauntlet narrative that's been the driving force of the interconnected stories thus far with the evil Thanos . Jim Starlin, who created Thanos (and Gamora and Drax) and also wrote the Infinity Gauntlet comic, has now shared his thoughts on Avengers: Endgame and Thanos's fate.
SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS ENDGAME FOLLOW BELOW
Speaking to IGN, Starlin said he was "amazed" and "flabbergasted" by the events of Endgame. "The up and downs that you have on it. There's some really heartbreaking moments mixed in with a lot of really funny little instances here and there," he explained.
Thanos is killed twice in Endgame; once by Thor, who lops his head off, and a second time--for good--when Tony Stark wields the Gauntlet and snaps Thanos out of existence. Starlin remarked that he was particularly impressed by the way actor Josh Brolin performed Thanos's final moments, when he accepted his fate and sat silently, awaiting his doom.
"His final moments in the movie I think are just priceless," Starlin said. "His demeanor once he realizes what's happening, I think that's just one of those little moments in film that everyone is gonna remember. It's like acceptance and taking it like a man, you know? I thought that was perfectly played."
Also in the interview, Starlin said the character Gamora in the Marvel movies is above all the closest representation of what he created in the comics.
WATKINS GLEN (WBNG) — On Monday Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn said he was told the 50th anniversary concert of Woodstock, set to take place in August at Watkins Glen International, is canceled. However organizers of the three day festival say not so fast.
In a statement to 12 News Woodstock 50 organizers said:
“We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture. Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support. The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and it’s going to be a blast.”
Monday, financial investor in the event, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Amplifi Live said it’s pulling funding stating:
“Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name.”
Michael Lane, a Woodstock founder and organizer of Woodstock 50 said Dentsu executives don’t have the right to “unilaterally” cancel the event.
O’Hearn said earlier on Monday that the concert cancelled would cost Schuyler County millions of dollars, but “we’ll lick our wounds and we’ll move on.”
Jeremy Wilson, manager of Jerlando’s Pizza in Watkins Glen, said summer is a profitable time of the year and hopes some event can make up for it. If the festival is no longer in Watkins Glen, Wilson said it would be awful for hotels and its guests who would have to cancel plans.
While event organizers said it will go on, there’s no mention if it will still be at Watkins Glen or rescheduled at another time or place, still residents are in shock about the announcement they heard from O’Hearn Monday afternoon.
“There were going to be a lot of bands coming that you didn’t think would’ve came to Woodstock then others well known and respected, still shocking,” said Kyle Hancharik of Watkins Glen.
The festival lineup was released weeks ago with dozens of bands and well known artists to celebrate the 1969 Woodstock music festival in Bethel, NY. A Woodstock anniversary concert in Bethel is still planned to go on.
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After years of anticipation leading up to the epic battle between the living and the dead on "Game of Thrones," fans finally know the fate of their favorite characters — and the dreaded Night King — after Sunday's episode of the hit drama. However, two characters were notably missing from the post-battle scenes: Jon Snow's direwolf Ghost and one of Daenerys Targaryen's two remaining dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal.
Season eight's 82-minute third episode, "The Longest Night," depicted Ghost at the start of the battle of Winterfell standing on the front lines alongside long-time adviser and friend to Daenerys, Jorah Mormont, as well as the Dothraki army. The army was the first to fight the White Walkers and wights in the episode, running into the darkness with weapons blazing. However, as the flames extinguished, and some surviving soldiers came running back to Winterfell's gates in terror — Ghost seemed lost for good.
Daenerys' two surviving dragons, with the undead Viserion lost to the Night King's army, were also seen going into battle many times in the episode. The dragons fought Viserion above the clouds, set fire to many of the wights as they charged toward Winterfell — and Drogon even unsuccessfully attempted to burn the Night King to a crisp with its fire-breath. While one dragon is seen surrounding Daenerys as she mourns Jorah's tragic death, the other is nowhere to be seen at the end of the episode.
So, did they make it out alive? Well, fans won't have to wait until the next episode for the answer, because the new preview appears to have given it away.
HBO played the preview for the fourth episode after the credits rolled, and a few familiar faces make quick appearances in the clips. At the 18th second of the 40-second teaser, Daenerys and a group of victorious soldiers appear outside of Winterfell, with some carrying torches. Ghost also appears to be in the shot, standing in the crowd. Then, 22 seconds into the clip, a pair of dragons fly in front of Sansa Stark as she gazes from the turrets of Winterfell.
Two dragons appear to fly as Sansa Stark watches.
HBO
Ghost, Jon Snow's direwolf, appears to be standing among a crowd outside of Winterfell in the trailer for the season's fourth episode.
HBO
So, it appears the show's favorite animals have survived the bloody battle, but they may not be safe for long. As, "the last war" against Cersei and her followers is still to come.
Filmmaker John Singleton will be removed from life support Monday, his family said in a statement.
Singleton suffered a stroke 13 days ago. Court documents filed last Thursday by his mother said that the “Boyz N the Hood” director was in a coma.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today,” the Singleton family said in a statement. “This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.”
More to come…
Read the full statement below:
It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today. This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.
John Singleton is a prolific, ground-breaking director who changed the game and opened doors in Hollywood, a world that was just a few miles away, yet worlds away, from the neighborhood in which he grew up.
John grew up in South Central L.A with a love of cinema that showed itself early on. He went on to become one of the most lauded graduates of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Within months of graduating, John returned to South Central to shoot his debut feature, Boyz N the Hood. The movie, which was unusually shot in sequence, masterfully captured a story of friendship, youth and the peril of hard choices in a community marred by gang violence. The film earned special honors at its debut at Cannes and Singleton went onto become the youngest director and first African-American writer-director nominated for the Academy Award. Two decades later, the film was placed in the Library of Congress, a marker of its cultural and historical significance.
John loved nothing more than giving opportunities to new talent and his films came to be known for career -making roles with actors who the industry would come to embrace; talents such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ice Cube, Tyrese and Taraji P. Henson.
Singleton’s work spanned genres and showcased his curiosity and creativity: the remake of Shaft, was a homage to his mentor, Gordon Parks. He also made historical films such as Rosewood and action films such as 2 Fast 2 Furious. Films like Baby Boy and Four Brothers were prescient in the questions they posed about men and the crisis in American masculinity. As streaming platforms created new opportunities in television, Singleton took his talents to shows such as Billions, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Empire. Most recently, he co-created and executive produced the current FX hit drama series Snowfall, in which he engaged such writing talents as Walter Mosley.
John was such a supernova in his youth that we forget that he was only beginning to fully assert his gifts as a director. Kurosawa was 52 when he directed High Low. Hitchcock was 56 when he directed To Catch a Thief. As much as we will treasure his body of work, we were looking forward to the films John would have made in the years ahead.
In his private life, John is a loving and supporting father, son, brother, and friend who believed in higher education, black culture, old school music and the power of film.
John’s confidence in his place in Hollywood was only matched for his passion for the sea. John kayaked in Marina Del Rey every morning. His greatest joy, when not on set, was sailing his boat, J’s Dream, up and down the Pacific Coast. The American writer Willa Cather once said, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in the storm.” We who have grown up with John, made movies with him, sailed with John and laughed with John, know the universe of calm and creativity he created for so many. Now in the wake of his death, we must navigate the storm without him. It is, for us, heartbreaking.
Like many African Americans, Singleton quietly struggled with hypertension. More than 40% of African American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is usually more severe. His family wants to share the message with all to please recognize the symptoms by going toHeart.org
We are grateful to his fans, friends and colleagues for the outpour of love and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. We want to thank all the doctors at Cedars Sinai for the impeccable care he received.
John Daniel Singleton will be survived by his extraordinary mother, Sheila Ward, his father, Danny Singleton and his children Justice, Maasai, Hadar, Cleopatra, Selenesol, Isis, and Seven.
Details about memorial services will be provided at a later date.
Several reports that Singleton had died were published online Monday morning, and fans began posting tributes. But Barr said those reports are inaccurate.
Singleton, 51, suffered what was characterized in court documents filed last week as "a major stroke" on April 17.
The filmmaker's mother and daughter are currently battling in court over who will assume temporary conservatorship, and they differ on their assessment of Singleton's condition.
Singleton's mother, Shelia Ward, claimed in court documents filed last week that Singleton was "in a coma and is unable to provide for his personal needs" or "manage his financial resources."
His daughter, Cleopatra Singleton, disputed that claim, and accused Ward of "misrepresenting" his condition, according to a subsequent court filing.
"Although they do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day...he is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal," Cleopatra Singleton's filing said.
Singleton, the first black filmmaker nominated for the best director Oscar for his 1991 drama "Boyz n the Hood," has also directed such other movies as "Poetic Justice," "Higher Learning," "2 Fast 2 Furious" and the 2000 remake of "Shaft."
A show he co-created for the FX Network, "Snowfall," was renewed last year for a third season.
Since news of his stroke, Singleton's colleagues in Hollywood have offered their support and well wishes.
On Friday, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes shared a story about Singleton calling her up with inspiring words while she was in film school.
"John did not know me at all. But someone at USC had told him I was talented and he was kindly calling to offer me some words of encouragement," she wrote. "He told me to keep writing. I never forgot it. Praying for him and for his family now."
First, Fabian believes the pixelation and muddy dark colors fans saw on their TVs and mobile devices are due to HBO's compression of the episode ... which leads to poorer visual quality. This is made worse if it's being viewed on a streaming service with a weak connection ... or in a room that's too bright.
