‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Episode 3: Best Photos from the Battle of Winterfell

The epic Battle of Winterfell that took 55 nights to film did not disappoint on Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3. These are the best photos from that historic battle. Of course, we can’t include every best moment since some were too dark to really translate well in pictures. But these are some of the moments we don’t want to forget.

This post has major spoilers for Season 8 Episode 3. 

The moment when Melisandre arrived and said her prayer to the Lord of Light and we started to see the weapons of the Dothraki catch aflame… I was speechless.

But when all those lights went dark after they encountered the wight army, and then the wights advanced to Winterfell…. Every moment was tense. Remember when Dany and Jon flew in on the dragons and set the wights on fire?

These scenese were unforgettable.

But we could see the cloudy storms of winter approaching.

When Melisandre used her magic, given from the Lord of Light, to set the trenches on fire… That was another sight to behold. Melisandre’s power is real. Her Lord of Light is just as real as the Night King.

But then the wights threw themselves on the trenches of fire, creating a path to Winterfell anyway.

I’ve never seen Arya quite so scared, at least not in a long time.

The moment where the Wight Giant grabbed Lyanna was so sad. Tiny Lyanna in the giant’s hands. Yet even while dying, she still stuck dragonglass in his eye and took him down with her.

This scene was beautiful. So different from the rest of the episode, with a clear sky and bright moon.

The moment when Beric died was heartbreaking. But did you notice he had a very Jesus-like figure when he saved Arya? As it turns out, he saved the savior.

The scene with Sansa and Tyrion tugged on my heart. Is there a chance for these two?

Dany battled for her life after Drogon had to leave when the wights attacked him. If it had not been for Jorah, she might have died.

But the moment when Ice Viserion landed on Winterfell and essentially stood on the wall with his blue fiery breath… That is a moment I won’t soon forget.

Jaime and Brienne fought side-by-side. But there were times when I thought one or the other would die.

Just look at Brienne in this photo. I thought she was a goner. But she survived.

Sam crying on the ground with a pile of bodies was iconic. He was meant to be in a library studying and writing history, not fighting 10 million wights.

The Night King and Bran’s face-to-face was so intriguing.

But I wanted to stand and cheer when I saw how many Theon killed to protect Bran. His redemption was truly achieved, more than once.

But then he tried to kill the Night King and died in the process. That scene was parallel to when Jaime tried to kill Dany last season. I wonder what message the director was sending by making the scenes just alike?

Jorah, meanwhile, fought for Dany to his dying breath, true to the end. Another redemption arc completed.

The director focusing on the Night King’s hand as he approached Bran was a unique decision.

And the first time their eyes met… I still kind of believed the theory that Bran had warged into the Night King in the past, but that was not meant to be.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow literally stood face-to-face with the jaws of Viserion, about to be burned to a crisp.

An overhead shot of the Night King and Bran. I loved this scene.

And a White Walker looks around, thinking he heard something. It was Arya, but she’s learned how to sneak around undetected thanks to the Faceless Men, who have their own magical skills. So she wasn’t seen.

And here she is.

Arya seemed to fail at first.

It looked like the Night King was going to kill her.

You can see him looking at her now-empty hand. He’s not looking where he should.

And she stabs him with the Valyrian dagger that was used in Season 1 in an assassination attempt on Bran. Littlefinger later gave the dagger to Bran, who gave it to Arya. Sam even saw a drawing of the dagger in the Citadel books.

And the Night King shattered.

Arya won.

This shot of the fires surrounding Winterfell will stay with me for a long time.

As will the scene where Melisandre left, walking past thousands of bodies.

She tore off her necklace.

It held the glamour spell that kept her young.

Her true form re-emerges.

Her work is done.

Before I sign off, I want to share one more photo. Watch Ghost closely in the beginning. He reacts when the weapons catch fire. It’s a nice touch with great attention to detail.

And if you’re worried about Ghost, don’t worry. He survived. :) (I had to end this article on a happy note.)

For a full death count from the episode, see Heavy’s story here.