The Women of Game of Thrones Crushed the Battle of Winterfell Last Night
This post contains spoilers for the final season of Game of Thrones. Consider yourself warned.
After weeks—well, years actually—of anticipation the Battle of Winterfell is finally over and the Army of the Dead is no more. And you know who seriously crushed it on the battlefield? The women. From Brienne of Tarth to little Lady Lyanna Mormont and Arya Stark, the female characters on Game of Thrones had some truly heroic moments during the most recent episode, and fans were here for it.
Nobody needed to be saved by the “prince who was promised” and instead took matters into their own hands. (Well, Dany did need an assist from Jorah, but then she got her battle on as well.)
Lady Lyanna Mormont
RIP to this tiny hero, who went out in an iconic death scene to rival some of the show’s best. From the moment we met her in season five, the character (played by actress Bella Ramsey) has been a major fan favorite, so her loss is heartbreaking. But she never stopped fighting, even until her last breath where she killed the (literal) giant wight by stabbing him in the eye before succumbing to her injuries.
Lyanna wasn’t intended to be such a beloved character, though. “Lyanna Mormont was just supposed to be in one scene, but Bella is such an incredible actress that we kept bringing her back because we wanted more Bella,” showrunner David Benioff says in an episode extra. Ramsey tells Entertainment Weekly that she was pleasantly surprised by the love her for Lyanna. “I didn’t think it was going to be anything. I just thought that I turned up and did it. When [the fan reaction] kicked up it was mad. I didn’t expect it,” she said.
Her death brought a strong wave of reaction on social media, naturally.
Arya Stark
Oh yeah, the girl we’ve watched grow up on screen DID THAT. And by that we mean killed the Night King and saved Winterfell.
Her years of training kept her alive until that big moment when she stabbed the Night King, destroying him and his Army of the Dead instantly. It was amazing, and her family better be throwing her the largest celebration banquet Winterfell has ever seen.
Brienne of Tarth
While the newly knighted Ser Brienne may not have had a battle moment as singular as Lady Lyanna or Arya, she continued to be a key to victory on the battlefield next to the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister—taking out wights and White Walkers with incredible strength, skill, and endurance. And, lest we forget, she helped train Arya.
Daenerys Targaryen
So I definitely have some questions for Dany‘s deployment of the dragons during the Battle of Winterfell, but I must give props to the Mother of Dragons for picking up a sword to help save herself (with literal ride-or-die Jorah Mormont by her side) while Jon Snow decided to just scream in the face of a zombie dragon.
Melisandre, a.k.a. The Red Woman
Ah, Melisandre, you are a tricky one that fans love and love to hate. You killed Shireen, but revived Jon Snow—and last night, she brought her magical fire to Winterfell in aide of defeating the Night King before removing her necklace and walking out into the snow to die.
With the Night King vanquished, it would seem that Queen Cersei is next up for the ladies—and we can’t wait to watch it all go down.