Welcome to Game of Thrones: MVP of the Week, a weekly feature in which we crown the character who stands out most during each episode of season eight. The MVP may have had the most kills, given the best monologue, or died the most heroic death. (Hey, we're just covering all our bases!)
I'm going to be honest: nothing about Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones [1] goes the way I thought it would. Of course, I knew there were going to be some devastating goodbyes (Alfie Allen deserves ALL the awards for his work as Theon, like, wow) and the battle scenes were going to be a little hard to watch — though I thought that would be for emotional reasons, not lighting issues [2] — but I definitely didn't expect the Battle of Winterfell to end like that [3]!
Arya Stark, first of her name, really creeps through the wreckage of her family home and straight-up murks the Night King [4]. Melisandre sashays her way into Winterfell and basically invents fire [5] for the Northerners. How could I not declare these two badasses as the winners of this week's MVP award? They are pivotal in ending the Battle of Winterfell and saving the whole damn Seven Kingdoms from a seasons-long menace.
And yes, I get it, everyone does their part during this war. But there's absolutely no denying that without these two leading ladies, the Battle of Winterfell would have been a whole lot bloodier. Keep reading to rejoice in the greatness that these two women bring to "The Long Night," and pay your respects to our runners-up, because they're important, too!
Arya Has Always Been Destined to Save the World
Ever since she leaves home in season one, Arya Stark has been steadily making her way to being a top-level badass. Her one hangup is feeling like an outsider because of her love for unladylike hobbies, but it's her love for sword-fighting [7] that becomes her salvation. After her older sister becomes a prisoner in King's Landing, Arya begins her travels to find safety with her family and, later, to gain the skills to avenge them.
Her quest for power leads her to the Faceless Men [8], who give her the secrets and abilities that turn her into the small killing machine [9] she is now. When she finally returns home to Winterfell, she's remarkably different from the child she used to be. Those around her either find her intriguing or frightening, and sometimes it's a little of both (we see you, Gendry).
"The Long Night" shows how complex Arya is as a character: she's lethally skilled in the art of battle — even Daavos has to pause his escape to admire her work. But she's not invincible, which we see when she's thrown off course and injured. Her attempts to keep off the wights' radar in the library show how smart she is, and — despite her boasting about looking forward to seeing another face of death — she's visibly scared for her life while running from the horde of wights. It's the first time we've seen Arya scared in a long time, and it's humanizing. Considering how she spends the night before battle [10], we can assume that being surrounded by the people she loves has reminded the assassin that there's more to life than just revenge, and now she wants to live.
But being scared has never stopped a Stark woman before, and it doesn't stop the youngest, either. After getting a cryptic pep talk [11] from Melisandre that basically reminds Arya that she's still that b*tch, Arya runs off and proves exactly that! The littlest Stark creeps up behind the Night King and, with a sleight-of-hand trick, takes him out with a catspaw dagger [12] straight into the belly. A whole damn legend.
Melisandre Comes Through With Fiery Saves
Winterfell already has two dragons on their side, but it's Melisandre who provides the firepower [14] when they really need it. Because Game of Thrones respects a woman who knows how to make an entrance, Melisandre returns to Winterfell RIGHT before the battle begins. How she manages to miss the wights coming from the same direction, we don't know, but more importantly, we're ignoring it. She asks Jorah to instruct the Dothraki to lift their swords, and when they do, she calls out a spell [15] that sets the scores of Dothraki blades aflame. Since everyone else is totally OK using the Dothraki as zombie fodder, it's nice to see someone try to give them an actual fighting chance!
Melisandre heads into the castle for safety, and I have to admit, I love how she really doesn't give a f*ck that several people want her dead [16]. She knows they're going to let her in the castle regardless, because it's dangerous outside the keep and they're too kind to let anything happen to her. She has just been hanging around, waiting for the right time to save their asses, and doesn't even bother with any kind of explanation. What a queen.
In the thick of the battle, the soldiers begin falling back when it's obvious that the wights are gaining ground. The plan is for the wights to fall behind a trench and signal Daenerys and Jon to light the wooden spikes on fire and trap them. Unfortunately, the dragon riders are trapped in a windstorm and don't catch the signal, so Melisandre (literally) works her magic once again to light the trench herself. She treks out onto the battlefield and lays her hand on a spike, frantically reciting prayers to get the bad boys to light up. The wights are a hair too close for comfort when the fire starts up, but it still works, and you can't help but wonder why someone didn't just grab a torch and light it the old-fashioned way. But I digress!
Melisandre's last act mainly involves giving Arya a pep talk, but it's an awesome moment that highlights a facet of the Red Witch's personality that you can't help but respect. When Arya says that she remembers her, they're both referring to a conversation they had when Melisandre was taking Gendry captive [18]. It's a painful memory for Arya and a bad look for Melisandre, who used her magic and Gendry's blood to assassinate King Renly. But the older woman doesn't apologise for her actions or try to explain them. She owns up to her actions and moves past them, because they truly don't matter at that moment. Everything Melisandre does is for a greater purpose, and even though her actions can be incredibly f*cked up, she doesn't back down from them. And good thing she doesn't, because it all comes together in this very battle.
Her conversation with Arya [19] inspires the young woman to kill the Night King, and Melisandre finally fulfils her purpose [20]. Just before the dawn, like she told Daavos, the witch removes her magic antiageing amulet and walks off into the snow, quickly disintegrating out of old age [21]. It's a perfectly dramatic way for her to go out.
So, MVP of the Week Goes to . . . Melisandre and Arya!
These two ladies really make the most of their screen time and change the course of the battle into a win for Winterfell. Melisandre may be gone for good, but she will always be remembered in the North as the Red Witch who helped end the long night. And Arya? Well, we're pretty sure Arya's story isn't anywhere near finished. We still have three more episodes to see where this lethal lady of the North will go next.
Our First Runner-Up of the Week Is . . . Theon!
I am still very in my feelings about Theon's goodbye, but can we all just give a slow clap for him? Theon has one of the best character arcs of all in the series: from his introduction as a cocky ward to his betrayal of the Starks [23] for his Greyjoy family to his capture by Ramsay and subsequent loss of identity, then his gradual redemption [24]. It takes a brave man to be able to return to the keep he helped destroy and fight for it with his life. Regardless of his previous sins, Theon Greyjoy dies with honour and the knowledge that he is a good man [25]. He's number one in our hearts, for always.
Our Second Runner-Up of the Week Is . . . Lyanna!
What a goddamn legend: Lyanna Mormont, the youngest warrior on that field [26], goes out like a straight BOSS. The Lady of Bear Island protects Winterfell castle with her men and faces down a literal giant with more courage than the men twice her age display on the same battlefield. Even as she is being crushed by the giant [27] — and close to being eaten by it — she makes sure it goes down with her, plunging her dagger directly into its eye. She goes down swinging, just like her mother, grandfather, and older cousin [28].
Our Third Runner-Up of the Week Is . . . Everyone Left!
Honestly, good job, everyone. If you're still kicking by the end of that battle, you done good.