Sports The Thrones: No One truly comes away victorious in the wild Battle of Winterfell
Breaking down the best sports moments in this week's 'Game of Thrones'
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4 min read
Once again it's time for our weekly review that seeks to find great sports/athletic moments in the final season of "Game of Thrones." The goal is to check in every Monday during the show's final stretch to rank the most impressive athletic achievements showcased during the previous night's episode.
After a decidedly un-athletic installment last week, we had a much easier time finding outstanding athletes in this week's episode -- a 90-minute dive into the much-anticipated Battle of Winterfell. You probably already know who's taking top honors this week, but let's recap the other secondary players who deserve acknowledgement for their roles in sportsing the Thrones.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
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**SERIOUSLY, SO MANY SPOILERS AND I'M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR LACK OF READING COMPREHENSION SO TURN AROUND NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE EPISODE AND MAYBE PLAN TO AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE**
Theon's charge
Theon did a lot of good in this episode and he had his athletic moments -- namely fighting off an entire swarm of wights, even as he was the last man standing while protecting Bran -- but he had a tough finish to the night with this charge on the Night King. I know he was as good as dead no matter what, but at least go out with a little more pride and effort. Trying to take down the god of death by charging in a straight line from 50 yards away is a pretty poor strategy, if you ask me. At least throw in a head fake, man... damn.
Basic summary of Theon pic.twitter.com/BIKlkFDD7v
— Kenjac (@KenJac) April 29, 2019
Sam's open-field speed
Not many people believed in Samwell Tarly on the front lines but he managed to survive the Battle of Winterfell thanks in large part to some great open-field speed. Say what you want about his fighting skills but that man knows how to get off the line quickly.
Wights lay it down
They may have lost but you have to give credit where credit is due: The wights brought a great team-first mentality to the battle on Sunday. They were loyal soldiers who were willing to put it all on the line for the sake of the cause. Major shoutouts go to the several who literally put the team on their back by creating a bridge of bodies over the flaming trench. Teamwork (almost) makes the dream work.
Lyanna Mormont's giant takedown
Our favorite scowling child had an incredibly gutsy exit during Sunday's battle, and it was pretty fitting: One of the smallest (yet fiercest) characters taking down a literal giant on her way out. And listen, I know it's been a long season and everyone is battling injuries at this time of year, but for her to play through her ailments (ruptured everything) and still perform on the scoresheet...that's a testament to heart over height.
Beric Dondarrion's final stand
It was quite an episode for Beric but unfortunately he died... again. Luckily, he didn't get got before fulfilling his true purpose, which was apparently throwing his flaming sword straight into a wight attacking Arya. Pretty badass!
But Beric proved his worth as a dual-threat warrior. Not only did he get it done through the air, he also made significant contributions to the ground game. It may not be the type of sexy contributions that show up in the box score, but check out his run blocking on this play:
Arya may have been the superstar of this episode but she doesn't get the chance to rush to glory without Beric opening up the holes first.
Night King comes under fire
The mark of a true leader on the field is someone who can withstand the heat of the moment and prevail with a cool head. This can certainly be said of the Night King when he stared down Dany & Drogon in the midst of a full-on inferno. Not only did he endure a raging blaze straight in his kitchen, he came out of it with a menacing smile that was off-the-charts unsettling. It was rather demoralizing for the living.
But unfortunately for Mr. King, that was about as good as things got for him on Sunday. He followed up by misfiring on his patented spear throw at Dany's dragon, then went full coward to avoid a one-on-one battle with Jon. And, ultimately, his tendency to stay cool under pressure is what did him in.
More on that below...
Arya hits the game-winner
As expected, we got some sweet, sweet action with her new weapon courtesy of Gendry. It was predictably badass.
But the real highlight came when... well, you know. She hit the game-winner, though it should be noted that Winterfell's concussion spotters will have some answering to do since they let her stay in the fight after smashing her head against a stone wall.
In any case, Air Arya slipped through some terrible White Walker defensive coverage and went on the attack. She clearly had been studying 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' as game film for that finishing move.
Credit to Arya for executing the badass finisher but that's a disappointing end of the road for the Night King -- the guy who has spent the last decade or so plotting and developing his gameplan for world dominance. There's a fine line between keeping cool under pressure and not showing enough urgency, and we can definitely classify this as the latter. All that effort that went into assembling his roster and all he has to show for it is Theon's overdue dead body and 10 seconds of lustful eye contact with Bran. Talk about an all-time choke.
Then again, it's tough to win championships when you get absolutely no pocket protection.
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Designated for assignment: The Night King, the Dead Army (including one ice dragon), Theon Greyjoy, Melisandre, Jorah Mormont, Lyanna Mormont, Eddison Tollett, Beric Dondarrion, The Girl With The Scarred Face From Last Episode, most of the Dothraki army and plenty of Unsullied.
