I'm Still Mad About One Part Of The Night King's Ending In Game Of Thrones, But It's Not Arya Killing Him

The White Walkers are one of the most interesting threats throughout Game of Thrones, which makes their underwhelming ending that much more disappointing. And I’m still mad about one specific part of the Night King’s conclusion, but it isn’t the fact that Arya Stark kills him. Arya Stark defeating the villain during Game of Thrones season 8 is among the final outing’s biggest criticisms. While I understand why people are disappointed with this turn of events, I don’t think it’s as big of a problem as people make it out to be.




There are bigger issues with the Battle of Winterfell, and I think the backlash surrounding Arya’s role is a symptom of them. Resolving the White Walker storyline in a single episode is a questionable choice, as is making Game of Thrones’ ending more about the Iron Throne than the threat to the North. However, the biggest shortcoming of the Night King’s ending could have been fixed without having someone else kill him. All Game of Thrones needed to do was include a confrontation with another character first.


Why Arya Killed The Night King & Why It Was A Good Choice

It Brought Her Game Of Thrones Character Arc Together Nicely


Arya isn’t the person many viewers believed would kill the Night King, so it came as a surprise when Game of Thrones season 8 took the characters in that direction. It seems that was precisely the point, though, as Arya killing the Night King was meant to upend expectations. Game of Thrones’ showrunners admitted as much in HBO’s Inside the Segment for season 8, episode 3 (via YouTube). “We hoped to kind of avoid the expected,” Benioff noted. And Maisie Williams echoed that sentiment, telling The Hollywood Reporter that Jon doing it “would’ve been too obvious.“


Having Arya kill the Night King succeeds on that front, and in a way, it is a good choice for the series. Not only is it a genuinely shocking moment, but it brings her character arc together nicely. Up until season 8, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a reason for Arya’s Braavos storyline — apart from enacting revenge on her enemies. The Night King’s death gives her journey throughout Game of Thrones a purpose, and it even nods to Syrio Forrel’s “not today” line. I appreciate how all this builds to the twist, though I wish it went slightly differently.

I Really Wish Jon Snow Had Fought The Night King, Without Killing Him

Game Of Thrones Needed To Pay Off Their Rivalry Somehow

Although I’m fine with Arya killing the Night King, I wish the villain had fought Jon Snow before it happened. The Night King and Jon have an unexplained rivalry throughout Game of Thrones, with the two of them clearly respecting one another as major threats. They come into contact multiple times throughout the series, and it seems inevitable they’ll face each other in combat. This never comes to fruition though, which is part of the reason Arya killing the Night King is so disappointing. Jon didn’t have to be the one to kill him, however; he just needed to confront him.


Jon could have faced the Night King, delivering on all the tensions between the characters at long last.

Had the Battle of Winterfell gone on for more than one episode, this would have been possible. Jon could have faced the Night King, delivering on all the tensions between the characters at long last. Even Daenerys Targaryen gets a moment with the enemy during “The Long Night,” but Jon doesn’t really come into contact with him. This is a wasted opportunity, especially after Game of Thrones spends so much time building to this end. Jon losing to the Night King would still have been surprising, and it could have even made Arya’s success more powerful.


Jon Fighting The Night King Could’ve Made Arya Killing Him Even Better

It Would Have Been More Shocking & Added Weight To It

A collage of Jon Snow and the Night King from Games of Thrones.
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury

Jon fighting the Night King before Arya killed him would have added more weight to this moment, as it would have proven how impressive Arya’s win really was. Game of Thrones never really shows the Night King in combat, so we have no idea how he’d fare against Jon or any other skilled swordsman. Arya only defeats him because she has the element of surprise, or at least that’s how the show makes it seem. Demonstrating the Night King’s skills on a battlefield would make this moment more impressive, highlighting Arya’s quick thinking and resourcefulness.

The Night King looking annoyed in Game of Thrones and the cover of A Game of Thrones with ice and fire as the background

Related

Why A Song Of Ice & Fire’s Version Of The Night King Is Much Better Than Game Of Thrones’ Villain

The Night’s King is A Song of Ice and Fire’s version of the Night King, and the character makes a better villain than his Game of Thrones counterpart.


Additionally, Jon fighting the Night King first would have made Game of Thrones season 8’s Arya twist more surprising. It would have leaned into viewer expectations first, making it seem as though they were right about Jon being the hero of Winterfell. That would make it that much more shocking when he didn’t win, leaving Arya to defeat the enemy instead. Overall, I think this solution would have helped Game of Thrones tremendously. It would have given both the viewers and the creators what they wanted, bringing the White Walker plot to a satisfying close.

Source: YouTube, The Hollywood Reporter