This season, several episodes have devoted a massive amount of screentime to momentous events, from the Purple Wedding to the trial of Tyrion Lannister, but “The Watchers on the Wall” devotes a full 50 minutes to the event that has been building up since Jon Snow left the wildlings.
In past episodes we’ve seen the massive slaughter the wildlings are capable of, especially with the addition of the ever-creepy Thenns, the bald-headed, axe-wielding brutes. After the recent slaughter at Mole’s Town, with only Gilly and her baby surviving, the wildlings are bringing the fight to the Wall.
Before the action breaks out, there are a few character moments. First, there’s a very rare moment of humility from Ser Alliser Thorne, who has made Jon’s life a living hell since he joined the Night’s Watch. Recognizing the threat of the wildling army, Alliser admits that Jon was right to suggest the Night’s Watch seal the tunnel. Jon shows surprising maturity when he tries to assure Alliser that it was a tough decision, but Alliser counters by saying that being a leader is all about being questioned.
The other moment comes when Gilly returns to the Wall. Early on, Sam asks Jon what it was like to physically be with Ygritte, and Jon points out that Sam would probably like to know the same pleasure with Gilly. Even Maester Aemon can sense his love for her. When Sam hides Gilly to ensure her safety during the attack, he finally kisses her and says he’ll be back.
The battle itself is brutal, with a slew of deaths of both wildlings and Night’s Watch men alike. The battle is a full-scale invasion, with men defending the wall itself, the castle, and the ground in front of it. Men are beheaded, shot in the throat, stabbed, and every other possible death.
There’s some great camerawork in this episode, from the POV shot from Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, and a long shot that sweeps across the wall. There’s also plenty of CGI at work, from the thunderous giants to the even more massive mammoths they ride. There’s also a great sense of how inexperienced the remaining Night’s Watch men are — there are all kinds of accidents and misses, but as the battle drags on more and more men find their feet and commit real acts of bravery, especially a few men are tasked with stopping one of the giants.
Amid the attack, Ygritte and Jon come face to face, after Ygritte tells the wildlings early in the episode that she’ll be the one to kill him. Their reunion quickly ends, as one of the boys of the Night’s Watch puts a bolt in her back. Despite being on opposite sides, Jon is still understandably devastated.
If there’s one thing the episode suffers from, it’s that the show spends so little time at the Wall that the importance of the battle is undercut a little. The deaths of Joffrey and Oberyn had a major impact on fans, while most of the deaths don’t have as much emotional weight. Had the wildlings had more screen time, Ygritte’s death might have been a bit more of a gut punch.
Following the massive battle, which managed to temporarily repel the invaders, Jon says he has to go to Mance Rayder and put an end to this once and for all. With one episode left, there’s still plenty of action to come.
Canadian fans of the show can watch the epic finale in the comfort of a movie theatre — Cineplex is screening the episode across Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.
