Game Of Thrones' Battle of Winterfell took place on the ground and in the sky — and in the beating hearts of the show's millions of viewers. As the armies of Unsullied, Dothraki, and approximately 10 brothers of the Night's Watch clashed with the undead, their leaders rode around on an upgraded mode of travel: dragons.
But it was hard to keep track of the dragons on season 8, episode 3 of Game of Thrones, aka "The Long Night." For one, the sky was cloudy, thanks to wind and fog created by the Night King.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
For another, it seemed only a minuscule percentage of the battle's multi-million budget went toward lighting. The long night, indeed. As we were squinting, the dragons were cutting through the sky — and putting their scaly lives in danger. Here's how Dany's dragons, once petrified eggs and now ferocious adolescents, fared.
Viserion
Which One Is That Again? Viserion was named after Danaerys' brother, Viserys. Before he became a wight in the army of the Night King, Danaerys (Emilia Clarke) called him her "white dragon" for his cream colour.
Poor Viserion, sufferer of a million indignities. At the Battle Beyond the Wall, Viserion was turned into a wight by the Night King and forced to breathe blue ice-fire (unclear whether it's hot or cold, but certainly scary).
Viserion met his ultimate end at the Battle of Winterfell, but not before gravely wounding his brother, Rhaegal. He almost did more damage. Right before he shattered into a flurry of snow flakes, Viserion was about to blow ice-fire onto Jon, stopping him from running to Bran in the Godswood. After Arya (Maisie Williams) killed the Night King, Viserion died, along with the rest of his army.
Status Update: Viserion is dead.
Rhaegal
Which One Is That Again? Naturally, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) would ride the dragon named after his father, Rhaegar Targaryen. Rhaegal is emerald green with bronze accents, and looks good in earth tones.
Considering Rhaegal only recently got a rider, he did pretty well during the Battle of Winterfell. He burned quite a few of the undead and knocked the Night King off Viserion. However, he had to retreat after a battle with Viserion.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Status Update: Rhaegal is recovering. He was spotted in the trailer for next week's episode.
Drogon
Which One Is That Again? Drogon, named after Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), is Daenaerys' beloved, red-hued dragon.
Even Drogon, the largest of the three dragons, struggled during the Battle of Winterfell. He was mounted, against his consent, by a swarm of wights. His dragon fire had no effect on the Night King. In fact, his fire caused the Night King to smile for the first time. But he put up a good fight.
Status Update: Despite the humiliation of someone laughing at his smile, Drogon is doing fine, thank you.
Game Of Thrones is available in the UK on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and Now TV
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT