(Spoilers ahead for the Aug. 20 episode of “Game of Thrones,” “Beyond the Wall.”)
It was an eventful “Game of Thrones” episode this week on two fronts.
First, you had that whole thing with Arya and Sansa and Littlefinger at Winterfell. Littlefinger’s attempt to pit the two sisters against each other appears to have worked — at least so far.
Then you have the whole suicide squad thing with Jon Snow and the others north of the wall, and their quest to kidnap a living skeleton so they can prove to the southerners that the White Walker threat is real. The mission turned out to not be so suicidal after all, with only Thoros of Myr and a handful of random redshirts being the only living humans who died up there. Well, also Uncle Benjen with the clutch save at the end before immediately getting swarmed also counts as a living human death.
But among the nonhumans who didn’t survive “Beyond the Wall,” the biggest gut punch came when Daenerys flew her dragons up there for a dramatic rescue only to have the Night King take one of them, Viserion, out with an ice javelin. Oh, and then he turned the corpse into an undead Ice Dragon. So that sucks for everyone else.
Understandably, all the “Game of Thrones” fans out there had some strong feelings about that last development in particular. Tears were shed, curse words were screamed, yada yada yada. You can see a sample of the responses on social media below.
https://twitter.com/katieelstephens/status/899457835368579072
https://twitter.com/_RickyMinaj/status/899450447815200769
When you find out Viserion died #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/Y8tuSBIGsN
— Internet Palace (@InternetPalace) August 21, 2017
Me when the Night King sphered the dragon #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/QCjW0cKVHI
— PFP Ky 👊🏾 (@KyTheBrute) August 21, 2017
#GameOfThrones: where your heart breaks harder over giants, direwolves & dragons than humans 😭💔 pic.twitter.com/f8NSS269Pk
— Nano | نانو (@purplenano) August 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/NotAnosss/status/899449419162034176
https://twitter.com/targaryenbabies/status/899451339431972866
RIP Viserion 😩😩 #GameOfThrones #ThronesYall pic.twitter.com/GXtRnBgDm2
— ˢᵖᵒᵒᵏʸ ˢᶻⁿ (@WrecklessLove) August 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/ryanveilleux/status/899448875945218049
This is one #GameOfThrones death I will *never* get over! pic.twitter.com/kmdWqRDVRh
— Angela Maria Hart (@writerahart) August 21, 2017
Hearing Drogo and Rhaegal crying out for their brother….#GameOfThrones #ThronesYall pic.twitter.com/LK0HmlSl9L
— swiggs (@HeySwiggs) August 21, 2017
#GameOfThrones
You vs the guy she tells you not to worry about pic.twitter.com/AbLuNQFVqC— GoT Things (@GoTthings_) August 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/jacquicollins_/status/899458939007496194
Please!!! #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/pYv82uNBs0
— Tyrion Lannister (@GoT_Tyrion) August 21, 2017
One more episode left to go this year. Y’all ready?