'Game of Thrones': Night King's Army Just Arrived at Winterfell, and Fans Are Losing It

Michael Hein

04/21/2019 10:28 pm EDT

Fans were on red alert on Sunday night as three horn blasts sounded over the battlements on Winterfell on Game of Thrones.

Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 lie ahead!

Game of Thrones' final season is moving at a breakneck pace as the surviving humans gather to face off against the Night King, the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead. While this war is expected to be the linchpin of the season, the first battle came surprisingly early as the dead arrived outside of Winterfell at the end of Episode 2.

Fans had strong feelings as the disparate forces of mankind prepared to fight side by side. It was an emotional episode full of unlikely new friendships, long-awaited reunions and people revealing their true feelings before facing the fight of their lives.

Thankfully, the people of Winterfell got fair warning about the White Walkers' arrival thanks to the Night's Watch and Tormund Giantsbane. The survivors from the Wall arrived at Winterfell in the late afternoon to warn Jon that the Night King would be there "before the sun rises tomorrow." This kicked things into high gear with war preparations.

The tense episode followed the humans through their process of gearing up for war, from Tyrion drinking wine and telling stories to Jon Snow brooding over statues of his ancestors. Meanwhile, the women and children piled into the crypts, hoping that they would be the safest place, and the warriors took their places on the battlefield.

Here is a look at how fans reacted to the Night King's arrival at Winterfell so early in the season.

Stressed

In spite of the lack of action in this week's episode, the tension was at an all time high. Fans agreed that the episode was thrilling, and even stressful.

"[Game of Thrones] GOT ME SO STRESSED OUT RIGHT NOW..." one perseon wrote.

Excited

Many fans were also just plain excited for what next week holds. Game of Thrones has always thrived on political intrigue, but its battle scenes are nothing to sneeze at either. With the budget at an all time high for the final season, the War for the Dawn is sure to be a huge spectacle.

Emotional

Some viewers were not sure how to feel when Sunday's episode came to an abrupt halt. Jon and Daenerys left things on such a tense note that many were emotional going into the battle, and those feelings are not going anywhere for a full week.

Scared

As Ned Stark taught Arya in Season 1, there is no shame in fear. When the episode faded out on its battlefield cliffhanger, many fans were terrified for what next week holds for their favorite characters. Some tried to guess who was in danger based on how emotional their scenes were this week, reasoning that the writers might have tried to give powerful scenes to those who will be gone for good after this fight.

Speculative

Fans also jumped right to prediction mode, trying to guess what the next episode held. The teaser helped, showing another conversation between Jon and Daenerys before they took the battlefield. Still, anything could happen, and many are worried about the newly-knighted Ser Brienne of Tarth.

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