Game of Thrones begins....

[Threviel]

Well, whatever tactic the choose would not change the end result if they couldn't kill the NK. Best would perhaps be to move the army to the other side of Winterfell and just defend with enough to lure him out.

[Josephus]

BEst line: On the Night King's signal, the undead breach the fire-trench the Soviet way: with their bodies.

[crazy canuck]

Well, whatever tactic the choose would not change the end result if they couldn't kill the NK. Best would perhaps be to move the army to the other side of Winterfell and just defend with enough to lure him out.

Read the article - in a humorous way it sets out the tactics that could have been used to achieve the objective.

BEst line: On the Night King's signal, the undead breach the fire-trench the Soviet way: with their bodies.

I liked - "it falls into the hallowed military tradition of throwing the intelligence officer under the proverbial bus."

[Threviel]

I thought I read it, but I only skimmed it.

Thinking a few seconds more it seems clear that it was the NK that was the idiot. He only had to keep himself back and the day would be won. All the article's tips really only delay the confrontation with the NK compared to the show.

Or I'm the idiot that's even thinking about this.

[crazy canuck]

I thought I read it, but I only skimmed it.

Thinking a few seconds more it seems clear that it was the NK that was the idiot. He only had to keep himself back and the day would be won. All the article's tips really only delay the confrontation with the NK compared to the show.

Or I'm the idiot that's even thinking about this.

It is fun to think about this. 

The NK was no idiot.  He waited until the battle was won before he came for Bran.  If it wasn't for superpower ninja deus ex machina Arya he would have succeeded.

Delay was the defender's strategy.  Make the battle costly enough that the NK would be lured to going after a lightly defended Bran - which was the NKs only objective.

[Threviel]

Would it have mattered if it would have taken an hour more to kill Bran if it meant that the NK could have been sleeping safe in his tent? For him it's a very high risk to even show himself around enemies, his whole campaign fails and apparently his whole race dies if he should die. He's presumable spent millennia preparing for this, patience for an hour or a day more would perhaps be prudent.

[viper37]

Yes, the NK did act with a strategy in mind.

Of course, he could have waited until all of the survivors were dead, but then, maybe Bran would run away with some help?  In his mind, he wasn't walking into a trap, and he made sure "the Prince that was promised" (or maybe he just recognized a skilled duelist fighter from their previous encounter in the Wildling village when he killed one the White Walker) was all tied up in a fight, unable to reach him in time, and the same for all the defenders, until he made his move for Bran.

Its only through luck that Arya survived long enough to blindsind and eventually kill him.

[crazy canuck]

Would it have mattered if it would have taken an hour more to kill Bran if it meant that the NK could have been sleeping safe in his tent? For him it's a very high risk to even show himself around enemies, his whole campaign fails and apparently his whole race dies if he should die. He's presumable spent millennia preparing for this, patience for an hour or a day more would perhaps be prudent.

You are assuming the someone other than the NK could have laid a hand on Bran.  If that was the case then any of the attackers could just have put an arrow, spear or sword into him.  The NK waited until the battle was won.  When he approached Bran he was surrounded by his army and his senior undead dudes.

[Habbaku]

There's also the hand-wavy assumption that Melisandre's blessing was hiding Arya from the NK or something of the sort.

Does it really matter? Arya jump-ninjaing the NK is one of the lesser silly things of the series, I think. At least it was cool.

[Tamas]

You guys are making up theories as if anything other than "it looks cool" was a consideration from the show creators.

[Josquius]

Maybe when Bran spaced out he was doing something that meant the NK had to come to him for some reason?
Though what that could be...

[crazy canuck]

You guys are making up theories as if anything other than "it looks cool" was a consideration from the show creators.

I don't think anyone has excused the show of anything.  We are thinking about ways the plot can be salvaged now that the NK is dead.

[FunkMonk]

The Night King was clearly playing through his playbook on the night, Jim, while his opponents were off balance the entire game. Only a Hail Mary pass saved the game for the forces of light. On any other night, Coach Night King would be lifting the trophy.

That's on paper, though. In the end, you can only beat them team in front of you.

[crazy canuck]

It was the best come back of all time.  Every coach dreams of drawing up a play that wins the game against all odds and coach Mel can retire content that she drew up the perfect play.

[FunkMonk]

Coach, what could you have done better to get the win?

Well Joanne, I think both teams had a good night, we fought hard, they fought hard, in the end it's all up to old gods and the new.