• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, May 1, 2019

Given the subject matter -- rival armies locked in a supernatural and bloody fight to the death -- it was hardly surprising that this past weekend’s long-awaited episode of “Game of Thrones” on HBO was fiercely intense, and also extremely violent.

The episode was the third in the six-episode final and eighth season of “GOT.” It ran for just over an hour and 20 minutes.

Virtually the entire 80 minutes was devoted to the spectacle of mighty hosts clashing with all manner of pre-gunpowder weaponry -- a war to the finish that represented a climax of sorts for this epic TV series, even though three episodes remain.

Scores of infantry from both sides were continually incinerated by this show’s soaring fire-breathing dragons. In countless other scenes, the fighting men and women representing the alliance of forces defending the stronghold of Winterfell were seen in close combat with the soldiers of the Army of the Dead.

Swords, spears and daggers were driven into torsos, throats were cut, axe blades were buried in skulls and chests, and an incalculable number of heads were seen being lopped off throughout this lengthy, epic battle.

Yes, one could easily describe the cinematic experience of watching this action-packed piece of high-toned television as “intense” and “exciting.” But the carnage was also relentless and numbing.

At times in their battle against these undead, the warriors of Winterfell seemed not unlike the plucky human survivors of the zombie apocalypse that has long been on view on “The Walking Dead.”

Both shows traffic in mass death by blunt trauma (although in “The Walking Dead,” the mortal “blows” often come from guns). Such gruesome violence -- from which blood, brains and bone are seen frequently flying through the air -- have become so common on TV that no one looks at them and ever questions anymore whether this is a good thing or not.

I may be in the minority, but I found watching this latest episode of “Game of Thrones” to be exhausting. The intensity was over the top.

It pushed the envelope of credibility too; the violence was so intense and the carnage so complete that the idea of various characters on the show surviving this onslaught by the episode's end seemed preposterous. And yet, there they were -- still standing after spending untold hours without food or rest impaling torsos and lopping off heads.

Despite all that, there was much to appreciate about the filmmaking that went into this epic episode. While many on social media complained that some of the action in this nighttime battle was sometimes too dark to follow, the dimness could also be seen as working to the episode’s advantage, adding to the feeling of chaos and utter destruction that was resulting from this clash of titans.

When the carnage and destruction was over, and the forces of Winterfell seemed to be the victors, it was reasonable to question the value of this victory. Their stronghold was in ruins, and hundreds, if not thousands, of dead and their myriad body parts lay strewn all over the place.

Will peace finally come to Winterfell? If the past seasons of “Game of Thrones” are any indication, the answer to that question is probably no.