'Game of Thrones' breaks Twitter record with epic battle of Winterfell episode
"Game of Thrones" fans feverishly took to Twitter during Sunday night's intense battle of Winterfell to discuss every key detail about the third episode in Season 8.
In fact, so many people were sharing memes, GIFs and general discussions about the episode, titled "The Long Night," that Twitter said the hit HBO show, which is based George R.R. Martin's fantasy novels, set a new record.
"We're breaking records over here. Last night's episode of @GameOfThrones was the most Tweeted about episode of scripted television EVER with nearly 8 MILLION Tweets," Twitter's communications team confirmed in a Monday afternoon tweet, along with a photo of the notorious Night King.
The episode, in which White Walkers and the undead took on Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, the Starks and the armies of Winterfell, itself captivated viewers with its theatrics, including fire and ice-breathing dragons. It also contained the "longest battle in small-screen history," with 67 minutes of action that lead to the deaths of several major characters, per Vanity Fair,
However, when it comes to breaking TV-related Twitter records, "Game of Thrones" only had itself to compete with.
According to Variety, viewers were also pretty chatty during the Season 8 premiere — more than 5 million tweets flooded feeds during the April 14 episode. In 2019 alone, there have been a total of 52 million tweets related to "Game of Thrones," the publication reports.
Though Sunday's episode was record-breaking, the fight for the Seven Kingdoms is far from over. There are three episodes left in the series, which means three more chances to break records.
“[Expect] a lot of tears,” Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, previously told IGN.
“I think, you know, as an actor it was really satisfying — I think for everyone, everyone’s storylines — to be able to act out the way that it all ends. It was really satisfying for us," added Turner, though she admitted not everyone may be pleased by the way writers wrapped up the series. “I think a lot of fans will be disappointed and a lot of fans will be over the moon."