'Game of Thrones' Actor John Bradley Says Dark Lighting in Latest Episode 'Added to the 'Chaos'

Need the book explanation of "The Long Night"? Samwell Tarly is your man. Game of Thrones' latest episode was one of the darkest--both literally and emotionally--but actor John Bradley thinks that the darkness of the episode simply added to the hysteria of the battle.

Although Bradley, the actor behind Sam, was one of the many cast and crew members who worked for 55 long nights on the episode, he didn't get to see the finished product until this past Sunday at the Hollywood screening, and he was blown away.

"The reaction was overwhelming, the energy that coursed through that auditorium. I had my girlfriend next to me and I still have her nail marks in my arm," Bradley told USA Today.

"When you film it piecemeal ... what you really don't get is how relentless that (sequence) can be. For most (actors), screen time is probably only a few minutes each. Only when you see it all stitched together do you realize this really is relentless. It just keeps going, the sheer energy of it," Bradley continued. "Once you put visual effects on and add smoke, atmosphere and snow, it bears little similarity to what you've shot on the day." 

While Bradley clearly loved the episode, he also defended the dark picture, and commented on fans' complaints that they couldn't see anything happening. The actor's justification is that it added to the mood of the episode.

"I thought the darkness added to the chaos and disorientation of these characters, who are fighting in the dark and don't know what's coming next. They don't even know which way they're facing and if the (being) next to them is a friend or an enemy," he explained. "It reflects how the characters are feeling a sense of confusion and fighting blind, literally stabbing in the dark."

"The Long Night" was supposed to feature the biggest battle that Thrones had ever seen, and having it take place at night of course made it all the more scary. So while we couldn't exactly see as much as we wanted, at least the aesthetic was still there.