Fans of Game Of Thrones fans awaited the battle of the humans against the White Walkers ever since they heard about the White Walkers--basically, since the start of the show. Every time a character alluded to the fact that "Winter is coming," it seemed to suggest the impending struggle against the creatures beyond The Wall.
In season 8, winter finally does come, revealing to us that they have literally been referring to a season all along--just a really long, tough winter. As fate would have it, (or the writers, rather), the Long Night of the battle at Winterfell comes along with the first bursts of winter--but it doesn't add up to everything we hoped it would.
Jon Overlooks The Danger Of The Storm
Jon regularly reminds us of the fact that he is a northerner. In fact, anyone who is a northerner constantly declares their connection to the north and the fact that this means they have a particular understanding when it comes to bad winter weather.
Why is it, then, that in all of their planning for the battle, Jon snow didn't consider that if he and Daenerys fly out into a snow storm on two dragons that are used to hot weather, things might not go so well?
Arya Flies Out Of Nowhere
Perhaps the highest point of the battle is when Arya kills the night king. This is a moment that has been built up to ever since we found out that the night king exists. It's been long assumed that Jon would be the one to strike the blow, but since the show is so prone to twists it's not so surprising it was Arya.
What is surprising, however, is that she seemed to have vaulted out of nowhere, as if she suddenly learned to fly.
The Dothraki Disappear
Right after the Red Woman arms the Dothraki with fire-burning swords, they charge into the army of the dead and quickly disappear with not so much as a small skirmish.
The Dead are difficult to fight, and the Dothraki have no experience in it, but it's still odd that such vicious fighters as they, especially armed with fire, should completely vanish while the rest of the soldiers The Dead face put up a good fight.
Bran Was Supposed To Be Bait
The entire purpose of Bran being put out on the open was for him to serve as part of the battle strategy. Yet he is only given a small amount of protection and the rest of the soldiers focus on the army of The Dead. No one keeps track of where the Night King is.
Therefore, while everyone is distracted the Night King has the perfect opportunity to kill Bran's protectors. Putting Bran out at all seems pretty pointless after all this.
Arya Goes Wandering In The Castle
War is raging behind the gates of Winterfell, and Arya decides to take her ventures inside the wall of the castle, for some reason.
She ends up in a library trying to navigate herself away from some of The Dead, a situation she wouldn't be in if she hadn't gone inside in the first place. Meanwhile, everyone else is outside fighting.
Beric's Hyped Up Purpose
Beric's purpose, as asserted by the Red Woman, anyway, was to protect Arya in a brief instant where a member of The Dead almost gets her. This moment could have been so easily avoided, considering there was no point in Arya going inside the castle in the first place.
If this was truly meant to serve as a valid purpose, it's pretty ridiculous. Perhaps it's meant to cast more doubt on the supposed schemes of The Gods--if that was what was needed, there must have been an easier way than bringing a man back to life several times.
Bran "Goes Away" Inexplicably
Theon is busy trying to protect Bran, who is now the three-eyed raven. Bran suddenly says he "has to go now", and his eyes roll back in his head leaving him sitting there completely useless as if his protectors weren't stressed out enough already.
Bran can't tell the future, but he has a sense of what might happen in the present, and could at least attempt helping them, or letting them in on why it is he's leaving.
They Should've Expected Their Dead To Rise
Jon knows that after people are killed the White Walkers have the ability to bring them all back as members of their Army of The Dead. Yet they don't take this into account when strategizing their battle plan--an extremely obvious oversight.
Lives are taken and the last few standing and fighting are nearly spent when all those who have been killed suddenly rise again for the humans to fight an entire extra battle against. If not for Arya, they'd have lost.
The Corpses In The Crypt
At one point during the end of the battle, all of the corpses in the crypt of Winterfell begin busting out of their coffins. Now, as far as we know, the dead only rise if they have been "turned" by one of the White Walkers.
None of those dead in the crypt have been touched by White Walkers and died long ago. It doesn't make much sense.
Focus Placed On The Armies, Not The King
A great point was made during the initial strategizing for the battle. It was accomplished that the best way to win was to take out the Night King himself because when he fell so would all The Dead he had turned.
This is why they chose to use Bran as bait, putting him at risk so as to more efficiently draw out the Night King and cut the battle short before all of their men are wiped out. This plan seems pretty much dismissed as soon as the battle begins, however, and all focus is turned to fighting the armies of The Dead--the same ones they had agreed would inevitably defeat them.