Game of Thrones | Season 8 Episode 2 | Preview

REVIEW

After the record-breaking debut of the first episode of the eighth and final season, which picked up the threads of stories and characters, the second — A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — prepares the battle at Winterfell.

The previous episode of Game of Thrones centred on the human challenges of the coming conflict and on the unlikely alliances and friendships forged over the past seven seasons. This one puts the emphasis on the moments before the battle: the characters’ choices about how to spend their last night among the “living” reveal their true nature and the different ways they react to an event potentially catastrophic for their universe.

The episode opens with the judgement of Jaime Lannister, who is neither absolved of his past actions nor executed. Lady Brienne vouches for him and this, incredibly, seems to satisfy Sansa, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen (the latter, incidentally, furious after learning that Cersei never intended to honour the agreement to send troops north).

The survivors from the Wall return to Winterfell, among them Tormund and Beric, and so does Theon, welcomed by Sansa with a moving embrace. Meanwhile, the tensions between Sansa and the Dragon Queen keep building. Their private conversation ends coldly when the thorny question of the North’s independence resurfaces. Later, Jon reveals to Daenerys that his name is Aegon Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, opening a rift between them.

The arrival of the army of the dead, however, puts on hold the necessary discussion about the future of the Seven Kingdoms. Beyond the political machinations and key revelations, the moments that will linger from this episode are Brienne’s knighting (which gives the episode its title) — a stirring sequence unfolding by the warmth of the hearth — and Arya’s boldness in choosing Gendry as the candidate for her first sexual experience.

This time the fans’ debate has centred on the song that closes the episode, “Jenny of Oldstones” performed by Florence and the Machine: some believe its verses hint at how the series will end. The song, also heard during the episode sung by Podrick, was written by the show’s authors (David Benioff and D.B. Weiss with Ramin Djawadi and George R.R. Martin). We’ll see whether the predictions prove right, this time!

What do you think? What did you enjoy, and what made you wince? Are there aspects you’d like us to explore further in future articles? Write to us in the comments or on our Facebook page!