Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" Review
Next week’s episode of Game of Thrones is surely an exciting
one, as the long-hyped “Battle for Winterfell” is finally upon us (and bringing
with it a mammoth 82-minute length with the longest battle ever recorded in TV
and Movie history). As exciting as that prospect is, it is always good to
remember that, before they had the budget they have now, Game of Thrones thrived and shined on its world building, its rich
characters and its extensive, morally grey character development. We care about
the crazy journey most of the characters still alive have taken, and with next
week presumably bringing the demise of many long-time players, “A Knight of the
Seven Kingdoms” was a triumph of longform storytelling, and a welcome final
calm before the storm.
As great as many moments from last
week’s episode, “Winterfell”, were, there was a nagging sense for some that the
limited time of this abbreviated final season meant that any table setting and
slow build up wasn’t necessary anymore. However, with the carnage the final
four mammoth sized episodes are sure to bring us, we needed one last time for the
show to do what it does best: character interactions.
Following on the trend of
last week’s episode, focusing everything on the Winterfell setting still allowed
for some rich interactions from characters we hadn’t seen interact for so long
or practically ever. Picking up from last week’s cliffhanger, the initial scene
was ripe of payoffs. With Jaime Lannister facing Daenerys and the Starks, decisions
made all the way back to the first episode of the series came to fruition here.
Dany’s exile was the result of Jaime killing the mad king. Jaime left Bran a
cripple. Jaime attacked Ned back in the fifth episode and went to war with the
Stark Army. If someone deserved to get his dues, it was Jaime, and this was the
moment.
However, then we remember the
massive humbling Jaime had to go in his road trip as Brienne of Tarth’s
prisoner back in Season 3, and his development from that season onwards from
despicable villain to beloved antihero came to fruition in this same scene.
With close to 70 episodes of buildup, these kinds of conversations and
character meetings filled this episode with rich history and worthy payoff.
With many other great dynamics like
Arya finally learning what love feels like with Gendry (in a scene that was fan
servicey and kinda creepy), Sansa continuing to prove she’s become real smart
with how she stands her ground against Daenerys, Jaime finally confronting Bran and learning about his new tenure as Three-Eyed Raven, Tyrion and Jaime accepting the
terms of their upcoming deaths, the scene at the chimney, Dany learning about Jon Snow's true parentage and many more, “A
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” served as a great final calm before the storm
before the series changes forever next week. As exciting as the upcoming
battles are, it’s always good to remember Game
of Thrones has always lived and died by its characters, as gloriously
reminded tonight.
Also, Ghost finally appeared again!
Time to celebrate!
97%
★★★★★
5/5
Essential
TV Scoring rubric:
★ : 1 point ☆ : 0.5 points
★★★★★: Essential. Excellent episodes. Close to flawless. Transcends any minor flaws it may have.
★★★★: Great/Highly recommended. Great episodes. Some flaws worth mentioning, but nothing to worry about.
★★★: Okay/Recommended. Good episodes. Contains things worth watching & experiencing, but flaws can hinder the experience.
★★: Caution/Questionable. Mediocre episodes. The flaws start to significantly hinder anything good the episode has.
★: Avoid. Bad episodes with nothing redeemable about them (some enjoyment as "so bad its good). Preferably don't waste your time.
Comments
Post a Comment