Television Review: A Knight of Seven Kingdoms (Game of Thrones, S8x02, 2019)

A Knight of Seven Kingdoms (S8x02)

Airdate: 21 April 2019

Written by: Bryan Cogman
Directed by: David Nutter

Running Time: 57 minutes

It must have been strange and very frustrating for hardcore Game of Thrones fans to await the final season of their favourite series for two years only to realise that nothing of actual importance happened in its first third; this impression was hard to evade with A Knight of Seven Kingdoms, the second episode of the season, which is the closest thing GOT ever had to being a "bottle episode". In the tradition of the series' most memorable instalments, this episode retreats from the sprawling geopolitical conflicts of King's Landing to focus intensely on the immediate existential threat facing humanity. Much like the celebrated Blackwater and The Watchers on the Wall which focused wholly on singular, pivotal conflicts, this episode isolates the characters within the claustrophobic walls of Winterfell. It strips away the luxury of distance, forcing the audience to confront the grim reality of the coming war with an intimacy that is both fascinating and, at times, exasperatingly slow.

A Knight of Seven Kingdoms is the third episode so far in the series that is set in a single location; it is completely set in Stark’s stronghold. It is also the episode in which almost all regular character appear together or interact with each other; it is also one of the very few episodes where nobody gets killed, and that includes even animals or wights. The narrative tension here comes from the psychological weight of impending doom and the interpersonal dynamics of a group that knows their time is short. The episode serves as a bridge, a holding pattern that gathers the disparate forces of the living into one place, allowing for the final preparations and the last words between friends.

The episode begins with Jaime Lannister, who presents himself, being brought to a trial in front of Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa Stark. Stripped of his titles but desperate for redemption, he manages to win his life because he has offered his services in the struggle to come, and Winterfell needs any extra hand it can get against the Army of the Dead. His presence in the North serves as a narrative pivot, moving him from a selfish, prideful man to a soldier fighting for a cause larger than himself. However, his redemption arc is complicated by his history with Bran Stark.

The council of war makes the situation pretty grim. Survivors from Last Hearth, including Tormund, Beric Dondarrion, and Eddison Tollett, have arrived, having had to evade White Walker patrols, which means it is only a question of time before the Army of the Dead will be at the very gates of Winterfell. Jon Snow has prepared the defenders well, equipped with as much dragonglass as possible, and even set firetraps, but that doesn’t change the grim conclusion that the undying enemy has overwhelming numerical superiority. Knowing that they can’t beat wights in conventional fight, Jon has developed a strategy based on killing Night King; he is to be lured via Bran, who volunteers to act as bait in Godswood.

As they await battle which might start in the morning, many characters gather to drink, socialise, exchange stories, and give farewell to women, children and those who are unable to fight and must, like Samwell Tarly and his family, take shelter in Winterfell crypt. These scenes are designed to humanise the warriors and weight the stakes of their sacrifice. In these quiet moments, Jaime comes to Bran to ask for forgiveness for his role in Bran's accident. It is a poignant moment of vulnerability from a man usually defined by pride. Meanwhile, Daenerys and Sansa, during a brief discussion, realise that even if they survive White Walkers and defeat Cersei Lannister, they might have serious differences over the political future of Westeros and the independence of the North. Daenerys also learns about Jon being true heir to the Iron Throne, and, although shocked, needs some time to process the implications of such revelations.

The episode is notable for a number of moments that could be interpreted as fan service or an opportunity to tie-in with other pieces of the ASOIAF franchise. The most obvious is Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of Martin’s novellas set ninety years before, which would ultimately be adapted into a 2026 television series, which shares the same title as the episode. Here, it refers to the scene in which Jaime formally knights Brienne of Tarth. This moment is a direct nod to Martin’s lore, acknowledging the depth of the world-building that exists outside of the main show, and it serves as a moment of grace for Brienne, who has often been undervalued by the men around her.

Another, somewhat more spicy moment of fan service, is a sex scene between Arya Stark and Gendry Baratheon. Arya, realising that she is likely to die tomorrow, wants to lose her virginity with the old friend whom he had secret longings for many years. The moment, during which Maisie Williams insisted on being nude, albeit with strategic camera shots that don’t make anything too explicit, was probable concession to the Arya/Gendry shippers faction of GOT fans. The moment was further immortalised by Williams’ friend Sophie Turner commenting on it via drunken Instagram post. It is a moment that further humanises the character, but the showrunners had to spend a lot of time explaining that Arya was – at least the version of character in TV series, as opposed to books – over 18 years, in order to make the scene appropriate.

Memorable moments include Daniel Portman apparently showing some vocal ability while singing “Jenny of Oldstones”, a song created for the episode and later performed by English rock Band Fredie + The Machine in end credits; the song, which he performs as Podrick during gathering of his friends before the battle, is used for final montage of characters, in similar way as Pippin Took’s song in 2003 film The Return of the King. The inclusion of the song serves to underline the melancholic beauty of a people preparing to die, turning their final hours into a celebration of life and memory.

Nevertheless, although somewhat overlong and frustrating for part of the audience, A Knight of Seven Kingdoms is a solid episode that sets the stage for the next episode promising spectacular battle that many characters won’t survive. While the pacing was sluggish and the reliance on fan service could be grating, the episode successfully established the emotional stakes for the war to come. It reminded the audience of the bonds between these characters, and the tragedy that awaits them all within the frozen depths of the North.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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