Sunday, April 21, 2019

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Season 8 - 6 episodes (2019)

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Created by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau,  Gwendoline Christie
 

Plot: 
HBO's fantasy drama series adapted from George R.R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire follows the civil war of kings and usurpers in Westeros who wish to sit on the throne. The ticking clock signaling the end are the undead White Walkers descending from the North. The scale and scope of the story is staggering, fully realized with a large ensemble cast.

This is the final season of the series, though HBO is planning a prequel series.

Review: Episode 2 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Episode one was full of reunions, some of these characters hadn't been on screen together since season one.

Sansa and Daenerys are wary of each other, everyone knows Jon and Daenerys are an item, and Jon rode a dragon which should cement for everyone he is a Targaryen because he is Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the throne, but he bent the knee to Daenerys and no one in the North likes that. Could they be co-rulers?
Sansa is the smartest character in the show right now, and Tyrion believed Cersei which seems insane.

Jamie is riding North to fight the white walkers who are storming South. Cersei promised to fight the walkers but lied and tasked Bron with killing Jamie and Tyrion.

There are only four episodes left now! This episode is stand out, though it teases a white walker battle that doesn't happen this episode. Another week to wait. Part of what makes this episode great is that there is so much history and a lot of emotion between these characters.

The episode opens with Jamie standing in front of Daenerys who's telling the bedtime story she heard of when Jamie killed her father. Daenerys doesn't trust Jamie for a second, and Jamie admits Cersei lied about the troops. This makes Tyrion look terrible. I hate that for Tyrion. He's been so shrewd and he looks like an idiot now.

Jamie refuses to apologize for anything he's done during the war, but Bran burns him with words, "The things we do for love." That leaves Jamie slack jawed.
Brienne vouches for Jamie. That's an awesome moment. She's willing to fight by his side. If Brienne vouches for him, Sansa will accept him. It's awesome to see these moments from seasons ago come back full circle. That's what this series has been building to. This season is payoff, good or bad.

Arya checks in on Gendry to see if the weapon she asked him to craft is ready. It's not. He has no idea what kind of a killer she is. She impresses him with some knife tricks and Gendry is ready to bet money that Arya survives. Not to metion Arya's solemn line about "Death has many faces. I look forward to seeing this one."

If Bran can see everything, why can't he see the end of this fight? Can he only see the past? Bran made Jamie, Jamie made Bran. Both the better for it.
Jamie wants to serve under Brienne's command.
Jorah defends Tyrion. How about that. You know Daenerys will buy that when Jorah doesn't even like him. This leads to Daenerys talking to Sansa. I wondered if Jorah told her to make up with Sansa, but it looks like Daenerys just wants to throw subtle insults. Daenerys chides her advisor Tyrion for trusting Cersei and Sansa chides Daenerys for trusting Cersei as well.

Daenerys admits to Sansa to fighting the white walker war for Jon, something she never had any intention to do. It's a convincing argument. They may just make up and unite to wage war on everyone else.

Sansa is always thinking one step ahead. What happens after the white walkers and Cersei are gone? Sansa isn't about to let go of the North again and that doesn't sit well with Daenerys.
Theon arrives at Winterfell and he wants to fight for Sansa. Theon is the one that rescued Sansa from Ramsay Bolton. Everyone in Winterfell is getting weapons ready. The time is nigh. The dead arrive tomorrow according to Tormund and Eddison. They saw the destruction at Last Hearth and rode around the undead army to Witnerfell. It looks like we'll get a fight this episode!
Jon wants to go after the Night King and Bran states the Night King will expose himself to kill Bran the Three Eyed Raven and induce an endless night. Bran is bait and Theon will stand by his side. There's no way they end this fight this early... or is there? There are plenty wars left to wage and killing white walkers would be an ongoing task. Could the Night King fall this early? Could he fall at all?
Edd, Samwell, and Jon on their last watch. The Night's Watch started as nothing more than a punishment. It was men watching after ghosts, but those ghosts became real.

Everyone is so resigned to their death in this white walker battle, that I'm willing to bet they are going to live. They are laying it on a bit thick. That and we have a few episodes left and Cersei must meet her demise.
I love this. Jamie, Tyrion, Brienne, Podrick, Davos, and Tormund hanging out before the battle. That's one fun thing with so many people in Winterfell, we can put all these characters in one room.
Tormund tells an amazing story of how he became so strong. Every single one of them has fought the Starks at one point. Here they are defending them. Tyrion posits they may live. Between them they've survived more battles than they should have.
Jamie is going to knight Lady Brienne. Amazing moment. This episode is delivering. Talk about full circle. Ser Brienne of Tarth.
Arya and the Hound sharing a moment atop the wall. Beric joins the party. All three have had differing run ins. Arya leaves the two old men and decides she wants to make love to Gendry before her death, just once to know what it's like.
In the crypt Jon is looking at the statue of Lyanna Stark and there Daenerys comes. Now Jon tells Daenerys the truth of his patronage. "My name, my real name, is Aegon Targaryen."

Daenerys doesn't like this news at all. It threatens her claim. Yet he rode a dragon, so how are people not already on this theory? That rumor should be circling Winterfell faster than the white walkers. Only Targaryens can ride dragons. Daenerys is allied with Sansa and Jon and both pose threats to Daenerys rule.
The white walkers arrive and the episode ends. Boo! I wanted a battle. I suppose that will fill all of next episode. It was a bit much to hope for a battle that doesn't last a full episode.

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