Now, our watch has begun. The moment that has been teased for over seven seasons has finally arrived. The Army of the Dead is going to fight the Army of the Living next week. Before that happens, tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones revolved around one question: If the world ended tomorrow, what would you do? Some chose to drink, some chose to make love, and one man even decided to reveal his lineage to his girlfriend. The latter wouldn’t be my choice, but I’m also not Jon Snow. Let’s get into the Season 8 Episode 2 review.
Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2: “The Rightful Queen”
-The Kingslayer is back in Winterfell. The last time Jamie Lannister was in Winterfell, he pushed Bran out of a window after he was caught having sex with his sister. Classic mixup!
-It’s not a surprise that Jamie’s return was not well-received. Let’s not forget that Jamie was responsible for the death of Daenerys’s father and the Stark children’s father. Plus, he had a hand in killing Robb, his wife, and Catelyn Stark at the Red Wedding. This is not an innocent man and despite his plea for mercy, Tyrion could not save his brother. However, it was Brienne of Tarth, the MVP of the episode, who vouched for Jamie and convinced Daenerys and Sansa to spare his life. Jamie saved Brienne a few seasons ago and now it was Brienne’s turn to return the favor. I have a feeling that these two will be saving each other on the battlefield next week.
-Bran and Jamie shared an interesting conversation at Godswood. Jamie apologizes for paralyzing Bran and swears that he is a changed man. When Jamie asks Bran as to why he didn’t tell anyone about their interaction with Cersei in the tower, Bran revealed that it’s not important right now. As much as Bran can be weird, he truly understands the severity of the upcoming battle with the Night King. Unlike Jon Snow, who doesn’t know how to keep things to himself, protecting secrets is right up Bran’s alley.
-Speaking of redemption stories, Theon returned to Winterfell and was welcomed with open arms by Sansa because Theon helped Sansa escape Ramsay Bolton’s fury. Theon informed Daenerys that Yara returned to the Iron Islands to take them back for her so if they survive, they’ll have a place to go. Keep an eye on the relationship between Theon and Sansa. They gave each other an interesting look at the end of the episode. It wasn’t a friendly look, but one of affection towards one another.
-Some smaller moments that caught my eye:
- Jorah convincing Daenerys to keep Tyrion as the Hand to the Queen.
- Ser Davos and Gilly showing compassion towards a girl with scarring on her face which reminded them of Shireen, who taught both Davos and Gilly how to read.
- Jon, Sam, and Eddison’s reunion where they reminisced about the Night’s Watch.
- Sam giving his family’s sword to Jorah.
-Keep an eye on the power struggle between Sansa and Daenerys. Although Daenerys tries to make peace, Sansa sees right through her. Daenerys only cares about sitting on the Iron Throne and Sansa knows that. She wants the Iron Throne, but Sansa and the North promised to never follow another King or Queen outside of the North ever again. Daenerys doesn’t agree to Sansa’s demands. If both of these women survive, their battle for supremacy has only just begun.
-I’m calling the giant pow-wow between all of the major characters around the table the “Strategy Meeting.” Jon explained how their army cannot defeat the Army of the Dead head-on. That’s a fact. The White Walkers significantly outnumber the army at Winterfell. Jon reveals that the only chance they might have at victory is to defeat the Night King. It’s like the saying “cut the head off a snake and the body will fall.” The Night King is the leader of the dead. If he falls, his army might fall with him.
How can they isolate the Night King from his army? They need bait, and in this case, the bait is Bran. Since Bran became the Three-Eyed Raven, his mission hasn’t been so clear. Now, Bran revealed his purpose. Bran holds the key to the memories of the World. The Night King wants to erase Westeros, which means that all of the people and their memories will fall. As the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran holds all of the memories of the past, present, and future. Not only does Bran possess the world’s memories, but it’s secret as well. If the Night King takes out Bran, the present and the past will disappear. Because of this knowledge, Bran decides to camp out in Godswood alone in order to lure the Night King to him. Since the Night King marked Bran, it will be easy to find him.
Sam illustrated Bran’s logic with an insightful monologue about death and memories. Sam said, “That’s what death is, isn’t it? Forgetting. Being forgotten.” It’s actually a wonderful point about death in general. At funerals, the thought is that although someone dies, their spirit and memories will live on forever. That’s why Bran is so important. He possesses the memories of Westeros.
-As I said last week..
This was bound to happen. Arya has been flirting with Gendry ever since she saw him arrive at Winterfell. Once Gendry teased the idea of Arya as “his lady” back in Season 3, this relationship had to have a payoff. With the battle only a few hours away, Arya wanted to know what it was like to have sex so she chose one of her only friends in the world to take her virginity. If we’re being honest, Arya made a very responsible decision by having sex with someone she trusted for the first time. I feel like a sex ed teacher right now after saying that. “Be safe, kids!” However, Arya still had to be a badass and control the entire situation. That’s who she is and I love her for it. Plus, if you were going to die in a few hours, wouldn’t you want to spend it lying next to someone you care about? Sign me up for that.
-Besides sex, I would also drink my face off in the company of my friends if I was going to battle a White Walker. Tyrion, Jamie, Brienne, Podrick, Tormund, and Ser Davos decided to share one last drink around the fire. Tormund openly hits on Brienne and shares a hilarious story about how he got the name “Giantsbane” after he sucked on a giant’s widow for three months after killing the giant at the age of 10. All of these fighters come from different backgrounds, but they share one commonality, which is they’re all survivors.
-In the most touching scene of the night, Brienne explained how she could never become a knight because it goes against tradition. However, Jamie explains that any knight can make another night. So Jamie makes Brienne a knight, fulfilling her lifelong dream, which moved her to tears. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t tear up when Jamie and Brienne looked into each other’s eyes with respect and admiration for each other. Unfortunately, I believe that was Jamie and Brienne’s last happy moment together.
-I hope Grey Worm and Missandei survive.
P.S. There is zero chance Grey Worm survives this battle. He’s dying next week. Book it.
-Before the episode ended, Podrick sang a song titled, “Jenny’s song.” I did not read the books, but this song plays a prominent role in the books. Long story short, this song is believed to be about “The Prince Who Was Promised,” which is Jon Snow.
-Finally, Jon finally had “the talk” Daenerys. Before the dead arrived, Jon was in the tombs looking at his mother, Lyanna Stark, when he is joined by Daenerys. When Daenerys explained that her brother, Rhaegar Targaryen, did not rape Lyanna Stark. Instead, they were married in secret and had a son, Aegon Targaryen aka Jon Snow. Imagine finding out that your “lover” turned out to be your nephew? Excuse me while I go puke in the nearest garbage. Although Dany balked at that idea, she quickly realized the significance of this conversation and no, that revelation was not incest. If Jon is truly a Targaryen, that means he is the male heir and has a true claim to the throne. It was as if Daenerys forgot about all the times she spent kissing her lover. Now, the fight versus the Army of the Dead may not be her only battle on the horizon. Dany may have to fight Jon when this is all said and done. Is Daenerys the Mad Queen?
-My final thought: If you were going into battle, would you reveal a huge secret about your lineage to your lover-turned-aunt before the fight? I want the Mother of Dragons to be razor sharp before the battle. Why couldn’t Jon keep his big mouth shut and tell Daenerys after the battle? Winning the battle is more important than this secret. If one of them dies, then they die. No harm, no foul and most importantly, no controversy. Way to go Jon!
Good luck getting through these next couple of days. I’ll see you next week for the battle.
UPDATE ON 4/23:
So I write these recaps write after show airs on Sunday night. I’m on the East Coast so it’s late, which means I may forget to mention some scenes. I’m kicking myself for not mentioning Lyanna Mormont. When her cousin, Jorah, urged her to stay in the crypts, Lyanna went full badass and promised to be fighting for the North. Forget Dany and Sansa, Lyanna should be the Queen. I would follow this girl into a battle any day of the week.
Also, the crypts are going to play a huge part in this Sunday’s battle. Game of Thrones loves foreshadowing. Throughout this past episode, so many characters reiterated the idea that the crypts are safe and that the women and children will be okay if they hide in the crypts.
WRONG.
There’s a reason why Arya was running the hallways of the castle in the trailer. In the preview for the next episode, the Hound and Beric Dondarrion are walking in the crypts with their swords up, ready for battle. There are a lot of theories on the Interent about the Night King and why he wants to retrun to the crypts. The TLDR version goes like this: Last time in the battle of good vs. evil, Winter fell and was defeated where the castle stands. “The Great Other,” the evil force that is the opposite of the Lord of Light, may be buried in the crypts, which means if the Night King resurrects the dead in the crypts, The Great Other may rise again. Plus, this could mean a dead Ned Stark could fight his family. The dead are already here. See you Sunday.