A horribly sad episode that doesn’t seem to serve much purpose besides torturing the viewer into insensibility, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms effectively consists of a large number of beloved characters asking us ‘will you follow me one last time?’
Please bear in mind that this review will contain spoilers.
Political Status Quo.
Winterfell.
This week, we have no insight into what might be happening in King’s Landing. This leaves the action confined to Winterfell, with two major shifts in the balance of power: 1) Jaime’s revelation that Cersei is not marching North; 2) Jon revealing his parentage to Daenerys (see below). Jaime’s arrival throws into even sharper relief the fragility of the peace when so many enemies are forced to work together. Not only is Daenerys still struggling with the Northerner’s evident dislike of her, throwing Jaime Lannister into the mix and having Tyrion, Sansa, Jon and Brienne speak against having him murdered only further increases the isolation she feels. Jaime’s presence is only going to make things harder for the smallfolk of Winterfell, and could also prove to be an irresistible temptation to any one of the hundreds of people seeking vengeance for Ned Stark, the Karstarks, the War of the Five Kings, or the Red Wedding. Thus, Jaime doesn’t only need to worry about the dead: he also has to watch that he isn’t stabbed in the back by one of the living.
A further shifting in status quo that is important, but not necessarily political, is Bran’s decision not to tell the occupants of Winterfell that Jaime pushed him out of the window. While Bran’s ominous repetition of ‘the things I do for love’ makes it clear that Bran wants Jaime to know that he could do this at any time, the striking scene in the godswood could indicate that he will not.
I loved this scene. Not only was it beautifully shot, as all godswood scenes are, with the gorgeous contrast of snow and red leaves, it also gave us some wonderful insight into who Jaime and Bran are, and the influence they have had on the course of each other’s lives. Jaime refuses, early in the episode, to apologise for any of the crimes he has committed to protect his house. The fact that he apologises to Bran for crippling him makes his apology all the more profound and sincere because it has not been tainted by false apologies made in order to keep himself alive. It’s also interesting that while Bran tells Jaime that his fall is what made him the Three-Eyed Raven, he stops just short of forgiving him, thus demonstrating that for all of this ‘I’m not really Bran’ stuff he’s been spouting, perhaps a small part of him still is.
I’m fascinated that Bran keeps quiet about Jaime because having him killed could end the role he has to play in the war to come – so what role does Jaime have to play that only Bran can see?
Best Scene.
Jaime Knights Brienne.
It started out as a few people clustered around a fire trying to ignore Tormund’s attempts to woo Brienne with talk of suckling giant breastmilk. It progressed into a beautiful show of respect for an incredible woman. There is something so sad about Brienne’s firm declaration that she doesn’t want to be a knight, even after Tormund’s resounding ‘fuck tradition’ has set the tone for the scene. All the people she’s trusted with her wish to serve as a knight have laughed at her, and she has been too hurt in the past to dare to suppose that discussing it now will be any different. Even Jaime has mocked and insulted her, and ridiculed her abilities as a way of getting under her skin. It is heartbreaking that when Jaime proposes to knight her, she still hesitates, fearing that this is yet another cruel joke. Right up until the moment she kneels, she doesn’t trust him, despite the sincerity he displays when speaking the words ‘kneel, Lady Brienne.’ Gwendoline Christie’s performance here ravages our hearts; her face guileless, cautious, moved, disbelieving, and when Jaime knights her, it’s clear that for both of them, they are the only two people in the room. This is something Brienne has wanted her entire life, and now, in what are probably her final hours, this honour is being bestowed upon her by the person that she loves and respects the most.
The scene is made all the most perfect by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s delivery of a nuanced performance that subtly conveys all the depth and complication of Jaime’s love and respect for Brienne without being too obvious and over the top. Tyrion, Ser Davos, Pod and Tormund’s acclaim makes the moment all the more moving, crowned by Brienne’s beautiful smile, the first one I can ever remember seeing.
Best Scene: Honourable Mentions.
Sansa and Daenerys.
As I mentioned last week, Sansa and Daenerys have a lot in common and would probably get on really well if they tried. This scene, in which Daenerys attempts to win Sansa over, is a tragic example of this; tragic because of how soon things go wrong. The two ladies connect through the fact that they are women ruling over men, and it is through this connection that we get Daenerys’ first declaration of love for Jon. Daenerys’ words are heartfelt, and convince Sansa utterly; the two lean towards each other conspiratorially, and smile shyly, and we’re just starting to think that these two exceptional women might get as far as mutual respect when Sansa brings up the issue of Northern independence, and everything gets fucked up again. Nothing, not even sentiment or love, will get in the way of the political desires of Sansa or Daenerys, which is fascinating, as this is a state of affairs that usually occurs in relation to men. Emilia Clarke and Sophie Turner are both exceptional at displaying the slamming-up of each character’s walls, and the reassertion of the dislike that they have felt before. Daenerys letting go of Sansa’s hand is a powerful image, because as this eighth season progresses, this is all that Daenerys seems to be doing: letting go of more and more ties until she starts to look dangerously alone. It is worth pointing out, however, that this conversation with Sansa has to be one of the quickest cutting of ties that has yet occurred on the show.
Pod singing.
I came to an odd conclusion while watching this episode, and I honestly can’t tell if it’s just because he’s grown his hair: Pod isn’t just sweet and loyal. He’s hot. That’s beside the point, however, in this short and lovely scene after Brienne’s knighting, when the odd collection of people in front of the fire decide to go full medieval in waiting for battle by asking for a song. The beauty of Pod’s voice is a surprise to us, perhaps because beauty isn’t something that we expect to find in a place like this, but the words of the song serve as a way to make us reflect on all the ghosts that the characters still carry in their hearts; not to mention the ghosts that are still to be created:
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who had been gone for so very long
She couldn’t remember their names
They spun her around on the damp old stone
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
And she never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave.
There is more to it, however. In the books, this song, which does not appear in its entirety, is referred to as Jenny of Oldstones. It reflects on the decision of Daenerys’ ancestor, Prince Duncan Targaryen, to renounce his claim to the throne in order to marry a commoner, Jenny of Oldstones, for love. Duncan’s abdication changed the line of succession, and paved the way for the accession of King Aerys, the Mad King.
Much suffering might have been prevented had Prince Duncan not taken it upon himself to prove that love is the death of duty. If Daenerys and Jon choose love over duty, what might it mean for what’s left of Westeros’ future?
Characters.
Jaime and Brienne.
As Brienne somewhat bemusedly points out, it’s almost odd that Jaime and Brienne’s relationship is no longer defined by how much sass the one can throw at the other. Brienne is the most noticeably unnerved by this, as is evidenced by the scene before the walls when Jaime comes to ask if he can serve under her. As in the knighting scene, she is cautious, afraid that this is another jibe, and she is careful to hide her emotions with anger and stonewalled formality. Brienne cannot even bear for Jaime to see how proud she is of Podrick: here at the edge of the world, she probably doesn’t think she’ll survive emotionally if he ridicules her now.
We should also talk about the scene in which Brienne heroically risks her neck by speaking for Jaime when Daenerys wants to kill him; calling him a man of honour and declaring that she would fight beside him, before running away without speaking to him. Jaime does a similar thing after he knights her; showing her everything he feels with his eyes, but ultimately, nodding respectfully and retreating.
I think it’s gotten to the stage, with these two, where they are happy to speak well of each other, as long as it’s not to each other. While I do hope that they get to talk about their feelings before both of them die, I’m glad that it didn’t happen today: Jaime clearly doesn’t think he’s good enough for Brienne, and it will take a lot for him to change his mind.
Daenerys.
This week, the walls are closing in on Daenerys. She’s cornered, trapped and vulnerable, and is resorting to emotional cruelty as a way of saving face. She is merciless towards Tyrion, to the extent that Ser Jorah – of all people – has to intercede on his behalf. I’m also starting to suspect that Daenerys has become so accustomed to displaying compassion for slaves and Unsullied, both at the opposite end of the social spectrum from her, that she doesn’t know how to be compassionate towards people of her own social class, Exhibit A: Sansa.
When an attempt to reassure Jon in the crypt turns into Daenerys finding out who he really is, it’s obvious that her whole world has come crashing down around her. In addition to the isolation she is experiencing, she now has the point of her entire existence being called into question by the person she loves. She doesn’t say clearly that Jon has a better claim to the Iron Throne than her, something that probably comes from a place of both love and denial. She doesn’t immediately declare war on him, firstly because she loves him, and secondly because a part of her knows that his story is true. It’s the best possible timing for the White Walkers to arrive. There’s no better quiet time than a battle to get one’s priorities in order.
I’m still not convinced she won’t kill him, though.
Sansa and Theon.
Sansa’s reception of Theon nearly knocked me out of my chair, but ended up being one of the less traumatic things about this episode. Why does Sansa allow herself to be this vulnerable, this publicly, with Theon, of all people?
I believe the strength of Sansa’s reaction stems from all Theon did to help her escape Ramsay, but also from the fact that he’s the only recent arrival at Winterfell who she believes is thinking of the North, and her, first. Jon is thinking of the North, but also of Daenerys, Daenerys is thinking of the North, but only of ruling it, Arya doesn’t seem to think much of anything beyond killing people and Bran is thinking about the gods only know what. Sansa believes Theon to be the emotional support base that she can’t seem to find with her biological family, which is probably why she waits for the White Walkers with him rather than with anyone else.
Arya and Gendry.
I congratulate Gendarya shippers and hope that they enjoy breaking the Internet 😊 However, I must say again that I’ve never really felt this ship, it being obvious that Arya’s real soul mate is Jaime Lannister (don’t believe me? Read this). But while there is a lot of excellent fanfiction out there about Arya and Gendry, I’m afraid fanfiction is precisely the problem in this scene: ‘I want to know what sex feels like before I die’ is a common fanfiction trope that is an all-purpose excuse for pages and pages of smut. There’s nothing wrong with pages and pages of smut. I read that shit all the time. But this series is not fanfiction: it’s canon. There is no room for Porn Without Plot when dealing with major characters, and I don’t feel that this scene teaches us anything about Arya, Gendry or the relationship between them. All this scene achieves is putting us back into the same fanfiction territory of Beyond the Wall.
Random Ramblings.
- It was divine to see Tyrion and Jaime together again. I could literally feel the entire fandom saying ‘with a belly full of wine and a girl’s mouth around my cock’ together. The feels, the feels.
- Ser Davos meeting the little girl with the scarred face was absolutely awful and heartbreaking.
- Using Bran as bait for the Night King is a great idea, but for God’s sake: couldn’t they find anyone better than Theon and the Ironborn to protect him?
- Lyanna Mormont in armour is awesome. Where’s the armoured bear?
- Sam refusing to go to the crypt because he is a badass who kills White Walkers and steals books is wicked.
- Can we take a moment to appreciate the look on Tyrion’s face when Brienne walks into the room, and Jaime leaps to his feet to say ‘my lady’?
Thoughts on Next Week.
The preview for next week contains a lot of battle footage that we have already seen. There is an interesting scene that appears to show corpses being burned, and an even more interesting declaration from Daenerys that ‘the dead are already here’. I spent a lot of time wondering about this, before my brother suggested something so awful it might just be true: what do you usually keep in crypts?
Five minutes on Google have revealed this to be an existing fan theory. Let’s hope it’s a ‘Tyrion is a Targaryen’ calibre theory, not an R+L=J, or next week is going to be even more horrible than expected.
LADYGILRAEN 