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8.02 “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
Written by Bryan
Cogman
Directed by David
Nutter
I solemnly swear that, unlike Cogman and Nutter, I will not
suddenly stop this discussion right as it gets to the good/important part.
This episode is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s
nice that they slow down a bit, and
do it in a way that doesn’t feel like wheel-spinning (see the first third of “The
Dragon and the Wolf”). It gives us a chance to spend time with the dozens of
characters we now have all in the same place and for a few reunions. On the
other hand, there’s a lot going on here that is seriously problematic, even
verging into the disturbing.
Because I love Brienne so much, despite the Really Bad
Choices I feel the show made in adapting her character, let’s start with the
titular scene. While waiting for the dead to descend on them and their doomed
last stand to begin, Brienne, Tormund, Davos, Pod, Jaime, and Tyrion are
sitting around having a drink. Tyrion refers to Brienne as “ser,” then corrects
himself, which offends Tormund, who still thinks Brienne hung the moon. He
doesn’t understand why women “can’t” be knights, and says “fuck tradition.”
Jaime points out that any knight can make another knight, and proceeds to
knight Brienne in a scene that’s beautifully acted and got me choked up in ways
I didn’t know Game of Thrones could
still do.
Do I wish Jaime had thought of it first? Sure. Do I still
kind of get squicked by the way Tormund drools all over a clearly disinterested
and even uncomfortable Brienne? Absolutely. Have I been waiting for Jaime to
knight Brienne since he started his redemption arc? Hell yes. Also, calling her
the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a nice Easter egg for book readers, since
her lineage includes Ser Duncan the Tall, and the Dunk and Egg collection is
titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Not all the conversations go this well. Both major
conversations Daenerys is involved in—once with Sansa and once with Jon—go from
bad to worse to over before they can
really dig into the problem they’re trying to hash out. We almost get Dany and
Sansa making up and being friends, but of course we can’t have it because they’re
women with a man in common. Sansa rightly wants to know what Dany intends to do
with/for/about the North if they survive this battle, but just before they
actually get to discuss that—beyond the clear you are part of my kingdom and I have dragons face that Dany’s
giving her—they’re interrupted by Theon. I hope that Theon’s “I want to fight
for Winterfell and the North” speech does something to Dany’s thought process
re: what they’re all fighting for, but I’m not holding my breath.
The other major conversation is Jon telling Dany about his
parentage. I’m really glad they just got right to it instead of letting this
secret hang over them for episodes and episodes (creating tension through
characters keeping secrets they don’t need to be keeping is one of my least favorite
storytelling tools; I’m looking at you, Supernatural).
However, there’s a few continuity issues in that I don’t remember Dany ever
really having any conversations regarding Rhaegar being a rapist? Barristan
told her about Rhaegar going amongst the smallfolk and busking on street
corners, but his relationship with Lyanna didn’t ever come up that I’m aware
of. And I highly doubt that Targaryens-first
Viserys would ever have called Rhaegar a rapist. In the books, every story Dany
hears about him is positive, and she identifies with him more than her father.
So her assertion that Rhaeger kidnapped and raped Lyanna—without something like
“the way your people tell it”—is weird and off.
(Dr. Kavita Finn has a much longer take on the way this episode is divorced from the entire history of Westeros here.)
(Dr. Kavita Finn has a much longer take on the way this episode is divorced from the entire history of Westeros here.)
But, again, Dany comes to the conclusion that Jon could
challenge her for the Iron Throne. At least she verbalizes that it’s because he’s
male and not just because he’s Rhaegar’s son. But before they can talk that
out, the horn blows three times and the White Walkers have arrived.
It’s interesting that Sansa mentions to Dany that men are
easily manipulated by women when Dany’s constantly manipulated by the men
around her. Case in point in this episode: she’s mad at Tyrion for not catching
on to Cersei having lied to her—on top of the other mistakes in judgment he’s
made. But then Jorah goes to bat for Tyrion because Seven forbid we ever think
Tyrion is less than perfect, and Dany’s halfway to forgiving him before Sansa
even has a chance to sing his praises (which is problematic all on its own).
Easily the most problematic bit, the one that squicked me
out the hardest, was Arya’s seduction (if you want to call it that) of Gendry. First
of all, we again had to start with Gendry’s sexual assault being downplayed and
even joked about. Then, it almost felt like a job interview on Arya’s part—how much
experience do you have? Great, then you’re the man for the job. This is also
the first time we’ve seen Arya show any sexual interest at all, other than the
crush she had on Gendry way back when they were traveling the Riverlands. And
even here, there doesn’t seem to be so much interest
as checking something off her bucket list. The cold, stonehearted (ha)
character Arya has turned into doesn’t have the same chemistry with Gendry that
twelve- or thirteen-year-old Arya had.
Then there’s the nudity. And yes, I’m aware that Arya is
eighteen—HBO made damn sure
to let us know that she’s “legal,” in a move that’s squicky all on its own. I’m
also aware that Maisie Williams is in
her early 20s. But something about this scene feels like “now she’s old
enough for us to have her nude on screen” rather than an organic idea that came
from the characters and their relationship. I think if they had to have this at
all, it could have been written better (and directed better) to make it sweet
rather than bucket-listy.
Here’s the small things I noticed or had questions about in
passing but not enough Thoughts about to yammer on for several hundred words:
Dany says that she delayed her war for the Iron Throne for
Jon. But what happened to defending her people? Not wanting to be queen of ashes?
Becoming a queen by acting like one? I guess when you make a character so
easily manipulated, it’s hard to remember why she does anything.
Is Davos crediting “the Battle of the Bastards” (again, I hate that they’re calling it that
in-universe) as his first fight? Have they forgotten all about “Blackwater”?
And Stannis breaking the siege on the Wall?
How are they making these obsidian weapons? We see them in
the regular forge, but that’s not how you’d shape obsidian and I didn’t notice
anyone doing any knapping.
Sam needed to remind us of his man-cred again. White Walker!
Thenn! Protecting Gilly!
Gilly continues to be a delight and far too good for this
show.
I’m not entirely on board with Sam handing Heartsbane over
to Jorah. It thematically doesn’t make any sense to me.
Grey Worm is totally going to die. The “let’s run away
together” scene is way too sweet and wholesome for this to end any other way.
I am Here For “Jenny’s Song.” It’s mournful and sweet and
actually makes sense in context, unlike Ed Sheeran singing “Hands of Gold” or
Shireen, sans Patchface, singing Patchface’s
rhymes.
Next week: Waiting in the dark! Fighting in the dark!
Everything is dark! What is happening?
