Frewns S8E2 ***SPOILERS for this week's GoT***

Well, again, I loved it, though I’ll admit Arya in a sex scene felt a little icky, just because she looks so young (and in the books she is much younger of course). But I’m glad she has some happiness, though I wonder if she is sufficiently back from where she’s been to feel a properly human connection with Gendry.

And how come Ghost is so small compared to Nymeria (who surely must have some role this season – as must Ghost – surely?)? Though finally we get to see Ghost again, so small yay (small as he doesn't do anything).

Anyhoo. The title is a reference to the Dunk and Egg stories – Ser Duncan the Tall (an ancestor of Brienne of Tarth) and Aegon Targaryen, the one Maester Aemon thinks he’s talking to right before he dies (“Egg! Egg! I dreamed I was old!”). So it’s a fitting title for The One Where Brienne Gets Knighted – a delicate scene that was shot and performed brilliantly, especially by Christie and Coster-Waldau, as was their earlier encounter when he said he came to fight under her (Haaaar!).

Last week I bemoaned the fact that we were almost exclusively talking about male actors: this was much more balanced, with an excellent Sansa-Dany scene – Sansa showing some steel and political fortitude; little Lyanna Mormont making us all fearful of what she’d be like as a wight – maybe that’s what Arya is running scared from in Winterfell, or maybe it’s an undead Sansa, though I tend to think Sansa makes it through (if there even is an Iron Throne I rather think Sansa will sit on it at the end – though the whole thing may end in Democracy, you never know).

Sansa-Theon scenes were suitably touching and well performed by Turner and Allen; the grumpy old men were as you’d hope and somehow the director managed to get something out of The Wooden Couple as she realised the implications of his true identity – expect that one to run and run after The Battle Of Winterfell. Of course he should have said “but I love you, we’ll rule together if there’s anything to rule, it’s you I really want”. But he’s Jon Snow, so…

Why no tracks from Bran’s wheelchair in the Godswood? Did he fly it there? Will the Bait plan work? I’ve been wondering about the idea that the Night King will do what Robb Stark did to Jaime, and what Jaime in turn did to the Tyrells: send part of his force against Winterfell but send most of it to take Kings Landing, returning with the undead Lannister Army and Second Sons (but no Undead Elephants – thank you, CGI budget restraints), with the living retreating to the Iron Islands or the Isle of Faces or something. I can’t imagine the Night King goes down next episode – I think that will happen in Ep 5 with a long episode of Aftermath after it. I think the final conflict may well be Jon vs Dany, nothing to do with Cersei at all (though she has to meet her end somehow or other).

Lots of nice callbacks, Pod can fight now, the Nights Watch reunite for one final gig, Jorah taking Heartsbane – another perfectly written and delivered speech for Sam.

An awful lot of what felt like very heavy foreshadowing regarding the crypts. We all know There’s Something There and something (bad) is going to happen in there, starting from there, or something. I don’t know what – people speculate about dragons being there, about the old Stark kings rising from their graves (wight-on-wight action!).

Obviously a pause-and-setup episode but the better for it as it allowed some of the character play to re-emerge, however briefly; it made me think of the more character-led nature of early Thrones, which is a Good Thing.

Last season’s ranging beyond the wall was an absurd plot point, and for me they doubly muffed it by not having anyone of real note die, just Thoros and some redshirts. They need meaningful loss to come from the next episode – it’s the final season, so no-one deserves plot armour any more. After this episode I worry that Brienne and/or Grey Worm are for the chop next week; but they’re still second-tier characters in a sense and some leading ones need to fall by the wayside as well. There need to be consequences. Maybe Gendry? Arya, even, though I can hardly bear to think it? Jorah?

I’ve really enjoyed both episodes this season – again this puts me at odds with reddit and again I really don’t care.

Posted By: Old Man, Apr 22, 10:23:15