Game of Thrones season 8 review: The characters prepare for the end during “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” shows the characters at Winterfell preparing for war—and for some, it very well might be their last night alive.

Warning: Below, you’ll find spoilers for tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones. 

During last night’s episode of Game of Thrones, the characters at Winterfell prepared for what they believe will be their last night alive—and for some of them, it will be. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” ends with the army of the dead at Winterfell’s doorstep, and things look pretty bleak in next week’s promo trailer.

That’s why so many characters take care of unfinished business during the second episode of the season. Some of them fulfill goals or dreams they’ve had for themselves throughout the series…just in case things don’t go in their favor during the Battle for Winterfell.

The most notable of these moments is Brienne becoming a knight, a feat that occurs while a handful of the characters are drinking and waiting out the night together. As one of the most powerful and honorable characters on the show, it’s definitely a deserved moment for Brienne—made even more satisfying by the fact that Jaime Lannister is the one who knights her.

Arya also gets a “first” out of the way before the battle. Fans began shipping her with Gendry during the eighth season premiere, but no one could have predicted that the two of them would get together so quickly. The younger Stark sibling tells Gendry she wants to know what it’s like to be with someone before the end, and it’s clear that she doesn’t think she’ll survive the upcoming fight. They share a steamy moment together that raises plenty of questions about what’s next for them, assuming they do survive.

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” also offers more fascinating character interactions, most of which are also born of the urgency of the approaching battle. Many of the characters have things they need to say to the others, and this might be their last chance to do so.

Jaime and Tyrion share several moments reminiscing about who they used to be during the episode, and Jaime also goes to the Godswood to apologize to Bran for his actions back in the pilot episode. Arya and the Hound have a long-awaited moment, during which she asks what he’s doing at Winterfell—and he admits that he’s fighting for them now, just as he once fought for her. And even Sansa and Daenerys try to bridge their differences, though unfortunately, they don’t get very far.

And with time potentially running out, Jon decides to tell Daenerys what he learned about his ancestry during “Winterfell.” It’s unclear why he’d choose right before the battle to do so, but perhaps he just needs someone else to know. Daenerys doesn’t take well to the news, however, and she’s doubtful and angry to hear Jon stake his claim to the Iron Throne. She storms out on him before fans can get anything else from the moment, meaning Daenerys will be heading into battle next week on bad terms with both Jon and Tyrion.

All in all, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is another satisfying episode with plenty of drama between characters. Sadly, it’s also likely to be the calm before the storm. Next week will be comprised of a 90-minute battle sequence between the North and the army of the dead, and many of the characters we cheered for this week will probably perish.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. 

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