It’s calm-before-the-storm time on Game of Thrones this week. The war that’s been building for eight seasons is imminent, and that makes right now most characters’ last chance to get their personal affairs in order.
Unlike the season premiere, which jumped between Winterfell and King’s Landing, this week’s episode is set entirely in the North. Even without any screen time, Cersei’s presence remains felt.
I think the best way to organize this recap is by character group.
Jaime
As expected, Jaime Lannister does not exactly receive a warm welcome at Winterfell. He’s brought before Daenerys, who’s less than pleased to meet the man who murdered her father. She’s also unimpressed that he appears to be the sum total of the army Cersei promised she’d send. Jaime acknowledges what everybody has already figured out, that Cersei had no intention of ever sending an army. This puts Daenerys in a foul mood with Tyrion for being duped by his sister.
Jaime stands defiant in the face of Daenerys’ questioning, but Bran gets in a pointed barb by reciting his quip, “The things we do for love.” However, Bran stops short of telling everyone that Jaime was the culprit who tossed him off the tower so many years ago.
Eventually, Brienne stands up for Jaime, calling him an honorable man. This is enough to overcome Sansa’s skepticism, because she trusts Brienne’s judgment. In turn, Jon Snow and then Daenerys agree to let Jaime stay in Winterfell and join their army. Grey Worm hands Jaime his sword back.
Jaime later meets Bran in front of a weirwood tree and apologizes for what he did to him. Bran can feel no emotion, not even anger. He says that he kept Jaime’s secret because he knew that every man will be needed for the war.
Brienne
After his inquisition, Jaime finds Brienne training troops to fight and thanks her for speaking up for him. Brienne waits for an insult to follow, as she’s accustomed to hearing from him. Instead, she’s taken aback when Jaime says that he’d be honored to fight under her command if she’ll have him.
Jon Snow
Now that he knows his true lineage, Jon can’t bring himself to face Daenerys. He avoids her gaze and spends a lot of time keeping busy in the company of others.
At a strategy meeting among the leaders, Jon explains his theory that all the White Walkers will fall if they can take out the Night King. Bran believes that the Night King will come for him, and volunteers to be used as bait to expose him. As the Three-Eyed Raven, he holds the memories of Westeros that the Night King wishes to erase. Sam in particular is chilled by the notion of their entire existence being eradicated and forgotten.
Tyrion
Tyrion spends most of the episode on the outs with Daenerys. Even Jorah has to defend him to her. When Tyrion insists that he should be on the field fighting with their men, Dany orders him to stay behind, sheltered in the crypts. She tells him that his mind is more valuable than his swordsmanship, but he nevertheless feels that he’s being sidelined.
Left alone with Bran, Tyrion pulls up a chair and asks to hear his story.
Sansa
Daenerys meets with Sansa in the hopes of thawing the tension between them. They seem to bond for a moment over Jon, and Daenerys insists that she loves him. However, Sansa quickly turns cold when questioning what will happen to the North after the war is over and Daenerys becomes queen. The Northerners swore never to bow to another monarch.
Their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Theon Greyjoy, bringing news that his sister Yara is sailing to take the Iron Islands in Daenerys’ name. When questioned why he came to Winterfell, Theon says that he intends to fight for Sansa. Though she once hated him, Sansa rushes to embrace the man who saved her from Ramsay Bolton.
Arya
Arya quizzes Gendry about his experience with White Walkers. He tries to scare her by describing them simply as “death.” Arya responds that she knows many faces of death and looks forward to seeing this one, then demonstrates some impressive knife-throwing skills. She pushes him to complete the weapon she commissioned from him.
Later, Arya sits to have a drink with the Hound on top of a castle battlement. They almost have a nice moment, until Beric Dondarrion arrives, and Arya has no interest hanging around with two old sods commiserating about their miserable lives.
Gendry finishes Arya’s weapon, which seems to be a spear with a detachable head made out of dragonglass. When she goes to pick it up, Arya aggressively questions Gendry about his sexual history with the girls in Fleabottom and with the Red Witch. He admits to her that he’s the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon, but that doesn’t seem to be what interests her. She says that she wants to experience sex, makes Gendry disrobe, and has her way with him.
Davos
Davos and Sam’s wife Gilly have a nice moment reassuring a young girl that they will need her help defending the other children in the crypts after the battle starts.
Jorah
Jorah tries to convince his young cousin, Lady Lyanna Mormont, to stay behind in safety while her troops fight, but she won’t hear any of it. He respects her tenacity.
Despite having earlier stood up for himself to remind Jon Snow and Eddison Tollet that he was the first person to ever kill a White Walker and that he also felled a Thenn warg, Sam is candid with Jorah that he’s not much of a fighter. He gives Jorah his family’s Valyrian steel sword, Heartsbane, to use in battle.
Grey Worm
Grey Worm doesn’t get a lot of screen time, but he and Missandei make plans for where they should go after the war. I have a bad feeling that their story won’t end happily.
The Fireside Chat
Tyrion and Jaime sit before a fireplace contemplating their strange fates. Little by little, they’re joined by Brienne, Podrick, Davos, and Tormund. Davos initially refuses to drink and insists that they should get some rest, but soon finds himself imbibing and getting a load off before the battle to come. Of them all, only Tyrion expresses any optimism about their chances of survival.
Tormund, who’d been searching for Brienne ever since arriving in Winterfell, peacocks for her in front of Jaime, telling the hilarious story of how he got the name “Giantsbane.” Brienne finds herself in the very unusual position of drawing the attention of two men. Jaime decidedly gets the upper hand in this contest at the emotional climax of the episode. Upon Brienne explaining to Tormund that women can’t become knights due to tradition, Jaime announces that any knight can name another knight, and calls Brienne over to officially bequeath the status upon her. Brienne can hardly contain herself when Jaime dubs her Ser Brienne of Tarth, and a round of applause breaks out from the group, loudest of all from Tormund.
As the night winds down, Tyrion calls for a song. One by one, everybody passes until the round gets to Podrick, who finds a fittingly melancholy tune that plays over a montage showing: Sam in bed with his wife and child, Sansa eating a meal with Theon, Arya in bed with Gendry, and Grey Worm kissing Missandei goodbye before marching out to war.
Jon & Daenerys
Puzzled at why he avoided her all day, Daenerys finds Jon Snow in the family crypt, standing before a statue of Lyanna Stark. Dany still believes the story that her older brother Rhaegar raped and murdered Lyanna. Jon blurts out that it’s a lie, that Rhaegar and Lynna were in love, secretly married, and had a child that Lyanna entrusted her brother Ned to raise. The truth spilling out of him in a flood he can’t contain, Jon announces that he is the child and his real name is Aegon Targaryen.
Daenerys seems less upset at the revelation that her lover is actually a blood relative than the fact that this could make him a challenger to her claim on the Iron Throne. Before she has time to process this information, however, watchmen’s horns blare, calling all forces to assemble. White Walkers stand on the horizon, leading the army of the dead to Winterfell.
Episode Verdict
Honestly, this may be one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. It’s a solid hour of some of the strongest character work the show has ever done. By turns, it’s foreboding, melancholy, sometimes quite funny, and empowering for most of the female characters. These interpersonal moments have always been some of the most interesting parts of the show for me, and I’m extremely grateful to get so many of them packed in right before what is very likely to be a four-episode marathon of battle after battle after battle.
That stuff is fun too, but I’m relieved the writers haven’t forgotten that we need to care about these characters before watching them get hacked to bits.
That said, it’s more than a little uncomfortable and disconcerting to see Maisie Williams, a young actress who’s been on this show since early puberty, do her first sex scene with nudity. Yes, Arya has grown up a lot in this story and the point is that she’s fully an adult now, but it still feels dirty.
David Voss
It was a great episode full of wonderful character moments. I fully expect a good number of them won’t make it out of next week’s episode alive.
That young girl that Davos fed had burns on her face, not greyscale. Greyscale would basically seal her fate as she was a peasant.
Timcharger
Josh: “Davos and Sam’s wife Gilly have a nice moment reassuring a young girl that they will need her help defending the other children in the crypts after the battle starts.”
Reincarnation exists in this world?! Shireen lives through that scarred face girl. Now if the show makes her become a wight and subsequently needs to be burned again…
I still can’t rewatch the Shireen sacrifice scene. Hodor’s end. Red wedding. I can revisit those. But not what Melisandre and Stannis & mother did to Shireen.
David Voss
Josh initially had said that the girl getting fed had greyscale so I was just pointing out that it was a burn scar rather than greyscale. He later must’ve edited that sentence.
cardpetree
I’m just glad that the first two episodes of Dawson’s Creek are finally over and maybe we can get back to Game of Thrones in the final four episodes.
Timcharger
Dawson’s Creek had foursomes in brothels? Dawson’s Creek had a child burned that was staked to a wall with the interior design of severed limbs as art? I missed out on that show; I better find me some old DVDs.
Political intrigue. Character arcs coming together after years of buildup. Callbacks, dialogue double entendres, deeper meanings. No? Not your fancy. There were dragons!
Timcharger
Title of recap: “Men Do Stupid Things for Women”
Poor choice, Josh. Nothing in the episode really relates to that title. In that scene, Dany answers that she was the one who got manipulated to be there in the North fighting beside her love, Jon. Dany didn’t make Jon join her cause to fight in the South.
And if anything it’s the opposite of that title, the biggest scene is episode 8.2 is Jaime doing something great for Brienne, a woman. Stopping the stupidity of NOT doing things (granting titles, sharing power, giving respect) for women.
T.J. Kats
I think the title refers to the talk between Dany and Sansa where it is mentioned men do stupid things for women.
Timcharger
I was speaking about that scene, and how that scene refutes that line. So that line is a poor choice for the episode, much less a poor choice for the title of that scene. I wrote:
“In that scene, Dany answers that she was the one who got manipulated to be there in the North fighting beside her love, Jon. Dany didn’t make Jon join her cause to fight in the South.”
It was a woman who did something “stupid” for love.
Shannon Nutt
It’s a direct quote from the episode. ALL the Episode recap titles here (for any series) are titled with a quote from the episode.
Timcharger
The question I asked was whether it was a good choice. Yes, that line exists in the episode. But since the plot and dialog refuted the content of that line, I posited that it wasn’t a good choice for the recap title.
Were men doing stupid things for women in this episode? Anymore stupid than every other episode? Was it a line in a key scene? Was it particularly funny or memorable? Or does Josh simply can’t have me guess his recap title?
🙂
Shannon Nutt
Well, Jon telling Daenerys the truth about himself was INCREDIBLY stupid.
Timcharger
Jon would tell Dany about the truth in his ancestry whether Dany was Dany or Dan. Not an example of men doing stupid things for women. That’s just Jon’s truthful, honorable nature. Stupid like he couldn’t lie to Cersei last season. But if it was a male ruler on the iron throne, Jon wouldn’t lie either. So still poor choice for recap title.
T.J. Kats
The Arya scene was weird to me at first too for the reasons you mentioned. I had to look up her age and when I saw she was 24 that helped a lot.
Timcharger
22 years. April 15, 1997.
But 24 would be better for my mind, too.
Timcharger
Josh: “(Arya) says that she wants to experience sex, makes Gendry disrobe, and has her way with him.”
She does initiate, but the line about I’m not a red witch, so disrobe yourself, is saying to Gendry that you aren’t being forced to do this. You want to, then take your clothes off yourself.
Josh: “it’s more than a little uncomfortable and disconcerting to see Maisie Williams, a young actress who’s been on this show since early puberty…”
Arya is 22 years old.
Arya is 22 years old.
Arya is 22 years old.
Arya is 22 years old.
Arya is 22 years old.
I kept telling myself that. It was reported that “Maisie Williams age” search query massively spiked yesterday.
Shannon Nutt
I’m not even sure that side show (with the partial nudity) was Maisie. I’m betting it was a body double. Regardless, the scene was pretty tasteful, at least by GOT standards. 🙂
David Voss
It was Maise Williams in the flesh according to this article:
https://ew.com/tv/2019/04/21/game-of-thrones-maisie-williams-gendry/
Timcharger
Josh: “Daenerys seems less upset at the revelation that her lover is actually a blood relative than the fact that this could make him a challenger to her claim on the Iron Throne.”
Just as insightful was that Jon’s reaction in episode 8.1, was also not about being a blood relative lover, but about how his “father” the most honorable Ned Stark lied to him for his whole life. Dany’s more motivated by her hunger for power. Jon’s more about honor, about his relationships.
Al
From Season 1; Episode 1, this show has made it clear that being a blood relative is NOT an obstacle to sex/romance/love/procreation. Why is anyone surprised that neither Daenerys or Jon was upset, when they discovered that they are blood relatives? It’s par for the course, on this show.
Timcharger
The show says that it is not an obstacle for certain Houses in their past. The show clearly has their current mores against incest.
Just like the most recent health bulletin from the surgeon general at the Citadel coming out against wine consumption during gestation.
Paul A
“That said, it’s more than a little uncomfortable and disconcerting to see Maisie Williams, a young actress who’s been on this show since early puberty, do her first sex scene with nudity. Yes, Arya has grown up a lot in this story and the point is that she’s fully an adult now, but it still feels dirty.”
Is this a first in television history? I honestly can’t think of another show that this has happened on, and it is quite a bold move. Most of us probably have a paternal/maternal connection to Arya as we have all watched her grow up.
Timcharger
“I honestly can’t think of another show that this has happened on”
I can honestly say that’s NOT a mental exercise I want to do. That was uncomfortable and disconcerting… so let’s think of more examples of that?! Your appreciation for the “boldness” of that move is quite, um, quite bold.
Paul A
Believe me, I felt squeamish watching that scene as well. I meant bold as in controversial.
Joseph Levitt
Agreed, Paul A.
Timcharger
Josh: “Brienne can hardly contain herself when Jaime dubs her Ser Brienne of Tarth, and a round of applause breaks out from the group, loudest of all from Tormund.”
That’s a gif we can look forward to seeing again.
https://media.giphy.com/media/WqXfKluK1Ob4j4x9OA/giphy.gif
Timcharger
Josh: “As the night winds down, Tyrion calls for a song. One by one, everybody passes until the round gets to Podrick, who finds a fittingly melancholy tune…”
So Podrick is a legend with the ladies, and can sing too. So the show has finally revealed that Podrick is from House BradleyCooper. I’m surprised Arya didn’t get out of bed after Gendry passed out to get Podrick.
Timcharger
Missing in the recap:
Ghost
Ghost was there in the background for 2 seconds. Best cheer I had for 2 seconds (that’s what she said).
Timcharger
Josh: “Despite having earlier stood up for himself to remind Jon Snow and Eddison Tollet that (Sam) was the first person to ever kill a White Walker and that he also felled a warg,”
Sam felled a warg? I know about people like Bran who can warg into animals. But what warg did Sam kill?
Timcharger
Episode 8.2 emphasized that Sam killed a Thenn. You meant Thenn, Josh?
Josh Zyber
AuthorThe Thenn he killed was a warg. I will edit for clarity.
Timcharger
Josh: “Tormund, who’d been searching for Brienne ever since arriving in Winterfell, peacocks for her in front of Jaime, telling the hilarious story of how he got the name “Giantsbane.””
Who would have guessed Tormund would have so much in common with Robin Arryn of the Vale? Did you almost go with Giant’s Milk as the recap title, Josh?
🙂
But after that story, Tormund and Jaime had a woke pissing contest for Brienne. Gotta say that Tormund was the forward thinker, and Jaime stole his thunder.
Timcharger
“The safest place is the Crypts.”
Or something like that was echoed 4, 5 times in this episode. Oookaay, suuure. I see what you’re doing.
Timcharger
Josh: “Left alone with Bran, Tyrion pulls up a chair and asks to hear his story.”
So Tyrion learned something that wasn’t revealed to us. That tells me Tyrion has plot armor until that knowledge card is played. Tyrion is safe for now; ICBW.
Timcharger
Josh: “Jaime later meets Bran in front of a weirwood tree…”
Did Bran effectively tell us Jaime is a goner? Jaime’s arc is pretty much complete right? He’s made good with Brienne. He’s done with Cersei. He faced Bran which was the original crime we saw from Episode 1. Goodbye Jaime.
Timcharger
Josh: “(Grey Worm) and Missandei make plans for where they should go after the war. I have a bad feeling that their story won’t end happily.”
Never, never ever, EVER make post war plans. Their kiss was the kiss of death. If Grey Worm survives, THAT would shock us. Goodbye Grey Worm.
Timcharger
Josh: “At a strategy meeting among the leaders, Jon explains his theory that all the White Walkers will fall if they can take out the Night King.”
The tabletop model maker was like, really I need to carve 150 figures to represent the undead army?! Really, can’t 5 or 15 figurines suffice? Common on, 50 of them already communicate their enormous numbers. I need to carve 100 more models? That’s it, no way I’m doing ornate skeletal carvings. Plain blocks is the best you’re gonna get!
Timcharger
Josh: “(Jaime) calls Brienne over to officially bequeath the status upon her. Brienne can hardly contain herself when Jaime dubs her Ser Brienne of Tarth…”
That look of joy on Brienne. Unbridled joy. Such a high moment. Peak emotion.
Dammit! You (the show) giveth and taketh away. Goodbye Brienne.
Joseph Levitt
Wake me when this crap is over….BTW, child porn is a poor excuse for great writing.
Josh Zyber
AuthorWell aren’t you just the wet blanket?
Joseph Levitt
Is that so? I believe I am a good judge of fine acting, taut scripts and adept directing. ALL of which is glaringly missing from this season. If you can’t see that Hollywood has usurped A Song of Ice and Fire (admittedly not all their fault, if GRRM would have completed books 6-7, this wouldn’t be an issue), than your critical abilities must be called into question. BTW, a “?” at the end of your sentence is improper grammar. You made a statement; not asked a question.
Josh Zyber
AuthorI might argue that your judgment is clouded by a misplaced devotion to an author who has seemingly lost any interest in completing the story he started. What do you think “Hollywood” is supposed to do when adapting the work of an author who has said to them, “Eh, you know what, can you guys just go ahead and finish this up for me? Thanks.”
There has been no change in acting, scripting, or directing quality this season compared to any before it. This show is constructed in season-long arcs, and this one is ramping up slowly to build toward bigger events, the same as all seven of the previous seasons did.
Your complaint about alleged “child porn” (both the actress and the character are adults now) also seems bizarre when talking about a story, in both book and TV form, that opened with a brother and sister committing incest and cavalierly attempting to murder a young child. Breaking taboos has been modus operandi for Game of Thrones all along.
William Henley
Well, I am behind on the show by several seasons, but I am caught up on the books (at least the first 5 – I haven’t read all the companion books yet).
Had to come in here because, on the latest comments feed, Josh’s last comment came up, and I was like “Oh, I have got to go see about what that is about.”
Just wanted to comment on something. Josh said the author seems uninterested in finishing the series. I agree with this. GRRM seems to have been caught up with his fame. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised, IF the rest of the books ever get released, that he just has a ghost writer do a novilezation of the last three seasons. Even in reading book 5, the quality of his work seems to have started getting a bit lazier – not BAD, just not as good as the earlier entries – it was still good. But it did feel as if GRRM was getting bored with the series.
I put watching the show on hold a couple of years ago, expecting book six to be announced at any time. That was stupid – I was dumb enough to believe that he was really working on it and would have it out before season 8 of the show aired.
Maybe after the show ends, and in a few years the conventions start to die down a bit, maybe he will finally sit down and finish the series. But I have little hope. There have been many rumors over the years that he has locked himself away with writing, and we get some side-story, or prequel, or completely separate story. Now I am sure the other stories in the world are interesting – I have them on my bookshelf ready to read, and these backstories have been very entertaining when they appear as bonus features on the Blu-Rays, I just want the rest of the books.
Timcharger
Grey Worm & Missandei
The North remembers racism. There’s plenty of crows in the show, and some Jim Crows. Episode 2 had more evidence of that. But don’t mind that. There’s tons of details to recap, so it’s fine if it is not noted. Racism really ended already when that one black guy became the President of Qarth, right? It’s fine.
The defenses of Winterfell are separate but equal. Greyworm and the Unsullied, you guys stay outside the walls in that equally safe position. Not back of the bus, but the front of the formation. So lucky.
🙂
Timcharger
Guess Josh’s title for his recap of Episode 8.3:
Josh Zyber
Author“YEEEEAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH…..”
Timcharger
Sorry, as the determinant of the recap title, the game rules explicitly forbid your participation in the contest.
Timcharger
The actual line is: What do we say to the God of Death? Those 2 extra words, God of, seems to make it too long now. So the pithy, Not Today, is the better choice.
Josh Zyber
Authorhttps://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/thrones-recap-pointy-end/
Timcharger
More reason to go with “Not Today.” You haven’t repeated a recap title, have you?
Josh Zyber
AuthorI prefer not to repeat a headline, or use a quote that’s been reused multiple times throughout the show.
Timcharger
I agree. You don’t every other recap to be titled, “Winter is Coming.” But “Not Today” is probably the definitive callback for that line. Perhaps not used since Season 1.
Timcharger
Jorah’s “I’m Hurt”
That line resulted me laughing out loud in that scene. Probably not what the writers wanted the audience to feel at the somber moment. The delivery? Stating the obvious? My strange sense of humor? I don’t know why I LOL.
Oh, this is not a recap title guess. Just comment on a line in the episode. So you can select it to spite me, Josh.
🙂
Timcharger
Melisandre’s “I’ll be dead before the dawn”
That’s a good choice too. It applies well to this episode of death and destruction.
Josh Zyber
AuthorToo Evil Dead II. 🙂
Timcharger
“Not today”
Or maybe the preceding line:
“What do we say to Death?”
Timcharger
Meant for this comment to be in the above grouping.