Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Review: The Run Up To The Great War Is As Tense And Emotional As We Expected

The season of reunions is not over at Winterfell. The second episode of Game of Thrones season 8 brought forward some undercurrents among the key players in the narrative.

As expected, Jaime’s arrival shakes things up as he is confronting all the people he has wronged in his life. The scene where Jaime stood in the hall of Winterfell, especially, was one of the most tense moments in the show in a very long time. Firstly, there is Daenerys whose father was slayed by our Kingslayer and for obvious reasons, she does not seem too convinced by his loyalty and things are further worsened when he breaks the news that Cersei is not sending her army North and actually now has 20,000 troops of Golden Company and Euron’s Iron Fleet behind her. Finally, Brienne of Tarth comes forward to vouch for Jaime, which convinces Sansa and finally Jaime is allowed to stay.

The episode was replete with a lot of emotional moments as well. Sansa rushing to embrace Theon on his arrival, Bran and Jaime having the conversation about the terrible incident were two overwhelming moments. Bran saying that if he had not pushed him from the tower years ago, Jaime wouldn’t have become the man he is today and he would not have been the Three-Eyed Raven. Sam and Jon manning the castle as they utter ‘Now my watch has begun’ and remembering Pyp and Grenn was also incredibly moving.

There was also a sweet moment between Missandei and Torgo Nudo when they decided that they would go to Island of Naath once the war is over. However, this is only making us more anxious about one of their deaths in the coming episode.

However, the most interesting part of the episode was the conversation between Daenerys and Sansa and Tyrion and Jaime. Two of the fiercest women in the series, who have gone on to become leaders from being the worst victims was empowering to say the least. Just when it looked like they were reaching some of the sorts of amicability, Sansa not wanting to yield North after Daenerys ascends the throne makes Daenerys uncomfortable once again.

Daenerys also has a brief altercation with Tyrion when he tries to defend Jaime’s intentions but attempts to straighten things out on the advice of Ser Jorah.

On the other side, Tyrion and Jaime finally have the long pending conversation about Cersei and Jaime’s realization about Cersei is making the ‘valanqar’ theory more and more plausible now.

But all the undercurrents of human emotions seem minuscule in front of the larger picture. After Beric Dondarrion and Tormund returns to Winterfell and informs them about the little lord Umber, Jon understands that the danger is indeed close. Winterfell flies into preparation for the Great War and Bran decides to wait for the Night King in the godswood, much to the charging of other, as he is convinced that Night King would definitely come for him. He says, ‘He wants to erase this world and I am its memory,’ to which Sam replies, “That's what death is, isn't it? Forgetting.”- it just might be one of the best dialogues in the series.

The episode ends with Night King spotting the castle of Winterfell in the horizon. All the wars, conspiracies, deaths, relationships, sins, acts of sacrifice that panned out in the last 7 seasons have all converged to this one moment. It is indeed life versus death now.