Our collective hearts were full to bursting after Sunday’s episode, “A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms” (don’t remind us that it’s probably just to soften the blow of the coming third episode), and The Night’s Cast, the official podcast of Watchers on the Wall, couldn’t wait to recap it!
Join Vanessa and Samantha as they discuss the second episode of Season 8, from Theon’s return to Winterfell to the S.S. Gendarya setting sail and the emotional scene of Brienne receiving the knighthood she’s dreamt of.
Don’t forget — The Night’s Cast is going live for Season 8! Every Sunday until May 19th, you can find us livestreaming at 5 p.m. EST on the Watchers on the Wall YouTube channel.
The podcast is available on iTunes and SoundCloud, and you can follow us on Twitter as well. Happy listening!
Loved it
I enjoyed the podcast. I too wonder what they have in plan for Dany, but I think alot of her change has to do with being out of her own surroundings. Remember how riding south affected Ned and Northerners. Riding North is affecting her dragons! And she is having trouble getting her footing in the North.
I agree with you that there won’t be much time for Dany and Jon to hash out their new Targ relationship and what that all means to the IT, but I do think they will at least have some moments in Ep 3 (possibly in the crypt again from what I saw in the preview) Dany has a line about “the dead are already here” with Jon, but they may be talking about the crypt’s dead!
I finished my 5th re-watch today (it’s the most I’ve rewatched an episode so quickly) and I was the most struck this time by Theon and Sansa together. Their connection really got to me as they shared a bowl of soup together and in their other scenes. I agree that Theon may go out in a blaze of glory saving Bran. That seems to be par for the course for Bran’s helpers. Meera is the only one who managed to survive. I also loved Arya’s look when she was lying in bed during the song. I agree with you and I didn’t have a problem with her scene with Gendry. What I actually loved this time around was her look in bed as the song played. She was alone again even though Gendry was physically there. Her look was like she was seeing the face of death again…and death was coming… She has an amazing glassy cold stare. Between all of the Starks (between Bran, Jon, and Arya) they can have a cold brooding stare contest for their hand’s tourney.
Thanks both, enjoyed listening and agreed with most. I doubt you will be surprised I disagreed on the Dany acting oddly comments, for me this has been coming for a long time. It may not happen and she certainly doesn’t need to go fully mad to become a villain because she’s always walked a tight line between protagonist/antagonist anyway,
UGH Brienne is just pure perfection isn’t she?? Now don’t you dare kill her, you utter bastards!
BTW something I don’t know if anyone else quite caught (though I might have zoned out during part of the ‘cast). Brienne says “I never wanted to be a aknight” in response to Tormund’s query about why she isn’t one, and when she says this line, she makes eye contact with Podrick, who looks back with understanding. I believe she’s thinking of the story she told him – about how as a girl she had the usual fantasies about finding love, getting married, etc. She didn’t want to be a knight – she wanted to be accepted, loved, and understood as who she is. Someone who is remarkable, skilled, worthy.
The magic of Jaime knighting her at this moment is that it is the best way he has to communicate to Brienne that she is fully embraced as who she is now. Understood. Accepted. Loved.
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On another topic, I think that they are playing the Dany thing for dramatic tension, as usual. They want us to wonder about this – will Dany go the mad king route or not? Same thing happens with her in every season, so I don’t think it’s inconsistent from a show perspective. I actually really loved the Dany and Sansa scene – I saw it as them having a real organic conversation. I loved them both in it, and think they are both being reasonable. I think Dany is sincere, but I also think she is worried about the future of the 7 kingdoms. I don’t find this unreasonable.
As for the conversation with Jon, I was somewhat expecting Dany to propose marriage as a solution immediately. But, maybe she’s afraid of rejection – Jon has been very aloof lately. It similarly would have been so easy for Jon to say “don’t worry about it, I don’t care about any stupid claim” but he didn’t. He didn’t because they had Sam plant seeds of doubt in Jon, so he wouldn’t immediately give up the claim, in order to keep the tension going. I don’t think it’s unreasonable either.
A good discussion, thanks!
Daenerys is no different from before; she is exactly who she has always been – a combination of ego, entitlement, and incompetence. She has been like this since she became drunk on power and expressed her right to rule. The only difference is that she is no longer dominating random folk in Essos. She is upsetting the Starks in their home and making precious Sam cry.
I hope she is able to work things through, find some humility and maybe family. Setting yourself to rule everyone around you? It is almost the opposite of looking for family.
QueenofThrones,
“The magic of Jaime knighting her at this moment is that it is the best way he has to communicate to Brienne that she is fully embraced as who she is now. Understood. Accepted. Loved.”
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For me, the magic of Jaime anointing Brienne was set up by the first scene of the episode, in which Brienne vouched for Jaime’s honor, essentially extending to him the benefits of her own impeccable reputation and trustworthiness.
Sansa responded that she trusts Brienne with her life, and therefore trusts her judgment about Jaime.
I felt that in those few moments, Brienne was able to free Jaime from the taint of “kingslayer”, “oathbreaker”, and all-around douc*ebag. She provided counterpoints for all of his supposed transgressions. Grey Worm handing him back his sword was sort of an unspoken “Welcome aboard.”
I’ve got to rewatch that scene to refresh my memory on the details. I was just left with the impression that after years of vilification (combined with some self-loathing), finally somebody shared with the public Jaime’s heroic deeds and sense of honor. Thanks to Brienne, “Ser Jaime” was accepted and embraced. That added so much meaning to his later anointing her as a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
In the questioning of Jaime, Daenerys knew why her father was killed but I do not think she wanted to say it in front of everyone. It was a matter of pride.
To say it would mean acknowledging that the last Targ ruler was bad while she was busy re-establishing her family’s role.
Mango,
I hope the North just shut their doors for her…And say to her face that they don’t need her or her army or her dragons..she can take them all up and go to wherever she came from…
Mango,
She is clearly speaking about how jamie watched Aerys die while he was casually sitting in the IT..not why he killed him but how he was behaving..
For a fandom where every one of the kills by dany has been debated this must have been easy to understand right..
Dragonbringer,
I’m not sure how you think the North would fare against the Army of the Dead without her dragons and soldiers, not to mention all the dragonglass she let them mine. Even if you don’t like Dany you have to admit she brought a lot to the table, and the North is offering her nothing in return.
Vanessa,
Very true!! I would argue that the North are being just as power hungry as Dany. Has anyone also wondered why Sansa is going against Jon again, he already bent the knee to Dany and according to her that counts for nothing.