Game of Thones: Now THAT’S What I’m Talking About!

In last week’s Game of Thones article, I argued that the rapid pace of the show since season 7 was harming the narrative of Game of Thrones as well as several individual character arcs. “When the show slows down, it can still work so well,” I wrote.

FOLKS. The show slowed down and delivered the BEST episode since season 6, and quite possibly a top 15 episode for the entire series. It was full of fan service that didn’t feel like pandering, concluding character arcs we’ve been following for the better part of a decade in satisfying ways all while setting up more payoffs in the future. It felt like Game of Thrones again! And the best part? No off-screen reveals! WOOOOOOOO!

Jaime’s trial wasn’t the best scene in the episode, but it kicked off things off in style and reminded viewers just how far these characters have come and how far they have to go. Dany telling Jaime about her conversations with Viserys took us all the way back to season 1. Dany gets to dress down Tyrion, which has been a long time coming. Sansa agrees with Dany (common ground!) that Jaime can’t be trusted, and reminds us of the Lannister’s war against the Starks, something she saw firsthand during her time in King’s Landing. And of course, Bran drops a callback to episode one when Jaime pushed him out of the window, paralyzing him and sending him down a path to becoming a tree wizard…guy. Added together, this is more than enough reason to send Jaime away, if not execute him.

History is not the study of battles, but the study of the events leading up to and following battles. How did we get here and where does it go now?

But then Brienne stands up to defend him. She tells everyone about how Jaime protected her at great cost to himself. Brienne reminds Sansa that she wouldn’t have been able to help her and Arya had it not been for Jaime. Brienne saved Jaime’s life.

Sansa listens to Brienne and changes her mind. Dany is clearly in disbelief. After all the wrongs the Lannisters have done to the Starks, and Sansa is going to let the Kingslayer live because Brienne vouched for him? It’s not the last time this episode that Dany is taken aback by the interactions between these many characters who have warred against each other that are now fighting together. When Sansa and Theon embrace, it’s another great learning moment for Dany. It highlights just how much she still has to learn about the North, and about Westeros in general, before she can be the great queen we all know she can be.

She then turns to Jon for his opinion. Jon votes to let Jaime live because they need the men. Jon is dependably practical. Dany also refers to him as “Warden of the North,” a very intentional choice of words; she wants to remind everyone in the room that she is the queen, something that no one really responds to because they don’t really care that much. The only person taking the time for these formalities is Daenerys.

ALL OF THIS WAS ONE SCENE. The opening scene! And what a scene! This is what we’ve been missing for a while. Game of Thrones didn’t become a cultural phenomenon because of the battle scenes. It built its reputation on the humanity of the characters, the political intrigue, and the slow movement of pieces across the chess board that is Westeros.

I once had a wonderful history teacher who explained to me that “History is not the study of battles, but the study of the events leading up to and following battles. How did we get here and where does it go now?” Game of Thrones is in peak form when it’s building to the major moments. Shows or movies that live or die by their big events rarely hold up.

What has always set Game of Thrones apart was its ability to not only have amazingly cinematic moments but to build to them with thoughtful storytelling and character development. This episode was chock full of that.