Forgiveness, redemption and bedroom action were to the fore in an episode that served as a satisfying curtain-raiser for the coming mayhem

Spoiler alert: this recap is published after Game of Thrones airs on HBO in the US on Sunday night and on Foxtel in Australia on Monday. Do not read unless you have watched episode one of season eight, which airs in the UK on Sky Atlantic on Monday at 2am and 9pm, and is repeated in Australia on Showcase on Monday at 7.30pm AEST.

‘That’s what death is: forgetting, being forgotten. If we forget where we’ve been, what we’ve done, we’re not men anymore, just animals’

Maybe it’s because I’m sucker for ‘the night before battle’ stories, tinged as they always are with sadness and regret, but I really enjoyed this melancholy curtain raiser to the coming mayhem next week.

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I’ve always had a soft spot for Game of Thrones’ quieter instalments and it helped that this was tightly scripted by Bryan Cogman (the man behind many of my favourite episodes), who managed to balance the pervading air of sorrow with some genuinely funny lines. Where last week’s opening episode was sketched in broad strokes – and arguably spent most of the hour reminding us where we were after a two-year absence – this week went deep into the relationships between various characters and was all the better for it.

It helped too that it was a Jaime-heavy episode, with the title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms referring both to his tarnished reputation and Brienne’s more noble claims. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has always been wonderful at depicting the conflict at the heart of the older Lannister brother, his desire both for glory and death, and this episode was full of moments that allowed him to shine. From the opening scene in which he refused to apologise for his attack on Ned Stark through the conversations with Bran and Tyrion to the emotional knighting of Brienne, Coster-Waldau allowed us to see Jaime’s sorrow, his pity and, most importantly, his emotional growth. No longer the golden boy who, in Tyrion’s words, knew exactly what his sister was but “loved her anyway”, he is now a man who has had humility forced upon him and found an inner strength because of it.

‘I want to fight for Winterfell, Lady Sansa – if you’ll have me’

Jaime wasn’t the only one looking for redemption. In an episode that was also about forgiveness and acceptance – Bran’s scene with Jaime, Arya’s with the Hound, Dany and Sansa’s fragile strategic alliance – the moment that moved me most came when Theon arrived to pledge his life for Sansa.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Beautifully handled ... Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark. Photograph: Home Box Office (HBO)

People have accused Sophie Turner of being a wooden actor, but the scene when she embraced Theon, and the various emotions that flitted across her face (remembrance of what they’d both been through, pride that he’d returned, a friendship that was also a kind of love, the silent acknowledgment that this was the only man she trusted) was beautifully handled.

Credit too to Alfie Allen, who has given one of the most underrated performances on this show in a role that hasn’t always been the easiest. The moment when Theon pledged to defend Bran to the death was among the episode’s most heartbreaking, and if you didn’t think that the ghost of Ned Stark was nodding in agreement at what his once-callow ward had become then you’re a hardier soul than I.

‘We’re probably going to die soon and I want to know what it’s like before that happens’

There was time for love too, albeit shot through with yearning for what could be, once was and might have been. From Sam giving his family sword to Jorah, returning his lost honour to him in the process, to Jaime, Tyrion, Tormund, Brienne, Davos and Pod preparing for death by drinking and talking about battles past, and the emotional reunion of Sam, Jon and Edd, the last surviving members of the once-proud Night’s Watch, these were scenes that went deep into what we know about these characters, rather than skating on the surface in a way the show has perhaps been guilty of in the past.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Looking for a warmer future ... Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel). Photograph: Home Box Office (HBO)

Nor did Cogman forget about romantic relationships, examining three very different ones while hinting at new possibilities to come (Tormund certainly didn’t look happy at the quiet look exchanged by Jaime and Brienne).

While Grey Worm and Missandei, whose love is a strong, largely uncomplicated thing, looked to a warmer future far away from the rude (and racist) stares of the North, Jon was struggling to come to terms with the discovery that Dany was actually his aunt.

Naturally he dealt with this momentous news by stomping away whenever she came anywhere near him and occasionally throwing one-word statements in her vague direction. I was particularly taken by the moment when Sam tried to ascribe some kind of strategical nous to Jon’s actions, hinting that perhaps he didn’t want her to leave and take her army with her when we all know that he’s a man of few words, most of them grunted, who just wasn’t handling things very well.

That said, perhaps he was right to wait until battle was mere moments away before telling his new aunty the truth – the way in which Dany said, “it makes you a contender for the Iron Throne,” would make a more imaginative man wonder if he might survive the battle only to find himself incinerated.

The night’s third major relationship was its most enjoyable as Arya upped the awkward flirting with Gendry to demand he take his clothes off and ravage her because the night might be their last. Well done Arya, there’s a time for subtlety and a time for simply laying your cards on the table. Besides, “I’m not the red woman, take your own bloody pants off” is probably one of the best chat-up lines in this show’s long and varied history.

Additional Notes

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bait .... Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright). Photograph: Home Box Office (HBO)

To be fair to Dany, incredulously stating: “a secret in the world that no one knew except your brother and your best friend,” is exactly how I would respond to Jon’s revelations.

I almost cheered when Jorah uttered his first ‘Khaleesi’. This far in it’s so often the little things that count.

That said, I’m going to start a drinking competition for every time someone mentions Valyrian steel.

The smile on Brienne’s face after Jaime knighted her was worth an award all of its own.

I’m a big fan of Pod having a great voice. He’s a man of many hidden talents (and also good facial expressions – I loved his sad look when Brienne denied she’d wanted to be a knight).

I also liked Tyrion’s refusal to play down his intelligence. Although, ‘I’m so intelligent that occasionally I underestimate people’ is an interesting line of defence.

Dany knows when to use ‘who’ and when to use ‘whom’ – the spirit of Stannis Baratheon is surely nodding in approval from whichever fiery hell he now resides in.

In an episode filled with great lines, including Tyrion’s about wishing Tywin were around to “see both his sons defending Winterfell”, and Dolorous Edd’s succinct summing up of the link between Sam’s success and the imminent end of the world, the best was probably the Hound’s despairing, “Oh for fuck’s sake, I might as well be at a bloody wedding” when Beric rocked up. (An honourable mention to Arya for noting: “I’m not spending my final hours with you two miserable shits”, which – let’s face it – we’ve all dreamt of saying at some point.)

Nudity Count

Only one bit of nudity this week as Arya and Gendry got down to business in a scene that managed to be both direct and tender.

Violence Count

No violence as we’re building up to the slaughter of both the innocents and loads of people we’re emotionally invested in next week. No random Brits or anyone else either: the end is approaching people and we don’t have time for new characters now.

So what did you think? Was it a well-paced episode, or do they just need to get on with it? If Jon survives the battle with the Night King will he manage to also escape the coming conflagration with Dany? And should Arya start patenting her successful pulling method right now? As ever all speculation and no spoilers are welcome below…