Jaime and Tyrion wax poetic about days long past. “You were a golden lion, and I was a drunken whoremonger,” reminsces Tyrion. Jon, Edd, and Sam, the last remaining members of the Night’s Watch, marvel at the sequence of harrowing events that have brought them together once again; and Edd, in all sincerity and perhaps for the final time, invokes the famed words of their brotherhood: “And now our watch begins.” Theon, who began his redemption arc by helping Sansa escape the Dreadfort in Season 5, finally returns to Winterfell to pledge his sword as well. And Ser Davos Seaworth, along with Gilly, bond with a stubborn little girl that bears more than a passing resemblance to Shireen.

The biggest moment of the episode, however, and the moment that “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” derives its title from, belongs to Brienne of Tarth. The scene itself begins in drunken revelry with Tyrion, Jaime, Brienne, Podrick, Davos, and Tormund gathered around the hearth. Tormund humorously reveals the origin of his “Giantsbane” moniker, while Tyrion pours the drinks. Then, a slip of the tongue where Brienne is accidentally called “Ser” begins a lengthy treatise on tradition and how women can’t be knights. “Fuck tradition,” grumbles Tormund. And the group agrees: if a woman can sit on the Iron Throne, then a woman can certainly be knighted. Then Jaime, in his armored swagger, unsheathes his blade, Oathkeeper. “Any knight can make another knight.” The scene’s joke-laden air suddenly turns wistfully solemn as Brienne kneels before Jaime to be properly knighted. Gwendolyn Christie, who has always been a revelation on Game of Thrones, embodies the spirit Brienne so perfectly I must imagine that George R. R. Martin must have been ecstatic with her casting. With tears in her eyes, the scene is a 100%-earned callback to Brienne’s honor, sense of duty, and dedication to justice throughout her seven seasons. It’s one of the most memorable moments of not just the season, but the entire show, and one of the few showstoppers that doubles as a joyous occasion.

The episode’s other well-earned moment goes to Arya Stark, who has sex with Gendry. Uncomfortable as the scene is (“[Arya’s] pretty young, we try not to sexualize her.”), it’s a development that means something. Game of Thrones has long been criticized for its “sexploitation,” or sex scenes manufactured purely for titillation and not much else, but Arya’s night with Gendry is the culmination of her journey, a journey that saw her thrust from child to adulthood (or “assassin-hood”) without much room in between - it only makes sense that she would want this experience on the potential eve of her last day alive. The scene makes it clear that there’s no love connection or an abundance of emotion; David Nutter’s camerawork lingers on Arya’s scars, a reminder of her painful and harrowing quest, and the workmanlike nature of the scene conveys its meaning perfectly. Maisie Williams, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, says, “It was really interesting because it’s a very human relationship for Arya. This is something she’s stayed away from, an emotion we’ve never really seen her engage with. So it was that moment where she says, ‘We’re probably going to die tomorrow, I want to know what this feels like before that happens.’ It’s interesting to see Arya be a bit more human, speak more normally about things people are scared of.”

While “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is mostly a character piece, it doesn’t mean that there’s no development on the plot-side of things. The Night King gets the closest thing to a motivation; when Sam asks Bran what the leader of the army of the dead wants, he replies: “An endless night. He wants to erase this world, and I am its memory.” As our heroes gather around the table, they formulate a plan. Bran, as the Three-Eyed Raven, will act as bait in the Godswood while Theon and his men protect him - and when the Night King comes for Bran, they will kill him and turn his army to dust. Between Jon, Tyrion, and plenty of other master strategists in the room, it’s a pretty awful gameplan, and one that has almost zero chance of succeeding next week. And while Daenerys is still committed to the upcoming battle with her dragons and armies, her singular obsession with the Iron Throne is pushing her closer and closer to antagonist territory. Sansa makes a strong case for an independent North after the Iron Throne is wrested from Cersei, but Daenerys bristles at the idea, turning a potentially warm moment between the two ice-cold. And Jon, who couldn’t possibly wait until after the battle with the dead, tells Daenerys of his secret lineage to her shock. Her one reply? “If that were true, it would make you the last male heir of House Targaryen. You have a claim to the Iron Throne.” It isn’t really Daenerys’ fault, as all she’s ever known is her quest to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms; everything she’s ever done, from marrying Drogo to freeing the slaves of Slaver’s Bay to her alliance with Jon Snow, it’s all been in service of restoring Targaryen rule. I’m not as convinced as others that we’re seeing shades of a “Mad Queen,” but having Daenerys be at odds with her shaky Westerosi alliance is far from the worst thing the show has done - in fact, I’m counting on it to be the one fascinating wrinkle in a final season dedicated to a traditional good vs. evil showdown.

Even with all of its epic moments, Game of Thrones is at its best with its politicking and palace intrigue, but “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” focuses on an element not often seen on this show that is full of death and violence: the human element. While the first two episodes of Season 8 may be quieter affairs, they’re the furthest thing from filler; after 595 days away from the world of Game of Thrones, these two contemplative entries have become critical in raising the stakes and setting up the fight to come. The battle for Winterfell is next week, and whatever the outcome is, it will be better because of “Winterfell” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

GRADE: A-