I think the first two episodes of this final season of Game of Thrones – especially this one – are a good litmus test for why someone is watching the show in the first place.  “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” has proved to be pretty divisive both among fans and critics, which doesn’t surprise me in the least because I know from experience that divide exists.  But to be honest, this is why I watch the series.  So count me among those who found this week’s episode especially to be a surprisingly powerful experience.

You can also count me surprised, because I certainly wasn’t expecting an entire episode devoted to the night before oblivion.  Not after that last week’s premiere, which was all about reunions and recriminations.  That was no surprise because GoT has almost always gone that route with season premieres, but not one-third of the season’s episodes (though not its length) have been spent on the human side of the story.  I’ve always felt this was the strength of Game of Thrones, both in book and TV form, but I’m gratified to see Benioff and Weiss put so much faith in that side of the story – and in their audience.  It hasn’t been met with universal praise by any means, but let’s be honest – is anybody who’s been along for the ride really going to check out in a fit of pique now?

As I did last week, I think I’ll run down what struck me as the standout moments of the episode (and there were a lot of them):

• Brienne standing up for Jaime at his “trial“.  That was totally in-character, but still a very powerful moment.  I think it also reflected Dany’s helplessness that the bonds shared between others can effectively render her powerless, despite her much-repeated declaration that she’s the rightful queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Gendry telling Arya the white walkers were “very bad”.  Every scene between those two was an obvious flirtation (with an obvious outcome) but that was a very funny moment.  And in truth, I’m certainly in Arya’s camp here – she has to figure her odds of seeing two more sunrises are slim, so this is the time to live whatever time she has to the fullest.
• Gendry’s admission of his true parentage to Arya wasn’t the main such event this week, but it’s not trivial either.  If you believe the Baratheon line is the legitimate rulers (I don’t), and the fan theories that Cersei is his real mother (I don’t) then Gendry has a serious claim on the throne.  But even if I believed those two things (I don’t) I think the correct answer is going to be “none”.  The wheel will be broken, one way or the other.
• Jorah pleading with Daenerys to forgive Tyrion despite the fact that he dreamt of being Hand himself was a nice moment for him.  Jorah is smart enough to know he’s not the right sort of intellect for that job – not in the battle against the dead, and even less if humanity and its politics should survive it.
• Jaime has proved to have perhaps the most interesting and complex arc of any of the main cast (and I never would have guessed I’d say that a few seasons ago).  He was clinging to his old pride during his trial, but being alone with Bran left him no such camouflage to hide behind.  it was all that was terrible about Jaime laid bare right in front of him.  A fascinating moment from his perspective, but it would have been so much more fascinating if the TV series had – like Martin – left a shred of Bran inside the Three-Eyed Raven.
• Daenerys’ attempt to bond with Sansa was rather sad, but what’s really sad about it is that they actually do have enough common ground to where they might just be able to come to some sort of mutual understanding.  But Dany is so determined to set herself above everyone else – and remind them of it – that such understanding is rendered impossible.
• Sansa and Theon  – that was a beautiful moment.  To see Theon able to carry himself with dignity after what the narrative has put him through feels like a reward.  I suppose some probably ship Theon and Sansa (hey – in this universe that clearly isn’t a deal-breaker), but I don’t think that’s what their relationship is about.  Also notable – this is yet another stark (pun intended) reminder to Dany of how powerless she is against the bonds others have formed, and which exclude her.
• “Is the big woman still here?”
• Bran volunteering to be bait for the Night King was something I probably should have seen coming, but it caught me by surprise.  Theon being the one to stand guard over him – that’s a nicely poetic piece of closure.
• Incidentally, what with all the vulnerable (and Tyrion) being sent to the crypts, did anyone stop to consider that the crypts are full of, you know – dead people?  And who exactly is approaching Winterfell?  I wonder if we might have one more look at Ned Stark before this series is over…
• I would have liked to have stayed with that Tyrion and Bran conversation a little longer.  I think the inclusion of that scene is possible foreshadowing that Bran won’t survive the coming battle, but Tyrion will.
• “Just us three” – one of the absolute standout moments of the  episode.  How fitting that one last time, the Night’s Watch stares out over the battlements, looking for the dead.
• Tormund never fails to amuse, but that story about giant’s milk – wow.  That entire sequence by the fire was full of incredible moments, but that was a standout.
• I suppose this is as close as we get to a reconciliation between Arya and The Hound, but I guess we can say he’s off her list officially.  And actually, I suspect she’s ripped up that list at this point anyway.
• Without a question, Jaime knighting Brienne was the emotional highlight of the episode.  Brienne is an island of pure honor and integrity in this cast – not the most complex of characters, but that makes her stand out all the more.  She and Jaime are perfect opposites in many ways, which makes their relationship a really touching one.
• Sam giving Heartsbane to Jorah – an unexpected moment, but a lovely one.  Sam is such a good soul, so unfettered by vanity or ego.  It was also a nice nod to the old Bear, who had a lot to do with getting these people to where they are right now.
• Podrick singing?  Well, OK – somebody had to do it.  That was a nice culmination to that whole fireside chat, which started out as just the two brothers and built from there.  Tyrion’s little injection of optimism – even if it wasn’t genuine – was rather touching, I thought.
• And then we have Jon, of course choosing the worst possible moment to dump the truth on Daenerys.  I think it’s very probable he has no interest whatever in sitting on the Iron Throne, but to Dany I don’t think that matters.  The truth is out there now, and even if Jon chose not to reveal it (or more likely, died) she’d be expecting it to come out at any time.  As I said I think the wheel is going to be broken one way or the other, but for Dany this is still really all about the game of thrones – which is all the more evidence she’s not fit to sit on that throne.

So where do we go from here?  Well, it’s entirely possible that Game of Thrones has to an extent done this final season in reverse.  That is, give us the denouement first, before the dramatic climax.  Given the specifics of the plot that sort of makes sense, but a couple of things seem virtually certain to me – first, the Night King won’t win.  I don’t see humanity getting wiped out.  And second, considering how the human story has been the spine of this series much more than the battle against the dead, at least one full episode and probably two are going to have to be devoted to sorting out the aftermath of the coming battle.  Two for the eve of battle, two for the event, and two for the final reckoning for the survivors?  We’ll see, but that has a nice sort of symmetry to it.