Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Questions Answered

This Game of Thrones article contains spoilers. It comes from Den of Geek UK. 

If your memory of previous seasons is at all foggy, we’ve assembled the below to help answer any questions you may have following Game of Thrones season eight episode two, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.“

Remind me about Jaime Lannister “the Kingslayer.”

The Lannisters were originally allies of the Targaryens, Tywin serving as Hand of the Mad King Aerys and his son Jaime serving on Aerys’ Kingsguard. When Robert Baratheon’s rebellion against Aerys looked likely to succeed, Tywin swapped allegiances and, pretending to be riding to Aerys’ defense, sacked King’s Landing in Robert’s name. Because Jaime Lannister stabbed and killed King Aerys during the sacking, it was always assumed that he and his father had colluded in the deception.

Not so. As Jaime related to Brienne at number 49 in this list, he wasn’t aware that his father had defected and stabbed the cruel and murderous Aerys because he was about to use wildfire to kill every last man, woman, and child in the city. Jaime killed his king to protect the people. When Ned Stark entered the Red Keep and saw Jaime sitting on the Iron Throne after the murder, Jaime wasn’t trying on the seat for size as a usurper, but an exhausted soldier contemplating his treasonous yet ultimately honorable act, one that destroyed his reputation in the Seven Kingdoms.

read more: 24 Game of Thrones Book Characters Not in the Show

How did Jaime lose his right hand?

In season three, when Brienne was taking Catelyn Stark’s prisoner Jaime to King’s Landing to exchange for the safe return of Sansa and Arya Stark, the pair were captured by House Bolton’s Locke. When Locke and his men prepare to gang-rape Brienne, Jaime convinces them that her father will pay a higher ransom if she is returned to him unharmed and unviolated. Jaime pushes his luck too far when he tries to convince Locke to free him for Lannister gold, so to teach him a lesson, Locke cuts off the noted swordsman’s right hand.

What is Jaime and Tyrion’s history as brothers?

Unlike Tywin and Cersei, who always hated Tyrion after the children’s mother died giving birth to him, Jaime loves his younger brother. When Tyrion was found guilty of Joffrey’s murder and sentenced to death, Jaime colluded with Varys to help Tyrion escape King’s Landing and travel to Essos.

read more: Ranking the Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Reunions

What sword does Ser Jaime use to knight Ser Brienne?

That’s Widow’s Wail, formerly the sword of Jaime and Cersei’s son, Joffrey. It is one of two Valyrian Steel blades made from Ned Stark’s melted down greatsword Ice following his execution. The other is Oathkeeper, originally given to Jaime by his father, but later presented by Jaime to Brienne to enable her to keep her oath to Lady Catelyn Stark and rescue Sansa Stark.

What other mistakes did Tyrion make as Dany’s advisor?

In Meereen, back in Dany’s slave-freeing, city-conquering days, Tyrion attempted to use peaceful negotiation to carry out Dany’s goal of ending slavery. He agreed to a deal that would give the slave masters a seven-year-period to bring an end to the trade. The slave masters, however, betrayed the deal and attacked Meereen, laying siege to the city and destroying Dany’s fleet of ships.

Remind me how Podrick came into all this.

“He’s come a long way,” says Jaime to Brienne in this episode, and he’s not wrong. Podrick Payne was initially sent to serve as Tyrion’s squire as a punishment by Tywin Lannister. The pair’s loyalty developed after Pod stopped an attempt on Tyrion’s life by his sister Cersei during the Battle of Blackwater.

After Pod later refused Cersei’s bribe to testify against Tyrion during his trial for Joffrey’s murder, his life was in danger so Tyrion sent him away to act as Brienne of Tarth’s squire in her quest to rescue Sansa Stark. Brienne taught Pod to fight and the pair haven’t separated since.

What is Ser Jorah and Dany’s history?  

Complicated. Ser Jorah Mormont was exiled from Westeros for slave trading and joined Dany’s Essos entourage initially to act as a spy for Robert Baratheon, who wanted Dany and any heir she may produce dead because of her claim to the Iron Throne — all in exchange for a pardon. Ser Jorah fell in love with Dany, and when he was discovered to have betrayed her, she exiled him too.

After a long journey in which he met Tyrion, contracted greyscale, and was captured by slave traders, Ser Jorah re-entered Dany’s life as a slave in Meereen’s fighting pits. She pardoned him, then sent him on a mission to cure his disease, which – with Samwell Tarly’s help – he did, and returned to serve Dany.

read more – The Real History of Game of Thrones: Tyrion Lannister

Who was the first man in Dany’s life who was true to his word?

“Someone taller” than Jon Snow (only the latest in a series of cracks about the Warden of the North’s height), by which she surely means her first husband Khal Drogo, played by Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa. Between her despicable brother, Ser Jorah, and every enemy that’s ever underestimated her, Dany’s life hasn’t been filled with the most honorable of men. Jon Snow must be something of a novelty.

What’s the story behind Podrick’s song?

Singing mournful songs the night before battle is a fantasy classic. This song comes from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, specifically A Storm of Swords, where it’s heard by Arya when she’s with the Brotherhood Without Banners. At High Heart, the Brotherhood visits an old mystic in the Riverlands who tells them of her prophetic dreams in exchange for hearing “Jenny’s Song.” 

Florence and the Machine performed the version that played over the episode’s end credits.

When did Sam kill the first White Walker?

In season three, episode eight, when the Night King’s emissary came to collect Gilly’s baby (her incestuous rapist father Craster had some kind of arrangement with the White Walkers that they could have all of his male children to turn into more White Walkers, in exchange for being left alone). To protect little Sam and Gilly, Sam attacked the White Walker with a dragonglass blade dug up from the horde under the Fist of the First Men, and lo and behold, it exploded, thus setting in motion season eight’s entire Dragonglass-based battle plan.

read more – Game of Thrones Season 8: Who Lives and Who Dies?

Who are Missandei’s and Grey Worm’s respective “people?”

Missandei hails from the island of Naath, whose people were captured by invading slavers. She, like Grey Worm, who hails from the Summer Islands, was enslaved as a child.

When did Tormund’s infatuation with Brienne begin?

The moment he laid eyes on her in season six at Castle Black, when she and Podrick escorted Sansa Stark there to reunite with Jon Snow. It was unrequited love at first sight.

When did the Night King leave his mark on Bran?

During Bran’s training to become the next Three-Eyed Raven in season six’s “The Door,” he hooked himself up to the vision system without his master’s permission, and had a vision of the Night King and White Walker army during which he was seen by the Night King (usually that doesn’t happen in visions), who touched his arm before he could get away. That touch allowed the Night King to track Bran to Weirwood tree under which he was in training, and to defeat the magic that formerly protected the location and kill the previous Three-Eyed Raven. Now, it allows the Night King to track Bran wherever he goes. 

read more: The History of the Night King

What’s the situation between Lady Lyanna Mormont and Ser Jorah?

They’re cousins (her mother Maege was the sister to his father Jeor, former Commander of the Night’s Watch), both of House Mormont, the rulers of Bear Island. After Ser Jorah was exiled from Westeros, he was a major source of family shame, so it’s significant that his young cousin wishes him good fortune in the battle ahead in this episode, representing a kind of pardon from House Mormont for his past wrongs. Yup, he’s almost certainly a goner.

read more: Game of Thrones Changes That Improved on the Book

Remind me how Samwell and Ser Jorah’s dad knew each other?

From when Ser Jeor was the Commander of the Night’s Watch and Sam, Jon, Edd, Pyp, and Grenn were all new recruits in seasons one and two.  

How do the Targaryens feel about incest?

Pretty good, all told. Targaryen brothers and sisters marrying was pretty much a family tradition to keep their magical dragon-controlling bloodline “pure.” It did mean most of them eventually went mad though, an obvious example being King Aerys (his three children Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys were all the product of his incestuous marriage to his sister Rhaella). This whole “I’m your aunt” thing shouldn’t technically put Dany off. Jon, though, is another matter.

Where is Melisandre and what has she been doing all this time?

Excellent question! Perhaps we should look to her coming at first light on the fifth day?

Game Of Thrones season 8 continues on HBO on April 28.