A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Game of Thrones)

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.Season 8
Episode 2
Directed byDavid Nutter
Written byBryan Cogman
Featured musicRamin Djawadi
Cinematography byDavid Franco
Editing byCrispin Green
Original air dateApril 21, 2019 (2019-04-21)
Running time57 minutes[1]
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Winterfell" 		Next →
"The Long Night"
Game of Thrones season 8
List of episodes

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"[1] is the second episode of the eighth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 69th overall. It was written by Bryan Cogman, and directed by David Nutter. It aired on April 21, 2019.

The episode takes place entirely in Winterfell and is dedicated to the buildup before the battle between the living and the dead. It has been likened to a bottle episode,[2][3][4] though one reviewer argued it does not meet the definition of the term.[5] "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" received positive reception from critics, with many highlighting the episode's balance of the show's longtime characters and citing it as one of the best episodes of the series.[6][7] Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) submitted the episode to support her Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.[8] Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) later selected the episode to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[9]

The title is a reference to the title bestowed on Brienne of Tarth after Jaime Lannister knights her and to the collection of stories of the same name by George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which Game of Thrones is based.[10]

  1. ^ a b "S8 Ep 2: A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms". HBO. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  2. ^ 'Game of Thrones' Gave Itself a Feel-Good(ish) Bottle Episode. Vice. April 22, 2019.
  3. ^ 'Game Of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 2: 'Think Back To Where We Started'. NPR. April 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Game of Thrones Delivers One of Its All-Time-Best Episodes With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. /Film. April 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "No, Game of Thrones Didn’t Do a Bottle Episode”. Vulture. April 24, 2019.
  6. ^ "'Game of Thrones' Delivers One of Its All-Time-Best Episodes With "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"". /Film. April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Ryan, Maureen (April 24, 2019). "'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Is Game of Thrones' Best Episode Ever". TV Guide. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Beachum, Chris (July 26, 2019). "Gwendoline Christie ('Game of Thrones') 2019 Emmy Awards episode revealed for Best Drama Supporting Actress (Exclusive)". GoldDerby. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  9. ^ Beachum, Chris (August 2, 2019). "2019 Emmy Episode Submissions (Official List) — Part 2". GoldDerby. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  10. ^ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (April 22, 2019). "'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Episode 2 Title Explained: The Secret Meaning of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'". Heavy.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.