Game of Thrones season 8 episode 2 recap: Is Melisandre coming back?

Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8 ahead.

The dead almost are at Winterfell’s door, and the good people fighting the war to come take a tiny moment to breathe, make merry (as much as is possible at such a somber occasion), and drink bad wine.

In the second episode of the final season, titled ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’, one can feel the palpable threat of death around the corner, which is why it’s peppered with moments of levity that throw back to the good Thrones moments where there were more quips and less CGI dragons.

To sum it up, Dany now knows she slept with her nephew (but what she’s really worried about is how this affects her claim to the Iron Throne); Theon and Sansa have an emotional reunion; Lady Brienne is now a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and has some very confused feelings towards Jaime Lannister; and the war that the show has been building up to, since the pilot episode, is finally here.

Other highlights: Jon’s direwolf has magically reappeared at his side; the Northerners are proving to be racist; Tyrion and friends could have used another cameo by Ed Sheeran in this episode; hearts were broken and virginities were lost. Now that you’re all caught up, here are all the things you may have missed from the latest Game of Thrones episode:

Game of Thrones season 8 episode 2: Theories and predictions

Jaime Lannister = Azor Ahai confirmed?

This episode has several moments that could point to the fact that Jaime is, in fact, the Prince (or Princess) that was Promised: Azor Ahai reborn. According to one of the prophesies in the books, it was said that the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, a legendary hero from the past, will be reincarnated to kill the Night King, thus ending the Long Night.

Many from the cast have been suspected of being Azor Ahai reborn, including Jon Snow, closely followed by Daenerys Targaryen. The first clue that tilted the scale in Jaime’s favour came when the all-seeing, all-knowing Bran greets Jaime by calling him an ‘old friend’. A few references to Jaime being the “King Killer” were also made, possibly to make fans recall Jaime’s checkered past (though he’s grown so much since then), and maybe to hint at another king he may kill soon.

Bran also makes an interesting observation to Jaime that has gotten the ‘Jaime is Azor Ahai’ team excited. When Jaime asks him why he didn’t reveal the fact that he was the one who pushed him out of the window, Bran aka the Three-Eyed Raven says, “You wouldn’t have been able to help us in this fight if I’d let them murder you first.” Has Bran confirmed the Lannister twin’s role in this war? Another reason why fans have been convinced that Jaime is the one who will defeat the Night King is his golden hand. Jaime’s hand was severed while he was trying to protect Brienne (an event that was recapped in this episode) and was replaced by a prosthetic one made out of gold. A slightly wild theory claims that one of the interpretations of the Azor Ahai prophecy states that the Promised Prince will be the ‘Gold Hand’. Coincidence? You can read the full fan theory here and decide.

There’s a new Valyrian steel sword in the mix

We know now that among the few ways to kill the wights, dragonglass and Valyrian steel come up top. Given the ceremony and time the show’s makers have given to the few Valyrian steel weapons currently in circulation, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that all the people with one in their possession have key parts to play in the war to come. Jon has Longclaw, the Valyrian steel sword that saved his life a few seasons ago. Arya, apart from the dragonglass weapon she had custom made for her by Gendry, has a Valyrian steel dagger that previously belonged to the Lannisters. Sam has stolen and bequeathed the Tarly family sword, Heartsbane, to Jorah Mormont. Ned Stark’s ancestral sword Ice was reforged into two once he died: Widow’s Wail, which Jaime has to himself, and Oathkeeper, which he gives to Brienne. How will they choose to wield these weapons? We’ll know soon.

Melisandre may make a comeback at Winterfell

Last we saw of Melisandre was when she was banished by Jon for encouraging the execution of innocent Shireen Baratheon. Before leaving Westeros, she cryptically tells Lord Varys that both of them are destined to die ‘in this strange country’. Since it’s just a few episodes before the show wraps up, logically, that means the MIA Red Woman will be making a reappearance very soon, and episode two contained several clues that could prove that we may not have seen the last of her.

While bringing Arya up to date on what he’s been doing ever since they parted ways, Gendry mentions Melisandre and what she needed from him. Now there are no coincidences in Game of Thrones, so this could be a quick refresh for the audience to cue her arrival. Again, in the scene where Ser Davos is ladling unidentifiable mush to the Winterfell folks, a little girl with face disfigurement reminds him of little Shireen and her death at the hands of the priestess.

Several theories point towards Melisandre’s stay in Volantis being the key to winning the battle against the Night King. We all know that she has been in search for Azor Ahai’s reincarnate (read first point). In the book A Dance With Dragons, Tyrion comes across a massive army called the Fiery Hand, guarding the city of Volantis. The soldiers are all slaves of the Lord of Light, who Melisandre serves. It’s a possibility that she might be rallying the guards of Volantis to come fight against the undead. Ice zombies against fire soldiers? Sounds like a good match.

The clues in the crypts of Winterfell

The eerie, cold, statue-filled crypts of Winterfell may be more meaningful than they seem right now. In episode two, Jon and army plan to hide women and children (and Tyrion) in the crypts to keep them safe while the rest of them fight the wights. On all counts, this seems like a half-baked plan (wouldn’t they be safer further down south?), but the showrunners may have a plan for the crypts, it seems.

A teaser of the final season, titled ‘Crypts of Winterfell’, showed the three remaining Stark children standing in front of their dead family’s statues. Jon, Arya, and Sansa are looking on broodingly at the statues, while voiceovers from Lyanna, Ned, and Catelyn play in the background. The teaser ends with the facing three statues that are made in their likeness. The pre-show teasers have been known to be misleading, but does this carry a clue for the final outcome fo the battle? Are the crypts more important than they seem? They may just be.

In the two additional books written by George R R Martin, it is confirmed that one of the Targaryen dragons laid some eggs in the Winterfell crypts. This might be a far-fetched theory, but it might explain the Night King’s fixation with Winterfell. This also means that Rhaegar’s silver-stringed harp might actually be an important plot point going forward. In the books, Rhaegar was remembered as a skilled harpist, with many people claiming that he could be found playing tunes of lost love on his ‘silver-stringed’ high harp. Fans have theorised that the harp might be hidden in the crypts after Lyanna made Ned promise her that he would do so. Melisandre had told Jon that Azor Ahai will be born again to ‘wake dragons out of stone’. Could Rhaegar’s lost harp be the instrument that will wake the fabled dragons of Winterfell? Or do we need a break from Reddit? Maybe the latter.

What is Podrick’s song foreshadowing?

The song Podrick sings, ‘Jenny’s Song’, is a big Easter egg for anyone who has read the books by George R R Martin. The ditty has been taken from the books, based on a woman named Jenny of Oldstones and her prince Duncan Targaryen. The Targaryen connection is not a coincidence; he is Dany’s great uncle. The song tells the story of how he gave up his throne to marry Jenny, thus earning the wrath of his family. In the “Inside the Episode” segment, creators David Benioff and Dan Weil said that they have added some lyrics to the original song, further referencing to the Targaryen’s ‘Summerhall’ and lost love with the lyrics, “Hight in the Halls of the kings who are gone. Jenny would dance with her ghosts. The ones she had lost and the ones she had found.”

This coincides with the fact that Jon revealed his true parentage to Dany this week, leading her to believe that he would be making a claim to the Iron Throne as the last male heir of the Targaryen clan. If, and it’s a big if, Jon and Dany manage to defeat the Night King, Jon might give up the Iron Throne for his love, once he manages to get over the fact that she is his aunt. But Jenny’s song talks about loss of her beloved Duncan. Does it mean Jon would die to give Dany her throne? Or is the sacrifice implied in the song metaphorical? Guess we’ll have to wait and find out.

Keep on top of all that’s happening on Game of Thrones season 8 here

Also read:

Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1: Reunions, romance and rebellion

Game of Thrones season 8 episode 2: Are Sansa and Theon in love?

Maisie Williams on Game of Thrones season 8: “It’s a big old catfight