Is there an afterwards?
Throughout the second episode of The Game of Thrones’ final season, the ensemble at Winterfell behaves as if its final day is upon them. Characters make plans, all with a nod to the inescapable truth that death is both literally and figuratively marching toward them, rendering the plans themselves perhaps necessary yet foolhardy grasps at something like hope. Many characters have loose ends to resolve, whether in the form of reminiscences, promises, last-chance experiences or grand gestures. Yet, at the end of the episode, perhaps the biggest of loose ends remains.
The title—“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”—lends a hopeful air.