After the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shocked viewers with the revelation that Ser Duncan the Tall's (Peter Claffey) precocious squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) had been hiding his true identity — Aegon Targaryen — Episode 4 wastes no time launching the story into more dangerous waters. Dunk assaulted the blood of the dragon, and while it may have been for the noble cause of defending the innocent puppeteer Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford), that won't get the hedge knight off the hook with the vindictive Targaryen prince Aerion "Brightflame" (Finn Bennett).
Add in the return of another Targaryen prince who's willing to throw Dunk under the bus to save face, and it's a recipe for disaster. By the episode's end, Dunk finds himself faced with an infuriating betrayal and surprising acts of solidarity from other knights as he prepares to enter an archaic form of trial by combat called a trial of seven.
FULL SPOILERS below for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 Episode 5, "Seven."
Enter Aegon Targaryen
We've officially passed the halfway point for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it could not be clearer that the story is moving into darker territory. Gone are the bright colors and sunlit afternoons of Ashford Meadow; "Seven" opens with Dunk in a dank dungeon cell in Lord Ashford's castle, while rain pours down outside and somber music plays in the background. He's still reeling from the revelation of Egg's true identity, and the fact that he's just assaulted a Targaryen prince and likely to suffer dire consequences for it.
I'm glad that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms didn't let us sit too long without getting Dunk and Egg back in the room together to hash out the big identity reveal. Dunk is obviously none too happy about Egg lying, and lays into his squire to let him know just how disappointed he is. Egg admits that he wasn't trying to deceive Dunk just for the sake of it, but because he actually did want to be a squire for a knight, since his own older brother Daeron who he was supposed to squire for is a drunkard. We see Daeron later in the episode; he was the drunken man who threatened Dunk in the inn at the very beginning of the series.
The acting from both Claffey and Ansell is excellent in this scene; Egg's remorse feels so genuine. He may have lied, but you can tell he really values Dunk's opinion of him, and is heartbroken over how much he hurt his knight. But they have bigger problems: Egg's uncle Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) wants to see Dunk, to discuss what's to be done with him after his assault of Aerion.
Who good a knight are you?
Dunk's discussions with Baelor is a highlight of the episode, which I guess just drives home a running theme that any time Bertie Carvel is on screen as Baelor, it's going to be a standout scene. I really like how Dunk immediately backs Egg in this scene after being so hard on him in the previous one; they may be at odds behind closed doors, but Egg is still Dunk's squire and he's got the boy's back.
So much of this Baelor conversation is word for word from "The Hedge Knight," but the emotion, performances, camera work, set and staging really elevate it over its book counterpart. I especially got chills when Dunk asks "Don't all knights make the same oath? To protect the innocent?" We're getting into the meat of this story: hedge knight or noble, if you aren't willing to stand behind your knightly vows you are no true knight. And Dunk, poor and barely experienced in knighthood, is as true as they come.
There are a few important pieces of information in the conversation. The first is that Daeron Targaryen has returned to Ashford, and claims that a large "robber knight" kidnapped Egg. Obviously, we know that's not true; Daeron was so drunk he didn't even notice that Egg skipped out on him. But Daeron's lie worsen's Dunk's position and gives more weight to Aerion's demand for the hedge knight's head. But since Dunk is a knight, he can demand trial by combat, as is the right of any knight.
What the f**k is a trial of seven?
From that conversation with Baelor and Dunk, we flip to another conversation in a room, this time with a much larger cast of Lord Ashford (Paul Hunter), Leo Tyrell (Seve Wall), Baelor Targaryen, Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell), Aerion and Dunk. Really, this episode is a lot of conversations in rooms right to the end, but that feels right for where we're at in the story. This is the moment for us to catch our breath, while simultaneously staving off dread as the full extent of Dunk's situation becomes clear.
Aerion tries to reject Dunk's demand for a trial by combat, but is overruled by Prince Baelor, since that is not within the power of even the crown. Instead, Aerion invokes a rarely used tradition called a trial of seven, where seven knights fight for each side to determine a person's innocence. There's some great banter back and forth between Aerion and Maekar, as the vindictive prince's father accuses him of being afraid to face Dunk in single combat and gets annoyed when Aerion tries to play it off like he's minding Daeron's honor as well. It's a nice touch on how Maekar views his station from a very practical sense and doesn't even know what this archaic tradition is, while Aerion, who is acutely aware of House Targaryen's decline, relies on obscure history for yet another power play. And Baelor, as the prince of the realm with a mind for the legacy of his house, knows it well enough to explain the nuances.
Just as Aerion cannot dismiss Dunk's demand for a trial by combat, no one can dismiss Aerion's claim for a trial of seven. Dunk knowns no one that will stand with him. If he can't find six other champions to fight by his side, he'll be found guilty by default.
The word of House Fossoway
As Dunk wanders numbly out of the castle to muse about his sorry lot with his horses, Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) finds him and invites him in from the rain for some food. Raymun comes in like a breath of fresh air after how tense the past few scenes have been, trying to cheer up Dunk while not mincing words about the liklihood of his death if he tries to flee or take part in the trial.
But here we get a surprise: Raymun's cousin Steffon (Edward Ashley) volunteers to fight for Dunk, and says he can bring his friends Lyonel Baratheon and Damon Lannister to their side as well. Dunk is moved, and then moved even more so when Egg comes into the tent, determined to squire for him. I won't lie, I got some feels at Peter Claffey's response to seeing the young squire come into the tent; Dunk's truest friend and staunchest ally, regardless of the past lies between them.
Egg brought someone else with him though, who Dunk is much less happy to see: Daeron (Henry Ashton). This is when both the viewers and Dunk realize that Daeron was the man at the inn who threatened him. Dunk nearly kills Daeron, but Egg begs for his life. Daeron isn't bad, just an unreliable drunk. He doesn't want to fight in the trial of seven any more than Dunk does, and promises to fall over and not take part as soon as anyone deals him even a glancing blow. He also fills Dunk in on the rest of team Aerion: in addition to the Brightflame, Prince Maekar, Daeron, and three Kingsguard knights will fight, leaving one spot yet to be filled.
Daeron also asks for a word with Dunk in private, which gives us a really great scene between Ashton and Claffey where Daeron relays a prophetic dream he had about a mighty dragon falling on top of Dunk — and that the dragon is dead, while Dunk lives. He doesn't know whether Dunk kills the dragon himself, but the dream is enough that Daeron wants to avoid risking himself at all costs.
Daeron's bitter yet funny apology to Dunk is a brief moment that stands out in my mind from this scene. Daeron may only have appeared in a few scenes in the season so far, but he's already leaving an outsize mark on the show. He feels like he would fit right in with the best messy characters of Game of Thrones, like Tyrion Lannister, and that's some of the highest praise I can give.
Oak and iron, guard me well, or else I'm dead, and doomed to hell
Following his conversation with Daeron, Dunk once more decides to wander around in the rain as he ponders what to do next. His thoughts turn to Tanselle's puppet show where she told the story of Florian the Fool, and he heads toward the puppet tent. The whole troup is gone, leaving the tent in the same state of disarray that Aerion's guards inflicted on it in the previous episode.
As Dunk stands amidst the wreckage, Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour) pokes his head in to tell Dunk that Tanselle left his shield at the blacksmith's cart. Just like the conversation between Dunk and Baelor, so much of the Steely Pate conversation is ripped straight from Martin's text. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a short story with a large cast, and so it has to make the most out of scenes that highlight characters like Daeron or Pate, because they're some of the only scenes those characters get. It does a great job here, building Pate up as a gruff, likable smith who wants to help Dunk after witnessing the young knight's valor in defending the puppeteers.
Tanselle and her family left for Dorne, which is also in keeping with the book. Alas, the chances are very good we won't see Tanselle Too-Tall again this season, or possibly ever again in the series. But the shield she painted and left for Dunk is gorgeous, depicting the elm tree, shooting star and sunset just as Dunk described. This is one of the most important props the show had to get right, and it totally nailed it, right down to the little improvements Pate made to strengthen the shield. I also loved the inclusion of the shield rhyme, which Dunk uses to steel his resolve as he heads out to the tourney ground to watch the workers set up for the trial of seven that will commence at dawn.
The betrayal of Steffon Fossoway
We cut immediately to dawn, in a way that's almost jarring. Dunk heads out to the field, and to his surprise, a bunch of knights are there ready to fight for him: Ser Humfrey Hardyng (Ross Anderson), who is strapped to his horse on account of his broken leg from jousting Aerion; the one-eyed zealot Ser Robyn Rhysling (William Houston); Humfrey Beesbury (Danny Collins); and Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings). I wish we had a little more time to get to know some of these knights; Humfrey Beesbury doesn't even get a line of introduction to explain why he's there.
Lyonel gives us our first clue something is amiss. When Dunk assumes he's there because of Ser Steffon Fossoway, Lyonel has no idea who he's talking about. He came because Egg asked him to, as did all the other knights. Steffon was lying about being friends with Lyonel, clearly...just as he lied about standing at Dunk's side.
When Steffon comes out to the field, he reveals that he'll fight for Aerion, because the prince promised him a lordship. This causes a schism between him and his cousin/squire Raymun, who shoves Steffon away and promises to fight for Dunk in his place. Lyonel knights Ser Steffon, as Dunk and Aerion are summoned out to the tourney grounds for the start of the trial. The overlay of Lyonel knighting Raymun as Dunk rides toward his fate was a great choice that gave me all sorts of emotions.
I also need to shout out the armor of the various knights. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is doing an even better job than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon at capturing the pageantry of this world, and the costuming reflects that so well with little flourishes that are unique to each house and knight. Even the smallfolk have great costuming!
Dunk is one knight short, much to Aerion's delight. Unless Dunk can find a seventh, he is automatically deemed guilty. So, idealistic as he is, he decides to appeal to the better nature of all the spectators and delivers a powerful speech asking for someone to join him. It's Peter Claffey's best scene of the season by far, and an iconic part of the story. If you don't get chills when he shouts "Are there no true knights among you," you have no soul. I also thought it was a nice touch how the camera lingers on Maekar and Egg when Dunk speaks of how peoples' sons will follow in the examples they set for them that day.
It seems like one burly, bearded guy is going to fight for Dunk, but the show loves a good musical fakeout. Instead he farts, and the crowd laughs, much to the disappointment of those few who were swept away in Dunk's speech.
But this time, the fakeout is the ruse, rather than the other way around. The gates of the tourney ground open, and a man in Targaryen armor rides out to fight at Dunk's side: it's Baelor Targaryen himself. Maekar asks him what he thinks he's doing, and Baelor declares that he'll fight for Dunk since he was only defending the innocent, as all true knights must. For the first time of the series, we get the actual Game of Thrones theme song in all its glory as Baelor joins Dunk's team. It's a fist pump moment if ever there was one in this show, and a spectacular note to leave the episode on.
Verdict
"Seven" has the difficult task of being a bridge episode between the two highest points of the season: Egg's identity reveal in Episode 3, and the trial of seven in Episode 5. Despite that, this is a highly compelling watch that makes the wise choice to slow things down and spend plenty of time navigating the many twists and turns that lead Dunk to the tourney ground for the trial. With excellent writing and performances, the show manages to deftly juggle all its characters and plot beats, seamlessly introducing the likes of Daeron while laying the groundwork for Steffon's betrayal and Baelor's last-minute ride to the rescue. It's exactly what I wanted out of this episode to get us hyped for the trial of seven.