The fifth episode of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, “In the Name of the Mother," draws its title from a line in the classic knighting vow that recites: “In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the young and innocent.” And isn’t that the core of the whole story?
How does Episode 1x05, the season’s penultimate, compare to “The Hedge Knight” by George R.R. Martin, the novella the show is based on? Well, it shakes things up a bit. While the Trial of Seven is adapted most faithfully, this episode writes a backstory for Dunk that the novella barely hinted at, and adds some twists.
The story is about to come full circle, as proven by how many parallels and callbacks this installment draws to previous episodes.
After declaring for Ser Duncan at the end of season 1 Episode 4, Prince Baelor acts as the self-appointed general of the team, imparting orders and setting a strategy, which in the book also involves using tourney lances for their longer reach. On the show, Lyonel Baratheon makes a jape about Baelor being his mother’s favorite and how neglected children fight more fiercely… this line will hit so hard at the end of the episode.
Before the fight begins, we see Raymun and Dunk vomiting in anxiety. What we don’t see (yet… have patience for next week) is Raymun’s new green apple sigil so he can distinguish himself from his traitorous cousin Ser Steffon. A lovely show addition was the bit of Dunk threatening Egg to hunt him down with dogs, to which Egg goes “woof!” in a callback to Episode 2. When the horn blows and the charge starts, Dunk is paralyzed; after a few seconds of stillness, Egg shouts to spur Thunder and the training from Episode 3 kicks in.
The rendition of the trial is masterful. We live most of it from Dunk’s helm, hear his breath, see from the slit in his visor. We are oblivious to almost everything that’s happening outside of Dunk’s immediate surroundings, just like we are when reading the novella. This was such a genius idea.
Episode 5 invents a different backstory for Dunk
Then Dunk hits his head, faints, and we go to the past. Or rather, to show-original land. We’re at the Redgrass Field, hours after the battle has concluded. This is the place where the Blackfyre rebellion was eradicated thanks to Prince Baelor and Prince Maekar, the Hammer and the Anvil (and Bloodraven, but we’re not ready for that conversation yet). With King’s Landing visible in the distance, we meet teenage Dunk in the aftermath of the battle; he’s robbing corpses, stealing as the only way he knows how to survive. We see him attempt to make his first kill, smothering a dying man, the opposite of chivalrous. As an aside, I swear I had to rewatch the scene five times, only one question in my mind: “Is that Rupert Grint?” The answer is no, but please tell me I wasn’t the only one thinking it.
When non-Rupert dies on his own, Dunk’s friend Rafe asks him if he knows any prayers to say farewell to the dead, and Dunk doesn’t, “I don’t know any words.” It’s almost ironic that he hasn’t learned them, all these years later, because the first sentence we heard come out of Dunk’s mouth in Episode 1 was “I don’t know the words, ought to be a Septon here,” when Ser Arlan died.
The show has taken some liberties with the timeline here, aging Dunk up by a decade or so. We know from the books that the Battle of the Redgrass Field occurs in 196 AC and Dunk was born around 193. Dunk also says in the novellas that he doesn’t remember much of his life before Ser Arlan took him as his squire; he must have been four or five at most when that happened. On the show, when he meets Ser Arlan, Dunk appears to be on the cusp of his teenage years, probably 12 or 13, if the actor’s age is any indicator. (Kudos to Bamber Todd for portraying young Dunk so earnestly!)
Episode 5 shows us Dunk’s life before becoming squire to a hedge knight. He had a makeshift family, a makeshift house, ways to make a living. We see the desolation of Flea Bottom, packed to bursting with the wounded, the destitute, beggars, and orphans like Dunk and his friend Rafe, who do what they must to survive, and have dreams and hopes. They’re stealing to sell so they can buy passage to Essos and the Free Cities, where they imagine a better life and adventure await. Rafe is more optimistic than Dunk, who would rather stay in King’s Landing, clinging to the pitiful hope that his mother will one day come looking for him.
In the novellas, Dunk mentions a fellow orphan in Flea Bottom named Rafe, and they were widely assumed to be a boy. The show makes Rafe a girl and a troublemaker at that. Blunt and reckless, Rafe provokes a corrupt Goldcloak in the slums and he murders her in a horrendous way — I do wish the show hadn’t invented a female character just so we could watch her die horribly, but such was the fate of unapologetic women of low birth and no consequence.
Before the Goldcloaks can strike the killing blow on Dunk as well, Ser Arlan appears in his unkept glory (or lack thereof), a deus ex machina all the same, ready to defend the young and innocent, shouting “in the name of the Mother!” and bringing justice to the world by killing the despicable Goldcloaks and then proceeding to walk away with not so much as a word to the boy he just saved, not asking for anything in return.
After what seems like days spent in mourning of a friend he loved and recovery from physical injury, Dunk encounters Ser Arlan again and starts following him outside the city, perhaps in awe, perhaps in silent gratitude, perhaps in need of a chance, of someone new to call family. Somehow, it reminded me of Egg following Dunk to Ashford and desperately wanting to be his squire. The Arlan sequence was oddly comedic despite the tragedy and pain, and deliciously slow-paced in contrast with the blur of the Trial of Seven to which we must return.
Back to the future/present and the Trial of Seven
The past sequence showed the audience that Dunk has known tragedy and desperation, he comes from street brawls and is no stranger to fighting for his life. He may not be a true knight and he was not trained by the finest master at arms, but he learned violence in the alleys of Flea Bottom, he knows how to throw a punch and he’s not below biting an opponent’s ear off to save his own life. His past life, paired with his size and considerable strength, make it not so hard to believe that he could best a prince of the realm in a fight.
Still, there are highs and lows, and the audience has to watch Dunk suffer all kinds of injuries before he can prevail. His pain is palpable in every movement, he looks half a dead man the entire fight.
When all seems lost, Eggs is the only one keeping faith. His repeated “get up, get up, Ser!” reminds Dunk of Ser Arlan, and when past meets present, Dunk finds the strength to carry on. Finally, the people cheer for Dunk, echoing and chanting “up! up! up!”.
That “get up” is a plea that has not seen its end. After the trial, when Prince Baelor has his helm removed, and part of his brain with it, Dunk can’t find any other words besides that desperate mantra asking the Prince to rise. But the plea has used up its wishes and is invoked to no avail, this time.
Imperfect symmetry. Flawless. Episode rating: A.
Bonus points for Rowan cheering when Dunk hits Aerion.