This article contains SPOILERS for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5, "In the Name of the Mother."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms just gave viewers a surprising amount of insight into Dunk’s past, and at an even more surprising moment!
The penultimate episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ first season continued the Game of Thrones tradition of including an epic battle before the finale. In this case, it was the Trial of Seven as Dunk (Peter Claffey) had to defend his honor alongside a small band of allies against chief tormentor Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) and his own group.
What followed was the Westeros version of a WWE WarGames match as the two groups engaged in a brutal clash for survival. Oddly, Dunk was knocked out early on and, while unconscious, experienced flashbacks to his youth and how he began his journey to knighthood.
Speaking in a major piece on the episode to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Ira Parker acknowledged fans may have been thrown by this break in the battle, but it fit the storyline.
“I hate that I've had to do a flashback at this point when everybody just wants the battle, but we had to," Parker said. "But I do think it stands on its own, and I do think it's fun to see Dunk like that. I do think it adds a lot to the story, and it adds to the ending of episode 5 as well … But, yeah, it's gonna displease some people.”
Parker added that it’s “very authentically Dunk...In that moment, you sort of build the legend of Dunk, but at the same time, you also build the tension because everyone's thinking, ‘What's happened to Dunk?’”
It was a major turn, as fans got to see Dunk’s tale and how it will impact his future.
How does Dunk’s past affect his future?
The backstory revealed to the audience how Dunk started as a minor thief, raiding battlefield corpses to survive alongside his friend Rafe (Chloe Lea). That ended with Rafe brutally murdered in front of Dunk’s eyes by other criminals. Dunk himself was about to face the same fate when he was rescued by Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), and later entered into his service.
That was a nice expansion on the books, even as they kept to the major turn of Prince Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) dying from a nasty head wound during the conflict. That leaves Maekar (Sam Spruell) one step closer to being the heir to the Iron Throne, meaning Dunk has just changed history.
Parker states the implications of this will reverberate for the rest of the series. “(Baelor) doesn't make it out of this, but Dunk does. As Dunk says in the next episode, 'Maybe someday the realm will need my foot even more than a prince's life.'"
Getting to see how Dunk began as a knight is a good move, with fans getting further insight to how he's always been driven by a need to protect others. Losing Rafe also explains more of Dunk's bond with Egg and why he's eager to live up to Ser Arlan's example of helping someone in need. That tendency is also a factor in why Dunk may play a greater role in events to come.
As Game of Thrones fans know, that rings true. This episode is the most critical yet for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, changing the course of Westeros' history.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 finale airs Sunday February 22nd on HBO Max.