This review contains full spoilers for this week’s episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
“Are there no true knights among you?!” Dunk bellows at the assembled nobles late in this week’s episode, titled “Seven.” With the last-minute arrival of Prince Baelor Targaryen, who will fight on Dunk’s side against his own kin, Dunk would seem to have his answer. And, boy, does he sure need the help.
“Seven” is the gloomiest, literally and figuratively, episode so far, with the colorful palette of the previous episodes replaced by a muddy, grim aesthetic. And with the exception of one brief exchange between Dunk and Raymun Fossoway, there’s none of the playful banter or humor that’s been a highlight of the previous episodes.
That’s because “Seven” is what would be considered Plot Point 2 in a movie script, the part of the story close to the end where the hero is at his lowest point and with seemingly no way out of the jam he’s in. (Next week is the second-to-last episode of the season.)
Dunk must confront his fate after coming to Tanselle’s rescue in Episode 3 and beating up Aerion. The reasonable Baelor understands why Dunk did what he did, but he still assaulted a Targaryen prince so he must face some punishment (Baelor has already prevented Dunk from simply being executed).
Baelor reads Dunk his rights, if you will, and the latter faces Aerion, Maekar, and their lords to demand a trial by combat. But, of course, Aerion finds a way to weasel around it by calling for a trial of seven, an ancient custom where each side enlists seven knights to fight each other and the gods will decide who wins. (Even Maekar thinks his son is just trying to wuss out of fighting Dunk one-on-one by employing this tactic.)
Bertie Carvel instills in Baelor ... a compassion and honor missing from many other Targaryens.“
Unfortunately, Dunk doesn’t know enough knights, let alone six good ones, willing to help him. Eventually, thanks to Egg, he assembles six knights – we should’ve known it was too good to be true that Ser Steffon Fossoway would keep his word! – and it’s not until Baelor’s arrival that a trial of seven can commence. Bertie Carvel instills in Baelor a kind but firm authority and a compassion and honor missing from many other Targaryens.
Another big highlight of “Seven” is seeing Egg in his full Prince Aegon regalia. The opening scene where Egg apologizes to Dunk for deceiving him is moving, especially when Egg tears up as Dunk scolds him. He was just a kid who wanted to go to the tourney so badly that he hatched a half-assed scheme to be anyone’s squire after his drunken brother Daeron decided to sit it out.
Speaking of Daeron, the one gift he does seem to possess beyond his capacity for alcohol consumption is prophetic dreams. He’s dreamt of Ser Duncan the Tall with a slain dragon, which adds an additional layer of morbid curiosity to the fortune teller’s grim prophecy about Egg’s future in Episode 3.
Other observations:
- Egg’s horrifying story about Aerion threatening to castrate him so then he’d have a sister he could marry. Those freakin’ Targaryens, man.
- Dunk’s vision of Ser Arlan shrugging was hilarious.
- Tanselle – who did a fine job repainting the sigil on Dunk’s shield – has fled, so there goes Dunk’s one romantic hope.
- Animal lover Dunk petting the mouse in his cell window and later talking to his horses.
- Aerion demeaning a nobleman by making him climb under the table to fetch his walnut.
- It was nice to see armorer Steely Pate have another good scene with Dunk.
- Ser Lyonel knighting Raymun Fossoway. Congrats on your promotion, Raymun!
- That big jerk who humiliated Dunk before the nobles by farting.
- Daeron knows he’s a coward who will end up in a hell without wine for lying to Maekar that Dunk kidnapped Egg.
- The Game of Thrones theme kicking in at the very end. Let’s gooooo!
