A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Episode 5's Major Death Explained

The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' creator explained the tragic death in the penultimate episode and why it had to happen.

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Characters Killed In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Trial Of Seven

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 is the bloodiest one yet, and three knights perish, including one of the series' most important ones.

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A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 Recap: Dunk's Backstory & The Trial Of Seven Outcome

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ep 5 is all intensity and chaos as the Trial of Seven begins and Dunk slips back to his childhood in King's Landing.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 Review

One part medieval Rocky, one part heartbreaking coming-of-age tale, the penultimate episode of the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms packs a punch in every sense of the phrase.

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A blink-and-you-miss-it scene in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' ties Dunk to his most famous descendant, Brienne of Tarth

Gwendoline Christie as Brienne in "Game of Thrones" and Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Helen Sloan/Steffan Hill/HBO "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" follows a hedge knight named Dunk, aka Ser Duncan the Tall. Showrunner Ira Parker said he included an Easter egg in episode five that hints at Dunk's legacy. George R. R. Martin previously confirmed that Brienne from "Game of Thrones" is Dunk's descendant. Spoilers ahead for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season one, episode five, "In the Name of the Mother," and the book "The World of Ice & Fire." HBO's newest "Game of Thrones" prequel, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," centers on Dunk, a lovable hero distinguished by his tall frame, raw strength, and unshakeable moral code. For fans of the original series, that description may sound awfully familiar — and that's no accident. A blink-and-you-miss-it detail from episode five, "In the Name of the Mother," draws a subtle throughline between Dunk and another prominent knight from Westerosi history: Brienne of Tarth, who appears a century later in the "Game of Thrones" timeline. In a flashback scene, a young Dunk is shown walking down the kingsroad with his childhood friend, Rafe, returning to their home in King's Landing. This route runs for thousands of miles across Westeros, easing travel to and from the capital. Bamber Todd and Chloe Lea as young Dunk and Rafe in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO In "Game of Thrones," Jaime Lannister sends Brienne in the opposite direction, away from King's Landing, on a quest to find and protect Sansa Stark. He also assigns Podrick Payne to serve as her squire. In season five, episode five, "First of His Name," the duo travels down the same wooded path that Dunk and Rafe had trodden before. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" showrunner Ira Parker confirmed to Business Insider that he intentionally included this parallel. Both scenes were filmed in the same location in Ireland. "It's the exact same road in Belfast, same trees and everything," Parker said. "There's no attention drawn to it, but anyone who's a deep, deep fan of the show, hopefully, will pick up on that." Parker said he liked the idea of distant relatives crossing paths generations apart. Author George R. R. Martin, who's also credited as an executive producer on "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," confirmed in 2016 at a sci-fi and fantasy convention that Brienne is Dunk's descendant. Daniel Portman as Podrick and Gwendoline Christie as Brienne in "Game of Thrones." Helen Sloan/HBO Martin's "Tales of Dunk and Egg" trilogy doesn't cover this chapter in Dunk's life; in the last installment that was published, "The Mystery Knight," he's only about 19 or 20 years old. But it sounds like, at some point during his travels, Dunk coupled up with a lady of House Tarth in the stormlands — and left a souvenir or two in his wake. In "A Feast for Crows," the fourth book in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, Brienne recalls seeing a shield with Dunk's personal sigil in her father's armory. Dunk and Brienne follow similar character arcs In season one of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," as in the novella it's based on, "The Hedge Knight," the running joke is that no one knows who Dunk is. He grew up as an orphan in Flea Bottom, the poorest area of King's Landing, before he became a squire for Ser Arlan of Pennytree, a sloppy hedge knight. The two would roam Westeros, taking work where they could find it and offering help when it was needed, but they rarely left an impression on the lords and ladies of the realm. Bamber Todd as young Dunk and Danny Webb as Ser Arlan in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO As a result, Dunk struggles to be taken seriously after Arlan's death. He has no status, no money, and no one to vouch for him. Hardly anyone even believes he's a real knight. He begins introducing himself with a slightly more impressive name: Ser Duncan the Tall. However, fans of Martin's source material know that Dunk's anonymity doesn't last for very long. Thanks to the fictional history book, "The World of Ice & Fire," we know that his young squire, Egg, grows up to become King Aegon V Targaryen. After their many adventures together, King Aegon recruits Dunk to be Lord Commander of the Kingsguard — the highest honor for a knight in Westeros. (This also means Dunk swore an oath not to marry or father children, which makes Brienne's lineage even more of a mystery.) Dunk was so good at his job that he's still famous a century later. In season four of "Game of Thrones," Dunk's name appears in the Book of Brothers, a written history of the Kingsguard. "Ser Duncan the Tall. Four pages for Ser Duncan," Joffrey Baratheon notes while flipping through the pages. "He must have been quite a man." "So they say," Jaime replies. Peter Claffey as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO Indeed, Dunk's rise through the ranks closely resembles Brienne's. Like Dunk, Brienne is motivated by honor and loyalty, and she's known for her tremendous height and strength. Although she's not low-born, Brienne still struggles to earn respect as a warrior. Fighting is considered unnatural for a lady, and technically, women aren't allowed to be knighted in Westeros, so Brienne is often met with ridicule and violence. Still, she manages to overcome this unjust class system by making friends with the right people. Defying convention, Brienne is knighted by Jaime in season eight of "Game of Thrones," in an episode titled "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." She finishes the series as the very first Lady Commander of the Kingsguard. In her final scene, Brienne writes in the very same book that features four pages about her ancestor. Odds are, by the end of her service to King Bran, she'll end up with just as many or more. Read the original article on Business Insider

The Trial of Seven in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' nearly kills Dunk. Here's how he actually dies in the books.

Peter Claffey as Dunk in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO In "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," Dunk risks his life to protect a girl from Aerion Targaryen. In episode five, he fights for his life against Aerion and six other knights in a trial by combat. In the books, the deadly Trial of Seven changes the trajectory of Dunk and Egg's lives. Spoilers ahead for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" season one, episode five, "In the Name of the Mother," and the book "The World of Ice & Fire." In Sunday's episode of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," the show's humble hero Dunk faces off against the merciless Prince Aerion Targaryen in an ancient ritual known as a Trial of Seven. In a previous episode, Dunk risked his life to protect an innocent girl from Aerion's violent outburst. Dunk is saved by Egg, his squire who's also secretly a Targaryen prince, and taken into custody — but he's still not safe from the dragon's wrath. Aerion wants Dunk punished for punching and kicking a prince. The standard penalty would be to cut off his hand and foot. In a desperate attempt to save his skin, Dunk demands a trial by combat. In the world of Westeros, this demand is sacred and cannot be refused; it's believed that the gods will punish the guilty party on the battlefield. But Aerion ups the stakes. He insists instead on a rare, seven-versus-seven melée-style trial. (The Faith in Westeros says there are seven gods, so the idea is to enlist a different champion for each one.) It's a cruel twist. Aerion knows that Dunk, a lowly orphan with no allies or wealth, is unlikely to find six other knights to fight for his cause. Thankfully, an impressive group does come to Dunk's aid, including Ser Lyonel Baratheon (ancestor of Robert, Stannis, and Renly from the main series), and even Prince Baelor Targaryen, Egg's uncle and heir to the Iron Throne. Thus, Dunk's foolish chivalry brings about the first Trial of Seven in a century. Finn Bennett as Prince Aerion Targaryen in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" showrunner Ira Parker told Business Insider that the fateful showdown was at risk of being cut down and simplified due to the show's relatively small budget compared to other "Game of Thrones" series. But Parker said he stood his ground with HBO to ensure the scene matched the description in the source material, George R. R. Martin's novella "The Hedge Knight." "We have major, major budgetary constraints on this show," Parker said. "So you're going to get pressure to turn a Trial of Seven into a Trial of Five very quickly. And obviously, canonically, these things have to be well represented." Parker's stubbornness pays off in episode five, titled "In the Name of the Mother." The battle is a brutal, gory spectacle that feels as grave and urgent as any high-budget "Game of Thrones" sequence. "We wanted to, where we could, blow people away. Because we do a very small story. This is a little quieter," Parker said. "And so where we had an opportunity to go big, we wanted that to feel rich, and like 'Game of Thrones' of old." Although Dunk takes a gruesome beating, he eventually overpowers Aerion using brute strength. The prince yields before Dunk kills him — but the battle still proves fatal. Three knights die, including Baelor, which ends up having serious consequences for Dunk, Egg, and the entire realm. Keep reading to learn how the Trial of Seven affects the duo's future and Dunk's fate in the books. In the books, Dunk becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under Aegon the Unlikely Sam Spruell as Maekar and Bertie Carvel as Baelor in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO Baelor was the firstborn son of the king, so his untimely death changed the line of succession. He was also a war hero loved by the common folk, so his death was a double blow to the realm's morale. It turns out that Baelor's fate was only the first of a series of tragedies for House Targaryen — a dark omen of the dynasty's downfall. Martin's fictional history book about Westeros, "The World of Ice & Fire," reveals that after the Trial of Seven, royal heirs began dying at an alarming rate from disease, suicide, random accidents, or, in Aerion's case, a classic case of Targaryen Madness. The prince died after drinking wildfire, thinking it would transform him into a literal dragon. Before long, Egg's father became King Maekar. Only Egg and his older brother, Aemon, were left to succeed him — but Aemon had long ago surrendered his royal title to become a maester. That left Egg as heir to the Iron Throne after his father's death. He became known as Aegon the Unlikely, and he enlisted Dunk as the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard. Dexter Sol-Ansell as Egg in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Steffan Hill/HBO Because Egg spent his childhood as Dunk's squire, traveling the Seven Kingdoms and interacting with peasants, he was a compassionate ruler. He introduced new laws to uplift the smallfolk, giving them new rights and protections. However, this provoked "fierce opposition and sometimes even defiance amongst the lords," according to "The World of Ice & Fire." Over time, Egg became convinced that the only way to unite the Seven Kingdoms was to reverse the extinction of the dragons — solidifying his family's power and deterring rebellion. Egg's reign ultimately ended in a mysterious fire at Summerhall, a small castle belonging to House Targaryen. The king had gathered his family there to celebrate his granddaughter's pregnancy. Nobody knows exactly what caused the fire to burn out of control, and the history book is intentionally vague about the tragedy: "Summerhall left very few witnesses alive, and those who survived would not speak of it," it reads. The book doesn't name victims, either, but it's heavily implied that both Dunk and Egg — plus Egg's eldest son, Duncan — died in the flames. This lore was confirmed by Martin's "A World of Ice and Fire" app, an official companion guide to the series. The prevailing theory is that Egg started the fire in a failed attempt to hatch dragon eggs. Some fans even believe that Egg intended to kill himself and his descendants in a blood-magic sacrifice. After all, it's often said in "Game of Thrones" that "only death can pay for life," and there is a special kind of power in a king's blood. "My brothers dreamed of dragons," Maester Aemon says in the original book series. "And the dreams killed them, every one." Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen and Kit Harington as Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones." Courtesy of HBO It's likely that Egg's wife, his sisters, and his brothers' children died at Summerhall too. But Egg's granddaughter, Princess Rhaella, miraculously survived. As the castle burned, Rhaella gave birth to Prince Rhaegar — the eldest brother of Daenerys and, as we discover in "Game of Thrones," the secret father of Jon Snow. In "The World of Ice & Fire," it's implied that Rhaella would've died at Summerhall "but for the valor of the Lord Commander." Many fans theorize that Dunk carried the princess to safety. Despite the tragedy of Summerhall, the event spelled a heroic end to the story of a once-hated hedge knight. After the Trial of Seven, Dunk is blamed for the loss of a future king. Dunk also blames himself, but he tries to find comfort in the unknown. "If I had not fought, you would have had my hand off. And my foot," he says in "The Hedge Knight" to Baelor's brother, Maekar. "Well, mighten it be that some morrow will come when I'll have need of that foot? When the realm will need that foot, even more than a prince's life?" Maekar replies, "It's not bloody likely." But oddly enough, Dunk is probably right. Most book readers believe that either Daenerys or Jon is the prophesied hero Azor Ahai, destined to save Westeros from the White Walkers. Both were born of Rhaella's line. Without Dunk and his feet, the princess may have died along with her unborn child, and "Game of Thrones" would never have happened. But what if Westerosi historians didn't know Dunk's entire life story? Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," recently stated that Dunk didn't actually die at Summerhall, as readers had long thought. "We know from George," Ansell said during an on-camera interview with Decider. "We know Dunk survives, but we don't know if Egg survives." "We don't know if that is exactly what happened," Peter Claffey, who plays Dunk, interjects. "Let's just get this season one out of the way and we'll see." Representatives for HBO, Ansell, and Martin didn't respond to Business Insider's requests for comment about Dunk's true fate. Read the original article on Business Insider