REVIEW: HBO's 'A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Episode 5 Delivers Another Home Run For The Game Of Thrones Universe

If I had a nickel for every time a high-born fan favorite lasted one season in a Game of Thrones series and died with their head smashed in while defending an innocent, controversially sized man, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot — but it’s devastating that it happened twice. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has aired its penultimate episode of season one, “In the Name of the Mother,” and in true Game of Thrones fashion, its bloody and sorrowing end is sure to leave a flurry of devastated cries across the web.

Picking up directly from Episode 4 — which aired early due to the Super Bowl — we are thrown into the suffocating tension of the Trial of Seven. We stand beside the chivalrous Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), his fellow knights, and the honourable Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) as they prepare for the fight that’s about to unfold. While it would have helped to spend a little more time deepening our connection to some of the other combatants this season, the emotional weight of the moment is undeniable. You feel it pressing down on the cast — and on you — like the fog that blankets the field. Director Owen Harris does a spectacular job crafting an atmosphere that is eerie and consuming, while the silence between lines is deafening. The sound design is crisp and deliberate; every voice lands with force. From the hardened knights to the haunting prayer of the Ashford Septon, you hang onto every word.

When the horn sounds and the battle begins, the work of the production crew shines. The camera work here is spectacular. The audience is given a unique perspective through Dunk, entering through the back of his helm to experience the battle from his first-person point of view — what we can call “knight vision.” I found this not only a stunning cinematic choice but a metaphorical one as well, as the series has firmly committed to telling the story through the perspective of Ser Duncan. After the chaos of the initial charge, we are flashed back to the infamous Flea Bottom of King’s Landing, where a younger Dunk (Bamber Todd) survives alongside Rafe (Chloe Lea), long before he went on to squire for the lustrously equipped Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Web). Some will likely scoff, citing wasted runtime at these flashbacks, but these moments matter. They create stakes and deepen the audience’s emotional tie to Ser Duncan. They allow for a more intimate understanding of the man and his life before knighthood, before we return to a moment where that life may very well be snuffed out.

As the bloody and muddy battle rages on, we witness a graphic fight for life come to its conclusion as Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) reluctantly yields to the victorious Ser Duncan the Tall. It may have served the audience’s anticipation to showcase more of the clashes between the other vibrant knights and princes who offered their lives to fight beside their chosen sides. However, the episode stays true to its source material, following the direct point of view of Ser Duncan rather than shifting into a cinematic multi-perspective spectacle.

In the end, though victorious, these characters still cannot escape their ultimate fates. The Seven judge the trial and find Ser Duncan’s cause truthful and righteous — but not before fan-favourite Prince Baelor Targaryen removes his helmet to surely the shock of both audience and characters alike, revealing his skull has been accidentally caved in by his own brother, the stoic and unforgiving Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell). Baelor staggers, collapsing into the arms of Ser Duncan as he begins to cry out for the man who had just helped save his life. Emotional and powerful, the scene cuts to black, leaving the audience to sit with all that has unfolded.

In a season already brimming with talent, it’s almost unbelievable to say the performances here are completely elevated by the ensemble. Peter Claffey once again stands out, bringing grit and a desperate yearn for life as he is bombarded with bloody, hard blows from the manipulative Prince Aerion Targaryen, wonderfully portrayed by the incredible Finn Bennett. Alongside them is the phenomenal Dexter Sol Ansell, delivering an affecting performance as the little princeling Aegon Targaryen, watching helplessly as the consequences of his innocent intended actions spiral beyond his control. Bertie Carvel remains every inch Prince Baelor — gallant, resolute, and achingly noble, embodied through a deep understanding of his character’s convictions within the unforgiving world of Westeros.

The episode does a fantastic job setting up what is sure to be an emotional and consequential season finale, where we will say our farewells to the characters we have come to know and love over these past weeks. Applause is due to the stunt performers and set directors for transforming the Trial of Seven from page to screen with such graphic intensity. The fifth episode is once again another home run for the series, building onto its reputation for its quality, attention to detail, and powerful performances. Ira Parker continues to craft some of the best work we’ve ever seen in HBO’s Game of Thrones universe, a momentum that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

The penultimate episode of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming on HBO Max.