A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6 will be the finale, with a new trailer from HBO teasing what to expect. There’s a lot to unpack, including a scene that may hint at a major deviation from George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novella.
Episode 5 of the Game of Thrones prequel was the biggest entry yet, kicking off with a flashback to Ser Duncan the Tall’s (Peter Claffey) backstory before throwing audiences into the heavy action of the Trial of Seven.
If you’re reading this, you’ll know that the fight is a victory for Dunk’s side when Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) withdraws his accusation. But an unexpected tragedy hits post-brawl when it’s discovered that Baelor (Bertie Carvel) has been dealt a fatal blow.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ upcoming finale will deal with the aftermath of this fight, Baelor’s funeral, and what’s next for Dunk and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Warning: spoilers ahead for the books!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finale trailer hints at major book change
In the Episode 6 trailer, Maekar (Sam Spruell) asks Dunk if he’ll have Egg as his squire, but Dunk rejects the offer, saying, “I think I’m done with princes.” It then cuts to a scene with Egg in his Targaryen clothing, telling Dunk, “Maybe you’re not the knight I thought you were.”
This has led to the theory that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will introduce a significant fall out between Dunk and Egg, a dramatic turn that doesn’t occur in George R.R. Martin’s original novella.
In The Hedge Knight, Dunk never actually rejects Egg or seriously doubts staying with him after the trial. When Maekar proposes they continue together, Dunk says only if they live a life on the road.
This was highlighted on the show’s subreddit, where one fan wrote, “Somewhat conflicted on Dunk having reservations about Egg, but we’ll see how it plays out.
“On one hand, it makes sense but on the other hand, it seems like it could just generate cheap drama, especially since Egg’s been with Dunk through thick and thin and Egg behaves pretty much like a younger Dunk, which is something Dunk noticed as well.
“I’m hoping it’s just a retread of his warning that Egg will have a hard life on the road.”
Another said, “It seems they’re going to add a brief storyline of Dunk initially not wanting to keep Egg as his squire, something quite different from the novella (where, as far as I remember, Dunk never has any doubts, he just makes it clear to Maekar that he prefers to take care of the boy in his life as a wandering knight).”
However, not everyone is convinced the trailer signals a major rewrite. As said by one, “I think it’s more like ‘I’m done with Princes, if Egg will be my squire, he has to live in hedges and be on the road with me’.”
Another agreed, “Yeah I’m hoping it’s more that. I mean if he had to be Egg’s tutor in royal court he’d have to co-exist with Aerion and at least occasionally meet Valarr. It should be obvious why he’d want to avoid Aerion.
“As for Valarr, Maekar, and probably the Daerons, I think he’d feel too guilty living among them after getting Baelor killed (he didn’t but I guarantee he sees it that way).”
One fan noted the fact that Maekar offers Dunk the option to serve at Summerhall in the books, with Egg as his squire.
“Yeah I suspect it’ll be ‘he can be your squire but you’ll serve me at Summerhall’ or something like that. Just to get tongues wagging off the back of the trailer,” they commented.
Lyonel Baratheon’s speech & funeral scene spark discussion
Dunk’s hesitation is far from the only trailer clip that has fans talking, with many pointing out Lyonel Baratheon’s (Daniel Ings) speech to Dunk, in which he angrily says Baelar fought for him “against men sworn to protect him. He risked nothing.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fan wrote, “I found it funny that the writers had Lyonel say something that some fans have been arguing for years: ‘Actually, Baelor didn’t risk anything, nobody would be stupid or crazy enough to want to kill him at the trial…’”
Essentially, the book reveals that Baelor’s death was an accident, and Lyonel’s trying to explain this to Dunk. “Remember when Robert Baratheon wanted to enter the tournament, and Ned points out that he’d win because no one would risk harming him?” wrote one fan.
“Anyone Baelor meets in the trial would pull their punches against him. The kingsguard aren’t going to go full force against the heir. Maekar isn’t really going to try to kill his brother. Daeron wouldn’t either, not that he even could. Steffon isn’t going to risk the backlash against his house if he goes after Baelor.
“That just leaves Aerion, who is maybe asshole enough to do it, but he’s going to be focused on Dunk the whole time. So basically, anyone who Baelor faces during the trial won’t be trying to kill him. They’ll fight to force him to yield, but even then they’ll be holding back.
“Baelor was just there to make the numbers even. It never would have entered into his thoughts that he might die.”
In response to Lyonel’s clip in the Episode 6 trailer, one wrote, “I don’t understand what that argument against Baelor means,” to which another replied, “Maybe Lyonel is trying to tell Dunk Baelor’s death isn’t his fault.”
A third added, “Lyonel is trying to explain to Dunk that Baelor may be dead, but he didn’t risk his life for Dunk since he never thought his life would be at risk to begin with. It’s a way to help Dunk feel better by putting the blame on Baelor for not fully understanding what was at stake.”
There’s also plenty of discussion about the funeral sequence, including a conversation in which Valarr Targaryen (Oscar Morgan) says to Dunk, “He had it in him to be a great king. Why would the gods take him and leave you?”
Valarr was spotted in previous promotional materials for the hit TV show, but this is the first time we see his side profile – with the book-accurate white streak in his hair. “Oh, Valarr DID have the stripe,” wrote one fan. “It was just hiding, the sneaky b*stard.”
Another speculated, “I wonder if the elderly couple at the funeral is Daeron the Good and Myriah Martell. It would make no sense to be them but it’ll be cool to see King Daeron.”
“It has to be, right? He’s standing next to the royal family and dressed regally,” added a third.
However, as one person pointed out, “Daeron’s supposed to be in King’s Landing, it’d take like a week or two minimum for them to reach the funeral, and that’s assuming that they somehow knew ahead of time and were all ready to go. It’s probably just some prominent noble family.”
We’ll have to wait and see when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6 airs on HBO and HBO Max on February 22.
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