The penultimate episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, “In the Name of the Mother,” follows up on one of the best episodes in the Game of Thrones universe with part emotional flashback and part intense battle. The episode enhances the tonal shift from the previous episode while rooting itself in themes of motherhood and kinship. Baelor kicks off the episode with an intense speech to Dunk’s side just before the Trial of the Seven. The fourteen men charge at each other, with Dunk nervously frozen at first. Once Aerion stabs Dunk and he gets smacked off of his horse, the flashback section of the episode begins. The flashback section following an early-teen Dunk in Flea Bottom is original to the show. The flashback explores the trauma surrounding his mother’s death or disappearance, the abuses of power in King’s Landing, and how he met Ser Arlan of Pennytree. The final third of the episode follows the remainder of the Trial of the Seven as Dunk faces Aerion in an excellently choreographed, incredibly sound-designed, brutal fight.
Whether someone is approaching A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms blindly or having read the novella, the flashback storyline will undoubtedly come as a surprise. Its placement is jarring, coming just in between the incredible buildup of the previous episode with the action climax of the whole season. Beyond the atmosphere and historical context, the biggest strength of the storyline was the parallel it drew between Dunk and Egg, connecting their eagerness while still maintaining Dunk’s uniquely desperate circumstances. The lengthy runtime of Dunk’s childhood inherently raises questions about its placement in the season and episode. Additionally, it becomes tricky to justify its inclusion in such a short season with such brief episodes. Ultimately, the flashback, as it stands, works well for Dunk’s character, worldbuilding, atmosphere, and setting up callbacks in the present.
The standout portion of the episode, of course, is the climax of the season. There is an impressive lack of glamour surrounding the fight, as Aerion’s gorgeous armor turns brown with mud and Dunk withstands injury after injury in the vile, visceral brawl. Beyond the aesthetics, the fight emphasizes Dunk’s resilience, Aerion’s arrogance, and Egg’s love for Dunk. The fight also features various cuts to the common people cheering for Dunk, which add a glimmer of positivity to the foggy, muddy, and bloody atmosphere. With the fight isolated to Dunk’s point of view, small glimpses of other fighters are shown that speak volumes about their character. With that, more time dedicated to the Trial could have featured more of the spectators or other fighters. The inclusion of the flashback, regardless of its quality, begs the question of how the episode would look sans-flashback. In other words, the episode could have made different choices to emphasize different aspects of the story, or capitalized more on the intense buildup of the previous episode. Still, the flashback storyline justifies itself, and the episode absolutely delivered on the fight between Dunk and Aerion, culminating in an outstanding final scene.
Rating: 8/10