RECAP: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 “Seven”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been without much big plot carrying moments. For the most part, the series has introduced audiences to a different kind of Westerosi story, a smaller one. But that changes in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4, titled “Seven.” 

Last episode ended with Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) absolutely destroying the crown prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett). Only, this wasn’t some act of wonton violence, it was instead a moment where Dunk stepped in to defend one of the puppeteers who showed a dragon slain on the stage, and drew Aerion’s anger. The audience knows that Dunk is in the right, Dunk knows that he would not change a thing, but most importantly, Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) also knows protecting Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) was the right thing to do. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is still mulling over the idea of honor, what it means, and how Dunk fits into a tapestry of knights who seem to lack even an ounce of it. But, as we saw earlier in the season, Baelor is a honorable man, and because of this, he urges Dunk to submit for a trial by combat. 

Established in his introduction, Baelor is a Targaryen, but he is someone who thinks for himself and holds onto a sense of duty even with the crown on his doorstep. But when Dunk asks for combat, Aerion responds with a counter, the Seven. 

The Seven runs similarly to the trial by combat. Dunk will still fight Aerion on the tournament grounds in a hope that the gods have his back, but now, he has to do so with six knights by his side. While the prince has no problem fielding his group, his father, brother, and King’s Guard making up the bulk of it, Dunk isn’t so lucky. 

The hedge knight, who could not find a knight to vouch for him to enter the tournament because no one remembered Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), now has to assemble a group of men to fight the crown. Describing Dunk as dejected isn’t near enough to capture how sullen he is. 

Ser Duncan the Tall may stand above most people but they don’t look to him. The Targaryens are royals, they are the dragon riders, but as Ser Steffon points out, the dragons are dead. Dunk’s claim to honesty, honor, and chivalry start off as something to rally behind as he talks with Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley) and his squire (and cousin) Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas). It’s a moment where Dunk gets support, a sword, and a small bit of hope. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 continues the short episode streak, even if it limits the depth.

However, one knight isn’t enough to field his team and he’s left with one of the most powerful lines of the series so far. “Maybe this is what the gods figured I deserved… For not knowing my place.” No one but Dunk knows that Ser Arlan did not knight him, and this statement calls to that.

But it also highlights that Dunk’s approach to life and knighthood isn’t what the world believes in, and by assaulting a prince, even if it was to save someone, was too far out of his standing. Dunk’s resolve is wavering, and it’s hard to watch. 

The largest issue with all of the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episodes is that they are too short, and that keeps on in Episode 4. Throughout the episode we see small signs of life in the Seven Kingdoms. We see interactions and worries, and in moments with Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), we see a side of the Targaryens that feels all too familiar. Only, we don’t get to dig deep into the narrative. 

Ser Duncan the Tall emerges in the last moments of the episode, but until then, he struggles to reckon with the dishonorable men around him.

This is wildly apparent when Egg and his brother show up to talk to Dunk. Feeling betrayed by Egg, the conversation they have is part assurance that Daeron (Henry Ashton), an other Targaryen son isn’t harmed since he will lay down his sword when the fighting starts. But more importantly, the visit is a mea culpa of sorts for the young Egg. He apologizes for everything, and when Dunk questions where his loyalty lies, and if he would see his brother Aerion killed, Egg opens up. 

Aerion abused Egg, threatening to castrate him in his bed. It’s a terrifying admission but it’s glossed over quickly as Egg begins to explain who his brother is. Aerion believes that he is a dragon. That he is unbeatable, infallible, and above any sort of law. It’s the stage for Steffon, and is a bit of quiet foreshadowing for what we see once Dunk takes the battlefield in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4. 

After collecting his shield and receiving a nice pep talk from the shield maker who supports him, Dunk takes the field. As Aerion enters with his men, he is missing a person. It’s a moment that makes Dunk excited. Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) has joined Dunk’s cause on the count of glory and because Egg fetched him. But where there is surprise of the positive kind, there is also a large letdown. 

What started as a promising moment, Ser Steffon chooses title and land over honor, trading his promise to Dunk for a lordship.  Prince Aerion has fielded seven, and now, Dunk is own to five. In a moment of anger, Raymun asks to be knighted. But even with Raymun risking his life to fight in the Seven, Dunk is still missing one person, and without a full party, he will be found guilty. 

Prince Baelor has quickly become one of the best characters in the ensemble cast. 

Dunk’s identity as a knight can be defined by appealing to the honor in even those who would rather win coin over respect. But he isn’t always successful. As Dunk pleads with the people in the stands to take his side, to fight with him and fight for what’s right, he get’s nothing but a fart joke. It’s a break in the seriousness of the moment and continues the pubescent humor that has become a staple of the series. 

But as Raymond is knighted, to words that invoke bravery, justice, and protection for the innocent, the grave reality of the battle is beginning to settle in. That is, until Prince Baelor Targaryen opens the gate and takes up arms for Ser Duncan the Tall. 

Baelor has remained a display of honor, the only existing knight who lives out the Dunk’s beliefs. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is very much about setting up a battle and rattling Dunk’s view of the world. But Baelor erupts from the story as proof that Dunk’s view of the world, while naive shouldn’t be thrown away. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is the best episode yet. 

The knights of the Seven Kingdoms may not all be honorable, but some are. Some men have a life that is larger than their circumstance. As people look on Prince Baelor with question, he says that Dunk protected the innocent and that it is the gods place to decide if he was right or wrong. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is the closest that audiences get to the traditional politics of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. However, it maintains the grounded approach that showrunners George R. R. Martin and Ira Parker have set over the last few episodes. The runtime for each episode still feels like too little, the character work that we see in this episode speaks loudly, even if it’s not too deep. 

Ultimately, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is the best episode yet, and it’s all thanks to how it makes Dunk confront the ugly world he is a part of. Still, with Baelor’s arrival, there is hope. There is hope that even in the worst of situations, a man may be moved toward justice, even if it pits him against this own family. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 is streaming now on HBO Max with new episodes every Sunday.