Dunk and Egg #5

'A rich, red bowl of blood and brain and bone.'

This episode was some pretty good shit. As a big fan of the novella, and an enjoyer of the show so far, I was very intrigued to see how they tackled the most important part of this story, and they did a damn fine job.

A good deal of this episode follows young Dunk during his final days in King’s Landing. Shockingly, despite this interrupting the fight we’ve been foaming at the mouth waiting for, it works just fine (though of course, I’ve seen there are some people who disagree with this). A significant element of this original brand-new addition to the story is the introduction of Rafe. Rafe is briefly referenced in the novellas, but that’s neither here nor there. She is, like Dunk, a Flea Bottom waif - interestingly here she resembles Tanselle Too-Tall. She serves to show just how abysmal life was for Dunk in these younger days - and, importantly, to show us he was always a timid, kind, and well-meaning person. Amusingly I don’t think this is necessarily true of his novella counterpart, but it doesn’t matter. Show Duncan is a good guy through and through and I like that he’s always been that way.

Anyway, the flashback covers a lot of ground. We see the remnants of the last Blackfyre rebellion (effectively Targaryen on bastard-Targaryen), quashed on the outskirts of the city. Dunk scrapes the battlefield for valuables, and watches a nobleman (I think a Frey - so don’t feel too bad) die a slow death, crushed under his horse. He and Rafe discuss fleeing East - leaving King’s Landing and Westeros behind for a better life, if such a thing exists. They also confess their love for one another, which is sweet. I really hate to say it, but Rafe is quite grating. It is a shock but not exactly a surprise when her throat is slit. Wild to kill a kid onscreen, but this is Westeros after all. She fucked around and found out. Regardless, just before her murderer (a nasty piece of work and obvious pervert) can leap on Dunk, someone heroic comes to his rescue. Ser Arlan of Pennytree, booze near-on streaming out his eyes, bursts out from a tavern and demands that no violence come to the innocent! A knightly sentiment, closely followed by a stream of puke. Brilliant stuff. A swift but bloody fight follows in which Arlan shows us that he’s no pushover. One man is swiftly decapitated (fantastic stuff, seriously) and the other is dispatched soon after. Awesome. Oh also, Dunk sustains a nasty slit in his leg.

Key note - it’s almost certain that Arlan’s young nephew has been killed in the battle we just saw the aftermath of, which explains his particularly ferocious battle-style here.

Second note - the actor for young Dunk is superb. Would happily watch more of him.

Anyway, the flashback ends with Dunk trailing after Arlan for days, watching him drink and sing from a distance, before finally the boy succumbs to his wound. Arlan leans over him, demanding he get up.

Get up from this, by the way.

This leads perfectly into the rest of the episode. Before the flashback we saw the start of a truly brutal Trial by Seven. Dunk has his shit absolutely rocked. Both he and Raymun vomit from nerves before the fight even starts, and within a few minutes two men lay dead in the dirt, proving their fears valid. The combat is brutal. Dunk is impaled, half-drowned in mud, stabbed, smashed and generally battered. In the background of his struggles we see others grappling and hacking and slicing away. It’s a confusing, messy bloodbath, just as it ought to be. Total carnage. Egg is in anguish, which is a great chance for the actor to show off more of his skill. Oh my god, also, we get some SUPERB POV shots from Dunk’s perspective. Yes, we’ve been following him all along, but to see through his eyes at this crucial moment was a brilliant move. Everything becomes infinitely more fucked up this way and it’s ideal. Aerion is a vicious opponent, but in the end is no match for Dunk, who, bolstered by the memory of Arlan (as mentioned above) leaps onto his enemy and mauls the smug prick, pulping his face until he yields. Dunk grew up fighting like a cornered dog, not like a knight, and here is where we finally see his true nature.

However tragedy strikes as he struggles to get the words out to the officials, and the fighting continues just long enough for a disaster. Maekar, springing to help his son, is restrained by other knights. Sometime around all this emotional turmoil he lashes out at his brother Baelor with his mace, slamming it viciously into the prince’s helm - which, as you may recall, is actually his son Valarr’s helm, and ill-fitting. It is a visceral hit, but only a momentary shot.

After some appropriately cool and intense Dunk-Aerion stuff (man, the face the Targaryen pulls when Dunk gets back up from the mud is just so nuanced - you almost feel sorry for him), our hero is dragged off the battlefield, saved by his own monstrous strength and power, and the assistance of some brave fighters. He meets with Baelor, who speaks slowly, measured as ever, but perhaps a little off. Actually, very off, and as Raymun and Pate assist him in taking off his helm we learn the extent of what a mace does to a skull. The back of his head is a rich, red bowl of blood and brain and bone. So dies Prince Baelor Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne, killed by his own brother with a single blow. This scene, I worried would not be done as well as it’s written, but they smashed it. Really good stuff. Dunk’s breakdown is excellent, and you really feel the shockwave of this twist.

Overall, this is what I wanted. The flashback works to build on the show’s themes and gives us some new information about our protagonist, as well as enriching some of the events that we’ve already seen. It’s also just a joy to see some more nasty shit in this episode - people coughing up blood, screeching their last in filthy slums or having their eyesockets inflate into bulbous growths. A lot of the episode feels extreme and intense, and it should. The ending is an effective emotional blow - just as you feel things might be ok, they fucking aren’t. Surprise! George RR Martin wrote this, remember? The combat is fun watching, and though you wonder how on Earth anyone would survive a lot of the injuries we see sustained (obviously a few of them don’t), you don’t ever feel drawn out of it. Though, the choice to have Dunk maybe-kinda-sorta die and come back is interesting. Is it a brief lapse of consciousness? Or a miracle? Interesting either way. I’m ok with it - dude got the absolute shit knocked out of him.

So! With all that, we’re approaching the end of Season 1. This finale will be quiet, tense, and depressing. A change of pace from the usual Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon format. A welcome one, too - trust me, I know what’s coming and we don’t need a high energy thrillride to round off this story.

Oh, and a final note - the redhead prostitute (Rowan?) yelling out a pro-Dunk stance was nice, but like dude, that’s the Targaryen Prince. You can’t just say shit like that. Did you not see what started this whole thing??

The smallfolk crowd being on team Duncan, however, big fan.

Anyway, as ever, thanks for reading,

Until next time,

H.E.

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