A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Mellor · 17-02-2026 01:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124241816#Comment_124241816

That's kind of the point. All the pomp and flair of knighthood, the spectacle of jouting. But when it comes to it for real, you're just rolling in the muck.
The wounds/blows were a bit over the top. The eye was the end of hilt though. Epic eye swell expected.

I don't mind the focus on the two of them. It's Dunk's story, his POV. He wouldn't have a clue was happening elsewhere, and would find out after the fact. Like the viewer.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124241898#Comment_124241898

A major theme of the show is how a knight should act. What makes a true knight, actions or a random knight saying so.
It's how Dunk got into this mess. He was kind a the point of his "no true knights" speech. It's why the Prince (next in line) decided to fight along side him.
Dunk allowing Aerion a chance to yield completely aligns with that. Killing his opponent (especially a Prince) would have undermined his whole arc.

PIORUN · 17-02-2026 01:08PM

this episode was brilliant… I was getting worried during the flashbacks that they wouldn't leave time to finish the melee and we'd have to wait until episode 6 but it didn't disappoint.

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 01:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242673#Comment_124242673

Thought the same and it would have been a huge disappointment because so far the show has avoided filler episodes or cliffhangers.

volchitsa · 17-02-2026 01:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242456#Comment_124242456

Not for me. What I've been enjoying about this series compared to the Dragon Throne, which I hated and gave up on quite quickly (mainly because of the violent rapes rather than the fighting but it's the same problem of indulging in gratuitous violence that I can't be doing with), was that this series has been rather less blood and gore up to now. So a whole episode (almost) taken up with gory injuries really wasn't for me. At least there haven't been any rapes shown so far. And I did appreciate the back stories.

But it also didn't really make sense that Duncan survived at all, as has been pointed out. The thing that made GOT stand out for me, in the early seasons at least, was that people important to the plot actually died at times that made the plot actually pivot in unexpected ways. This is all a lot more predictable - Dunk is important, so won't die. Which is fine by me if it's a sweet story of survival thanks to the friendship of the two main characters - but easy on the violence in that case! (IMO)

rodderss · 17-02-2026 02:02PM

Tales of Dunk and egg, 6 episodes in hes killed nah you didnt really think that was happening did you.

bored65 · 17-02-2026 02:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242816#Comment_124242816

Putting aside for a minute that this is fiction {and we only had one instance of RR Martins fascination with penises}

One would imagine medieval jousts were anything but not bloody affairs

Anyways half the episode explored further main characters backstory in quite an interesting way tying it into the tournament

MisterAnarchy · 17-02-2026 02:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242658#Comment_124242658

Id like to have seen some of the other matchups that took place during the trial.

But it also didn't really make sense that Duncan survived at all, as has been pointed out. The thing that made GOT stand out for me, in the early seasons at least, was that people important to the plot actually died at times that made the plot actually pivot in unexpected ways.

In the book the fight between Duncan and Aerion is much shorter and Duncan isnt stabbed.

He gets the lance wound and a few whacks of the ball and chain but he then gets on top and suffers no more injuries.

There is no back story either, we could have done without that, it added almost nothing.

volchitsa · 17-02-2026 02:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242858#Comment_124242858

All of that is true. But doesn't change my point, except to say that if this is how it's going to continue, I'll probably decide to jump ship as I did with the Dragon Throne. You liked it, I didn't.

FWIW I was a huge fan of GOT despite its violence, for a number of reasons. It's when it's dwelt on so gratuitously that it turns me off a series/film. We know jousts were violent - Henry VIII seems to owe his violent character later in life largely to the severe head injury that he suffered during a joust - but it was a head injury, not being run through multiple times. Who would survive that? It just seems more voyeuristic than realistic.

I do actually get the point of the King's brother's injury - predictable but kind of credible all the same - and importantly, narratively useful within the parameters of the story.

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 02:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242906#Comment_124242906

He was poor and doesn't like corrupt authority. But we knew this about him anyway.

Seeing his crazy levels of determination and self inflicted punishment to follow the Knight was about it really. Overall a bit boring and just a way to turn a 5 minute fight into an episode.

Penn · 17-02-2026 02:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242658#Comment_124242658

Agreed. I've also seen it theorised that Nidge (can't remember his name in this show) asked Dunk to be in the rigged joust on the orders of Baelor who was trying to test how honourable Dunk was and if he was really a knight (before the incident with Aerion changed things) or just trying to make money or have status. We also saw how conflicted Dunk was when being told to knight someone because any knight can make another knight.

Dunk's journey is obviously about how he should have and would have been knighted, but Ser Arlan died before he could. So Dunk is trying to prove not just to everyone but also to himself that he has the ability to be a knight and living up to the example Ser Arlan set for him, even though he may not have actually been knighted.

So not killing Aerion ties into that. He was defending the innocent when he attacked Aerion and even in the trial only went so far as to make Aerion yield and prove his innocence.

MisterAnarchy · 17-02-2026 02:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242934#Comment_124242934

I didnt like the young girl character, her accent was all over the place.

It started out as inner dublin then was northern Ireland.

volchitsa · 17-02-2026 02:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242955#Comment_124242955

Yeah that was all a bit odd. Was she in the books?

MisterAnarchy · 17-02-2026 02:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242976#Comment_124242976

No she wasnt.

Evade · 17-02-2026 03:18PM

I'd have to rewatch it but weren't most of the slashes to armoured parts? Chainmail is surprisingly good a blocking slashing injuries.

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 03:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243153#Comment_124243153

Some jabs were shown to be lessened by the mail but still pierced but he took a few significant ones too especially the lance. And the blows from the flail are giving medieval helmets way too much credit. Also looked like he took a few horse kicks to the head.

Rocket_GD · 17-02-2026 03:42PM

I think the people complaining about the lack of realism need to remember that this is set in a universe with dragons (extinct at this point), magic, people literally coming back from the dead, white walkers, children of the forest, the 3 eyed raven etc.

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 03:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243247#Comment_124243247

That's not how it works though. Shows have their own built in rules and logic and yes this show has dragons and resurrection.

It is not part of the in universe mechanics for regular men to be impervious to the kind of damage a human in the real world can take (well until Benioff & Weiss decided to drop the Hound down a cliff and hand out zombie hugs in Winterfell).

When written properly Game of Thrones always had people in certain death situations actually die.

volchitsa · 17-02-2026 04:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243247#Comment_124243247

One or two huge suspensions of disbelief about a world, such as magic and dragons exist, are completely different from comic book/Tom and Jerry style "slapstick" though. And at least in Tom and Jerry that rule was consistently applied: nobody dies. In this case you have some that do, some that don't, and their mortality or lack of it is driven by narrative requirements.

Penn · 17-02-2026 04:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243282#Comment_124243282

Not always, to be fair. Tyrion got slashed across the face in the Battle of Blackwater and only ended up with a scar. Same battle Davos got thrown from the ship due to the wildfire explosion and ended up stranded on an island presumably a good distance from Kings Landing considering his pirate friend was the one who found him. A White Walker looked directly at Sam and decided "Nah, let's just all keep slowly walking past him and ignore him". That was all from two episodes at the end of Season 2.

The show (and books) always took liberties when it had to, even outside magical intervention or Benioff & Weiss plot armour.

I think in this case, Dunk is pretty clearly beat the f*ck up. Should he be dead? Probably, but it's also not completely inconceivable that he survived both through adrenaline and determination and that if attended to quickly enough and has a good chug of some milk of the poppy that he'd survive and recover. At the very least we've seen Baelor die from the battle, and there were probably one or two others who also died or got badly wounded.

Rocket_GD · 17-02-2026 04:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243371#Comment_124243371

I think everyone in fiction's morality is driven by narrative requirements, it's fiction.

I just don't see the issue with it, great episode, yes it's over the top with his wounds (people literally come back from the dead in GOT) it's excellently shot in showing the grittiness and pure mayhem that a contest like that would have been.

Mellor · 17-02-2026 04:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242906#Comment_124242906

Sure they added a bit of action, it is TV afterall.
I think the back story is pretty important. It shows A) the beginnings of Dunks view on right and wrong, and B) how much he wanted more than anything to be a knight.
Both of those are pretty key character traits.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242943#Comment_124242943

Exactly. Was trying to tiptoe around it to avoid "spoilers". I suspect it wasn't really obvious to those not familiar.
But yeah, the whole saga, as least so far, is about honour, standing up for what's right, for the common folk. Whether actions or words make a "true knight".

volchitsa · 17-02-2026 04:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243393#Comment_124243393

I think you don't understand story telling. People don't just randomly come back from the dead in GOT: in some cases it can be done but there's always a price to pay for using such powerful magic. The power to restore life comes with strict limitations and devastating consequences that shape the narrative in profound ways.

That's completely different to Jerry being chopped into little pieces which then join back up again so the story can go on, or Roadrunner running over a cliff, being squashed flat and then getting up again. and going back to normal.

If you don't understand why those are very different basic premises, I can't help you with that.

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 04:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243393#Comment_124243393

For me the issue is that it makes it not a great episode. They could make the exact same episode but just stab and smash him less and then yes it would be a great episode.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243383#Comment_124243383

Tyrion does get slashed but not at Blackwater. Nothing inconceivable about get slashed in the face and surviving.

Also nothing wild about getting thrown in an explosion and washing up in a shipwreck. Could have ended up on Dragonstone at the other end of Blackwater Bay.

Ya the change in behaviour of White Walkers at different times is nonsense. Stuff like Crastor makes no sense later on.

Penn · 17-02-2026 04:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243459#Comment_124243459

"Tyrion does get slashed but not at Blackwater. Nothing inconceivable about get slashed in the face and surviving."

It's in the episode "Blackwater" which is the episode about the battle of Blackwater Bay. That's what I was going by at least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_%28Game_of_Thrones%29

But yes, regarding Tyrion's face being slashed and Davos surviving being thrown from the boat and ending up on an island, neither are inconceivable. Unlikely, I would argue, but not inconceivable or at least not so egregiously implausible that it warrants any deep analysis. I would say the same thing about Dunk's injuries in this battle. Absolutely, the lance in his side and the blows he took to the head were severe, but I also don't think it's inconceivable that he survived them at least until maesters where able to attend to his wounds. It's also not as if he just walked them off either, both during and after the fight it was clear that he was barely just hanging on, so at the very least his injuries were shown to be heavily impacting and hurting him.

Witcher · 17-02-2026 04:59PM

Anyway back to discussion of the show…

breezy1985 · 17-02-2026 05:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243522#Comment_124243522

Sorry I thought it was the earlier battle where Tyrion leads the wild clans. My mistake.

Tony EH · 17-02-2026 05:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243153#Comment_124243153

This is quite true and most injuries on a medieval battlefield (even though pitched battles were actually quite rare) were impact injures like broken bones and ruptured muscles even if they were caused by bladed weapons.

However, that lance in the guts would have completely fucked him up even if he didn't receive any other injury.

Tony EH · 17-02-2026 05:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124243247#Comment_124243247

I don't think it's "realism" that people are complaining about. Everyone knows this is a fantasy. What is an issue though, with all fiction, is just how far a particular scenario goes before it becomes too much to buy into whether it's in the realm of fantasy or not.

That line in the sand is going to be very different for everyone.

I don't think Dunk's superhuman abilities to withstand awful injuries is going to destroy the show for anyone though.

Glebee · 17-02-2026 11:34PM

I liked that, brutal stuff.

thefa · 18-02-2026 01:08AM

Just came to the realization how “I will take Ser Duncan’s side” had reminded me of “I will be your champion” last week so I should have pieced the outcome together sooner.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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