{"id":270753,"date":"2026-02-02T20:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T20:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270753\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T20:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T20:50:10","slug":"the-truth-really-hurts-on-this-weeks-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270753\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth Really Hurts on This Week’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/a> runs just six episodes, so episode three is exactly the right moment for the turning point viewers have been waiting for. That\u2019s especially true for George R.R. Martin<\/a> book readers, who after \u201cThe Squire\u201d can finally stop keeping certain spoilers hidden\u2014and the audience and Dunk will truly be on the same wavelength<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n

But before the big moment of truth, there are some other things to attend to, including an unsavory proposal that\u2019s shoved in Dunk\u2019s direction and some extremely unnerving jousting\u2014plus some deep thoughts from young Egg about life, honor, and hope, as well as breakfast food.<\/p>\n

\"Io9<\/p>\n

Egg wakes up early with a plan: some last-minute training for Thunder. It\u2019s necessary, as he tells the \u201cstubborn as old iron\u201d horse, because Dunk is \u201ctwice the size of your last rider, and the field could be just like this or worse, so you\u2019d better get your feet under you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunk, as we\u2019ve seen by now, talks to his horses all the time. But for Egg it\u2019s relatively new. \u201cMy father told me you should never talk to a horse. He says they\u2019re dumber than dogs and only understand the crop,\u201d he tells Thunder. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true. I think a horse doesn\u2019t want to be ordered about any more than a man does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he gives a gentle order, telling Thunder that Dunk hasn\u2019t a chance of winning unless he and Egg do their best to help him out. They\u2019re all he\u2019s got, after all.<\/p>\n

Thunder seems to listen, but he takes a huge dump when Egg tries to encourage him to follow his command. (Maybe feeling some pre-tournament jitters, like Dunk in episode one?)<\/p>\n

Eventually, though, the salty war horse gets going, trotting and galloping around the misty clearing. Egg does his own version of training, lugging a jousting lance around and practicing handing it to Ser Duncan. It\u2019s a jubilant little sequence, and as Egg is praising Thunder\u2019s efforts, a man emerges from the forest.<\/p>\n

An odd man, shall we say. He\u2019s barefoot and has an eyepatch, and he has a strange way of speaking, referring to himself as \u201cwe.\u201d Their contentious meeting (\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with your hair?\u201d the stranger asks the kid, who shoots right back with \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with your eye?\u201d) softens when Egg, who knows every famous knight in the realm, realizies who this is: it\u2019s Ser Robyn Rhysling, who lost his eye at an earlier tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the maddest knight in the Seven Kingdoms!\u201d Egg declares.<\/p>\n

Ser Robyn takes it in stride; clearly, he\u2019s heard that before. \u201cWe are a vessel for the Warrior,\u201d he replies. \u201cWhen it is madness bid, it is madness delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

After this encounter, Egg returns to camp, where a somber Dunk is tending to some chores. He\u2019s very short with Egg, but he can\u2019t stay irritated at the kid for long, and starts teaching him how to sew a patch. A little while later, as Egg sings a little ditty about the Blackfyre Rebellion, full of carefully placed almost-swear words, while Dunk vomits in the background.<\/p>\n

We can soon tell his anger earlier, and his nervousness now, are because he\u2019s psyching himself up to enter the lists. After last night, he\u2019s terrified about what\u2019s to come, but he\u2019s ready to face it. There\u2019s just one problem, Egg tells him. The first challenges are reserved for \u201cknights of high birth and renown,\u201d which means\u2026 a hedge knight like Dunk won\u2019t be fighting today.<\/p>\n

So, that means, there\u2019s time for a proper breakfast. Trying to buy goose eggs, Dunk must goofily pantomime \u201cno, just the eggs\u201d to a confused vendor who\u2019s about ready to slaughter the whole bird for him.<\/p>\n

\"Peter\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

Amid this undignified moment of squatting and wing-flapping, Tanselle strolls by and takes note of what\u2019s happening. The shield she\u2019s painting for Dunk will be done by the evening, she tells him, quietly amused by his display. Dunk, of course, very nearly dies of embarassment right there in the market.<\/p>\n

The feeling soon passes; Dunk and Egg chow down on a tasty breakfast that is not hard salt beef, and head over to the jousting arena for some spectating, poking fun at each other and having a jolly good time.<\/p>\n

Later, lounging on a grassy hillside, Egg says dreamily, \u201cI think I could be quite happy in a place like this.\u201d Dunk points out, \u201cYou\u2019re in a place like this!\u201d But Egg is thinking long term; you know, after he becomes a war hero and marries his lord\u2019s second-most beautiful daughter, since Dunk has already married the first.<\/p>\n

But Egg is also thinking more short-term too, and he asks Dunk\u2014who\u2019s just complimented his work ethic\u2014if he can stay on as his squire after the tournament. Dunk is about to agree when suddenly, the steward of Ashford, our phlegmy friend, summons him over for a chat.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more of a proposal, actually. The steward, on behalf of the financially strapped Lord Ashford, is looking for willing participants in a moneymaking scheme. Ashford\u2019s son, Ser Androw, who has put on a decent display in the ring so far, will deliberately lose his next bouts\u2014guaranteeing that anyone who bets against him will rack up the coin.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as shady as asking Dunk to lose on purpose, but it\u2019s not exactly honorable, even though the steward frames it as a \u201creward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunk has principles. We know this, even if Ashford and company don\u2019t. \u201cI do not want a victory that I haven\u2019t earned,\u201d he insists. The steward presses. The deal is a win-win, really: in his pre-guaranteed victory, Dunk would get Ser Androw\u2019s horse, arms, and armor. It\u2019s a generous payout for a hedge knight who has everything to lose.<\/p>\n

\"Tom\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

The steward says he\u2019ll seek a final answer tomorrow, and though Dunk\u2019s instinct is an immediate no, we can tell he is turning the idea\u2014as odious as it is\u2014over in his mind.<\/p>\n

Just then, the horn sounds. Time for some of those knights of high birth and renown to go at it, and one of them is unfortunately familiar: Maekar Targaryen\u2019s son Aerion, the prince who was so rude to Dunk outside the castle the previous day. We cut to the stands and see that while Prince Baelor is there, there\u2019s an empty chair where Maekar would normally be sitting.<\/p>\n

At first, it looks like Prince Aerion is going to challenge his cousin, Baelor\u2019s son Daeron. But he moves down to the next pavilion. \u201cCome out, come out, little knight,\u201d he sneers. \u201cIt\u2019s time to face the dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n

His opponent is Ser Humfrey Hardyng, and things get ugly real fast. First, we hear Egg yell \u201cKill him! Kill him!\u201d as the knights charge each other; a quizzical Dunk takes note of this uncharacterisic display of malice. But it\u2019s not Aerion who falls\u2014it\u2019s Humfrey, when Aerion deliberately angles his lance through the neck of Humfrey\u2019s horse. The steed goes down, crushing its rider\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

The crowd boos. This may be a royal Targaryen, but he\u2019s fighting dirty, and with unbelievable cruelty. The masses begin to strike back, tossing rocks and then starting to riot, to the point that the Kingsguard has to ride out to protect the prince. Meanwhile, a solemn man walks over to Ser Humfrey and puts his horse out of its obvious agony.<\/p>\n

It starts to rain as Dunk and Egg get the hell away from the ring. Dunk reminds Egg that as his squire, he\u2019ll need to keep his cool if a similar mishap befalls Dunk in the ring.<\/p>\n

\"Dexter\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was no mishap,\u201d Egg replies, with an awful look on his face.<\/p>\n

We could all use some cheering up after that, which means it\u2019s perfect timing for the second bawdy song to appear in \u201cThe Squire.\u201d This one\u2019s about a woman named Alice with, shall we say, a particular set of skills. The fact that it\u2019s screeched out tunelessly by a shirtless Ser Lyonel (wearing his antler crown) makes it even better, really.<\/p>\n

The whole drunken crowd backs him up as Dunk and Egg sit together at a table listening to the song\u2014Egg more closely than most.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you suppose there was an Alice, ser?\u201d he wonders.<\/p>\n

\u201cA crippled girl who shoved her hand up men\u2019s arses?\u201d Dunk replies thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

They both agree the song is probably based on a real person, though Alice might not have been her real name.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps it is a story of honor,\u201d Egg says. \u201cA misfortuned girl making the best of her natural gifts \u2026 is this not the act of a dogged spirit? Giving more than is asked?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her name doesn\u2019t matter, they agree. \u201cHer name is Hope, ser,\u201d Egg decrees. \u201cIt belongs to all who invoke it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Daniel\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

The philosophical tone continues as they stroll away from the tent. Dunk asks Egg if he ever knew his father; the boy says \u201cnot really.\u201d Dunk, who suspects his father was a Flea Bottom thief, says he never knew his either. As they walk, contentedly chomping on their meaty snacks, we see the steward\u2014he catches Dunk\u2019s eye expectantly, but Dunk\u2019s not ready to engage him with an answer just yet.<\/p>\n

Then, another odd encounter. A fortuneteller walks up and offers to read their futures. Of Dunk, she says, \u201cYou shall know great success and be richer than a Lannister,\u201d which the hedge knight takes as a complete fabrication.<\/p>\n

For Egg, it gets dark: \u201cYou shall be king, and die in a hot fire, and worms shall feed upon your ashes. And all who know you shall rejoice upon your dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Book readers know where this is leading, but Dunk laughs it off. (Egg, we can see, is spooked.) The moment passes when a grinning Raymun Fossoway strides up and invites Dunk into his tent for some cider. Egg says he\u2019ll meet him after; the puppet show is just beginning, and he can collect Dunk\u2019s shield from Tanselle once it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n

Dunk\u2019s torn for a moment; he wouldn\u2019t mind seeing Tanselle onstage again. But he follows Raymun. He could use a little advice, especially considering the steward\u2019s proposition. On the subject of challenges, Raymun supposes his cousin, the sleazy Ser Steffon, will step to anyone who\u2019s injured; he\u2019s \u201cabout as chivalrous as a starved weasel.\u201d Dunk pretends to ponder and says he\u2019s been thinking of challenging\u2026 Ser Androw.<\/p>\n

Then, the subject changes to Aerion Targaryen\u2019s brutal behavior earlier in the day. \u201cMy squire thinks Aerion meant to kill the horse,\u201d Dunk says with a forced laugh, saying it\u2019s hard to imagine any knight would be dishonorable. Especially one that\u2019s also a prince.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that hard?\u201d asks a stone-cold serious Raymun. \u201cThey\u2019re incestuous aliens, Duncan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shaun\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

Perfectly stated, really. And the anti-Targaryen rant continues: \u201cBlood-magickers and tyrants who\u2019ve burned our lands, enslaved out people, dragged us into their wars without a mote of respect for our history or our customs. Every pale-haired brat they saddled on us has been madder than the last, gods know how!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only honorable thing a Targaryen can do for this realm is finish on his wife\u2019s tits,\u201d Raymun declares. \u201cSo aye, I think he meant to kill the fucking horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunk, who has likely never heard anyone rail so angrily against Westeros\u2019 ruling family, lets all that sink in. Raymun lets out a long burp to lighten the mood.<\/p>\n

But the mood is about to get much, much worse. We cut to the puppet show, where Egg watches in delight as Tanselle, playing a knight, battles the fiery dragon. The pyrotechnics are cool as hell. The crowd is gasping and marveling at the stagecraft. Except one surly audience member, who stands out like a platinum blonde beacon: it\u2019s the dreaded Aerion, taking offense at the sight of a puppet dragon\u2014the Targaryen symbol\u2014being slain onstage.<\/p>\n

Everyone else soon realizes he\u2019s there and grows silent. Tanselle\u2019s eyes are huge as she realizes she\u2019s just made what could certainly be interpreted as a political statement against the family that\u2019s long occupied the Iron Throne. Aerion, it\u2019s clear, very much took it that way.<\/p>\n

\"Finn\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

We quickly cut back to Raymun and Dunk yukking it up over cider, and Raymun\u2019s just finished explaining that Maekar wasn\u2019t at Aerion\u2019s joust earlier that day because he\u2019s out searching for his two missing sons. Dunk supposes Maekar is worried, but Raymun can\u2019t figure why. Daeron, the heir, is a \u201csot.\u201d Aerion, who we\u2019re well familiar with, is \u201cvain and cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe third\u2019s so useless, they were gonna ship him off to the Citadel to make a Maester of him.\u201d (Game of Thrones fans, you know which Targaryen that is.)<\/p>\n

And the youngest? Well\u2026 before Raymun can give his opinion, Egg runs in, screaming for Dunk to come. \u201cAerion\u2019s hurting her!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Tanselle in great distress, of course, as Aerion is punishing her for the puppet show\u2019s subject matter. It\u2019s chaos, things on fire, people screaming\u2014none louder than Tanselle as Aerion breaks her finger with a terrible crack.<\/p>\n

Dunk sees red and charges, and punches and kicks Aerion until Aerion\u2019s bodyguards intervene. Aerion rises to his feet and shakes his head in disgust. \u201cWhy did you throw your life away for this whore?\u201d he asks Dunk.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a traitor,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe dragon ought never lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunk says nothing. Aerion orders his men to break out all of Dunk\u2019s teeth\u2014phase one in whatever other gruesome punishment will follow, presumably, and it\u2019s just about to happen when we hear a familiar shrill voice cutting in.<\/p>\n

Dunk, thinking Egg will join him on the pain train if he angers the Targaryens, orders his squire to stop: \u201cHold your tongue or they\u2019ll hurt you!\u201d<\/p>\n

But Egg is more than Egg. Book readers and spoiler-conscious HBO reps can now relax, because the secret is officially out in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou impudent little rat,\u201d Aerion sighs at the boy. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened to your hair?\u201d<\/p>\n

Egg, whose full name is Aegon Targaryen, spits back, \u201cI cut it off, brother. I didn\u2019t want to look like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, the editing cuts between all the players (shocked: Tanselle, Raymun; defiant: Egg; annoyed: Aerion), but we end on Dunk, who can\u2019t quite believe what\u2019s just happened. All of it. All of it.<\/p>\n

What will the Targaryens decide do with Dunk? Can tiny Egg use his own power to further soften the blow\u2014if Dunk will forgive him for completely misrepresenting himself this entire time, that is?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll have to wait until next week\u2019s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u2014arriving Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms runs just six episodes, so episode three is exactly the right moment…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[47090,146,463,68803,4302,85,46,411,12962],"class_list":["post-270753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms","tag-entertainment","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-george-r-r-martin","tag-hbo","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-tv","tag-tv-recap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}