Episode 5 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, “In the Name of the Mother,” provided the most brutal hour of television so far, and certainly within the Game of Thrones franchise. As the early episodes of Game of Thrones focused on warmth and the wandering knight, this installment reminded the viewer that Westeros has never been a gentle place.
Rafe & Baelor’s devastating death
The initial shock comes from a flashback scene. After Dunk, played by Peter Claffey, is knocked unconscious during the Trial of Seven, the viewer is treated to a flashback of Dunk’s youth in Flea Bottom. A young Dunk, played by Bamber Todd, forages for items on a battlefield with his best friend Rafe, played by Chloe Lea. Fans of Dune: Prophecy will immediately know Chloe Lea from her role as Sister Lila, which adds another layer of surprise for the viewer.
Rafe wants to escape to the Free Cities, but tragedy befalls Rafe as a thief slashes her throat in a dark alleyway after she tries to steal back what has been stolen from her. This is a brutal scene with no cutting away from the action, leaving the viewer with the horrific sight of Dunk holding Rafe as she dies, with the life draining from her eyes.
Co-creator Ira Parker recognized that risk with the inclusion of a flashback in the midst of the climactic battle, saying in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “I hate that I’ve had to do a flashback at this point when everybody just wants the battle, but we had to. But I do think it stands on its own, and I do think it’s fun to see Dunk like that. I do think it adds a lot to the story, and it adds to the ending of episode 5 as well … But, yeah, it’s gonna displease some people.”
While Rafe’s death is sad, Baelor’s is outright horrifying. After the Trial of Seven, Prince Baelor Targaryen, played by Bertie Carvel, looks like a winner until he removes his helmet, revealing that his skull has been crushed by his brother Maekar with a mace.
The scene is one of the goriest in all of Game of Thrones, with Baelor’s head partially crumbling to reveal his catastrophic injury before his death in Dunk’s arms. The scene is sudden, with no heroic music or fanfare, just shock.
The director of Game of Thrones, Owen Harris, said, “very authentically Dunk…In that moment, you sort of build the legend of Dunk, but at the same time, you also build the tension because everyone’s thinking, ‘What’s happened to Dunk?’“
It is obvious at the end of episode 5 that, like all Game of Thrones productions, although on a smaller scale, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is grounded in the brutal world created by George R.R. Martin. While it is certainly less dark in tone, it is no less vicious in impact, and episode 5 is one that will be remembered for embracing that dark heritage wholeheartedly.
