- A knight of the seven kingdoms episode 5 is out now
- This season’s penultimate chapter revolves around the Trial of Seven
- Viewers have had a lot to say about Game of Thrones the show’s latest post
A knight of the seven kingdoms episode 5 has debuted on HBO Max and several other streaming platforms. And if there were any doubts among fans that this season’s penultimate chapter, titled ‘Seven’, would be epic and heartbreaking, they were erased over its 30-minute runtime.
From flashback sequences about Dunk’s past to this episode’s emotionally devastating ending, viewers have had a lot to say about ‘In the Name of the Mother’ since it aired. I cannot stress this enough: full spoilers follow immediately after this season’s fifth entryso come back now if you haven’t seen it yet.
Will Ser Baelor die in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5?
Yep. You don’t take a mace blow to the head of that magnitude Game of Thrones (GoT) universe—one that burrows into your skull and helmet, no less—and lives to tell the tale.
Anyone who has read The hedge knightalso known as the first entry in the short story trilogy ‘Dunk and Egg’ A knight of the seven kingdoms‘(AKotSK) first season is adapted from, would have known this moment was coming. For everyone else, it’s an absolutely gut-wrenching scenario that has stunned many of the HBO Max show’s devoted audience.
“It hurts just as much as when I read the books,” lamented ResetEra user GambitPool, before fellow Deception forum member simply wrote: “That was brutal…didn’t expect that ending.”
“Brutal” is a word many have used to describe Baelor’s death since ‘Seven’ aired on many of the world’s top streaming services, but it’s not the only adjective that has come to mind.
“Ghost ending,” said ResetEra member SolVanderlyn, while fellow user Neen used Baelor’s final words to convey how devastating this scene is: “‘My brother’s mace, most like. He’s strong’. F*****g hell.”
Given that Baelor is the heir to the Iron Throne and, at least for a Targaryen, a kind and honorable man, his passing is a hammer blow – or should that be a mace blow (sorry, too soon…) – to all Thrones the universe too.
As some fans have pointed out, events that have played out since Dunk attacked Aerion AKotSK episode 3 has led to this moment. In fact, as ResetEra user Neece wrote, “Prince Baelor dying for me was the price of Dunk’s lie that he was knighted. The gods judged Dunk innocent of the charges against him by Aerion and Daeron, but they had to punish him for the lie. Is it worth it for Dunk to be a great knight, if possible a great knight.”
For those of you wondering, this is most likely the moment Maekar beat Baelor #AKOTSK #AKnightOfTheSevenKingdom pic.twitter.com/gv1uh4s51r16 February 2026
That said, the blame can’t be laid squarely at Dunk’s feet.
Indeed, if Aerion hadn’t called for a trial of seven, if Steffon Fossoway hadn’t betrayed Dunk to fight for Aerion, and/or if Baelor hadn’t joined Dunk’s side at the end of Episode 4, Baelor would have lived and probably gone to be one of Westeros’ most benevolent rulers.
What else are fans saying about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5?
Despite Baelor’s death, viewers have been discussing ‘In the Name of the Mother’ as a unified spectacle in the hours since it was released.
“It was harrowing, maybe one of the most brutal episodes of television I’ve ever seen,” ResetEra member Domino said, while DanDanderson stated, “This show is the first show in a long time that legitimately makes me yell sh**t at my TV.”
“It’s the first time in Game of Thrones where I could feel the weight of the fight,” added Redditor Nick___, before Reddit user jarheadsynapze opined: “Haven’t been this stressed since [Game of Thrones episode] ‘Battle of the Bastards’.”
AKotSK‘s fanbase has been divided by one aspect of episode 5’s plot, however. These are the flashback sequences from Dunk’s childhood and how he and Ser Arlan first crossed paths.
“Don’t really like the flashback. I just hate flashback episodes in shows in general,” opined ResetEra member JEH, before Neece reappeared to say about the death of Dunk’s childhood friend Rafe: “I just don’t like that the flashback is going to introduce fridging to the conversation this season.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the flashback and cuts to the planning before the trial began,” thought BossAttack, “especially the whole plan Baelor is doing to arm himself with longer tournament lances as opposed to war lances.
“The flashback is far darker than anything Dunk thinks back to in the books, and of course he’s a lot older here, too. It also doesn’t serve the primary purpose of showing Dunk as a brawler in Flea Bottom, using that brawl, not some knightly training, to beat the s**t out of Aerion. Instead, he can basically say I like that, I like that.”
There are some who liked the inclusion of flashbacks. The above Reddit post is proof of that, as is this from ResetEra’s ThatCrazyGuy: “Beautiful, emotional, dark episode. The violence is visceral and gut-wrenching, as someone pointed out. The fights are brutal and desperation, just trying to live. I haven’t read the books. The flashbacks hit me with what Ser Dunk and what Arlan hit me. About.”
If it wasn’t clear by now, there’s only one more episode left before that AKotSK‘s debut season is leaving our screens. Fear not though, because A knight of the seven kingdoms season 2 has been announced and has already begun filming ahead of a 2027 launch date.
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