A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Recap: Flea Bottom’s Up

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My colleague Kathryn VanArendonk recently pointed out how frustrating it is when prestige TV shows dedicate an entire episode before the finale to a long flashback. So, I couldn’t help but laugh with a bit of disappointment when, early in this week’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Duncan was seriously injured almost immediately during his trial by combat and then fell into a lengthy memory of his childhood. I did praise the show last week for surprising me with its plot twists, but honestly? No real fight for Dunk, and a flashback too? It felt a bit much.

I was unnecessarily worried. I remembered Duncan’s early fight in The Hedge Knight – he also gets knocked off his horse quickly and seems outmatched, but he recovers and wins against Prince Aerion. While the show doesn’t interrupt the battle to show Dunk’s backstory, the writers have done a great job expanding on George R.R. Martin’s story this season, adding depth to the characters and the overall narrative. It’s clear the showrunner, Ira Parker, has a strong vision.

The twenty-minute flashback has two main goals. First, it tells us how Ser Duncan started his life, showing his escape from the extreme poverty and filth of Flea Bottom in King’s Landing, where orphans survived by selling rat meat. Second, it highlights a key theme of this season: the increasing unrest and weakening of the Seven Kingdoms after the Targaryen family had ruled for centuries.

There’s this really heartbreaking flashback sequence. It shows a young Dunk, maybe twelve years old, hanging out with this cool, tough girl named Rafe. She’s dreaming of escaping the city and making a life for herself in the Free Cities, saving up every penny she can. But then, things go horribly wrong. Rafe gets into a fight with some older, rough characters in Flea Bottom, and she’s tragically killed – her throat slashed. Seeing that sends young Dunk into a furious rage, and he gets stabbed himself! Luckily, a stumbling, drunk knight named Ser Arlan happens to wander into the alley and, even in his condition, instinctively steps in to protect the innocent.

The scenes featuring Rafe are a welcome addition to the “Dunk & Egg” storyline developed by Parker and the writers of the “Seven Kingdoms.” Adapting Martin’s stories is tricky because they’re told entirely from Ser Duncan’s point of view—every scene includes him. While Dunk isn’t unintelligent, he doesn’t understand Westerosi politics, history, or culture as well as his squire, who comes from a royal background. Characters like Rafe, who are more worldly and knowledgeable, are needed to provide context and fill in the gaps.

Okay, so right away, when we meet Dunk and Rafe, it’s a really grim scene. They’re sifting through the wreckage of a battle just outside King’s Landing – another Targaryen family fight, this one sparked by a rebel named Daemon Blackfyre. It’s made getting out of the city a real pain, because travel costs have suddenly doubled. But Rafe quickly points out that just because the rebellion seems over doesn’t mean it is. She puts it bluntly: people don’t just forget things like this, and the tensions are still there.

Even though we don’t get to know Rafe for long, it’s immediately obvious she was a remarkable woman. Her death – abrupt, brutal, and unfair – is deeply upsetting. It highlights the harsh reality of the world that created Ser Duncan, a place where talented individuals, capable of greatness, were often cast aside as unimportant. Ser Arlan of Pennytree is another example of this tragic waste.

Before the action really kicks in, the show takes a welcome detour to explore Ser Arlan and his relationship with young Dunk. We finally get a detailed look at what life was like under Arlan’s command, and it reveals a fascinating detail: it seems Arlan never formally knighted Duncan, or even officially made him a squire! Dunk basically just…followed him out of King’s Landing, keeping his distance until Arlan discovered him sick after drinking some bad water. It’s a surprisingly casual beginning to what becomes a pivotal relationship, and it really grounds the story in a believable reality.

We don’t know exactly what happened after Dunk was injured. It seems Ser Arlan likely cared for him and allowed him to stay, though Arlan was a heavy drinker and possibly unstable, so his decisions might not have been thought through. It’s unclear if Arlan actually trained Dunk. Dunk claimed his master taught him swordsmanship, shield work, and jousting, but it’s possible there wasn’t any real guidance. This raises the question of whether Dunk is, as Egg worried, simply a poor knight.

Only one way to know for sure: trial by combat!

While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms isn’t primarily focused on action, the fight scenes have been well done, and this week’s “trial by seven” was particularly impressive. The scene starts with a close-up, almost putting you in Dunk’s shoes as he tries to get his horse into battle. We quickly see that Ser Duncan is outmatched by Prince Aerion’s superior weaponry. The battle feels chaotic and brutal, with a strong sense of physicality, dirt, and blood.

All of that happens within the first few minutes of the episode, before we even get to the flashback. Then comes Ser Duncan’s big comeback moment. Just when it looks like Aerion has completely defeated him—and the herald is about to announce the end of the trial because Ser Duncan seems lifeless in the dirt—he unexpectedly gets back on his feet, encouraged by Prince Aegon shouting, “Get up, Ser!” It’s a really powerful scene, especially when Dunk discards his armor and weapons and begins fighting Aerion with just his fists, in a rough, street-fighting style.

This battle is especially intense because Duncan isn’t fighting alone – six allies are risking everything to help him. The fight to make the prince surrender will be tough, and Duncan has a lot to lose.

This episode’s shocking ending truly highlights what was at risk. Although Ser Duncan wins his fight, the victory is bittersweet. While he’s being treated by the maesters and swears loyalty to Prince Baelor – who bravely defended him – the prince’s health rapidly declines from a severe head wound inflicted by his brother Maekar’s weapon. When Steely Pate and Raymun lift Baelor’s helmet, they discover a fatal injury.

Okay, so just like with Rafe, someone else died trying to protect Dunk. But the big lords and ladies of Westeros? They’re not going to write Baelor off as unimportant. Honestly, after Dunk fought so hard to win, I have a feeling this victory might not last very long.

A Few Clouts on the Ear

This episode’s title alludes to ‘the Mother,’ one of seven worshipped deities – a phrase we actually hear several times. We first hear it when Ser Arlan saves Dunk and shouts, “In the name of the Mother, let that boy be!” Later, while looting fallen soldiers, Dunk mentions one victim was calling for his mother. He also admits to Rafe that he’s worried about leaving King’s Landing in case his own mother returns. However, the most powerful connection to motherhood comes when Ser Lyonel observes that Baelor is favored over his brother Maekar, stating, “No man fights so hard as one neglected by his mother.” This statement feels particularly relevant considering the events that follow.

Young Dunk shows hints of the man he’ll become, such as his gentle morning moments with the goats near where he and Rafe slept. Also, his deep care for Rafe foreshadows his future willingness to risk everything for a kind puppet maker, a trait marked by a dreamy, faraway look.

Just to clarify, Rafe isn’t a new character. He’s actually mentioned briefly in the original novellas as one of Dunk’s childhood friends. Since I’ve been complimenting the showrunners for the changes they’ve made to The Hedge Knight, it’s also important to note they’ve kept a lot of the original material intact. Surprisingly often, even small lines of dialogue – like Steely Pate suggesting oil for Dunk’s wounds or Prince Baelor’s warning – come directly from George R.R. Martin’s writing. I’ll be taking a closer look at the differences between the novella and the TV series in my review next week.

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2026-02-16 07:55