Chris Connor reviews the fifth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms…
Episode four of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has unified fans of George R.R. Martin in a way we haven’t seen since the early years of Game of Thrones. Such has been the response that there is a lot of pressure on the final two episodes to stick the landing. However, if there’s one thing we know from Game of Thrones, this franchise knows how to do a penultimate episode, and “In the Name of The Mother” is every bit the equal of the likes of “Blackwater” or “The Rains of Castamere”.
The pacing of this show has been one of its true strengths, gradually building from something slight to the payoff of the past two episodes. Every moment has been leading to the confrontation shown here, and it is worth the gradual build up. The stakes feel as high, as if the fate of the Seven Kingdoms were at stake, even if it is just the fate of Ser Duncan.
The trial by Seven is ferocious, with some of the finest action choreographed across any of the shows to date – bloody, bruising and ferocious. We intercut during the first half with some more background on Ser Duncan’s past, which wonderfully mirrors the events on the battlefield and is equally action-packed in its own way. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell are brilliant as they have been all season. Claffey’s physicality coming to the fore, excelling in the tight and bruising duel sequences, with Ser Duncan committed to avoiding a wrongful fate.
The past two episodes have proven there is life yet in this franchise on television, something few would have expected. What could have been a disposable entry feels more urgent than anything in the past decade. Should it stick the landing with the finale, it will set a high benchmark for other shows to follow, and the issue will be managing this story and making sure it doesn’t become too much of a good thing.
With just the three novellas to date, there is only a limited pool to draw from, but given how beautifully The Hedge Knight has been brought to life, honouring the events on the page and embellishing them, there is hope for plenty more brilliance from this corner of Westeros.
Chris Connor
