HBO’s too-short first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comes to a satisfying conclusion with episode six, “The Morrow.” The season finale ends on a happy note, setting up further adventures of Dunk and Egg in the already announced second season.
(The following is a recap of episode six—the season finale—and there are spoilers.)
Ser Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon (Daniel Ings) confesses he’s going to miss the excitement of the tournament. Home’s boring, but he thinks Dunk might like it in Tarth. Lyonel volunteers to help improve the hedge knight’s skills and insists they could have a good time together.
While Lyonel is giving a seriously injured Dunk (Peter Claffey) a pep talk, a maester announces that Dunk’s dying. But Lyonel doesn’t believe him; after all, healing an “itchy a**hole” is beyond this maester’s abilities. Lyonel sends him away with an impressive selection of cuss words. He really wants Dunk to go with him to Storm’s End, promising to love him like a brother.
Dunk finally speaks, turning down the invitation and insisting he only brings pain to those around him. Lyonel insults Prince Baelor Targaryen’s memory, declaring the only good dragon is a dead dragon. Dunk takes offense, reminding Lyonel that Baelor died fighting for him. But Lyonel won’t let it go. He angrily reminds Dunk that he fought for him alongside Hardyng, Beesbury, and Raymun. Sure, Baelor fought too, but did so while knowing the Kingsguard would never hurt him.
“He risked nothing, and the gods don’t favor a fraud,” notes Lyonel.
If that’s true, then Dunk wonders why they’ve favored him. Lyonel believes that Dunk’s condition is more of a mockery than a favor. Again, Lyonel asks Dunk to come with him. A war’s coming and it would be great to fight together. Dunk doesn’t respond and Lyonel takes that as a yes that he’ll consider it.
The Targaryens and their supporters gather for Baelor’s funeral. It’s a small ceremony and a somber farewell to a decent man. Dunk speaks with Baelor’s son, Valarr (Oscar Morgan), who can’t believe his father died in his armor; dads aren’t supposed to die in their sons’ armor. Valarr thinks Baelor would have been the greatest king since Aegon the Dragon. He wonders why the gods took him but left Dunk alive. Dunk wonders the same thing.
Ser Raymun (Shaun Thomas) catches up with Dunk as he walks through camp, basically being ignored by everyone. Dunk knows everyone blames him for Baelor’s death, but Raymun doesn’t. They awkwardly hug until Dunk pulls away. Raymun confesses his cousin, Steffon, isn’t taking defeat well. He took Raymun’s tent, just because Raymun beaten him in the first trial of seven in 100 years. Raymun’s pretty happy that he broke one of his cousin’s ribs. He’s also happy he’s with Rowan (Rowan Robinson) and introduces her as his wife. Dunk doesn’t admit he’s met her before and knows she’s a prostitute. Apparently, she fell for Raymun during the trial. She helped with his wounds…and helped him out of his armor. Also, she’s with child—which Raymun doesn’t seem to realize couldn’t be his.
Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) demands Dunk’s presence and Dunk agrees without putting up a fight. Maekar reveals he’s sending Aerion to the east, hoping it’ll help change his ways. He confesses that people will believe he meant to kill his brother, but the gods know he didn’t mean to take his life. Dunk agrees Maekar swung the mace, but Baelor died fighting for him. They will both carry blame for their entire lives.
Dunk admits he thought about whether he should have just let Maekar take his hand and foot. “How could a foot be worth a prince’s life?” asks Dunk. He thinks about what Ser Arlan told him, that you never know what tomorrow will bring. Dunk believes it’s possible that a day will come when the realm will need his foot more than the prince’s life.
Maekar disagrees. The realm has an abundance of hedge knights. He cuts to the chase, admitting Egg/Aegon needs to serve as a squire but has said he’ll only serve Dunk. Maekar asks Dunk to take him on, assuring the hedge knight that there’s a place for him at Summerhall. However, Dunk would need to swear his sword to Maekar. The Targaryen master of arms will continue Dunk’s training if Dunk trains Egg as a squire.
“Beg your pardon, m’lord, I do, but I think I’m done with princes,” replies Dunk.
Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) eavesdropped on the entire conversation but claims he wasn’t spying. Dunk takes a seat next to him and Egg asks how he’s feeling. Dunk apologizes for not being able to take him as a squire. Egg’s disappointed and leaves, saying maybe Dunk isn’t the knight he thought he was.
A flashback shows Ser Arlan (Danny Webb) telling Dunk a story about knights nailing a penny in the oak tree in the center of town before going off to war. They were supposed to take their penny down when they returned, but so many never came back from wars that the tree was covered in pennies. Dunk asks why Arlan didn’t knight him, but Arlan doesn’t answer. Dunk breaks down in sobs, believing Arlan has just passed away. He hasn’t. He finishes his story, saying this is why the tree was known as the Pennytree.
“A true knight always finishes a story,” adds Arlan.
The tent’s crowded as everyone gathers for food, drinks, and music with Beesbury’s coffin in the middle of the room. Bees have swarmed all over it, and Rowan explains it’s because the queen bee is inside the coffin. Dunk spots Egg’s brother, Daeron (Henry Ashton), and asks if he doesn’t feel any shame about being with the mourners. Beesbury and Hardyng are dead because he lied and said Dunk kidnapped Egg. Daeron ignores the question and asks if Dunk will take Egg to squire. He then points out that his other brother, Aerion, was a good kid—like Egg. Aerion wasn’t always evil. And like Aerion, it’s possible Egg will change as he grows up, pampered in a castle.
Egg ignores his meal and sits alone in his room. He stares at his bald head in the mirror and then grabs a knife and slowly walks into Aerion’s room. Aerion (Finn Bennett) is asleep in bed, recuperating from the trial, as Egg approaches. Maekar surprises his youngest son, and Egg cries. He drops the knife and leans into his dad just as a guard arrives with news that Ser Duncan wishes to speak with Maekar.
While waiting, Lady Ashford tells Dunk she doesn’t blame him for ruining her 13th name day. She believes he was treated horribly and none of this was his fault.
Prince Maekar’s anxious to return home and tells Dunk to be brief. Dunk recalls that Baelor told him the realm needs good men, so he will take Egg as a squire. However, he won’t go to Summerhall. Instead, they’ll travel away from castles, servants, and Egg’s Targaryen relatives. Dunk plans on teaching Egg to squire the same way Arlan taught him. They’ll sleep in stables and under the stars as they travel around the seven kingdoms.
Maekar refuses Dunk’s request, unwilling to let Egg live as a peasant. Egg has the blood of the dragon and living like that is beneath him. Dunk reminds Maekar that Aerion was raised in a castle with plenty of food, and it didn’t help him turn out to be a decent man.
Maekar confesses he’s worried because Egg’s his last son. He leaves without giving Dunk consent to take Egg on the road.
Dunk packs up his camp and is delighted when Sweetfoot comes prancing up. Raymun’s right behind him and thrilled to be able to reunite Dunk with his horse. Dunk corrects Raymun when he assumes he’s going with Lyonel to Storm’s End. Instead, Dunk is going the other direction. Raymun reveals he’s probably going to go into the cider business.
Dunk pets the horse but then admits she’s not his any longer. He turns Sweetfoot over to Raymun, telling him she’ll love it in an orchard. Raymun’s thrilled to have her, and she readily accepts an apple from his hand.
Dunk spends a few minutes preparing a penny and then pounds it into the tree where he made his camp. He speaks to one of his two horses, Chestnut, and wonders where Ser Arlan would go. Just then, Egg runs up and says his father wants him to serve as Dunk’s squire. Dunk informs him that Chestnut is his and that he should stay off Thunder.
They hit the road and Egg wonders where they’re going. Dunk confesses he doesn’t know but thinks they can go anywhere in the seven kingdoms. Egg interrupts to correct him; there are actually nine kingdoms. Dunk laughs and tells Egg he’s wrong, but Egg insists there are nine. Egg persists despite Dunk threatening to punch him in the ear. He lists the nine kingdoms: Crownlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, Riverlands, the Iron Island, the North, the Reach, the Vale of Arryn, and Dorne.
Dunk’s momentarily speechless and stops his horse. He’s still considering the list when Egg suggests they head to Dorne because they have excellent puppet shows. (Egg’s a little matchmaker!)
Dunk and Egg ride off, briefly accompanied by the ghost of Ser Arlan riding Sweetfoot. Ser Arlan breaks off and crosses a field as Egg and Dunk continue down the road.
A title card appears on screen and reads, “A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms.”
Meanwhile, back at camp, Maekar looks around for Aegon. No one’s seen him. Season one ends with Maekar shouting, “Where the f**k is he?”
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