A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Trial Of Seven Was Epic, But The Episode Was Missing One Thing

Spoilers ahead for "In the Name of the Mother".

Despite Game of Thrones' controversial finale, fans have returned to Westeros thanks to various spinoffs that are available on HBO (and streaming with an HBO Max subscription). The latest of these is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which has been trolling fans and subverting their expectations thanks to its irreverent tone and scatological humor. The penultimate episode featured an epic Trial of the Seven, but it was missing one key element to the series.

Immediately after its premiere, AKotSK joined the ranks of HBO shows that got the world talking, largely thanks to how different it was from its predecessors. The Game of Thrones universe was used to hilarious results, and the show has had plenty of poop jokes and wild nudity so far. Unfortunately for me, that was what was missing in Episode 5.

"In the Name of the Mother" Was Thrilling, But Dropped The Show's Comedic Tone

The drama of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was building to "In the Name of the Mother," where Duncan and his motley crew of Knights got involved in a dangerous Trial of the Seven. The episode split its time between brutal medieval combat and flashbacks to Dunk's childhood in Flea Bottom. It was an absolutely epic episode of television, but I wish that it could have had just a few moments of comedy to include the show's signature irreverence.

Obviously, this is easier said than done. But maybe this could have been done in the flashback sequences. This would have let the Trial stay high stakes, while also helping the show have that same consistency. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only fan who fell in love with the prequel for this reason.

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I'm interested to see what type of tone the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season finale will have. The stakes continue to be high for Dunk, who now is at least partly responsible for the death of Baelor Targaryen. Will there be room for the final episode in Season 1 to have comedy and poop jokes like the majority of the series, or will the show begin to resemble Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon? I certainly know what I'd prefer.

At the time of writing this story, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms hasn't been renewed for another season just yet. But showrunner Ira Parker wants to continue Dunk and Egg's story till the end of those characters' lives. The trick will be staying true to the first season's humor, while also allowing the larger story to play out. Fingers crossed we get news about another season sooner rather than later.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs new episodes Sundays on HBO as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Luckily for fans of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will begin airing its third season this June. Long live Westeros!