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This week’s episode of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has left viewers in shock with the unexpected demise of a cherished character, a moment that is both heart-wrenching and pivotal.
**Spoilers ahead for episode 5, titled “In The Name of the Mother,” now available on HBO Max**
The gallant Prince Baelor Targaryen, portrayed by Bertie Carvel, met an untimely and surprising end just after surviving the grueling Trial of Seven. His sudden death marks a grim and unforgettable moment in the series, yet ironically, it was a scene that Carvel thoroughly enjoyed bringing to life.
Speaking with DECIDER, Carvel expressed his enthusiasm for such a dramatic role: “It’s great! Death scenes are great because there’s no hiding from the fact that you’re pretending,” he remarked. “Most actors are terrified of people finding you out, that you’re not who you say you are, which is ridiculous. Because by its very nature, that’s what you’re doing. And so I find death scenes great because it’s very obviously acting and we still — if it’s any good — believe it.”
He further elaborated on his experience, saying, “I live in my imagination. I live as fully in my imagination as I do in my flesh. It can do things and it can have a bearing on the world that is powerful and truthful, even though it’s just make believe. I really believe that. Yeah, somehow pretending to die is quite a profound thing to do.”
Okay, but how exactly did Prince Baelor die? And who else died in Ser Duncan the Tall’s (Peter Claffey) Trial of Seven against Prince Aerion (Finn Bennett)? Here’s what you need to know about the end of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5…
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 Ending Explained: How Does Prince Baelor Die?
After Ser Duncan the Tall gets up and subdues Prince Aerion to the point that the prince yields, it seems like the day is saved. Our hero has vanquished evil and the only knights who died were ones we barely knew.
Ser Raymun Fossaway (Shaun Thomas) and Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour) are helping Ser Duncan with his injuries when Prince Baelor approaches, offering sage advice and the aid of his own maester. Dunk pledges himself to the future king and Baelor in turn tells the hedge knight that the realm needs good men. Then everything takes a dreadful turn.
Prince Baelor steps back and notes that his fingers feel “like wood.” He asks for help taking off his helm, explaining to Ser Raymun and Steely Pate that he thinks his brother, Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell), hit him hard in the back of the head. “My brother’s very strong,” he says, bragging about Maekar’s might.
When the helmet comes off, Raymun and Steely Pate are horrified. Prince Baelor turns around to reveal half of his skull has been crushed. He instantly drops dead. The reason he was able to walk and talk for so long is that the helmet kept his wound intact with pressure.
Book readers know that George R.R. Martin added yet another darkly twisted layer to Prince Baelor’s death. In “The Hedge Knight,” we learn that Prince Baelor didn’t bring his battle armor to Ashford as he had no intention of entering the lists. To join Dunk’s side, he had to borrow his teenaged son Prince Valarr’s (Oscar Morgan) armor. The implication is that the helmet wasn’t properly fitted to Baelor’s head. If he had been wearing his proper armor, the helmet may have worked to protect his skull from this specific injury.
Altogether, it’s an absolute tragedy for everyone involved — especially since Prince Baelor Targaryen was expected to be one of the greatest Targaryen kings Westeros had ever known.
Who Lives and Who Dies in Ser Duncan’s Trial?
Did you find yourself struggling at times to figure out which knights fell and which managed to walk away from this week’s Trial of Seven? After all, the entire intense battle sequence is seen mostly through Dunk’s eyes.
“I think if you watch close enough —” Shaun Thomas told DECIDER last month.
Co-star Finn Bennett interjected. “Are you about to spoil a secret!?”
“No, if you watch close enough, eventually you’ll depict it and work things out for yourself,” Thomas said. “Very clever.”
“Yeah, I think there is a lot going on,” Bennett said. “And yeah, between the Fossoways, in particular. Between the the brothers, the Targaryen brothers. Yeah, there’s a lot going on.”
“A lot,” Thomas agreed.
We might have to wait until next week to learn exactly who’s still shaking around the Ashford camp, but book readers might already have an idea of who lives and who dies.
In George R.R. Martin’s novella, The Hedge Knight, only three knights are killed and they are all on Dunk’s side. Ser Humfrey Beesbury was slain by Ser Donnel Duskendale, Ser Humfrey Harding would later die of “grievous wounds,” and Prince Baelor would die after the fight.
So far, only the same three knights have died in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘s version of events. There’s one small difference on the show. In HBO’s version, both Ser Humfreys were killed in the first charge.