A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans think episode 5's brutal battle is "unlike anything we've seen in the Game of Thrones universe": "Just personal and visceral"

Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 — (Image credit: HBO)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms upped the ante this week. After the first half of the season was more concerned with humor, dirty jokes, and the bond between Dunk and Egg, the penultimate episode brought us the brutal Trial of Seven.

Warning: there are major spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 ahead, so turn back now if you're not up to date!

After Dunk assaulted Prince Aerion and was accused of kidnapping his new squire Egg, he was sentenced to a Trial of Seven. Intimitate, gritty, and violent, the fight between Dunk, Aerion, and the knights who volunteered to fight with them ended in blood and death (RIP Baelor). And, although it was smaller in scale than any of the big Game of Thrones battles we know and love, fans can't get enough of it.

"The level of grittiness of it is kind of unlike anything we’ve seen in the GoT universe. Not overtly cinematic at all, just personal and visceral," one fan wrote on Reddit.

"Might’ve one of the best episodes of television I’ve seen in a while, genuinely cinema for Thrones fans and generally just good medieval fantasy," agreed someone else.

The episode was also punctuated by a flashback to Dunk's childhood, which revealed how he met his late mentor Ser Arlan. "I hate that I've had to do a flashback at this point when everybody just wants the battle, but we had to," showrunner Ira Parker said. "But I do think it stands on its own, and I do think it's fun to see Dunk like that. I do think it adds a lot to the story, and it adds to the ending of episode 5 as well… But, yeah, it's gonna displease some people."