A breakdown of the biggest episode yet and why Dunk's story just got a lot more complicated.
There's a moment in the new trailer for Episode 4 of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms that stopped me cold. It's not an action beat. It's not a dramatic reveal. It's simply the weight of what's about to happen settling in and if you've been following Dunk and Egg's story from the start, you already know this episode is going to hit different.
Episode 4 is where the season truly turns. Written by George R.R. Martin himself, it plants the show firmly at its midpoint and cranks the tension up to a level we haven't seen yet. And it does so through one of the most fascinating pieces of Westerosi lore to ever make it to the screen: the Trial of Seven.
So, What Exactly Is a Trial of Seven?
If you're not deep into the lore, don't worry the show does a great job of laying it out. A Trial of Seven is essentially trial by combat, but scaled up to something almost theatrical in its scope. When someone is accused of a crime serious enough to warrant it, the accused has to gather six other knights to fight alongside him. The accuser does the same. Seven against seven, blades drawn, and the side that wins or the side whose opponents yield determines guilt or innocence.
It sounds dramatic because it is. The whole concept is rooted in the Faith of the Seven and the traditions the Andals brought with them when they invaded Westeros long before the events of the show. The idea was that seven champions on each side would channel divine justice that the gods themselves would decide the outcome through combat. Whether you buy that or not, the ritual stuck, and it's been an incredibly rare and serious affair ever since.
How Did We Get Here?
It all comes back to Dunk and a puppet show, of all things.
After Prince Aerion Targaryen behaves himself in a way that can only be described as disgraceful toward a young girl named Tanzel during a traveling puppet show, Dunk steps in. He strikes Aerion. And in Westeros, laying hands on a prince of the ruling family isn't just rude — it's one of the most serious offenses imaginable. We're talking potential mutilation. We're talking the end of everything Dunk has ever dreamed of becoming.
So Aerion does what any smart but cowardly man in power would do. He calls for a Trial of Seven.
And here's the thing Aerion knows exactly what he's doing. A one-on-one duel with Dunk? He'd lose. Anyone watching the show has seen enough to know that. But a Trial of Seven gives him the political cover to make this less about raw combat and more about who Dunk can get to stand beside him. It's a power move disguised as justice, and it's one of the more chilling things the show has done so far.
The Real Challenge: Building a Team
If the trial itself is the climax, then the buildup Dunk scrambling to find six knights willing to fight for him is where Episode 4 really lives and breathes.
This isn't easy. Standing up for a common-born man against a Targaryen prince isn't just a personal risk. It's a political one. The memory of the Blackfyre Rebellion and the Dance of the Dragons still haunts Westeros, and nobody wants to be the lord who accidentally reignites that fire. So most nobles are keeping their heads down, and Dunk is left knocking on doors that nobody wants to open.
But a few do.
Raymun Fossaway, Dunk's closest friend and squire, is the obvious first pick and in a neat bit of storytelling, he gets knighted by Lionel Baratheon during the episode, making him eligible to fight. His cousin, Steffon Fossaway, is another likely champion. Lionel Baratheon himself, a powerful lord with no love for the Targaryens, steps up as well.
Then there are the wilder picks. Robin Rysling, who Egg cheerfully describes as a little bit crazy and absolutely eager for a fight. Humphrey Harding, a knight nursing a serious grudge after Aerion behaved dishonorably during a joust and left him injured. Both men have reasons to want Aerion to lose, and in a situation like this, a personal vendetta can be just as valuable as loyalty.
That leaves one spot open. The seventh knight. And the show is clearly saving that one for maximum impact either at the very end of Episode 4 or early in Episode 5. If there's one piece of this puzzle that's going to make people lose their minds online, it's that.
Egg's Quiet Sacrifice
For all the political maneuvering and sword-rattling, the emotional core of this episode belongs to Egg or rather, Prince Aegon Targaryen, because that's who he actually is, and the show has made sure Dunk knows it now too.
The reveal of Egg's true identity hit hard when it first landed, and the fallout is still very much alive. There's a real sting of betrayal there, even though Egg's reasons for keeping quiet were never selfish. But what really gets you in Episode 4 is what Egg does next. He strips the Targaryen red from his armor. He chooses Dunk.
That's not a small thing. Egg isn't just standing beside his friend he's publicly distancing himself from his own family, from the most powerful dynasty in the realm, because he believes in the man he's been riding with. It's one of the show's most understated and genuinely moving beats, and it says more about who Egg is than any amount of dialogue could.
The Council, the Politics, and the Stakes
Overseeing all of this is a council that reads like a who's who of Westerosi power players. Baelor Targaryen, the Hand of the King, is there and he's sympathetic to Dunk, which matters more than it might seem at first. Maekar Targaryen, Aerion's father, is also present, though in a somewhat amusing twist, he apparently didn't even know the Trial of Seven was happening until it was already in motion. It's a choice the writers made deliberately it lets Baelor explain the trial's rules naturally to the audience without it feeling like a lecture.
And then there's Leo Longthorn Tyrell, who brings exactly the kind of cold, aristocratic antagonism you'd expect from that name. The political landscape around this trial is layered, and Episode 4 does a good job of making you feel just how dangerous it is for someone like Dunk to be standing in that room.
What Comes Next
The trial itself isn't happening in Episode 4 that's Episode 5's job, and it sounds like it's going to be something special. Episode 6, from what we can gather, will deal with the fallout and start laying the groundwork for whatever comes next in the series. With a six-episode season and a second season already planned, the pacing feels deliberate and tight.
Episode 4 is dropping early this weekend, timed to land alongside the Super Bowl, which should give fans plenty to chew on before the week starts.
But honestly? The wait for Episode 5 is going to feel longer than it should. Because Episode 4 isn't just setting up the trial it's setting up everything. Dunk's honor, Egg's loyalty, Aerion's cowardice, and a whole web of political tension that's been building since day one. The Trial of Seven isn't just a plot device. It's the moment this show has been building toward all season.
And when it finally arrives, Westeros is going to remember it for a long time.
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