How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms makes the Episode 5 death scene even more shocking  

HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms delivered one of its most devastating moments yet in Episode 5. It all begins as a clash of honor during the legendary Trial of Seven and ends with the shocking death of Prince Baelor Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne and one of the most honorable figures in Westerosi history.

The episode centers on Dunk, who faces Prince Targaryen in combat, and there are six champions on each side. Baelor chooses to fight alongside Dunk, even as it places him against his own family. The show highlights his integrity and his values; that he chooses justice even when it comes at a personal cost.

It's a chaotic fight that ensues, and it almost feels like Dunk won until, after the battle, Baelor asks for help removing his helmet as his visor is cracked and his fingers feel numb. When the helmet comes off, we see the back of his skull has been crushed by his own brother's mace. He collapses in Dunk's arms and in that instant, Westeros loses the king it desperately needed.

The effect of Baelor's death on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

One of the things that makes Baelor’s death hit harder is how carefully it is built over time. He is shown as an insanely likable character and it's a death that will stay with us as the show progresses, and much of it is because of how it was executed. In a conversation with the New York Post, showrunner of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ira Parker, spoke about how the scene was created:

“There is this certain type of death that always used to shake me when I’d see it on TV or in movies as a kid, which is like, when somebody is held together by two cars that have smashed into them… It’s like ‘you can talk to him for five minutes.’ But you know that as soon as we move these cars, they’re going to die.”

Parker further added how Baelor's death was sealed long before it actually came up on screen, as he continued,

“Basically, the situation that we have with Baelor is that his life is being held together by the fact that he has his helmet on. He’s already a dead man, he just doesn’t realize it yet. And so, when that helmet comes off and he dies right there, man, it’s the most brutal type of death.”

The effect Baelor's death will have on the show

If Baelor had lived to claim the throne, the line of succession would have shifted dramatically. Instead, power passes through Maekar’s branch, eventually leading to Aegon V and later Aerys II, the Mad King. Aerys’ rule ignited Robert’s Rebellion and the wars that defined Westeros.

If Baelor had stepped back and not fought alongside Dunk, the events of Game of Thrones would never have happened. It's a devastating death and a devastating moment on the show, and Parker executes and narrates it perfectly.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max.

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