A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5, titled “In the Name of the Mother,” arrived on February 15, 2026, and it has already left viewers shaken. The penultimate episode of the first season delivers exactly what the topic suggests: an hour marked by bloody losses. But the death that occurs in the final moments is not just any death. It is the loss of Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), the heir to the Iron Throne, and his passing reshapes the future of Westeros in ways that directly lead to the events of Game of Thrones .
The episode, which runs just over 40 minutes, alternates between a brutal flashback to Dunk’s childhood in Flea Bottom and the long-awaited Trial of Seven at Ashford Meadow. By the time the credits roll, multiple characters are dead, a prophecy is fulfilled, and the line of succession for House Targaryen is forever altered .
Release and Streaming Details for Episode 5
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 5 became available for streaming on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT in the United States . For international viewers, the release times varied by region. Viewers in the United Kingdom could watch on Sky Atlantic at 3 am GMT on February 16. Audiences in India accessed the episode on JioHotstar at 8:30 am IST on February 16. Canadian viewers streamed the episode on Crave at the same time as the US broadcast .
The season finale is scheduled to air on February 22, 2026 . HBO has already confirmed a second season, which is expected to debut in 2027 .
The Trial of Seven: Mud, Blood, and Broken Knights
The episode opens with the Trial of Seven already in progress. Unlike the polished and romanticized version of knighthood that songs describe, this battle is ugly, chaotic, and deeply personal. Director Owen Harris films the combat with a claustrophobic lens, placing viewers inside the mud-soaked chaos alongside the fighters .
Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) takes a massive hit from a morningstar early in the fight and loses consciousness. When he wakes, the fog has rolled in, and the battlefield has become a nightmare of screaming men and crashing horses. The sound design places viewers inside Dunk’s head, with muffled cries and the sickening crunch of weapons hitting armor .
Dunk faces Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) directly. This is not a sword fight between noble knights. Dunk, drawing on his Flea Bottom upbringing, headbutts Aerion and grapples with him in the mud. He forces the arrogant prince to yield, forcing Aerion to publicly retract his accusation against Dunk . But the victory comes at a staggering cost.
Two of Dunk’s champions, Ser Humfrey Beesbury and Ser Humfrey Hardyng, die from their wounds during the battle . The true horror, however, is saved for the episode’s final minutes.
The Death of Prince Baelor Targaryen
After the battle, Prince Baelor Targaryen approaches Dunk, who is recovering from his injuries. Dunk immediately kneels and pledges his fealty. Baelor responds quietly, “I need good men, Ser Duncan. The realm…,” before asking for help removing his damaged helm .
When those assisting him examine the helmet, they discover the back has been crushed. Baelor, still coherent, says, “My brother’s mace, most like. He’s strong” . But the moment the helm is removed, the truth becomes horrifyingly clear. The helmet was the only thing holding the back of Baelor’s skull together. He staggers, collapses into Dunk’s arms, and dies as Dunk repeats, “I’m sorry” .
The blow that killed him came from his own brother, Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell), during the chaos of the melee. It was an accident, but the result is the same. The heir to the Iron Throne, a man described as the Platonic ideal of a Targaryen ruler—fair, compassionate, and intelligent—is dead .
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Baelor’s death fulfills a prophecy that viewers heard in the previous episode. His nephew Daeron (Henry Ashton) told Dunk about a dream he had. In the dream, Dunk was crushed beneath a dead dragon with wings so large they covered a meadow. But Dunk was alive, and the dragon was dead .
Daeron’s vision, known in Westeros as a dragon dream, was not literal. The dead dragon was not a beast but Prince Baelor Targaryen, who dies in Dunk’s arms. The wings covering the meadow represented the enormity of the loss and its impact on the realm. Dunk survives, but a dragon falls on top of him .
Dunk’s Past: The Tragedy of Rafe
Nearly half of Episode 5 takes place in a flashback to Dunk’s youth. Viewers see a young Dunk (Bamber Todd) scavenging the battlefield after the Battle of Redgrass Field with his childhood companion and first love, Rafe (Chloe Lea) .
Rafe is portrayed as the cynical, hardened voice of the smallfolk. She tells Dunk, “Repayment for previous misdeeds is always repaid with compound interest. Everybody remembers shit” . The two are saving coin to buy passage to the Free Cities and escape the filth and despair of Flea Bottom.
But their dream is brutally cut short. A city watchman harasses them, and after Rafe pickpockets him, he slits her throat in the street. Dunk holds her as she dies . At that moment, a drunken Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb) stumbles out of a tavern and cuts down the watchman. Young Dunk follows Ser Arlan into the countryside, and when the knight finally notices the boy, he offers him water and two words of advice: “Get up” .
“Get up” becomes the episode’s refrain, repeated by Egg when Dunk is knocked down during the trial. The flashback explains why Dunk fights the way he does. He is not fighting for glory or honor. He is fighting because he carries the ghost of the girl he could not save, and he will not fail again .
Why Baelor’s Death Matters for Game of Thrones
The death of Prince Baelor Targaryen is not just an emotional moment. It is the turning point that makes Game of Thrones possible .
Baelor was the heir to the Iron Throne. He was a proven leader, a diplomat, and a man of honor. His death means his brother Maekar becomes king instead. Maekar’s son, Aegon V (the Egg viewers know from the present-day story), eventually takes the throne. Aegon V is followed by Jaehaerys II, who then forces his children Rhaella and Aerys II to marry based on a prophecy .
Aerys II is the Mad King. His tyranny leads directly to Robert’s Rebellion, the fall of House Targaryen, and the events of Game of Thrones. If Baelor had lived, the Mad King would never have reigned. The entire history of Westeros would have been different .
As one fan on social media put it, Baelor was the first domino to fall in a chain that ends with Daenerys standing in the ashes of King’s Landing .
Fan Reactions and Critical Response
Viewers and critics have responded to Episode 5 with overwhelming praise. On IMDb, the episode holds a rare 9.8/10 score, making it one of the highest-rated episodes in the entire Game of Thrones franchise . Some fans have declared it the best episode of any Thrones-related series, including the original show .
Social media reactions repeatedly used words like “gut-wrenching” and “heartbreaking” to describe the final scene . Fans expressed shock at the brutality of Baelor’s death, even those who knew it was coming from the books. The visual of his skull collapsing when the helmet is removed was described as one of the most unforgettable images in the franchise .
Critics praised the episode’s structure, noting that the flashback to Dunk’s youth gave the trial sequence emotional weight it would not otherwise have had. Peter Claffey received particular praise for his performance as Dunk, as did young Bamber Todd and Chloe Lea for their work in the flashback sequences .
The Cast of Episode 5
The fifth episode featured strong performances from the entire cast. Peter Claffey continues to ground the series as Ser Duncan the Tall. Bertie Carvel delivered a quietly powerful performance as Baelor, making his death all the more affecting. Chloe Lea, known from Dune: Prophecy, brought a fierce world-weariness to Rafe. Dexter Sol Ansell continues to impress as Egg, the boy who will one day become King Aegon V. Finn Bennett plays Aerion Targaryen with the right mix of arrogance and cruelty. Sam Spruell appears as Maekar Targaryen, the brother who accidentally kills Baelor .
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What to Expect From the Season Finale
With one episode remaining, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms must deal with the aftermath of Baelor’s death. The Season 1 finale airs on February 22, 2026 . The episode will likely show the fallout from the trial and set up the next chapter in Dunk and Egg’s journey. Given that a second season has already been announced for 2027, viewers can expect the story to continue, even as the shadow of Baelor’s loss looms over everything .
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