A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 1x05 Full Reaction!
Added 2026-02-16 21:29:56 +0000 UTC
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Figured you’d mention about Robert Duvall. Yeah, shortly before the reaction, I heard. Very saddened about that. Though there is forever the debate about these things, I would say that he has probably the best film debut of anyone. It’s a decade ago that I caught To Kill a Mockingbird in the theater, I had seen it before, but his big scene on a big screen was tremendous. He never fully did get stuck in any real set type, true. The word “legendary” does apply. Would have to give serious thought to my favorite role of his, though there is a massive soft spot for his turn as Hub as it is SO a role that I point to, saying, “That’s Papa. That is my dad’s dad as a character, right there.” Tom Hagen is up there, for sure. Hackett is fantastic. Mom does love The Natural. Definitely another of those actors where it felt like a privilege just to share the world with them for so long and wonder what they’d do next, as you say. Haven’t seen that Black Mirror. If this battle sequence is any indication, yes, we have good work ahead to look forward to. Didn’t cross my mind about the claustrophobia concern, primarily because it was brief, I guess. Figured it wouldn’t be quite the same thing as Tyrion being out for the whole thing, though I figured the flashback would be the rest of the episode. Been hearing the flashback expands on stuff from the source material. Flea Bottom lives up to the Mos Eisley reputation. All that violence, and not one person pointing and letting out that alien screech, very sneaky nod to that film by the way. Can’t speak to the little ones’ past work, though they were good. My brother’s on me to see Foundation, and as I’ve said, Jared Harris guarantees I’ll see it. Course, my brother and my sister in-law need to get on Welcome to Derry. This too, though they’re going to binge this. The Dothraki karaoke was a choice. Probably about the scene being funny, not funny, then funny again. Back to violence. Should have anticipated that you’d have Linda Liddle on the brain with the one part. My mind went to Dunk yelling, “Cut me, Mick.” particularly once it looked like he’s still got two eyes. To be fair, all the charges against Dunk aren’t much better than the shit Aegon pulled, which warrants the rat writ, writ for a rat. (Sidenote, great though Barry Pepper is, Robert and Jeff Corey are probably the two parts of the version starring the Duke that I definitely liked better than the one with the Dude, great though I find both films to be.) Good Bullseye nod with Aerion seeing Dunk get back up. Couldn’t resist the Men in Tights jokes myself. All of this, my mind goes to the Lester directed Three Musketeers films that actually highlights exhaustion in sword fights. Sir Christopher Lee talked about it once, as I recall. See we both thought of Aerion pulling the sneak attack, though yeah, he probably heard Hub give that legendary speech. Fun, by the way, that we both reference that film at roughly the same part. Best I could think of at the spur of the moment. After that beatdown, it will take some time before he can enjoy some nice french fried potaters, mmm-hmm. Again, sly nod, nicely done. Much though the smell of napalm in the morning is a very lovely thing, we don’t get time to enjoy it. As I mentioned, I’m behind on Robert’s Oscar win. I take it the pig line is Tender Mercies? As you say, I did foresee the general idea of this outcome after last week. I did remember the line you mentioned. Began sliding pieces into place about around the second episode. Damn shame that there’s no Ferret Face on standby. Or the pills that make you not feel anything, for that matter. The fans surely plead to spare Baelor, and alas, HBO said, “Can’t do it, Sally.” So I keep hearing everyone saying about the best of the current Targaryen generation. Not strictly speaking arguing that, rather, I observe that my favorite of this, and probably my favorite Targaryen is Maekar. Refreshingly, the non-book readers have been nice thus far, so that’s refreshing. More of Sam as Maekar, painful though next week will be, is certainly a big selling point. Because the ratings this is getting, keeping this going, that’s not pique. That’s the wrath of God. And the wrath of God wants this show on. The position is intractable and adamantine. And no worries about the references. Man did have the body of work. I think back over how insufferable I’d have been with that eleven years ago when Sir Christopher Lee died. Or last year with multiple Gene Hackman references just being on the brain that I had to contain some. One for Robert, now I think about it, that’s missing is Bullitt, though at the present moment, I can’t think of a good possible reference.
Thomas Corp
2026-02-17 01:00:28 +0000 UTCFor a while now my philosophy has been I'm fine with this kind of filler as long as it isn't an excuse to delay important stuff another week or more. To take this in the weirdest direction possible, what really solidified it for me is there's an episode of the 2017 Ducktales show where afterwards I was surprised to see a lot of reviews hating that early on Dewey makes such a big deal of how he's about to read the answer to the big mystery he's been chasing all season that he loses his grip on the paper and spends the whole episode chasing it. But we still do get the answer within that same episode (along with some really heartbreaking voice work by David Tennant), so I was totally fine with it and thought they came off as wanting instant gratification to everything. The interesting thing is the books are deliberately vague about how the killing blow happened, with even Maekar himself spending the rest of his life with no idea what he was thinking in that moment. So it's a pretty daring move for the show to give something this concrete, though presumably with Martin's approval.
Ryan
2026-02-17 00:08:18 +0000 UTCI was feeling so good when I got up this morning, looking forward to everything I'd have to say about this episode, and then just a few hours ago came the news that we all needed a drink before sharing, that we've lost Robert Duvall. From the best first movie role any actor has ever had where he comes into the last few minutes of To Kill a Mockingbird and steals the whole thing without a word, he's been one of the best and most reliable in the business, never once actually feeling like he's acting as you're just looking at some real person, and while not exactly disappearing into his roles he was able to expand his general vibe into a surprising variety of parts. I probably overuse the word "legendary" but this is one where it really does fit, another of those actors where it felt like a privilege just to share the world with them for so long and wonder what they'd do next. I also have to give props that after being a strong Republican supporter for most of his life, about a decade ago he had the humility to take a good look around and decide for himself he couldn't do it anymore. This episode's director Owen Harris doesn't have a very extensive career, sticking almost entirely to British television (though one that very much stood out to me was Black Mirror's San Junipero), but I really hope this leads to much bigger things for him, as he created one of the most brutal and real-seeming battles of the entire franchise, which makes me want to give several bits the Zapruder treatment to study how it all works together. Starting with the video game zoom into Dunk's point of view where I was pretty worried for your claustrophobia, though you seemed to get through it fine. And I'm sure we all worried for a while that the show was pulling the usual Game of Thrones trick of knocking out our viewpoint character as an excuse to not show the battle at all, but luckily that's not quite what this one has in mind. The books never go much into Dunk's childhood, and Rafe isn't even mentioned until the third one, so the show had to imagine a lot of this themselves. And they pull it off great, fully making Flea Bottom the wretched hive of scum and villainy we've heard so much about, the kind of place where you can kill a few corrupt Gold Cloaks or see a priest on a swing and no one cares. Bamber Todd, in only his second acting role, perfectly captures everything that we've gotten to know so well about Dunk, and as a big fan of Foundation it was a treat to see Chloe Lea turn up. And apparently Arlen had a habit of nonstop Dothraki karaoke, didn't see that one coming. Dunk's Kikuchiyo period is one of those things that goes on so long it stops being funny and then gets funny again, and I'll assume that's what they were going for. Back to the reason we're all here, and sorry, I've just seen Send Help so you're going to need a bit more if you want any eye stuff to get to me right now. Still does nicely as an excuse to get Dunk to take his helmet off for the hero shots, so we can see on his face that his warrant ain't writ by no tin star bought and paid for. And even when he does briefly get knocked down, all it takes is a few words from the two most important people in his life to get back up and say "Fill your hand, you son of a bitch." Much like Wilson Bethel in the opening of Daredevil Reborn, big kudos to Finn Bennett for that brief bit of silent "You've got to be fucking kidding me" acting. And the show oddly enough gives him enough dignity to publicly declare his loss and leave it at that, rather than trying one last attack at Dunk's back. Maybe this version has heard just a bit of the speech about what every boy needs to know to become a man. And if you're irritated he's still alive, just imagine he gets told "I studied on killing you, but I reckon there ain't no need. If all you're going to do is sit there in that chair, you'll be dead soon enough, and the world will be shut of you." But this being the franchise it is, Dunk has no time to enjoy the smell of victory, because he's still badly injured and two of his allies were killed immediately, including Hardying after that big deal of getting revenge for his broken leg. Well, maybe he would prefer it this way, because how would he kick pigs after this? And finally the part a lot of people were probably afraid was coming after last week, especially if they remembered Aemon's first line revealing his identity to Jon: "My father was Maekar, the first of his name." The dead dragon falls on a live Dunk after all; if only they could have gotten a cardiac needle in time. And no amount of the fans begging the producers "Can you let me off the hook for old time's sake?" can change it. Westeros fans don't trust happiness, never have, never will. Baelor, easily the best of the current Targaryen generation, is gone, all for the sake of a lowly hedge knight, and we still have one episode left to see the fallout of that. And probably quite a bit more after that since by all accounts the show is a big, fat, big-titted hit that's going to keep on as long as it takes to get through those twelve outlines they have. (yeah, I probably overdid this one, but it's such an extensive resume I was pretty paranoid about leaving out something big).
Ryan
2026-02-16 23:40:22 +0000 UTCThey truly packed a lot into this one. Leads to my having plenty to say. Going to start by apologizing that I can’t share the laughter concerning you and Baelor being simpatico, vis-à-vis the “Don’t die” encouragement. Circle back to that. We get the heartwarming parting from Dunk and Aegon before the battle. Lyonel raises the fair point about a man neglected by his mother. Lots of talks about mothers here. Good words about that. Nice that Lyonel doesn’t give shit to the guys losing their cookies. Battle starts out intense, and it looks bad. But first, a flashback; we about matched there. Neat discovery of how Dunk was part of duo of fidlam bens. His partner being Rafe, aka Arya without the plot armor. (Read Martin having the threat of divorce over his head if he ever kills Arya.) Very sweet that you really liked her. She was a quick and sharp little thing. We both had reactions to her one insult toward Dunk, with me saying, “Hey! Leave the mothers out of this!” and to her credit, she does apologize for that one. Again, you had good words on the themes of mothers. You handled her death better than I expected, made me jump some. It does lead to Arlan making one big entrance and shows that he sure put a penny in the two assholes trees. ...Yeah, doesn’t really trip off the tongue, does it? Scratch that last. The stanzas rhyme, as you caught of Dunk following Arlan like how Aegon follows him. Surprising that Dunk didn’t lose the leg. Ok, flashback over. Quick sidenote, since you asked. I’ve been hearing good and bad responses to the flashback. I thought it would last the whole episode prolonging having to prevaricate what ended up happening in this episode. And very good words about how you have the trust in the show, love that, Jess. Now back to the battle. I hate the painful irony of some of your comments, for instance, the concern about Dunk being sans helmet. Shared appreciation for the sheer exhausting nature of the brutality of it all. Rather love your words on that aspect of this. “Grounded” might be the better term, but I got what you meant about using the term “Down-to Earth”. Likewise, great assessment of this being almost entirely focused on Dunk and his perspective, putting you in the middle of the chaos and carnage. The mention of Chumbawamba made me channel Michale Keaton with the “I don’t even understand the reference.” comment. Then you alluded to the lyrics of the song that I do know, and it clicked, making me say, “Ah.” There is a huge laugh when Dunk straight up bitch slapped Aerion, and Red cheers at that. Followed by the crowd all turning in unison. Figured you’d like that part too. The finger snap at that was great. Makes a man yell, “OOOH!!!”, when Aerion gets it below the belt. Hateful shit though he is, you still take that one in, yelling sympathetically, “RIGHT in the cannikin!!” Fun how it contrasts you yelling, “Let’s go, Dunk!” Maekar looked and sounded quite dismayed. Makes him go into Hulk mode by knocking Lyonel off his horse, and both Lyonel and Baelor have to hold him back. Maekar doesn’t fuck around, it seems. Love misplaced though it probably is; you got to respect that. And kudos to the cast/stuntmen for selling everything via the body language. We likewise have the fun reactions to Dunk keeling over. Aegon embracing the Ellie of it all, yelling, “Fucking GET UP!!” You said, “Get up. Keep breathing. DON’T die!” and you called Aerion a little bitch ass when he prematurely declared Dunk’s death, rather love that. Me, I saw Dunk keel over, and responded, “...He lost. He lost? Wait a minute! He’s not supposed to lose! Let me see the script.” Aegon echoing the wake up call from Dad, or father figure in this case, does wonders for getting a man back on his feet. Good on Aegon for being a shrill bro, making you closer to the little lad. Amazing to see Dunk get back up, complete with his having the pure cry of “Defend yourself.” conveyed through his body language alone in a silent challenge to Aerion. Adore all of your reactions to that and the final stand where Dunk emerges victorious. Gets a smile over the “What was that?” taunting of Aerion. Love how Aegon and Raymun help Dunk off the field, I’d have chimed in, “Let’s get a cider, boys.” A triumphant moment where the heart just says, “It’s over. It’s over!”, then the episode yells, “Nothing is over!!! NOTHING!!!!” Wise call on needing the bestie check/buddy system shout of “Alright, who’s not dead? Sound off.” Bringing us to it. There was surprise to see Baelor up and walking, I thought, “Wait, was I wrong?”. This moment, by the way, hurts even more now seeing it get your hopes up, making you think that the optimism paid off. Dirty pool, show. Then Baleor mentions feeling a little woozy with the numb fingers, and the hint that he can’t even see anymore, on top of the damage spoken about the helmet, it all slides into place, and I yelled, “FUCK!!!” See you clocked that too, good way you spoke of it in the post-episode discussion. I tried to follow your example with the optimism assessing Baelor’s state by saying that it might not be so bad. Then he turned around and you throw the damn towel, saying, “...I don’t think he’s going to pull through.” Leads to your own horrified reaction. Not as bad as I was fearing, but it still gets a man right in the heart just a wee bit. So, I confess to not being the most shocked by the death itself. I didn’t KNOW. I was fairly certain that this was going to happen, or something like it, if nothing else. As mentioned, the initial surprise was that he was still standing. I still cannot fully talk about full specifics as of yet. Over the episodes, a memory stirred; dialogue from years ago. As mentioned, given what was discussed in said dialogue, a few pennies began to descend as grim realization set in that it was looking increasingly likely that Baelor would not survive the season. Man, do I hate being right. And he’s felled by Maekar. What makes it worse is that this isn’t a Mufasa and Scar type deal. Baelor says rather matter of factly that he surmises that Maekar is the one who struck the blow. He is right. You can see the moment it happens: When Maekar is fighting Lyonel and makes a swing that hits Baelor in the back of the head. And it looks purely instinctual. Didn’t even catch it myself last night, and today attention was drawn to it. The thing is Baelor doesn’t even sound sad or angry. Quite the opposite; there’s some strong big brother PRIDE in his voice as if to say, “Goddamn, my little brother’s still GOT IT.” You know, just in case the scene didn’t make us sad enough. Worse still, he had the maester see to Maekar first. And we haven’t even seen Maekar’s reaction to any of this. If that is going to be shown, or even if it isn’t, as a fellow little brother, I am going to get completely goddamn emotionally destroyed by this next week. Aren’t I? As you say, the ripple effect is the problem for next week. And on top of it all, my favorite character of this kills a character at the very least in the running for being one of your favorites; it’s fucking Daredevil all goddamn over again. On the other hand, you did say to Dunk don’t die, and my wisseassery cannot be contained, as I note of Dunk, “See? Breathing.” You had the comment of “Especially after the ending of the last episode. Just, UUUUUUURRRRGH! FUCK.” Makes me reply, “Now, I do apologize about that, Jess.” Guess that is about all I have to say about that. Thank you for a very tremendous reaction, Jess.
Thomas Corp
2026-02-16 22:45:06 +0000 UTC
