Note: This story contains spoilers from “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Season 1, Episode 6.
Did you catch that, “Game of Thrones” fans?
There are a number of noteworthy moments in the “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Season 1 finale, titled “The Morrow,” including Egg’s (Dexter Sol Ansell) decision to ignore his father Maekar’s (Sam Spruell) wishes and begin traveling across Westeros with Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey). But long before that climactic moment, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” showrunner Ira Parker, who co-wrote “The Morrow” with Ti Mikkel, packs in a cheeky nod to fan-favorite “Game of Thrones” hero Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie).
“It’s been a wonderful tournament. Shame it’s all over. Home is, uh, it’s brutally dull,” Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) says at the start of “The Morrow,” whilst lying against a tree with Dunk. Turning toward his new friend, Lyonel says, “Hey, you could come with me! Yeah, we’ll hunt and hawk and sail, make merry. I’ll sharpen that iron of yours so you don’t make such a grand fool of yourself next time … Have you ever been to Tarth?”
Lyonel’s offer falls mostly on unhearing ears from Dunk, who is too overwhelmed by guilt at that moment over his role in Prince Baelor Targaryen’s (Bertie Carvel) death to think all that much about his future. However, Lyonel’s mention of Tarth should make “Game of Thrones” fans’ ears perk up. The island, often referred to as the Sapphire Isle, is not only a part of the Stormlands and, therefore, loyal to House Baratheon, but it is also Brienne’s home.
Dunk’s descendant
The “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” reference goes even deeper than that, though. That is because “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin confirmed during a 2016 appearance at Balticon, a convention in Baltimore, that Brienne is a descendant of Dunk’s. Lyonel’s Tarth line in “The Morrow” is, consequently, a playful reference to Dunk and Brienne’s connection, as well as a sly bit of foreshadowing that helps set up just what a lasting legacy Dunk will ultimately leave in Westeros by the time everything is said and done.
Prior to his public confirmation of Dunk and Brienne’s familial bond, book readers had already become suspicious about it. Not only are both Dunk and Brienne abnormally tall and honorable knights, but Martin also describes them both at different points on the page as being “thick as a castle wall.”
In “A Feast for Crows,” Martin’s fourth novel in his “Song of Ice and Fire” book series, Brienne also remembers seeing Dunk’s shield in her father’s armory. Remembering the design, Brienne paints it over her own shield so that she can travel across Westeros without being recognized.
Lyonel’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Tarth reference in the “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” finale is another instance of the HBO series finding a way to subtly connect its story and its characters to those in “Game of Thrones.” From a metatextual perspective, it is also fun to see the “Thrones” spinoff pay homage to Dunk and Brienne’s connection, given that “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is named after the “Game of Thrones” Season 8 episode in which Brienne is memorably knighted just before the Battle of Winterfell.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Season 1 is streaming now on HBO Max.
