Girls Gone Canon Cast - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — Season 1, Episode 5 — "In the Name of the Mother"

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

In which we learn more about Dunk's childhood and a man who kept his vows to defend the young and innocent ---- Reminder: You can and should still contact your congresspeople to not only add guardrails around ICE but to defund (and dismantle) them. Find and call your congresspeople by phoning the Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121 All you have to do is say the name of your Senator or Representative, and you'll be directed to their congressional office. Not sure who represents you in Congress or how to find them? You can also find more of their contact information and their name on this site: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member Besides calling Congress, if you're not sure what you can do, here are some more actions you can take, in no particular order: Get involved with mutual aid (this will differ depending on where you're based, so we didn't include any links) Donate to mutual aid or to organizations such as the ACLU, RAICES, National Immigration Project, Legal Aid Justice Center or local orgs that may need more support. Find a local rapid response effort and save their number to your phone. Know what to look for and what to report. Protest. Attend a bystander training or response training. Pressure local officials, employers, and landlords to refuse to cooperate with ICE. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Other actions you can take exist. Please do what you can. ----- Eliana's reddit account: https://www.reddit.com/user/glass_table_girl Eliana's blog: https://themanyfacedblog.wordpress.com/ Chloe's twitter: https://twitter.com/liesandarbor Chloe's blog: liesandarborgold.com Intro "Folk Round" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hello and welcome to Girls Gone Cannon watches A Night of the Seven Kingdoms, season one episode five in the name of the mother. I'm one of your hosts, Chloe. And I'm another one of your hosts, Eliana. Welcome to Mother's Gone Canon. No one's joking. Oh my God. We have no children.

Chloe as she who holds Jake and Ellie. They are the only children that I will ever have. It is the same It is the same I don't know You could accrue more cats My friend Recently she got two cats

Last year in July She sent me a photo And she had been talking about it When I saw her Like She'd been thinking about getting a cat Less than the week later She sends me a photo

There's a third cat And I thought I was like maybe she's pet sitting But no She's acquired a third cat She got a third She got a third The dragon must have three heads

Exactly Exactly We've been getting some really good pet pictures actually lately. Recently saw a cat in our inbox. Love that. People, you can send us photos of your cat. Katerina sent us one. She said she was paying the cat tax.

She also sent us a great email we might bring up later on in our main of Song of Ice and Fire, P-O-V series. That's right. Oh, that's right. We don't just cover a Night of the Seven Kingdoms. I know that's crazy. I know, I know. But we also cover a song of ice and fire,

POV by POV character at a time. So that's one chapter at a time from one POV character at a time. And believe it or not, we've actually come to our ultimate as well, just like this episode. That didn't work. But just pretend. Pretend we segued. We segued segueuelly.

We are coming to our ultimate POV character just as we come to the sixth episode of this season next week, which is Tyrion. Tyrion Lannister, we're doing it. We've done every other POV character leading up to this. This is the moment. George, your move. Actually, for real. George, your move.

And when we say Ultimate, we mean, like, the last, as in, like, Ultimate Penultimate. I mean, like, unless you, for you, Tyrion is the ultimate POV, like, the bestest. We don't mean that. We love all the POVs equally. I love all my children equally, except for... I actually, like, legitimately think I can say that I love all the

POVs equally now as like storylines. Oh yeah, except for chat. Because I was like, I feel as though back then I would have been like, I don't care for the Victorian chapters and then we covered it. And I was like, I got a lot of really rich thought out of that. So I love them. If anything, literally this reread did that to us. Like I made us love almost every POV more, more than we did before we started it.

So we have read these books. We've watched these shows. We have read all the side books over and over again. We've even read many of the novellas that George R. Martin has written. You can hear some of those here public on our streams. Or you can check out patreon.com slash girls gone canon, C-A-N-O-N. Patrons over there get access to $5 tier and up, The Stranger Tier and Above, bonus episodes.

This month, we're going to be, continuing slash finishing question mark question mark you never know nothing set in stone but finishing up folding in Dorn Eliana's passion project part three we did it we finished a series

we finished other ones before and yeah we're finishing that and we may or may not reference things from all of the other like books including the other extra asswaffe material

the main books, and also what's going to happen here in this very storyline, this very season of A Night of the Seven Kingdoms. So this is a spoilers all podcast. And yeah, we have even covered this story of what happens in this season of A Night of the Seven Kingdoms multiple times. We have also covered what happens in the next season as well in the story that it's based off of called the Sworn Sword. but we have covered the Hedge Night. This is our third time. We literally just did this, but it's okay.

I actually am enjoying sitting back and not covering the novella right now. We did it. We're good. Now we can enjoy the show. It's great. And most of our episodes are coming from that spoiler's all kind of standpoint. You're going to hear about the shows. You're going to hear about the books.

You're going to hear about interviews and production. Different concepts from that. So I'm excited for folding in Dorn, though. This will bring in a lot of history. If you're new to us, please tune in. It'll bring a lot of history. We'll talk about things from the World of Ice and Fire and Blood. And maybe even the show, there's still time.

They could say something next week about Dorn. They could. They could. They could. Also, like, I don't know. I actually really love the Egan the Fourth era, which feels like a basic thing to say. I'm like, I love Tyrion Lannister, and I love Egan the Fourth. era and I'm not afraid to say these things. I'm so brave as a woman in this society.

I think it is brave. I don't think it's a basic thing to say because I feel like I've rarely ever heard the opinion of I love the egg in the fourth era. It's kind of, there's just so many people. I'm like, if you all thought that Game of Thrones were like a song Waste and Fire had a lot of characters, which it does obviously because that's within the actual context of the of all. It's like, there are like a million actual main characters, I would argue, during the egg in the fourth era. And I'm like, no, there are. It'd be a juicy drama, wouldn't it? I feel like it would be a very juicy thing. We won't see it because there's too many characters. They can't pay that many people. But also, we started Dunkin Egg here. So I feel like, you know, we're coming

off of that. I was hoping we would have more of those hints throughout this story. But yeah, I think it's a juicy fucking era. I think it's like you have all of these characters coming together that you know, all of the conflict of that era is kind of that what we're dealing with now, the aftermath of that in a way and what continues to shake through Westeros on and off for a few more rebellions. Yeah, because Agan the 4th was a diva and that's why they're so, I mean, sex pest, a rapist. Not also all those things. But also, like, he was just like, I'm going to be dramatic.

And not actually name my other son, air, but give him a sword. And then just talk shit about my true board son. Be like, I don't know. He could be anyone's. Don't know about that guy. He could be anyone's Game of Thrones. Oh, my God. Yeah.

Yeah, see what I mean. It's messy. Yeah, we could find out in. blood and fire, which could, I mean, honestly, it could come out tomorrow. It could come out yesterday. Look under your chairs. It's blood and fire. Oh, that was dirty to say that. That felt wrong. Well, that's just a taste of some of the many discussions we'll get into. We'll be talking about Darren, not the Darren I love, the Darren Eliana loves a lot in folding in Dorn. I didn't know. I do look forward to that. I didn't know I loved him so much till

recently. These things happen to a person. You know, you just blink and you gotta watch out. I was like, oh, I love you? Come listen to the love letter from Eliana about Darren. Well, you can come listen to us in a couple of other ways too, right? For example, you brought up our Patreon and extracurricular episodes. Those have other extracurricular activities.

It's called the Discord, which hopefully is not going to fucking ask for our faces. Yeah, I'm not really into that whole identification Discord stuff. It sounds like they're being backed down a little bit though. Yeah. So, fingers crossed. But for the time being, we still do have our GGC message board set up at Discord. We do a brunch slash happy hour. Every month, Eliana affectionately refers to that as brappy hour.

Welcome to the appendix. This one is coming February 28th. And I think we're doing 1 p.m. ET, I think, if I recall. We are. I think so. I forgot why. I wanted that.

But I, oh, I thought you might be here. That Chloe might be with me in person, but she's not. She will be later in the year. I will say, okay, I'm going to bring this up so everyone knows. I am, like, bummed. Okay, you guys, every single, like, season of Game of Thrones that's come out since maybe, like, so season eight, Chloe and I were at least able to watch. Did we watch more than episode three together? We watched episode three together in a room full of other people.

And then we watched also, you know, Hot D. No, no, we watched all of the first season together. And then the second season, we watched. We were spoiled, dude. We got spoiled. I don't know. It's just, you know, life's hard right now. So I'm like, I'm just a little sad about it.

I know. I really wish that we had watched one of these episodes together. It is kind of a bummer. But it is exciting to watch it with beloved. people that also love the series. There's nothing quite like it. And there's also nothing quite like the beating heart you get after where you're like have all the idea of soaring through your head.

And you're like, did you see this? And did you see this? And oh my God, did you see this? And having someone you love so close to you when they aren't normally, physically, geographically speaking close to you to have those moments with is very special. So I'm very sad too. But we'll watch something. We've been talking about the hits.

Maybe we'll watch some like hot D season one episode eight, you know, when we're together again. Or like season three whenever it's out. Yeah. I mean, it's this year. So like that's very possible actually for us. So like there's a, we'll have a chance. We'll have a chance. This year in the year 226.

At love, at life. But I guess it would have been meaningful. Nah. Dang. Now that I didn't think get this like son of the medal. I was just like, oh, it's kind of a bummer. Now I'm getting some of metal about it and bringing us again. I'm sorry.

I will say, I wonder if like. You and I, when we watch the episodes together, because we also watch other people, are we, like, annoying to watch the episodes with? Because you and I might be, like, being like, oh, my God, to each other. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, but see, it's really more you that has that problem and not me. So I know that I'm not as annoying. It's more you, but I think it's okay.

But I'm not annoying to... I think we allot for one person. Just to other people. Yeah. It's interesting. because you are trying to drag me into this, and I don't think that I'm annoyed, but you can be. You can be. I know exactly what you're speaking of.

It's, I'm the rat. Oh, my God. I'm the one there with dog. You just get really excited. You just get excited. That's all. That's true. That's all. I can deal with either side, you know, quiet or if you're making noise.

I do get excited. I do talk back to the TV. You do. I am annoying shit. I'm not that bad. I do talk a little of the TV. Last night I very much was like, oh my God,

get him when he was killing Ariane. Get it. I was like, yeah. I was egg style. I was excited. And we've got tons to get into. So let's start. Spoilers at the very end.

We're going to talk about what Dexter, our dear actor of Agan, said in an interview that seemed like a bombshell that was dropped on the fandom. You want to hear, our take, it will be at the end of this episode. Let's get down to the real business. There was not enough Darren Targaryen in this episode, and for that, I will give it zero stars.

Zero. Nice try Ira, if that is your name. What are you? An Ira Roth account? I'm just saying like retirement funds. Yeah, I didn't even know until I saw your note here. I was like, wait, Darren was in this episode. I completely forgot he was in it until you brought that up.

And also, I will say, at least he admitted his mistake. It has been confirmed in the Reddit AMA that Ira Parker did forget to put in. Maybe one of the most important lines in the whole short story. It's fine. But yeah. Yeah. The night you remembered his bow. moment. Yeah. It's fine.

I think the pacing is really odd. We're going to talk a lot about the pacing, and there's a big old elephant in the room that's shaped like a flashback that also has some pacing stuff that we'll talk about. But I do think the pacing of the last episode and having them start on the field in this episode, I feel like maybe that was an issue. There has to be like a buildup as they go in the crowd. It's just an awkward place to have to end and start an episode. So I kind of like see what happened. I see the choices they could have made. But kind of awkward. I really did want that little moment. And there's also a great amount of Darren lines that got removed and for sake of

this fucking flashback. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay. Being serious, but I mean, being serious, there are a lot of lines that Darren did have in the script that didn't get to the final cut that could have been in this show except for that flash. I'm sorry again. I just thought I'd say it more serious this time, but I am being kind of serious. There were just a few, I don't know, a lot of these actors were not going to see them, like again, after next episode, like ever. Next episode, I think

it's going to be a real swan song. You're going to have Dunk going to each person who's going to like memorialize the event and Dunk and what happened. And Dunk will kind of be hearing these things. You'll talk to Lionel. You'll talk to Valor and have the big scene with him, you'll talk to Macar, you'll have ag and him. I mean, that 30 to 40 minutes is going to go really quickly and there's a thankfully like half of the team died, you know? Half of the Avengers team that Dunk brought together died. So we don't have to worry about them. But also the

Fossaways. I expect we'll have a Fossaway moment and maybe we'll see maybe Pate will have made the shield, right? The green apple shield. A Pate goodbye. You know, there's got to be maybe even a steward of Ashford moment because I feel I would like a little something like him like being like ah well you did you held up or whatever here's your money or like even from maybe

little Gwynn will say something because as a little baby Gwyn and she's so funny with her like little fake out punch as this person on Twitter said Dornish Goblin has a screenshot of Gwyn

and it goes girl the prince just died at your kinseniana and was like oh that did happen to her it really sucks yeah I'm glad she got flushed out but yeah as you said I don't know like I do think it was fun in some ways to do these like 30 minute episodes just because it's like different and I'm like whatever sure I'll try a different texture but can I say something so courageous and controversial right now it was good it was fine. I enjoyed watching it.

It's a slice of life kind of show and I'm like, okay, I'll come back next week see what happens. But it didn't move me like Hot D has. Whether Hot D has been right or wrong in the things they've done, I wasn't as moved in this episode about Baylor as I had been like in Hot D when Vissaris dies

or, you know, in the last episode or, you know, like, I just think that there's an approach of emotion that's missing for me with this show. I would like it to come back. I would like that touch of emotion. And I'm hoping, especially because George said the next episode's his favorite, I'm hoping it comes back.

But like I like to get sad when I watch TV. Same. I like the heartbreaking relate. I like a good TV cry. That's why you and I have a podcast together. Yeah. Yeah. I like emoting from watching a show.

And I really appreciate pacing and rhythm to a show. And I just haven't been. able to connect yet. I think I did with like, you know, I guess dunk and egg and Lionel, but yeah. And interestingly, maybe even Aryan, I don't know, but I think you said it was a slice of life and that's the thing. Like I expect out of a slice of life a little more slices of life, you know, like give more moments with, it gives, it's supposed to give you the chance to kind of like explore these very character moments. and it felt like we were just kind of either

like checking off the box of like they said this line or as we said some of it was like cut as opposed to like what if we gave this character more and like more room to breathe? They did it with vinyl. I think I would have liked to see it more with. I mean even like Raymond actually did get a lot but it would have been fun to see more with Raymond.

It would have been fun to see with like I think you call out a few other characters as well where it would have been good but like yeah I mean like Darren right. Yeah. And Stefan like Stefan like Stefan. Like, Stefan wasn't enough for me to feel the betrayal very deeply. And I would have liked maybe like another Baylor-Maker interaction. I just think, like, a little bit of extra cushion could do it good.

Yeah, I feel very deeply about Baylor when I read the novella. And in the show, I feel very deeply about how bad the ADR is that they're using for Birdie. So there's that. The voiceover, because they had to re-record his last. lines, whether it's because like the wind or, you know, his armor was obstructing. It's very obvious in these episodes and it took me out of it for him. It's really bad once you, like, it's not really probably that bad, but like I hear ADR very well. And like, just from like audio editing even for so long, but also like from school, I did a lot of that stuff.

And so when I hear it, it feels so obvious and I can't unhear it. And yeah, it sucks because I think Birdie is such a great actor and I want to connect with him so much more than I do. Yeah, it's like a little more time with them or just... Yeah, I just need a little marination. Just a little. And that's something missing. Again, if we could take 5 to 10% of Hot D and give it to a Night of the Seven Kingdoms and then like 5 to 10% of... Okay, maybe 5% of a night of the seven kingdoms of 10%.

Yeah. Give that to Hot D. Like, do a quick trade. I think they would literally be perfect TV shows. Yeah. And completely. Don't get me wrong. I've absolutely very much enjoyed in the Seven Kingdoms.

It has been a delight. Yeah. I've been really happy with it. So please don't take it that way. I think it's just like, you know, would have been fun to see more and to see, like, things expanded because that's the joy of the media. And I mean, going back to, like, Game of Thrones and then Hot, D. I'm just saying

that there is a happy medium where your book or your book adaptation on TV can go within the lines a little bit, color outside the lines just a little, and really deliver a bunch. And like there are some really good vehicles like Darren

that I feel like could do that. I love Darren's armor. I thought it looked really cool. It had a pattern on it that was almost bark-like, almost like a tree. So interesting. Yeah. And then it was also like a dark, you know, a darker red, rusty red color. And so up close it looks like maybe a tree bark in trees, but from afar it almost looks

vainy. And his gorget in the light almost looks like Valerian metal. But I know it's not because Fool Me Wants Hotty. This isn't Valerian steel. But really cute. I liked looking at it for the three seconds it was on my screen. I would like to see it again. I didn't catch any of that.

Yeah, I was like, oh. upon a rewatch. I was like, oh, that's right. Darren is here. And then he was gone. But I like what you've called out. It feels so, it feels very apt, considering he does seem to have dragon dreams.

So Uncle Blood Raven of him. Blood Raven is coming. Maybe that was Blood Raven. We don't know. I'm just kidding. I did think of you when they were showing the field. I was like, oh, so misty. I'm curious there with all that mist rising.

I think it was him. I think it was Blood Raven for real. I mean, maybe. We'll talk about a little bit of that in a bit. I did like also the way that they started in some ways. It's not attorney, the trial. Like, there was a very much a lack of ceremony. I do think, like, I would have liked a bit more of this was in the book,

you know, Baylor giving them more of the strategy, you know, very much kind of like a football, football planning team thing. Yeah, yeah, with the lances. They didn't discuss that. And yeah, it felt like a good, like, team moment before it all, like, falls apart. And that's like an important part to me because of the whole strategy, right? Like, showing our cause is righteous. I love a good sports movie.

Like, he did rivalry. Me too. I love, I mean, Iron Claw. This is Iron Claw territory, man. That made me cry. Iron Claw made me cry. So I did think something that was done well is they showed, like, hey, in real life, you know, all this shit that Egg was practicing when he's like, practicing like, I'm going to hand off the lance like this.

And he was like, you know, color guard like twirling the lance out there. But he just like, he just hands it to dunk. You know, there's no ceremony to it. But like that's the most important thing he could have done. Especially because, you know, now it's not just for dunk winning and making money and not losing everything. Now it's him not losing everything in terms of life. his actual life Literally life

Literally like the most important fight he could be doing right now And I did think it was a cute touch That as he left Dunk promises to return And then Egg is the one who gives the wolf back And it made me think

Like wow we're talking about dogs a lot Maybe like three dogs On a field of gold Something to think about I bet on It's also autumn yellow I believe Is it?

I don't know What I'm supposed to call that color. Wow. Yellow? Did they just say yellow? Yeah. Sometimes they say gold and I'm like, that's a yellow. The yellow autumn grass.

It's the yellow autumn grass. Wow. Yeah. Wow. The dying grass. Anyways, as I was going to be singing, I bet I'm losing dogs by Mitzki. That feels like an important song to mention. Yeah, that's true.

I do. But he wins. Yeah. Interesting. We like the three dogs on a field. Yeah. We're into house Klegain. Soon.

I mean, they're not far off, actually. Something I find really interesting about what's born from these plots. No, I mean, like, in the years, like, they're coming. Oh, that's true, yeah. Because the Lannisters really get built out, but thanks to Egg's era. So, interesting. Lots to come there. Love Thunder.

Yeah, he knew his job. This is not important, but I need everyone to know that the captions, because I, like, watching what the captions on, it's a bombastic, ominous music playing. As the trial was getting started. Yeah, Thunder, Thunder's great. But they had Egg do the up, up, reminding him to go, because it doesn't hit the same as, like, in the story when you have Dunk at least remembering, like, at least Thunder remembered.

So that was a good adaptation. Yeah, I like that too, because, you know, Thunder and Egg really built that little relationship running back and forth. Are you saying that Egg is skin-changing into Thunder? through his Targaryen dragon blood? Also, I'm not not saying that, I guess, but I'm not saying it. It's wrong with you. I do love Egg's role that he's playing here in totality, right?

Like, he's very much defending Dunk and cheering for him. I found when he, like, called out to defend Dunk and stop them from blowing the horn. I thought that was really cute. the wait Yeah fucking crazy-ass kid I liked self into that

I love the episode title in the name of the mother which would have been more effective maybe after ending the last episode with Dunk doing the night who remembered his bow's walk But you know True

Glossing over that I'm not bitter, I'm fine I'm just saying It's just something that could have been done I mean, he knows he did wrong. That said. Maybe that's all that. He needs to know.

He does. He does. And I respect and I respect that he knows. He's like, yeah, every 500 fucking minutes a nerd has berated me about it. Especially because I'm not saying that he does listen to our podcast, but I'm not saying he doesn't. Oh, my God. You just have to be gentle with the men's feelings. Men get really emotional.

You just never know. Point blank, this episode about this trial. Love the in the name of the mother, mothering, et cetera, et cetera. Really focuses and brings in that point on Makar's mommy issues, right? We have that line from Lionel that is wonderful. It's one of those quotes that could define many of Aeswaffe books, truly, right? Like, just like Tyrion's like puppets on a string, this is one of those that no man fights as fierce as one neglected by his mother.

Oh, really love that especially as you see. Makars neglected his kids. And if he feels that he was neglected as a child, which could be true, perhaps, as he was a fourth son and fourth sons, like Gregory Bridgerton, for example, get left to their own devices. I know a lot about fourth sons lately. I just finished on my way to the wedding, the Gregory Bridgeton book. So I'm bringing some of that expertise here into our Night of the Seven Kingdoms episodes.

I don't know how siblings work. I don't know. I'm starting to understand. Yeah, I guess it's like a double-edged sword, right, being the youngest of that many in the fourth son. Like, because it could be that. Ignored, yay. Yeah, you could be ignored or it could be like you're so doted on by everyone. Yeah.

Yeah. It could go both ways. And I do feel that Maker's mommy issues could be explored some more because we really don't get to learn anything about Miria. Haven't had much influence

directly. There's been some background stuff and we've heard things like Damon's War, Damon Blackfire's War, for example, and passing things, but nothing's actually honed in on or given any background context about Miria or Mariah, however, you like to say it. Mariah Carey. It's Mariah Carey. Yep. So really fascinating, though,

because we're exploring daddy issues like all season long, right? Arlin, the dad's at the tourney, finally a peek behind the mother curtain. Not enough on the moms, though, in book, I guess. So why not? Not enough on the TV show, too, right? Yeah. Nothing new, A-swaff. I mean, nothing new. I wonder if they'll, like, I hope they do flush it out just because, I don't know, People were probably really mean to her. Yeah. Well, and I also feel like Dunk kind of, you know, there was room to do that and talk about her because you have Dunk reminiscing on his mother in a way throughout this and that she was never there.

And then you have that guy calling out for mother, for mama as he dies on the field that we'll talk about. So like, the mother's mercy is prominent. I don't know. It would be interesting to have some sort of context or any sort of reference or hint. And to be fair, I think, like, like, You see it in Makar's neglecting of his children and that when he thinks Aryan is in serious danger, he claws his way across the field and lands the fatal blow on his brother as he does throughout that, like as he's trying to fight to get to his son.

So it kind of does bring around those big thematics of like the brother on brother crime, the Blackfire rebellion and what it's all based on. I just want more of that. That's like that's the stuff that drives me. That's a stuff that makes me tick, Ira Parker. Yeah. More of that. Yeah, that's true.

Exactly. Give us some... Yeah, I wanted to see more character moments. But that was great. I mean, seeing that was great. Yeah, I wanted more character moments. We are POV girlies. It's hard.

It's true. We are that. In regards to the knight who passed, I think that there was a great way that they tied it together with the beginning of the series, you know, because Dunk goes, I don't know any words about the night who died, and that kind of feels a lot like when Arlen dies. I don't really know, you know, any words or prayers or something. I didn't grab the quote,

but it brings it together thematically, especially as this is the moment that eventually leads to meeting Arlen. Yeah, I really like that glimpse here of, I don't know, if it's technically the redgrass field. It feels like it's just a field on the shore of the Blackwater brush. So I'm not calling it the redgrass field because I don't think it is. because you can literally see King's Landing in the background, which was nice. I liked that. I was like, oh, look at her. There she is.

They weren't far from Kings Landing. So it seemed more like a battle that maybe broke out around that time, around then. Literally stared at it for like 10 minutes, this entire scene, like, just like looking at the different frames because you have the rippling Lannister banner. And you have a rippling broken green banner. So you can't really see what that is. it looked dark green or dark gray. But the guy there that is dead or dying, I should say, he calls out for mama for the mother's mercy. And I really thought that it was kind of a great way to connect.

Like had they gone a little bit more into the blackfires for the people at home, it would be so great to connect those dots of like, Dunk was trying to give this man mercy. Right? This man was in pain. This man was not going to live. live. This guy was going to die and he was going to die painfully, slowly, or he was going to die at Dunk's hand, which this to me speaks volumes of who Dunk is. Who cares which side he was on? Or if he's a rich man or a poor man. So I think there's a lot of that context around what

dunk is doing to this guy that really adds some depth into the flashback. And for Rafe to say, oh, no, like, they could get you for that. Like, instead of even doing the honest action and being able to help someone, they have to worry about getting caught or, you know, getting in trouble for it, which very interesting. I think I interpreted that at least the first time as well as like, it wasn't that they were worried about getting in trouble. Raph was like, maybe someone's looking for him and we could get a reward for this too, hence the ransoming of this guy.

Yeah, I couldn't, I wasn't sure. I guess he was saying mama and that is what they were doing because they're trying to go in with the themes and especially after the third maz. I guess he's saying mama, because I thought when he said, the first two times, like, could he be trying to stutter out mercy? But he wasn't. But I thought we were going to go there. But as you pointed out, like, it ends up taking us in that direction anyway.

And I did think it was interesting because I was like, okay, so at this age, it shows us that dunk is hardened enough that he is willing to be the one. to give the gift of mercy to this guy, right? There's not like a... He hesitates a little, but there's not like a huge amount of hesitation. He just knows that this is the humane thing to do. They like try to take him too and move him, you know, at first, but he realizes, no, it's over for him. He's going to die.

No one's coming for him. And then he tried to kill him first, and then they like move him. And then I was like, oh, okay, so he's like willing... The fact that he was willing to do that at all, I was like, oh, okay, kid, all right. Got guts. He's got guts. he's got Moxie. Yeah.

He had a heart. I would have hesitated if it... So like, maybe it's not his first time as well. It suggested it might not be because I'm like, I would have hesitated. He's been around a lot of death. Yeah. Yeah. And that guy in the place along the rushes there.

So I've been debating, which is kind of funny because, again, this is like a 30-minute show. So I've been debating if that was a fray sigil or house peak. Because there's something interesting going on here in that. The frays are not named as supporting either side in the Blackfire Rebellion. There's no info. Typical, right? Exactly. So, all of that said, it does look kind of like the fray sigil.

And if you zoom in on the vest that the guy's wearing or the gambes in, it looks like it could be gray or blue covered in blood and dirt. But it also looks like the sigil doesn't look exactly the same as the fray sigil and the bridge is much. lower, and it kind of also looks like it could be House Peak. Also, the guy is a redhead, and like, I don't know, do you know many fray redheads? Like, that was weird to me. So I'm going to go ahead and headcan in it as peak. When I saw the redheadedness, I was like, is he a Stormlander? Or a Tolly or a... True. I mean, like, that, I, not that we've ever seen him, but I associate that specific shade of red. I think. guess more like Connington, but who knows?

Yeah. He might not have looked like that because he wasn't in the show, so whatever. I don't know. My God. Well, I don't know. I think there's like, there's some, if it is House Peak, there's some intention for it being House Peak. That makes sense.

Because a, yeah, Blackfire supporters, Makar's poetic tragedy death, by the way, is during the peak uprising, a reminder for the folks at home. He dies because his helm is crushed by a rock that was hurled from the battlements of Star Pike. Again, poetic tragedy, death. It's like poetry. It rhymes. All the georgies love to say it. The peaks are socially relevant, right? Like we're coming off of Unwin Peak era a while ago who was a dick, but he was politically relevant and powerful for a time. And it started making House Peak relevant and powerful politically. And they do also provide kind a path forward for relevant future houses in the story, like the rains and the Lannisters,

because the rains and the Lannisters, after the peak uprising, they kill like seven peaks or so. They kind of do like a house-hollered light treatment. It's almost like their own mini Duskendale. So the peaks feel relevant now, too, because they, in the first rebellion, got their castles, a couple of their castles taken away. And Gorman Peak becomes a huge plot point of his support for both Damon 1 and the, later supporting Damon 2 in the tourney at White Walls, which allegedly we will get to someday again.

So, I don't know. I would question whether it's the phrase, because on that flip side, the phrase do become historically important, right, in White Walls tourney, because their first involvement in the rebellion is really the wedding at White Walls between a fray and a Butterwell, not necessarily an active involvement, maybe. Who knows? I know how Turney's going. You know, like Robert's Rebellion and the attorney at Harenhall.

Yeah. He thinks there was some political intrigue going on there too. But yeah, that wedding between the fray and the butterwell becomes the grounds for the second rebellion, which Blood Raven shows up and he quells. Now, all of this that I just said, yeah, that's literally it. All of this that I just said sounds really cool. But for me to come to these questions and conclusions, you need to have read all of these books over and over again in the average viewer. will not have thought about this once in their lives. So do with all of that what you guys will.

Yeah. You convinced me it is House Peak. It makes a lot of sense. And I like the idea because they all are also kind of retrofitting things. Like, I think part of why they have less of the Blackfire stuff here is I think they do. There actually is no reference to the Blackfires at all in the original novella because George had a deadline that he just barely made. And I think he was probably thinking about the Blackfires, but it hadn't flushed it out enough maybe to put into the novella. But, yeah, they don't get mentioned till the second one.

And also, I had this random thought when you were talking about House Butterwell just now as well. And, okay, what if Butterbumps, the jester from a song-o-bice-and-fire is a Butterwell? No. Oh. Mm-mm. There's no way. Why not? Because there's no proof.

Well, I mean, it is like a little slippery, but I'm just making other jokes. It is a little slippery. I just want to make my gosh. No. There's a bit of fat to it, though. Well, I don't even want to respond to that. I'm like, I have all these puns in my head that I don't even want to touch because I have a better culture than you. Oh, nice.

I've been thinking about trying to make. cultured butter. I haven't yet, though. I don't be surprised if your mom has done it. Oh my God. You should text her and ask. She would be excited about it if I started, yeah. I think there's some great stuff in Makar not being his mommy's favorite,

if that is true or if it's just something being said that fucks with him as the fourth son. Because he doesn't look like his mom. Baylor does, right? Baylor looks like his mommy. Yeah, probably. We're not really told. Yeah, exactly. He's got the look, the brown hair.

He's the stand-up brother. It kind of reminds me of that back and forth on Aria and Sanzah, right? It was all for Sanzah. Like, Sonsa knew how to do poetry. She could play the harp. By the time that Aria got there, there was nothing left. Like, that's probably how Mekar feels. And it explains all of his actions, which we already kind of get that.

And I think of like the context of Dorn being in this country and the xenophobia against Dorn. Yeah. Everything they experience, right? And you have like Eustace Osgray to Egg

in the next book, which is going to be fantastic, by the way, adapted. Like I think they are going to either have a lot of fun with it or they're going to have to go flashback heavy, which is maybe going to suck. But we'll see. You can know a man by his friend's egg.

Darren always surrounded himself of maesters, septans, and singers. Always there were women, whispering in his ear, and his court was full of Dornishmen. How not? Oh, how not? When he had taken a Dornish woman into his bed and sold his own sweet sister to the Prince of Dorn, though it was Damon that she loved. Daron Bored the same name as the young dragon, but when his Dornish wife gave him a son, he named the child Baylor, after the feeblest king who ever sat the Iron Throne. So, like, however characters like Baylor and Darren too and make our feel about this all, we see how lords and lower folks than the kings and queens and princes and princesses feel about this. And it seems there's some tension

about the Dornish in this country. It's that and I'm just like, okay, so Eustace and the Blackfires, they hated that Darren checks notes listen to women. Except for a sister, I mean, to be fair. He listened to women and masters and septens, which kind of seemed like a smart thing to do. And then women. And then also had the audacity to have a Dornish wife and like, let's be real. I bet she was hot. Not that that's important.

Yeah, absolutely. With a name like Mariah. Not one of the most important things, but she's probably banging. Yeah. She's probably more those little, little itty bitty dornish things with like a little, you know, a little bit of a veil and shit. She was probably looking at fly as fuck at court. I'm sorry that she brought that style to King's Landing. I think she did.

I'm sorry she brought the Dornish style. Because guess what? Now everyone in your capital are more fashionable, you fucking freaks. Yeah, I think she did. I think they got mad. She tried to introduce them to like a hint of flavor. And they were like, I hate it. And she also, I don't know, I think she just dealt with a lot.

And I'm like, I guess Maycar, I understand. sad that he didn't look like mom, but also, congrats. You probably avoided all the racism that your mom and your eldest brother all dealt with from court. So, congrats. Yeah, congrats. Passing. I understand, like, it's, it doesn't, I guess, substitute a parents' love. I'm sure Mariah did what she could, but also, I don't know how I would. She had, like, so many kids. She had so many kids. I don't know how I would raise that many kids. I don't even understand one kid. So, A, but also, we see that likely noble women do get an education when it comes to politics, assuming your father actually values that. Like, for example,

Hostertulli did, in fact, teach Catalin Stark a lot of things. We see it happen with the Tyrells. We see it happen with, like, I think Ned was too traumatized to, like, do it. But he was teaching his children as well, politics. So it's not out of the pale that Mariah also would have been probably a very capable and strong and wise queen. Not that we know. Absolutely. I do feel, it must have been an interesting household. I think, and then babies having babies.

Then he married Diana Dane and then she died, you know. He had all, then she popped out these six fucking kids. Yeah. And then she died. Yeah. And then he was lost, man. Like, how about that mother over all of this? There's no Diana.

He's Taiwan-Lanistered it. Yeah, exactly. I do see her as like the Joanna. I do see her as the Joanna of like this plot for sure. Yeah. Well, I mean like Maycar was like, what if I did a bad job? At least he liked his kids more than Tywin did. So honestly, props for that.

Like the bar is in hell, but also. Yeah. I do. But he'll be drinking at it with Tywin. Wait, wait, hold on. Listen. So what if, I'm not saying that Ira Parker listens to our episodes, but maybe he does once more. And maybe he's planning.

for more Mariah content in season two, because if Ustis is breaking all this up, like it could come up. I'm not going to hold my breath. Oh, I'm manifesting right now. Well, time to get into that flashback, Eliana. Yeah, and right before we do that, I do want to call out Rafe's actor, Chloe Lee,

because I was like, Sarah, I know this person. I know this person. Chloe Lee is fantastic. in Dune Prophecy, which also Chloe and I did, this Chloe, not the actor, we covered is one of our Patreon episodes, Dune Prophecy, which also has like, you know, speaking of wonderful women characters. My beloved daughter Tula, and it really shows, I think, like, Lee has great range. Like, she played, I was very impressed with her performance in Dune Prophecy.

she does a fun character here too she's really good I guess that the body acting of like I'm going through my body's going through a bad time of I am dying or something akin to dying what she does it in Dune Prophecy Yes that's true Yeah it's a really different role here right Because she's much more active when she's not dying

Yeah Compared to Dune Prophecy where she had to be a little reserved at times And a little ethereal kind of Freaky Precian Yeah, the, what is her, she does the mother superior character as well, like when being channeled. And also, there's like a little moment where she's getting ready to do in the days where she is not really acting. She's just dead.

She's like, yeah, I have a great day on set. I just have to, I have to lie down here and pretend to be like kind of dead and everyone's got to say goodbye to me. Amazing. Oh my God. Everyone wants that. That's what everyone dreams of. That's what Baylor's doing. He's faking it.

He's just faking it here. Honestly, yeah, give him a day off. Like, he deserves at least one day off. Oh, you guys, we're going to take a day off after we finish this series before we start tier in. Yeah, get prepared. We'll remind you next week. But, you know, hopefully this activates sleeper cells in your brain, you know. All right.

The flashback. Agreed on Chloe Lee, by the way. It's really weird to hear my name in someone else's mouth, though, about someone else. It's killing me. There can only be one. So I've come to feel that the flashback, maybe half of it should have happened. And the other half should have been relinquished back to the episode. I think the Arlen stuff really worked for me.

Really, really worked for me. And I would have liked the flashback to shine more light and bring more context on, you know, the rebellion. and we did get some really nice little bits where, you know, we saw Roger of Penny Trees, Grave where they took the helm, we got Arlen, you know, off in the woods singing that we'll come to

and talk about. I'm glad it wasn't too info dump heavy. I don't want that. But I just feel like they could have done really well if they had focused more on one section, whether that was more focusing on Arlen, especially because, you know, the Rafe stuff does come up in the mystery night.

We learn about Raif. So it is kind of one of the bolder choices the entire season that Ira has taken with his team, right? That they decided to include a flashback that shows material that's based off of characters that we are introduced to through memories of dunks. Like Rafe, who he thinks there wasn't a girl in King's Landing who could run as fast as Rafe. After he tells Egg, he remembers him and his friends cutting off a head, stealing a head or skiing. cutting a head down off its spike, stealing a head, some rebel lord or robber night, he says, or maybe a common murderer. They all look the same for a few days on a spike, he says. So he tells egg that and he thinks about Rafe, who's the fastest person in King's Landing. No girl could run

as fast as him. Ah, she is no man, is what we've done with Raif, who's now a chick. And of course then, he thinks again about Rafe, ferret, and pudding. The other two friends. that do get mentioned, honorable mentions, really loved that, that he thinks of becoming a beggar knight or a big beggar instead of a thief, and he thinks he had been both in flea bottom when he ran with ferret, rife, and pudding, but the old man had saved him from that life. He knew what Sir Arlid of Penny Tree would have said to plumb suggestions. Sir Arlen being dead, Dunk said it for him.

Even a hedge knight has his honor. So I think a lot of those themes were really well represented. And I did also, again, really like the Arlen, like, there's a moment where when he's chasing after Arlen, it's actually the same road where they filmed Pod and Brienne. Yeah, I thought that. This is exactly the same. Yeah. And as soon as I saw it, I was actually, okay, so I take it back. Maybe I was a little annoying because I literally just went, oh, Pod and Brienne.

And Emmett went, uh-huh. I'm like, shut up. But yeah, so I love that, A, it's Pod Brienne, but it's also egg chasing after. Dunk, right, in the road from the inn. And dunk doing the same to Arlen, so three different pairings. Yeah, I think that was like really nice, those parallels and very beautiful of how they put that together. Honestly, it was nice to see that road again. I was like, oh, world building.

The Kings Road, take me home. It's also like, I don't know, just shot in a way that is very, it really contrasts with the right, like the horror of the, the battlefield that we just came from or tomb as that guy calls it now because in a way that is effectively how it functions right just a massive tomb now for all the soldiers who died there and then also when we get to kings landing where the only things we see of king's landing there are just flea bottom like this is a bad time this is not fun the nicest moments that he has really are just like out there on the road so yeah it is kind of a bummer that they fritzed rave Yeah, they sure did kill her, huh?

Yeah, I was like in the year 2026, but I will say, okay, I was right to be worried for Raif, that makes sense, but I was kind of worried for her in a different way when Alistair was touching her hair and when he said go on. Yeah. I thought he was only saying go on to dunk, especially because they held dunk back and I was like, oh, fuck, that's where we're going with this. but it did not go in that direction. They just only killed her. Thankfully, they just murdered her. Sexually assaulting her and then killing her.

Yeah, often they do the raping and the killing, you know, so at least it was just one of them that happened to rave. I'm just saying we're used to these shows. Also, like, where's your sweet slice of life show now? Ooh, all of you at home, you thought you were going to have fun. You thought you were going to be happy. I mean, I never think that, but that's because I only watch devastating things.

Yeah, literally. I also will say, like, I think there were, there were some, like, things that they were thinking through in terms of how they tie all of these different elements and themes together. Like, I think that there's a good contrast between how it seems as though Don kind of has to just leave her body there in the pathway, right? Like, we don't know that he goes and buries her. and to an extent there's an implication maybe

that this is commonplace in flea bottom because it's like I don't know you just leave a body out there there's three fucking bodies just out here and it's just happening and that kind of is juxtaposed with the discussion that he and Ray for having about

burying the night maybe or also saying words for the night and Dunk doesn't say any words they don't say any words for the night they just talk about doing it because they're like I don't know. But Dunk does say words for rave. They're not formal words.

They're not, you know, in the name of the mother, in terms of, like, a mercy prayer or even, like, a prayer. Because, you know, when I think of in the name of the mother, I also think of, like, you know, in the name of the father, of the son and the Holy Spirit. Like, there is a prayerful aspect to it that is not just the knighting. Yeah. But Dunk says words for rave, but it's all just like, I'm sorry.

But they are words. You know, someone said something for that little girl in Leebottom. It gets that question, too, of next episode when Valar is going to redunk and say, like, what gives you the right? True. Like, what gives you the right? And it's, well, what does give you the right, Valor? Like, people die all the time.

How come it's just your fucking father that's important? Yeah, that too. His peekaboo highlight. Yeah. Okay, cute. But, yeah, what gives you the right to be more important than all these other people that clearly died? And then, like, coming off that aftermath of the war, right? The shadow of the war, I think that's also big.

A lot of people generally die in a war. So you have a country that is recovering from that. And, you know, a lot of people have lost a lot of people, bro. Yeah. Everybody grieves. What gives you the right? Yeah. It's going to be interesting to see that echoed back in the next episode.

I think there was something interesting focusing on the city watch, too, because this would be the city watch beneath Darren, too. And basically the city watch after Damon Targaryen who ran that shit like the Navy, he was in there and he's like, police brutality will continue. He's like, there's no such thing as ACAP. It's not funny, but you know, we get our laughs where we can these days. After Damon, though, that shit went to shit, right? Like, bit by bit.

And then Egan the fourth came and he let it become fucked up, fucking, like, just like rotten from the core. So Darren 2 ends up abolishing the gold cloak. So I'm trying to think of this as like, this is the peak, right? Like this is the peak that Alistair and these other men were just like shaking these kids upside down for their lunch money and murdering them. You know, like the city watch has clearly not been soaring to new heights of esteemed service under Darren 2. So this must be why he does abolish. the gold cloaks and it's just the city watch and the city guard and then Robert reinstitutes the

gold cloaks. So like there's something also echoing there about, you know, the Kingsguard and them in the battle and then the gold cloaks here as this alternate in this flashback to look at and see what they're, I mean, there's three of them, right? We see three central gold cloaks. So I do think it kind of parallels the Kingsguard a little bit. Oh yeah, which is also a thing. When you're talking about people, I would have liked to see more of Slice of the Life thing. I think we should have had the King's Guard come back. I mean, like, we can't, we can, you know?

Like, I know they're there for just a moment in the novella. And also, George had, like, much more of a page limit. And he also had a deadline of literally New Year's Eve. So, he talks about all this. So, yeah, I think, I think we should have brought the King's Guard back for another scene. anyways um well there's still next episode that's true but i think we should have had it before they fight to give it a little bit yeah it would have been nice to build some of like wow the kingsguard are gonna fight against me fuck yeah the gold cloaks i mean a lot of things go to go to shit under

igon the fourth so this is one of them and i do i did think this line you know it's very on the nose but i still like it whatever uh where alister you know and Dunker having that back and forth and Alster's like, you can't steal from me or whatever he says. And then Dunk asked, well, what's stealing from us? And Alcer just goes, that's life. And I was like, yo, that's real life. Yeah, it's also interesting to see those, that duality of like what Dunk would choose and what she would choose. Like you were saying that like she was thinking of how to get ahead.

I think there's a really good moment where you think for a minute maybe she's going to trick Duncan Lee. but she doesn't. Like now I'm actually kind of invested. I did think that. I did kind of wonder if like, because the price is now doubled for a fair to go to the free cities. I'm like, well, if one person doesn't go,

what does that leave you? Double the fare for one person. So I was kind of like, oh. And like, I don't know, there's something interesting of the sell sortiness of going east, right? Because we get that song, as we'll talk about in a minute, that Dothraki song from Ireland,

but cell swords go east for work all the time. Maybe knowing what we know about the end, do you think Dunk goes to look for Rafe? In the afterlife? I mean, Venny's like 90 and chilling, dude. I mean, yeah, at a certain point, I guess we all go and look for the people who died before us.

Yeah, if they just not killed her. Oh, oh, if she had like escaped. I see. Yeah. I don't know. War Torne Westrose is interesting. Like that also, Darren, too, had a lot of cleaning up to do. Like, people are fleeing the country en masse.

That's crazy. Also, I wonder if it is set up for dunk fleeing someday. We'll find out. We'll find out. We'll talk about it. I think it's possible. It's also, like, again, a nice thing that kind of pairs well with in the main books. We do see people trying to leave Kings landing during the War of the Five Kings.

Also, a little bit afterwards due to starvation. They're like, there's nothing here for us. Got to go to a new land, bro. Or just another city. Like, I know what a lot of people end up going to White Harbor. A new land. Yeah. That's why I moved to Philadelphia, a new land.

Oh, true. When I moved here, I was like, yeah, exactly. Kind of. It is a port-ish. I mean, or Kingslandingy, I would say. I would argue. In some ways. Yeah.

It was almost Kings Landing. It's a port city. Yeah. Oh, man. The Dothraki song was a fun touch. I like our. I like getting to see Arlen. He commands a scene really well.

Loopy and silly, but also fierce and did the right thing and protecting Dunk. Love him and love his song. Yeah. I will say, I did not say this aloud, so I was not annoying in that moment. But in my heart, I was annoying because I was thinking of Arlen singing the Dothraki song. I was like, does he actually know Dothraki in the lyrics? Or is Arlen like me? singing karaoke at anime convention specifically where I memorize the sounds of the

But you don't know what it means? No, of course not. Interesting, because I took it. I don't think, you know, you have annoying in your soul, but it's kind of like I know that affectionately. I don't think you can not be annoying. Yeah. I'm sorry, I'm like still digesting this note from you that you just dropped. Wow.

What a bombshell. About singing karaoke at Anime Convention's and just memorizing the sounds. Yeah. I will sing for all of you part of the what first. I think this is one of the first closing theme songs of Bleach. It's half in English, half in Japanese, but it's like,

Dooku de Eiki-o-o-se-er-tube-dhine-tta-bite. Kvary-n in-moy-d-d-hame-hocis-seer-tere-tseer-de-teke. in nariossa. I'll stop. Like the craziest part about that, the craziest part about that is the smile you just had on your face. Like, you knew what you were doing too. You had this little shitting grin on your face where you're like, yeah, yeah. These are so buried in my soul. I actually had not sang that song for like, I don't know, at least a decade.

And I reawoke like that memory recently. But it was this, these are sounds that I memorized when I was like 14, 15. And when I say sounds I memorize, I mean that fully. They are just sounds to be. Phonetic noises you're making. Oh, dear. Well, I don't know. Interesting.

I didn't think about it from that angle that maybe he didn't actually know what it means. But I feel that he did, considering he just buried his nephew. And David J. Peterson did post on his archive of our own, the translation. So to me, when I read this, it really made me think, oh, Arlen really did go all over and meet people from different walks of life and did literally service everyone as a knight. Like it really ties into the walking that Dunk has been doing, right? Up and down, asking people, do you know him? Will you vouch for him? He did know everyone.

He did go everywhere. He was a knight who did it all. So the translation of the song is, The ropes of death enwrapped me. Ungodly men have made me afraid. The ropes of hell abound me. The sorrows of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon you the great stallion who's worthy to be praised.

So shall I be saved for my strong enemy, beat them small as the dust before the wind. I will cast the evil out as the dirt in the streets. Courage is my salvation. Mercy is my light. Make my feet like hind's feet that my step would not blunder. me with might, that I destroy them that hate me. I will cast the evil out as the dirt in the streets. Courage is my salvation. Mercy is my light. Heavy song. It is a heavy song. It's very, especially like in the context of what you're saying about burying his nephew. I'm like,

oh, leaves on the vine, my uncle Iro. And I, I, I, I think he did. My second favorite song from that series. Other than Secret Tunnel. Secret tunnel Exactly Yeah I think Arlen did a fantastic performance and rendition For that That was a really great touch

And I think you're right He's old enough to have probably Met people and learned a whole other language He's just better than me In that aspect But I could still learn Japanese I think I can And

I'm like I have I think like he got, yeah, you could do anything, Eliana, first of all. So write that down. Second of all, I also think like he was clearly grieving. Like he was drunk as shit going through the woods, singing it at the top of his lungs, singing it off-key, singing it on. Oh, where's mine? Eliana's partner just brought her wine, maybe?

Where's mine? Hmm. Anyway, interesting. It's here for you in a few weeks. This is a boxed wine. Oh, wow. It's good for cooking. Only the finest from the coast.

The Costco. The Arbor. From the Arbor. Yeah, that too. Same place. But, yeah. Yeah, Arlen was grieving, bro. He was drinking this wine that you're drinking without me.

That's true. And he was getting fucked up and going through the woods and just like singing his grief. He was. And that kind of like attracted Dunk, right? Like Dunk shows up at that right time to become his new Squire and to get another chance at life because he's like, you know. know, going to die of infection from that leg that he got stabbed. I don't know how he got there, but, you know, that's a new chance at life for him,

a new chance at life for Arlen, too. I was honestly surprised that I was like, wow. I mean, I wasn't surprised in that I know Dunk obviously survives because we got to this point of him. Yeah, well, I mean, like, I knew he survived that like stab in the leg because I was like, obviously he makes it to present day. But I'm like, dang, how did he not get infected and die? But also, as you were saying regarding the grief, like he does put so much emotion in it.

And I like that this kind of grieving song, it feels it's still like an aggressive song. And I like that it is because grief can be aggressive. But also, I like the whole calling to the Great Stallion. Because as we record this, tomorrow, everyone, is the start of the year of the firehorse. Happy Chinese New Year. It so is. It so is. Yeah.

I also think, like, that song is great for it's a grubour. in some ways, like, that the Dothraki song is so aggressive, but also it's a song of grief and a song of like mercy and courage. It's like a war song, but also a prayer. And it's interesting to kind of wrap around some of the gender dynamics that all of the men in this episode are going through in this trial. And what that means, whether it's Makar with his mommy or dunk with his mom or dunk with Rafe or dunk with Arlen. I think there's a lot of interesting thematics pulling that together. Yeah. I will say, okay, we gave Chloe Lee her. her flowers, but also Bambor Todd. I think he did a great job. A sad little boy dunk, I just remembered. I should probably also compliment him. He did so good, and like some of the affect in which he did some of those, like, responses and stuff.

So Peter Claffy. Yeah, perfectly delivered. HBO's never done poorly on flashback actors. Like, you've got to respect that. True. Yeah. I don't think there's a single flashback actor I've ever disliked on an HBO. show.

They always do a great job. And I know they're different casting directors, but like even euphoria, like, euphoria is insane. And it's not a quality show, but the casting of the younger version of characters for their flashbacks they get when they have their own episodes is like insane. Like insane. It's like really well done. So HBO puts good money into their casting and it shows this kid rocks. I mean, they look through hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands of people to

find Peter Claffey, you know? like think about that. Yeah. And he is dunk. I mean, I respect that. I had to have no questions about that. He's very much dunk. He did a great job.

And I mean, also, yeah, Bambretad and Arlen, Arlenz actor. Yeah. Deniweb, great job also. And I like the touch where Arlen, Arlen also talks to his horses. Yeah. Love that. That's where he gets it from. Yeah.

I could have take or leave, like the Rafe plot line. I feel the Arlen plot line really helps. help to focus it. I think the Rave plot line could have been a better flashback for another day. But I get to get to Arlen, you have to go through Raph, I guess. So it is what it is. Take it or leave it. Whatever. I mean, because you brought up those lines from the mystery night, which is the third novella. Like, is this something where they were trying to just establish that ahead of time to be able to like build it for when, you know, if we reminisce upon all these things again in the future.

I have another theory, but I'm not meaning it to be cold or cutting, but this is more from a production standpoint. There were reshoots, and I believe they were on the flashback, so it does seem to me, perhaps the studio asked for more after reviewing. Okay, interesting. So I shouldn't be too hard, because you never know if Ira had much control. over this. Yeah. And this isn't, like, I think, I don't, I, I, I was fine with it. I don't have, like, any strong feelings, I guess, positive or negative towards, um, the raf stuff. I, and I will say

once more, like, I do think, like, the actors delivered wonderfully. It's just, yeah, absolutely. Also, you already discussed this, but, like, love the way that dunk followed Arlen. I mean, he's the only person who showed him any other kindness, I guess, all the other people who showed him kindness are dead or gone and the use of get up happening twice. I'm now realizing, like, it feels very, I don't know if any of you have read this short story. It's actually available for free online if you want to read it called Bullet to the Brain by Tobias Wolf.

And they do actually like a really good job of the way it plays with temporality and tense, verb tenses to show someone's last moments. and I think like they do something kind of, maybe they're kind of playing with that idea here with the flashback coming in and how Arlen comes in and helps him get up. And I love the melding of Arlen and Egg. You know, as you're talking about, you know, all those parallels passing down through the ages.

But Arlen and Egg kind of become one in that way when Egg is the one yelling get up. And Arlen's also saying get up. And I think it's like this great connection. Because again, like Egg followed Dunk the way that he did for Arlen. And I mean, like, we've talked actually a lot. in the past about how when it comes to the Stark family and how they represent the seven, that Ned, in fact, represents the mother.

And Catlin actually represents the father. And so I'm like, oh, okay, so Arlen is also Dunk's mother in a way, too. Like, he showed mercy to that kid in a way and also, like, the theme for the mother, right? I think it does pay off for Arlen because, as you, you know, as you said, like, Arlen does, he does defend these kids, right? He barrels out of there. He just, and he gets hurt, and he does it out of instinct. There's, like, no real reason

why he does this. He does it out of instinct and the way that Dunk also does the right thing and, like, barrels in there and defense Tanzal, kind of also out of instinct. And I think that's kind of what you can see makes Arlen such a true knight whose legacy was worth continuing because it goes back to, he just says

in the name of the mother, but he doesn't follow with the rest of those lines, because when you become a knight, it says, in the name of the mother, I charge you to defend the young and innocent, and that is exactly that is exactly what Arland did. I do love that he does it out of instinct. That is, and

that's what I really did like and what worked for me in the flashback in totality was like showing who dunk is and who he's become. Because of all of that. I think that's important. It feels well done. Of course, as we kind

of talked about a bit ago, you know, you get that shot of Makar hitting Baylor and then Megar like fighting to get to Aryan across the field to his loser boy. I love, I did really love that scene of him. I think he delivered the my boy, my boy, like perfectly. Yeah.

It's exactly. That hit for me. Same. I don't know if Aryan knows that that happened, but like I hope he does. Like, it shows his father loves him. Spoilers, he has a complete turnaround of his emotion. of who he is as a person.

This changes his life, and he actually becomes really good. Oh, sorry, you wanted to speak about reality, right? Well, I'm like, I hope he at least knew. And it shows, like, I think it recontextualizes the previous episodes for me where Maycar was being so gruff. I still think he's a shit dad, but, like, he was being so gruff. Yeah.

And he was stressed out about, where the fuck are my sons? Not because he was mad. But it shows, like, he was legitimately worried for them. He loves them. He's just bad at doing it. And it comes back to something I think we discussed a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time ago. Back in the Ned chapters when we were covering our very first POV, Ned and the Hedgehog's dilemma of the difficulty of finding the right amount of distance between people that you love because when you're too close, you hurt them, you're too far, you get cold. The Hedgehog's trying to warm each other up.

And Maycar, he is kind of a prickly dude. I guess actually his son has a hedgehog-ish helm now that I think about it too. I didn't think about that until just now. Anyway. Oh, yeah, that's true. It's spiky. Demon spites. Yeah.

Yeah, he does have the hedgehog issue and it's too late. He did it all too late, right? It's too late. Yeah. It's too late. Oh, I was singing, it's too late, baby. No, it's too. Oh, yeah, there you go.

God damn. He beat the shit out of Dunker. Yeah. Arian did. Like, Arian was stabbing him. I think someone online counted, and it was actually seven times. So there's your scene of the seven. Oh.

That's a holy amount of stabbing right there. But it wasn't that bad in the book. I'm like, damn, poor dunk, you really got your shit rock. But it's okay because Arian got his. When he was, like, when he was beating the shit out of Arian with that shield, I did. Like, I was like, yeah, keep going. Like, I was really hyped. I was like, this is what sports are.

all about. I love sports. But when do they make out? What? When do they kiss? Yeah, when do they kiss? Okay, lo-key, I did think that at one point, though, watching the fight scene again. I was like, when do they kiss? When do Ariad and don't kiss? But... Also, Finn Bennett has that, like, cocky kind of, like, arrogant, like, Bet You Won't kind of thing going on and moves his head and shit. And I'm like, yeah, maybe they will kiss. I don't know. Exactly. He could absolutely have a heated rivalry with someone. For sure. Sure. Who's to say, it's anyone's game of Thrones?

It's anyone's Game of Thrones. I know, I agree. I was like, I don't remember dunk getting this bald. And also I was like, I would have died. If I were dunk, I would have died. Maybe he just has way more blood than me. I don't know. Guess I'll die.

Yeah, for real. Sir Arlen Shrug, guess I'll die. He did have that moment. He did like just plop and he was like, guess I'll die. I do think I think they were definitely going for him getting the shit beat out of him a little more hardcore to build up that he doesn't die

and that Baylor does too to kind of create that contrast of like you think dunk's done for and then no it's Baylor because it is like the fake out it's the classic it dunk four go away no there's only dunk one two and three

yeah I don't know I thought maybe there was a little contrast building there Maybe we're trying to up the tension for Baylor's big fall Humpty Dumpty. It is Humpty Dumpty. All the King's horses and all the Kingsmen. It is Humpty Dumpty, bro. Couldn't put Baylor back together again.

Yeah, but our actual egg, because I do think of Humpty Dumpty as an egg. Our actual egg just gets fried up. Damn. Why you got to be like that? And then Arian takes the substance. Fucking Darren dies of venereal disease. Jesus Christ. These boys are troubled boys.

I loved that the sex worker shouted out from the stands, especially because, like, for her, she has to, like, code switch, right? She's in the stands. She's supposed to be posh right now. She's supposed to be escorting a lord, and she broke through it because she was that into the game. That's how you know. It's a good game, and she's rooting for dunk.

Something confusing is her name is also Rowan, but she's obviously clearly not Rohan. Yeah. So it's confusing. It's confusing. But. It's funny because when she got cast, people were confused as well because they were like, wait, what? But, yeah, interesting.

Maybe she's just foreshadowing in a way, but, or sometimes people can have the same name. That's true. Or similar names. You've had one redhead. Get ready for a second. Yeah. Oh, well, we had another one die this episode too. And.

Oh, shit. That's true. Yeah. That's, yeah. And, yeah, I do like what you said of, I kind of wanted more of her. too. I was surprised. I thought we were going to get more of her throughout this whole series. Where were you? Where were you, girl? I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. Yeah, I was. And she was reading for Dunk. Yeah. I was.

I'm telling you, dude, it is what it is, but could have just gone for like five to ten more minutes every day. Rough. Woof. Dexter is a great kid actor. Oh my God. Egg is so compelling through this whole thing. I love it. I love him and this. And I also really love the audio design for the battle. The visual design was okay.

It was fine. It was good. It wasn't anything too compelling. Like I did like the Maker part where he was running across and everything. I think that was really well done. And I loved watching Eerie and get the shit beat out of him. That was also really well done. And the dunk injuries did have me.

Like I was like kind of edge of my seat for that. Yeah. But the slow-mo and the audio design around the slow-motion kind of stuff, that was so cool. The sound just falling out. I love that. Yeah. I think they did a fantastic job with that part of showing when you're in the battle and out of it in dunks, POV, and not through the sound.

But yeah, I'm sorry, you brought up his, like, wounds again. I'm just like, how does that not fuck you up long term in terms of fighting? Like I would just simply never fight again. Well, it does, though, I'm sure. I think of, like, his descendant, Sandor, right? Who's now lame in his leg? I think of, you know, I think of Tanzal. She got her fingers injured.

That's going to affect her for life. You know, now they're marked together in a way. I guess you could reset the fingers. But, yeah, I don't know, seven wounds. Like, my great-grandmother, one time. I think of, um. Someone tried to rob her. I don't remember, I don't know if they succeeded, but they dislocated her shoulder.

That's how, like, hard they gained her. She just popped it back in and went about her day. No. So you could reset Tancel's bones, is what I'm saying. Right, but she's still going to have effects from that. For sure. For her livelihood, just like Dunkwell, and it also makes me think of his maybe other descendant question mark, question mark,

Jamie Lannister, right? Who has to learn to be the world's best swordsman down a hand. Oh, true. Yeah, that's a completely different like very uphill battle. I thought we were going to talk about Breyne

getting like her cheek bitten. Oh yeah, that too. How does that not get in fact? Someone did it with their teeth and that man was nasty. That's all. Jesus Christ. Love that we got,

donk dragging Aryan by the leg and then picking him up by the scruff and was like spit it out, you know, like a cat. spit it out. Yeah. I do think it makes sense for me that they removed the part where Arian tries to pretend he yielded and didn't. Though it does add some fun drama in the book.

I'm fine without it here. I will give that. I was just happy that he got dragged around by his leg. That was fun for me. Yeah, that's true. That was important to me too. I will say, the way that Dunk swears to Baylor, I didn't think this reading the novella, but in that moment, upon rewatching, it reminded me actually, like,

Dunks fervor and being Baylor's man specifically makes me think even a little of like the Brotherhood without Banner staying loyal to Robert. But now that I think about it, now that we're talking about Brien, it also makes me even think of like Brian being specifically loyal to just Catlin. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, like swore and sword almost, like swear, ah, aha, being swearing his sword to his memory. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. So you're saying Baylor's going to come back as a fire white? I mean, that could be fun.

I don't know. Could you bring a man back? Not any man, but a man who's lost part of his brain? I think yes. But if he lost his whole head, no. But you could bring someone back, I think, like that. If only they would have gone and found that tavern lady who's also a fortune teller. Yeah, I think you just can't reattach.

a whole head, right? But I think there's enough of him there that you could reanimate him if you wanted to. Call Ari a letter now. No, I'm serious. I love the squelching noise of the brain, by the way. I'm sad we didn't get to see it, though. Is that important for you to see it?

Yeah. I just thought we should see it. A gray-blue mass? I couldn't imagine how they were going to execute it in a way that didn't feel like weird and kind of like campy, you know, like, what What are they going to do? Suddenly, like, do a close-up of, like, flop on the ground and be like, whoa, what was that? But this way kept the, what is that word I'm looking for?

Suspense. I also will add to that. I do like that Steely Pate was involved and that he was helping them and, like, also showed, like, the across the class lines for Baylor, like, just because he's the prince in line for the throne, doesn't mean he's too big to hang out with Steely Pate. Yeah. Steely Pate's the best. I love Steely Pate Yeah Like Baylor's not worth that much to himself

You know I really respect that Yeah me too actually He was a good choice He was um Did you see that our friends Hannah and Zach had him on recently I did I didn't listen to it yet I was like dang exciting

Exciting Steely Dan JK Oh my god He's a fool to do Baylor's dirty work Oh yeah I did I did kind of wish this was happening, like, Baylor's death in the chaos of the field,

where everyone's, like, dead and then he falls on dunk in the field. But this worked, too. This is how I kind of always imagined it. To the side. Yeah. It is how I always... I imagined it as the big moment. Oh, I imagined it to the side, like, big moment, but off to the side, like, in a other place.

You know, like, in a... I imagine it against, like, the confusion of the crowd. Oh, I've always imagined it as a quiet thing. Huh. Interesting. How have we never known that about each other? We look up at the same stars and see such different things. And we don't know this about each other.

I mean, maybe we discussed it. It's entirely possible you and I discussed it that first time. You never truly know people. Yeah, and I have no desire to be able to say. Yeah, who knows what we talked about. Coachella. Ira Parker knows. So part of what makes the Rafe flashback work for me though

is when Dunk was holding Rafe's body and saying I'm sorry those were the words right that he was saying over her body as she dies and I think that like when I watched that happen in the flashback in my head I immediately thought okay we are absolutely going to see a parallel of him saying that exact same thing more or less holding Baylor's body and they did it and that actually landed pretty well for me So I'm happy with that. It reminds me a bit of that line and hot D from Alicent, right,

when she says I only ever wanted to hear somebody say they were sorry for me for what I went through, you know? I feel like there's something in that too of like, there's like something about the way that, you know, everyone deserves to have words said about their death. It's interesting also like because in both those cases, like Dunk saying sorry, he's not at fault for either of those deaths.

there's an argument to be made that A, not only is someone else at the fault, B, that the system has kind of like This cruel system, you know, has been what kills both of them But he still feels it, it weighs upon him Yeah Like he didn't kill Rafe, he didn't kill me more Yeah Yeah, the guilt, the guilt of it all, right?

Like, how do you grapple with that kind of guilt, that kind of loss? That kind of grief. I guess this is kind of what George is talking about in Feast, right? When he talks about what creates a broken man. Interesting. That's interesting to think about as well with some of the other stuff that we are not going to talk about this week in light of news. Yeah. I know we said we were going to talk about Dexter's big reveal, but we went on today for quite a bit of time.

So, wait, I just realized you said that Baylor landed for you. But, like, he did land on the ground. And in Dunk's arms. Oh, my God. Wow. Do they kiss? Do they land for you? Why not?

Why not? And if he comes back as a firewhite, it's like, okay. And how not? How not? Next week is the finale. We'll talk a lot about the final episode. And we're also probably going to talk a bit about Dexter, Sol Ansel. revealing a big, a big reveal, quote unquote,

that maybe Dunk gets to live out his life forever and ever after Summer Hall. Interesting. Lots of things to talk about. We're going to bring that into next week's discussion, I'm sure, as well as the future of a Night of the Seven Kingdoms. Indeed, indeed. So, yeah, we'll talk more about that next week. come tune in. I'm curious. I'm curious what'll happen. I'm curious about

are we getting to get more Dorn? Yeah. No. We might. We're not. I don't, don't do this to me. It's just like we've thought it every week. Why am I going to think it's going to happen? For five episodes, it hasn't happened. It's not going to happen. That's a good point. I guess like, I don't know. I don't know what was I thinking. Like, I thought, I was told there would be more Dorn and I don't know. What did we mean? Like, I don't know. Am I dumb for manifesting? Were you told there's going to be more Dorn?

I guess I just wanted it so bad. I just wanted it so badly to be true. Just like Dunk wanted to be a knight and Egg wanted to be somebody squire, I so badly wanted there to be more Dorn. Anyways. Well, next week we will talk about the things we wanted, and maybe the things we also didn't get. we'll talk about what we expect for the future of this series

and we'll close it out and say goodbye to Dunkin Egg till my god till next year I'm guessing Is it next year? I mean they're already in production I guess right? Yeah it's every year oh shit Every year wow Yeah they got to maximize Dexter Soul and Cell time dude That's true he's only a child for a while Which I know as a person who was only a child for a while

Really well said thank you Elia Thanks. You're welcome. You're welcome. So deep. So deep. And that is how we are going to leave you all. Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week. As always, you can find us on your favorite podcast listening platform. And we highly recommend you subscribe to us over at patreon.com slash girls gone canon. Hey, if you've got a minute, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. We didn't do any comments this week, but next week we will bring in some Spotify. comments and Podbean comments as well. So listen up. Your comment could be red. It could be. It could be. Or it could be black.

Red or black. A dragon. Oh my God. Oh my God. Thanks for listening. I've been one of your hosts, Chloe. And I've been another one of your hosts, Aliana. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. Have a nice fall. Oh, shit. It's, yeah. See you next autumn. Oh, fuck. I mean, maybe. Or summer.

Oh, shit. Oh, my God. Or, I mean, it's spring. Rip. Great spring sickness. All right. Yo. COVID.

Wait, what year is it? COVID-2-10. Woo. It was basically kind of like at the cusp of spring. Yeah. Bye.