‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ episode 5 flashback, explained

In the world of Westeros, flashbacks are just as important as prophecies.

And while they’re sometimes used for comic effect in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the flashback in episode 5 with young Dunk (Bamber Todd) and Rafe (Chloe Lea) feels more significant than others.

So what happens, and why is it important?

What happens in the episode 5 flashback?

As Dunk (Peter Claffey) blacks out on the trial of seven battlefield, the lights come up on a different battlefield in a different time: the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion, with young Dunk and his friend Rafe looting bodies in the hunt for something valuable.

Later, as they walk back to their home of Flea Bottom in King’s Landing, they have a conversation about how Rafe wants them to leave the city. We’ve transcribed it in full below.

Dunk: “I just don’t know why we’re in such a rush to leave anymore? The war is over. The Black Dragon’s dead. Ferret said we’ll all get free bread now.”

Rafe: “Are you stupid? Nothing’s over. Don’t you remember when Pudding killed Cedric’s little brother?”

Dunk: “That was an accident.”

Rafe: “Aye. And we all figured that’d be the end to it, only for Cedric to come back a year later and near burn down half of Flea Bottom trying to kill Pudding. No one forgets shit. You hurt someone, they hurt you back. If you want to stay, fine. But Flea Bottom is full up on people hurting. It’s tinder waiting to catch.”

It’s a conversation that foreshadows Rafe’s death, but it’s also so much bigger than that.

Why is the conversation so important?

The conversation between Dunk and Rafe taps into a theme that’s been prevalent in every single Game of Thrones story so far: the cycle of violence. In House of the Dragon, this takes the form of the escalation between Team Green and Team Black, and in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s already been plainly demonstrated by the trial of seven Dunk’s forced into to defend his life.

And while this exchange between Dunk and Rafe resonates throughout the wider GoT universe, it’s not the only purpose the flashback serves.

Later, after Rafe has been mortally wounded, the way Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb) intervenes to protect young Dunk mirrors the way an adult Dunk intervenes to protect Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) from Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett). In this way, the flashback to Dunk’s childhood shows us why he values the principles of being a knight as strongly as he does. Dunk’s heroism is learned behaviour, and Tanselle is a reminder of the friend he was unable to save as a child.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes hitting HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.