Another short but sweet episode this week for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, in what is arguably the best episode of the season thus far. I feel I said that last week, but it’s true. This show continues to get better and better each week, and the smaller parts from earlier episodes that seemed somewhat banal actually helped land the biggest moment of this week’s episode.

After dunking on Aerion Targaryen (couldn’t resist), Dunk naturally finds himself up a creek without a paddle. Arrested and facing all sorts of cruel punishments, from beheading to losing at least his hand, if not his leg as well, Dunk has likely never felt so low in his entire life. But Egg, now dressed in the Targaryen red and black, also feels pretty miserable himself. He could’ve, should’ve, easily gone to his uncle to get him to stop Aerion’s attack, but he instead turned to Dunk for assistance. It says a lot about Egg’s opinions of his family, but also his impressions of Dunk’s character. He trusted this lowly hedge knight to do the right thing far more than his father or uncle. Of course, had he gone to his uncle, Dunk wouldn’t be in this mess, and for that, Egg feels gutted.

Being Westeros, of course, things aren’t going to be as simple as going in front of a judge and jury to find him guilty. As Baelor mentions, no one will come to his aid against the royal family in court, not when there were witnesses. Dunk contests he was merely holding onto the oath of a knight, to protect the innocent, the same oath that Baelor himself swore to. So, a lifeline is suggested, and that is that Dunk demands a trial by combat.

We’ve seen a few of these by now in the Game of Thrones universe, so A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms throws a curveball at us by having Aerion invoke some long-forgotten tradition the Andals had, a Trial by Seven, in which Dunk has to be tasked in finding six other knights to come to his cause and fight alongside Aerion’s and his six. Should Dunk fail in finding enough knights who believe in his cause, he’ll be seen as guilty in the eyes of the gods, and thus, the eyes of men and executed. But who in their right mind will fight against the Targaryens? Dunk doesn’t even know six other knights.

As Dunk notes to the Fossoways, the consequences of that decision would be potentially severe. The wrath of the dragon could make those houses very unpopular, resulting in loss of standing and wealth. But Ser Steffon sees honour and glory in Dunk’s cause and agrees to help and rally others to his cause…that his until the Targaryens offer him a lordship, and he betrays Dunk at the last second. What a wanker! On the flip side, Daeron Targaryen reveals himself (he was the drunk at the inn in the first episode), and after initially suspecting Dunk of kidnapping his brother, finds Dunk to be an honourable man and agrees to take a fall during the joust to tilt the scales in his favour.

So Dunk is faced with minutes on the clock and only five knights in total to face Aerion and his six. If he can’t find two more, his life is forfeit. So far, he’s mustered Lyonel Baratheon, whose drip game is off the chart in that armour, Ser Robyn, the one eye-madman, and two Ser Humfreys, one of whom has a broken leg. But what to do next? Raymund Fossoway takes the knee and asks to be knighted. I like that Dunk doesn’t initially do it, and there’s the big possibility that Dunk doesn’t know how to make a knight. We see a quick shot of Ser Arlan shrugging to Dunk while Lyonel does the duties, suggesting that Dunk may not even be a true knight in name, that Arlan never formally knighted Dunk. But Dunk embodies the idea of a knight, so much so that he makes a rousing speech in front of everyone assembled, and in his disappointment with what he’s seen to date of chivalry and honour at the games, demands, “Are there no true knights among you?” Silence, until Prince Baelon Targaryen, Hand of the King, emerges to fulfill the oath Dunk reminded him he swore, to protect the innocent. The Game of Thrones theme gets to play in full properly this time, with no poop to ruin the moment, creating a satisfyingly epic moment that feels heroic. Honestly, it was a great moment, and it works because we’ve had all this time to date to see what Dunk values, how many of the knights on the grounds are more interested in glory than honour, but how a lowly knight who stands up to power can inspire people to do the right thing.

And I think that’s what I like most about this show. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon were about morally grey characters, and anyone who was seen as more “good”, for lack of a better term, was often killed off. Bad deeds are rewarded in Westeros. But those shows dealt with the nobility. We have Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and he is a good man. A lunk for sure, but a good man, one to look up to and feel inspired by. Now, we just have to wait a little longer for the fifth episode, as the show returns to its Sunday slot next week.