One mocking fart directed at Duncan the Tall in the fifth episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” reveals two truths: that Lord Bracken and many of his mirthful peers view their knightly vows as no more sacred than a cloud of smelly gas, and that the flatulence of a highborn noble sounds just as unimpressive as that of a commoner. The novella the HBO show is based on has Bracken blow wind through his mouth rather than his backside, but the point remains the same, and so does Dunk’s response: “Are there no true knights among you?”
Dunk (Peter Claffey) seems more indignant and heartsick than frightened that no one will join him, as if the soul of knighthood is at stake rather than his own body. When he strikes Prince Aerion (Finn Bennett) in an outburst of protective rage, Dunk believes he is fulfilling his vow to defend the weak and innocent; anyone who takes his side in his trial of seven against Aerion, regardless of true motive, is publicly accepting the sanctity of those vows and Dunk’s moral righteousness. Those people would have had plenty of time to weigh their chances. That is much unlike Dunk, acting out of sheer impulse on the night he heard Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) scream.
