HBO Revives A Cancelled Game of Thrones Spinoff in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 (& It’s Great)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1, Episode 5, “In the Name of the Mother,” connects to one Game of Thrones spinoff that HBO decided against making. The network has been gradually expanding its Westeros franchise over the years, beginning with House of the Dragon and now AKOTSK. There are several more Game of Thrones prequels and even sequels in development, such as Aegon’s Conquest and The Sea Snake, but there are also plenty of shows that didn’t happen.

These include the very first spinoff put into production, Bloodmoon, which would’ve covered the Age of Heroes and Long Night. Despite spending a reported $30 million on the pilot episode, HBO scrapped the series. There was also Jon Snow’s sequel with Kit Harington, which is currently on the shelf, but could still be revived. Much smaller than those two was a Game of Thrones spinoff set in Flea Bottom, the slum of King’s Landing where the city’s poorest people live, and an area that’s rife with crime. It was put in development and then quietly cancelled in 2021, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 basically revives it.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Episode 5 Is A Great Flea Bottom Story

“In the Name of the Mother” was set up as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ big battle episode, but it actually spends more time in the past. We get flashbacks to a young Dunk (Bamber Todd) and his friend, Rafe (Chloe Lea), as they steal from a fallen soldier on a battlefield, look to sell the goods, and have a run-in with a dangerous criminal, which takes place in the narrow streets of Flea Bottom. Because of the show’s unique perspective, it’s the most we’ve seen what life is really like for its residents in the franchise, and just how dark, dirty, and dangerous it can be.

These sequences are every bit as fascinating as the trial of seven that they’re juxtaposed with. It’s great seeing another part of King’s Landing to the one that Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon usually focus on, and a very different life from that lived by the nobles, one where every day brings a battle for survival and, at best, the desperate hope for something better.

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I’d always thought a Flea Bottom show was a bad idea, because at first blush it sounds like there’s not much to it, but this makes me reconsider, as it’s such a strong sequence. Part of the strength of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is that it’s a breath of fresh air for the franchise, and that we get to focus on a hero who isn’t highborn, and so this could’ve been that as well.

At the same time, it would depend on how much story there is to tell – this works because it’s only part of the episode, and because we care so much about Dunk. We’ll probably never get a Flea Bottom spinoff at this point anyway, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms certainly makes the most of the idea, if only for one episode.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Season 1 finale releases on Sunday, February 22nd at 10 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.

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