When someone close to production or to a story dies, many TV shows opt for a dedication at the end of the episode. That was the case with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 2, which ended with a dedication to Aziza Barnes.
Of course, this leads to many people looking into who the person was. How were they connected to the show? Barnes had a major connection to the second episode of the Game of Thrones prequel.
Who was Aziza Barnes on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Barnes, also known as “Z,” was one of the writers on the Game of Thrones series. They co-wrote the second episode with showrunner Ira Parker. They also wrote for shows such as Snowfall and Teenage Bounty Hunters.
At the time of their death, Barnes was working on an adaptation of The Vanishing Half for HBO. The novel was Brit Bennett’s second book. You may also know them from their poetry.
Sadly, Barnes died by suicide on Dec. 15, 2024. They were just 32, and their parents shared the devastating news with all.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2 focuses on grief without talking about it
The second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a poignant episode for Dunk, as he searches for someone to vouch for him. In this, he has to relive his life with Ser Arlan of Pennytree, and that also means reliving the man’s death. We get hints at how Ser Arlan died, but there is nothing to confirm that it was sepsis from that wound on his arm.
That’s not the point of the story. Dunk focuses on who Arlan was as a man and as a knight, and there’s a sadness to the way he has to relive the story over and over again. Egg tries to add a layer of humor to it, but deep down, you can see that Dunk is hurting. He’s also frustrated that nobody remembers his mentor.
However, Dunk isn’t fully allowed to grieve. Not only will he have been raised not to cry or show weakness, but he also needs to focus on his own life right now. He has to prove himself as a knight, and the only way he can do that is to get someone to vouch for his mentor.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sundays at 10/9c on HBO and HBO Max.