This January, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was slowly released over the course of the month. The drama fantasy series, directed by Owen Harris and Sarah Adina Smith, is focused on the world of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. Although it’s set 80 years before the series, it is entirely disconnected from the main story. The story follows two characters: Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, a rookie of a knight (Peter Claffey), and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), a quick-witted squire hiding a big secret.
The story follows the main characters as they attempt to enter a jousting tournament to make a name for themselves. The show contains many of the houses and some locations from the original show, however, it is intended to highlight the average life for a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Unlike the sprawling, dramatic, and extremely complicated politics of Game of Thrones and its other prequel House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is much more down to earth, intimate, and focused on the lives of everyday people.
Because the whole first season is only six episodes, each between 30–45 minutes, there is significantly less time for action and character development for dozens of characters as in other shows set in the universe. Despite this, the more dialed-in angle is one of the show’s strengths, as the format allows for more time to explore themes related to honor, power, and chivalry – a trademark of knightly fairytale stories, but with the grounded and raw realities that come with George R. R. Martin’s work.
Due to the smaller scope, much of the show depends on the performance and dynamic of Dunk and Egg, who act as the backbone of the show. The portrayals of both characters are done incredibly well. Claffey embodies Dunk’s both calm, kind hearted, and dense demeanor while also not letting his massive physical presence overwhelm the character. As for Egg, a character who is supposed to be about nine years old, Sol Ansell captures the character’s wit and honesty impeccably well with an endearing, innocent performance.
A recurring strength of previous shows set in this universe is the engaging, vibrant set of side characters. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms maintains this theme, with feuding lords and princes, but also loveable commoners who create a colorful background and world for the protagonists to engage with. Their performances are equally as strong, with characters like Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), and Raymun Fossoway (Shawn Thomas) all assisting Dunk along his journey – some being foolishly brave, endearingly kooky, or the pinnacles of honorable warriors. One standout side character was puppeteer Tanselle (Tazyn Crawford), Dunk’s love interest. Although a bit of the typical damsel in distress type character, Crawford has great chemistry with Claffey and the innocence of their relationship is a driving force of the second half of the show.
The cinematography also shines when combined with the limited scale. Oftentimes close up shots are utilized instead of the large scale shots that were used in Game of Thrones. Additionally, the sets are well designed but also not unnecessarily grand, aligning the more rural location of the Seven Kingdoms the show takes place in. In general the show is very beautiful, with the beauty of the natural world constantly standing out.
Although A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms missed out on some of the political drama that Game of Thrones and House of Dragons specializes in, it still had moments where you could easily pick up on ties to its predecessors. After arriving at the tournament, all is not what it seems, with a sense of unease staying with the viewer throughout the entirety of the show. Although not obvious, the acting, score, and cinematography all become darker throughout the season, building the tension as Dunk and Egg get deeper into trouble.
The show is overall very high quality, but the final two episodes are incredibly dynamic and exciting, even for the Game of Thrones universe. At the climax, Egg reveals his identity to be a Targeryan prince. He then utilizes his royal ties to come to Dunk’s aid after Egg’s sadistic brother, Aerion, demands his head – punishment for attacking Aerion after his lash out towards Tanselle. To resolve the dispute, many of the major characters gang together to defeat Aerion and his posse in a gladiator-style trial by combat. This sequence is very engaging and action packed, creating a very satisfying and cathartic conclusion to the growing conflicts.
Although the show is overall very polished, one of the areas in which the show falls short is in parts of Dunk’s character. On occasion, Dunk feels unnecessarily incompetent, if not downright stupid. A major part of his background as a character is his livelihood as a squire, implying that he should have a basic understanding of how the whole thing works. Despite this, he comes to the tournament completely unprepared and is stumbling through the season, relying on others as if he wasn’t training his whole life for this profession. Egg does a decent job of balancing this denseness out with his quick wit, but Dunk is still the main protagonist, and on his own, he seems very incapable.
Additionally, while parts of the show are very faithful to the book, there are some episodes that are almost entirely based around events that weren’t written. Oftentimes, the new dynamics and characters added are very engaging and add a lot to the plot, but big fans of the book may be thrown off by some of the creative liberties.
Despite these shortcomings, the show is a fantastic watch, even if you’re not a fan of the Game of Thrones universe. It’s fun, dynamic, and much more personal than the vast, at times confusing approach that Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon takes. The acting is great, the production value is excellent, and the plot and pacing keeps the audience engaged. Overall, the show is definitely worth tuning in for.