Image Credits: Photo by Courtesy of HBO – © HBO Max via IMDb
Though there was a time when it seemed the “Game of Thrones” fanbase was dead after the show’s disappointing finale, it seems they have fallen right back in love after the release of “House of the Dragon,” and now “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” With its first season premiering on Jan. 18, and ending on Feb. 22, this new show has received much praise. Though “The Hedge Knight” — the novella this first season is based on — was written in 1998, we are only now seeing the adventures of Dunk and Egg on the screen. Fans have seemed to rejoice in this show’s capability of expanding the world of Westeros, while also being a solid introduction to the world for new fans as the overall tone is much lighter.
In “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” we follow Dunk, a newly appointed knight who, after having to bury his mentor, finds himself joining a tourney with a resilient new squire, Egg. For those who have read the novella, the plot sounds the exact same, but in actuality this show does play with the timeline of events in its own way. This did mess with my head a little while watching, but Dunk’s journey still felt extremely fluid and made sense, even if at times I wished they had stuck to the source material’s path a little tighter.
The show definitely takes some creative liberties with a lot of new dialogue, scenes, characters and interactions, but it never feels out of place or a misrepresentation of the source material. Instead, it actually serves a greater purpose in broadening this era of Westeros that we have not seen before, and making each moment feel much more alive and breathing.
Adapting a barely 100 page novella into over six, 30 minute episodes is definitely quite the challenge, but instead of padding this show with filler, the writers use this abundance of time to really flesh out Dunk and Egg significantly more. While of course there is a little filler here and there, I never thought it to be overdone or hard to watch. If anything I found them nearly just as entertaining.
Though the world of “Game of Thrones” can be maliciously dark and hard to watch, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” makes it clear from the get go that it is much more lighthearted. This humor is one of its most prominent aspects, as I found myself laughing much more than I would have ever expected. This accomplishment not only makes the show feel more faithful to the source material, but also glued me to the screen in a much different way than “Game of Thrones” or “House of the Dragon” ever did.
Peter Claffey is absolutely wonderful as Sir Dunk as he takes the source material and soars with every line. He knows exactly when to make Dunk seem tough, but also when to make him shy and scared. Though Dunk isn’t extremely complex within the first of George R.R. Martin’s novellas, Claffey immediately makes his protagonistic presence feel warranted and entertaining to watch from start to finish.
Claffey’s chemistry with Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, is also hilariously delightful. Egg really does feel he jumped straight out of the novella, and though child actors can be hard to watch at times, I never felt that with Sol Ansell’s performance.
There are a few other side characters that we see get much more time invested into. This is most evident in Ser Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) who plays a significant role in the novella but is definitely fleshed out a little more in the show, and Ser Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon (Daniel Ings), whose character is greatly built upon in this show. While some may see his character as more of a filler, padded out version of his character to up the runtime, I certainly found these additions to be entertaining and world-building inclusions. While they may not affect the story as much, they certainly add more context and give interesting depth to Baratheon’s character.
Also, watching Aerion Targaryen’s (Finn Bennett) character gave me the Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Ramsey (Iwan Rheon) vibes from “Game of Thrones” that I have missed so dearly. No matter how evil they may be.
Even with a medieval setting, the intensity of certain moments feels as if it just leaps right outside of the screen and right in front of me. Whether it be the crashing of lances when jousting, the clashing of steel in a battle, or even the brawling of fists in a fight, I was beyond hooked. And this isn’t just because the show is standing on the hype of its predecessors, that being “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon,” but instead because it is more than capable of standing on its own.
On top of intense moments, this show brings with it some wonderful character moments, some of which weren’t even originally in the novella. One episode in particular, which I won’t say for spoiler reasons, is almost entirely an original flashback. It is both beautifully told and something the audience can feel the whole time. Dunk and Egg throughout this show both seem to be carrying a weight on their chest that is impossible to remove, so the times that weight did feel alleviated were some of my favorite moments this show had to offer.
This show also finds unique ways to sneak in exposition. While the novella will merely tell you the backstory or lore of a character when they first walk in a room, the show has a much harder challenge of not only explaining that, but showing it as well. The show can successfully take one line in the book that explains a character, and convert it into a moment that is either laugh out loud or shocking to the eye.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” expertly showed that Dunk and Egg are far from perfect. They are flawed, and this causes not only harm for themselves but sometimes for the people around them. By the end of this season we see how much they’ve learned, but also how that still leaves much room for growth and progress in the further seasons. A second season of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” has been greenlit, and with how short these episodes are, along with there only being six episodes, I can’t imagine the wait will be too long.
When it comes to this new prequel series to “Game of Thrones,” I would say that it does a fantastic job of hitting the nail on the head. Though its humorous nature can sometimes hold it back, it never stops this show from delivering on an entertaining plot, well-developed script, a vibrant atmosphere and characters you never want to stop watching. This seems to only be the beginning of Dunk and Egg’s journeys, and I cannot wait to see where creators George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker take them next.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Season One Score: 7/10
Episode Ranking:
- In the Name of the Mother – 9/10
- The Squire – 8/10
- The Hedge Knight – 7/10
- The Seven – 7/10
- The Morrow – 7/10
- Hard Salt Beef – 7/10
Samuel J. Beadle is a second-year English major. Contact him at sb1033446@wcupa.edu