HBO’s newest George R.R. Martin adaptation takes place in the same world as House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, but in a different time period—we’re long past the Dance of the Dragons, but also long before Daenerys Targaryen returned to Westeros and started clawing her power back.
But don’t let the lack of familiar characters turn you away: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms introduces new faces you’ll quickly grow to love, loathe, or feel both ways about depending on their unpredictable actions. It also explores Westeros from the point of view of a hedge knight as tall as he is humble.
We open on a grim scene: on a hillside in the driving rain, a very tall man—alone aside from his three horses—digs a grave and lowers the body of a much older man into it. This is Dunk (Peter Claffey) tending to his master, Ser Arlen of Pennytree (Danny Webb), whose passing sets the events of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in motion.
After many years as a squire, Dunk is ready to figure out the rest of his life; he’s not sure what lies ahead. All he knows is what he’s been taught by Ser Arlen—the rough life of a hedge knight—mixed with the grit and tenacity baked into him during his early childhood in Flea Bottom, the most perilous part of King’s Landing.
First, though, there’s a makeshift funeral that must happen. Not knowing what to say, Dunk must improvise: “You were a true knight. You never beat me when I didn’t deserve it… except that time in Maidenpool.”
This odd assessment of Ser Arlen’s good judgment is accompanied by rapid-fire flashbacks of Dunk at various ages being smacked on many occasions. It’s a quick sequence, but it shows us Dunk’s resilience and commitment to honesty and truth. It also begins to give us an idea of his relationship with Ser Arlen, a mentor he misses despite all the knocks. “I wish you didn’t die, Ser,” he says tearfully, and promises to look after the horses.
He also keeps Ser Arlen’s sword, and that’s what helps him decide his next move. “There is a tourney at Ashford Meadow,” he says wistfully.
© Steffan Hill/HBO
Here, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms does what you’d expect a Game of Thrones show to do: it starts playing that unmistakable Game of Thrones theme music. Dunk looks purposeful. Determined. His hero’s journey is taking shape. But then, just as the music begins to swell louder, we cut to Dunk… pooping behind a tree. Like, projectile pooping. Thinking about the life-or-death stakes involved in entering a tournament has, unsurprisingly, made his stomach lurch. But it doesn’t deter him: next stop, Ashford.
The title appears onscreen without an opening credits sequence. This isn’t the Westeros you’re used to seeing on HBO; A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is far more simple and stripped-down. But as we’ll come to see, despite its (sometimes crass) sense of humor, it can also be just as brutal as Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.
It’s now dark, and Dunk and his horses approach a country inn. A small boy with a gleaming bald head appears. We know, of course, that this is Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell)—and if you know who Egg is beyond that, HBO would like you to keep that to yourself for now. Ahem. Anyway, the first meeting of this soon-to-be duo is a case of mistaken identity on many levels. Dunk assumes the kid is a stableboy, albeit one with an attitude problem. (For those who’ve read Martin’s source novella, here’s where we get our first of many “clout in the ear” threats Dunk makes, but never carries out, across the series.)
Dunk heads into the inn to deal with his hunger. The proprietor explains most folks in the area have headed to Ashford to watch the tourney. She doesn’t get it, she says: “Knights are built the same as other men, and I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs.”
The only other customer in the inn is a man passed out drunk—at least, until he pops his head up, blearily stares at Dunk, brandishes a knife, and blurts out, “I dreamed of you. Stay the fuck away from me, you hear?”
A perplexed Dunk watches as the man slaps down a coin bearing a three-headed dragon sigil (hmm, looks familiar) and stumbles out. It’s an unsettling encounter and the weirdness increases when Dunk heads back to the stable and finds the bald kid goofing around with his armor and his best horse.
© Steffan Hill/HBO
Initially apologetic, the little boy soon turns saucy, sniffing that Dunk sure doesn’t look like a knight. Then he has the temerity to beg Dunk to take him to the tourney. A knight needs a squire, after all! Dunk’s annoyance softens when he finds out the kid is motherless. This is familiar to Dunk, who grew up an orphan. But he still turns down the offer to take on a pint-sized assistant.
The next morning, we see Dunk riding into Ashford Meadow. A bustling camp has sprung up around the tourney grounds—Dunk pauses to take in the jousting ring—with a modest-sized castle perched on the hill above. Intent on entering the lists, he’s directed to the games master, thwacking his head on the door frame as he enters.
The awkwardness continues. The steward of Ashford (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor)—an oily-looking man who pauses to dramatically hock up phlegm while they’re talking—gives him a hard time about not looking like a knight, even after Dunk tells him the very earnest story about Ser Arlen knighting him just before he died.
The steward doubts his story—as do we, to be honest—but he pulls the gullible Dunk’s leg by describing how Ashford town will torture anyone who pretends to be a knight.
Dunk grows weary of this humiliation. But the games master shows a shred of kindness as Dunk turns to leave. If Dunk can find “a true knight” to vouch for Ser Arlen, and by extension speak to Dunk’s good honor, he’ll allow him to enter—though he reminds Dunk that anyone who loses in the tourney forfeits their arms, armor, and horse to the victor, and must ransom them back. It’s a reality check for Dunk, who has no money for ransom, and he bashes his head again on the same doorframe as he leaves the room.
Intent on finding a knight to support his entry, he heads to the pavilion of Ser Manfred Dondarrian (Daniel Monks), hoping he’ll remember Ser Arlen. But Ser Manfred is napping, and Dunk draws some snarky attention from the ladies of the night who’re hanging around the tent. “It’s a hedge knight, aint it?” one says to the other, and explains, “It’s like a knight, but sadder.”
As he walks away, vowing to track down Ser Manfred later, he mutters to his horse about being called “sad.” And anyway, “Ser Arlen always said a hedge knight was the truest kind of knight.” As we’ll continue to see, Dunk’s chats with his horses—and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ fondness for flashbacks—helps get around the fact that Martin’s stories are written as Dunk’s internal monologues, without resorting to voiceover.
© Steffan Hill/HBO
Dunk’s grumbling is interrupted when he sees two men practicing their combat skills in the practice ring. This is Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley) and his younger cousin, Raymun (Shaun Thomas), who’s his squire and recreational punching bag. Ser Steffon is very blustery and aggressive, challenging Dunk to fight him next, but Dunk turns him down.
What he really needs is some peace and quiet. He finds it in the nearby forest, where Dunk gets a chance to clean up a bit (you can check “bare butt” off your Game of Thrones bingo card) before venturing back for another crack at Ser Manfred. No dice: he’s still asleep, and the snarky ladies take another crack at Dunk.
“Must you mock me? I was only asking for a bit of help,” he complains.
They’re sorry, sort of, but there’ll be no talking to Ser Marfred tonight. Dunk wanders off into the camp, finding a puppet show in progress.
“Fate has set his lonely path through corridors of chance,” we hear from the stage. “A boy from nothing risks it all, ignoring looks askance.”
The story—which certainly has a double meaning in this context—continues as Dunk draws closer, as an actor playing a knight faces a wonderfully elaborate dragon puppet onstage. It breathes fire and the crowd gasps, but Dunk is more taken with the pretty young woman narrating the performance. As he’s walking away, he hears someone call out “Half-man!”
© Steffan Hill/HBO
A little Tyrion Lannister callback for Game of Thrones fans, but in this case it’s the scrappy Raymun Fossosay making a joke, because Dunk is obviously “half-man, half-giant.” Raymun asks Dunk if he’s hungry. “Always,” he admits. He follows Raymun into a tent decorated with antlers: this is Baratheon territory. Here’s where we first spy Ser Lyonel Baratheon, “the Laughing Storm,” a charismatic, drunken maniac wearing a crown festooned with more of those giant antlers. It’s a colorful, bawdy gathering, and at some point, the Laughing Storm takes notice of the giant stranger in his midst.
Dunk is motioned over, and Ser Lyonel’s opening line is an all-timer: “You ever been punched in the face before?” The encounter starts off light (Ser Lyonel chastizes him for slouching and tells him “Be tall”), but it gets more prickly—and Dunk is rightfully intimidated as hell by this wealthy, powerful, eccentric lord who gives him a hard time for crashing his party. But then, the mood lightens again. “Do you like dancing?” Ser Lyonel asks.
Cut to the ridiculous sight of Dunk tearing up the dance floor with Ser Lyonel, who gets more wild-eyed and wasted as the night progresses. Eventually, they’re huddled up at Lyonel’s table, and Dunk earnestly confides his fears. Sure, he’s big and strong, but he hasn’t had the training most knights at this tourney have had. “What chance do I have?” he wonders.
“You have no chance,” Ser Lyonel chuckles. “But it’s a great honor to test oneself against a worthy foe.”
Dunk points out that it’s easy for a rich lord to say that. If Dunk loses, he’ll be left with nothing. “What should I do?” he asks. Lyonel has no answer, and stumbles off, leaving Dunk to ponder his choices.
Just then, he spies the elusive Ser Manfred swanning out of the tent. Dunk seizes the moment, earnestly pleading his case. But it’s all for nothing. Ser Manfred doesn’t remember Ser Arlen and he doesn’t care about Dunk entering the tournament. All that effort was for nothing, and Dunk is snootily dismissed.
Defeated, Dunk heads back to his camp to find… that pesky bald kid roasting fish over a cozy fire. He puts up a blustery front, but after the day he’s had, the boy just about passes for a friendly face.
© Steffan Hill/HBO
“What’s your name?” the kid asks.
“Ser Duncan the Tall,” Dunk says, pulling himself up to his full height.
The kid sniffs that he’s never heard of Ser Duncan the Tall, then reveals his own name is Egg. After a moment, Dunk reluctantly agrees he can serve him for the tourney.
The smile on Egg’s face is everything as Dunk explains he doesn’t have much, but he will always share. Plus: “I promise not to beat you, except when you deserve it.” When Egg calls him “M’lord,” he corrects him. “Ser. I’m only a hedge knight.” And there’s a small smile on Dunk’s face at that.
Lying on their bedrolls, the duo spots a shooting star. Egg says it’s good luck, and also points out that they’re probably the only ones to have seen it, since all the fancy knights are in their pavilions.
Dunk is still grumpy, and this takes a minute to sink in.
“So the luck is ours alone?” Dunk says, his voice full of genuine wonder, and we see that same smile on Egg’s face.
The stage is set. The band of two is together. Will Dunk find someone to vouch for him so he can enter the lists?
New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms arrive Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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