A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the second spin-off series from HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise, debuts Sunday, January 18, on HBO. Set a century before the political machinations of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes began a journey that would change the face of Westeros. The story centers around a naive, but courageous knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his diminutive, sharp-witted squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). In this no-spoiler review, we explore how the series succeeds by intentionally stripping away the sprawling, epic spectacle typically associated with the franchise.
@templeofgeek @JJ gives us her No Spoiler Review for HBO's original series, A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms. #aknightofthesevenkingdoms #akotsk #dunkandegg #peterclaffey #dextersolansell ♬ original sound – Temple Of Geek
The Night is Bright & Full of Stars
The beauty of this story lies in its simplicity and self-containment. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the phenoms in the cultural Zeitgeist since 2011, have dominated so many of our conversations. However, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can sit easily amongst these familiar names while being completely and unapologetically different in tone, scope, and scale.
Proving that a Game of Thrones story does not need dragons, gargantuan walls, court intrigue, and massive-scale battle sequences to be interesting. Just as Andor proved that Star Wars didn’t need Jedi or Lightsabers to tell a compelling story. A Game of Thrones story can extract the micro from its macro and be a short fable of friendship, loneliness, survival, and seeking glory. At its core, it asks one of the fundamental questions of A Song of Ice and Fire: what is the price of being a good person in Westeros? What is the cost of doing a good deed?
A Charming Dynamic and Stellar Cast
The series is an adaptation of The Hedge Knight, the first of three published Dunk & Egg novellas written by George R. R. Martin. Set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, casual fans will find familiar names and sigils that make the show feel like a return to form. But the singular perspective from a “small folk” character, lush countryside, and slapstick humor will feel new, and maybe jarring.
But fret not, Peter Clafey and Dexter Sol Ansel have the most charming dynamic as they rub shoulders with peasants and royalty through pavilions, horse stables, and the lists. The supporting cast is phenomenal. Bertie Carvel is a standout as Prince Baelor, and so are Daniel Ings as Lord Baratheon, Finn Bennet as villainous Aerion Targaryen, & Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway. Sam Spruel is incredibly effective as broody Prince Maekar.
High Stakes in a Small Pocket of Peace
The story does take a sharper turn midway as Dunk is presented with the central conflict of this fable. It gets familiarly darker, bloodier and violent as one would expect from a “Game of Thrones” story. And not once did I feel that the humor lessened the stakes or gravity of the conflict. Westeros is vast, dark and violent. But here, we find ourselves in the small pocket of peace for once, roped off, free from fire made of flesh and political backstabbing, to watch a simple story of a simple man, a good man, whose morals, personal ambitions, friendships and belief systems are put to the test.
A Lived-In World With Fantastic Visuals and Atmosphere
There are no massive set pieces or heart-pounding scores like those we’ve grown used to in the last two series. Even the iconic heart-pounding music is absent here. Instead, the beauty lies in a gentleness and humility that matches our narrator, Dunk the Lunk, thick as a castle wall.’ The sets, roads, and costumes are bright, saturated, and well-lit, making these locations feel lived-in and raw. Showrunner Ira Parker has even turned the weather into its own character. Using everything from torrential rain to star-filled skies to signal joy, change, and conflict.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdom Is A Faithful Adaptation
As someone who can recite this novel in her sleep, my heart grew three sizes watching scenes and dialogue plucked verbatim from the novella. My confidence in the show was already high after seeing the trailers and behind-the-scenes photos that HBO released. Even more so after having spoken to Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, and Ira Parker at New York Comic Con. Even George R.R. Martin raved about the work being done during the panel at New York Comic Con. Now, seeing it fully realized across these six episodes has made me extraordinarily happy. So saddle up, polish your shields, and join this beautiful journey of self-discovery, honor, and friendship with Dunk & Egg—for the night is bright and full of stars.
The six-episode season debuts SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes will debut on subsequent Sundays.
