‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Is an Absolute Triumph

The success of Sport of Thrones—divisive last season however—naturally impressed HBO to return for extra. Home of the Dragon arrived in 2022, a prequel about warring royals patterned so carefully after Thrones that it makes use of the identical theme tune. However A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres January 18, is lower from a unique material. A rougher, stinkier cloth. It’s an strategy that completely fits the supply materials, George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas—and it makes for a splendidly entertaining TV present that explores Westeros from a wholly new perspective.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms—co-created by Ira Parker and Martin, and showrun by Parker—takes place between the occasions of Home of the Dragon and Sport of Thrones, that are themselves separated by 200-odd years. The brand new present, subsequently, takes place generations after the Dance of the Dragons however generations earlier than the Mom of Dragons. The Targaryens are nonetheless very a lot in energy at this level, one thing that’s of zero concern to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ protagonist… till it abruptly turns into his greatest downside.

Once we first meet Dunk (Peter Claffey), he’s burying his grasp, the very lately deceased Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place distant from the castles we’ve seen within the earlier Westeros reveals. As an alternative, it reveals us how individuals not born with fancy titles get by on the day-to-day—together with hedge knights and their squires. It’s a lifetime of rain, mud, and sleeping underneath timber; coping with buzzing flies and unpalatable meals; and never proudly owning way more than your horse, your sword, and the garments in your again.

Being a knight provides a person a sure standing, however there are limits to that. As Dunk—“Ser Duncan the Tall” is the plainly descriptive identify he chooses for himself—is made to grasp many times, a dirt-poor hedge knight is the bottom rung of the ladder. That’s introduced into clear focus when he ambles to Ashford Meadows, intent on coming into a match the place the opposite rivals embrace highborn lords and princes. He’s received near no cash, and this can be a place the place loyalty tends to be intertwined with whoever’s paying the very best worth.

As A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms explores over its six episodes (all of which io9 was in a position to view for assessment), being a knight—sworn by oath to “shield the harmless”—and being an honorable man are usually not all the time the identical factor. In actual fact, because the unintentionally blundering Ser Dunk discovers, there’s typically a deep divide between the 2. Even worse, the individuals with essentially the most energy can typically be essentially the most despicable of all of them, a timeless lesson that Dunk learns within the hardest approach attainable.

Deciding to take a look at the tourney at Ashford Meadows is actually Dunk’s first transfer after Ser Arlen’s passing. And he’s not on his personal for lengthy; although he resists the thought, he’s worn down by a bald-headed little oddball named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who actually, actually needs to be his squire. No spoilers right here, however even when you haven’t learn Martin’s novellas, shut viewing of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will reveal Egg’s secret earlier than the narrative comes proper out with it.

And that narrative is a compressed one, particularly in comparison with the sprawling likes of Sport of Thrones and Home of the Dragon. Although there are flashbacks so as to add essential particulars—since Martin’s tales rely closely on Dunk’s inner dialogue, this frees the present from needing any voice-over—A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms mainly takes place over a few days in a single location.

However the stakes are nonetheless sky-high. They’re life or dying each within the jousting ring, the place males compete figuring out the appreciable dangers, and likewise within the rowdy camp that springs up across the tourney. There, Duncan sees firsthand what an indignant, impulsive, bratty Targaryen prince is able to—bolstered by the arrogance that comes with being above the regulation merely due to who his household is.

Home of the Dragon followers are properly acquainted with that signature Targaryen trait, however you don’t must have seen that present and even Sport of Thrones to get pleasure from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Earlier Westeros know-how is a bonus, because you’ll acknowledge sure names and have a working familiarity with the dominion and its tumultuous historical past. However with Dunk—an unconventional, instantly likable protagonist—as its entry level, the attitude right here is way more speedy and intimate.

That extends to the supporting characters, who enter the story naturally as a part of the bustle of the match and make a right away impression, because of the present’s constant mix of intelligent writing and great performances. Claffey and Ansell are a implausible main pair, however the character actors who fill the remainder of the forged are additionally memorable, whether or not they’re enjoying sleazy villains, sleazy guys simply attempting to get forward, or sleazy good guys. That latter group consists of Daniel Ings because the raucous, terrifying but endearing Ser Lyonel Baratheon, in addition to Webb’s craggy outdated Ser Arlen; the extra we find out about Dunk’s time with him, the extra it turns into a surprisingly touching spine to present-day occasions.

Touching and filled with deep ruminations on private integrity? Sure. Grotesque violence? Certainly, plenty of it. But in addition, bawdy humor and fart jokes? You higher consider it. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is assured sufficient to embrace the entire above. It’s as self-contained as any Martin-adapted Westeros work might ever be, with an virtually anthology format set down by the Dunk and Egg novellas. (This primary season attracts fully from his first story, “The Hedge Knight.”) And whereas it takes place in a world Martin followers already know and love, it’s received its personal taste.

One instance that illustrates this fairly properly: whereas its most recurring musical cue is a whistling motif that underlines the story’s Western really feel, it additionally brings in that well-known Sport of Thrones theme in two essential locations.

One is a stunningly heroic, goosebumps-raising second. The opposite is a cheeky-as-hell invocation—adopted by the present’s first show of ridiculously crude humor, a tactic used sparingly however successfully all through the sequence. This present takes its characters and conditions significantly, nevertheless it doesn’t take itself too significantly, and that makes all of the distinction.

It’d be simple to complain that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is simply too quick, as a result of we’d like to spend extra time hanging out with Dunk and Egg. However six episodes is definitely fairly excellent—very like the present itself finally ends up being. Thank the Seven there’s already a season two on the way in which.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18 on HBO and HBO Max, with a weekly rollout of latest episodes.

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