A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Will Remind Viewers Why They Love Westeros

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George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg are quite different from his A Song of Ice and Fire novels. These stories are smaller in scale, focusing on the personal adventures of a renowned knight and his apprentice, Ser Duncan the Tall, and are told entirely from his perspective. The first season of the TV series perfectly captures this intimate feel and scope, serving as a remarkably faithful adaptation of Martin’s novella, The Hedge Knight. While set in the same world as Game of Thrones, it offers a unique and different viewing experience.

This story explains how Egg became Ser Duncan’s squire. It starts with Dunk, a big, honest, and somewhat clueless knight, entering a tournament filled with renowned lords and warriors. Dunk’s pursuit of fame, recognition, and a better life is unexpectedly altered when his good nature leads him into trouble. Though the story features important characters from powerful families, including Targaryen princes, the author keeps the focus grounded. Unlike Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which are known for their vast scale and spectacle, this tale prioritizes the lives of ordinary people alongside the drama of the nobility. (And yes, there’s plenty of messiness along the way.)

Despite a lighter and sometimes more playful tone compared to its sister series, this show still delivers the high production quality viewers expect from HBO. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is visually stunning and clearly had a large budget. This is true whether the scene takes place in peaceful countryside or during a chaotic, yet strangely organized, nighttime jousting tournament. The costumes and set design are also excellent, though the story’s focus on the Ashford tourney means we see less of them overall. Even so, the show fully draws you back into the world, and I found myself genuinely sad when each episode ended.

What I enjoyed most was the casting of Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell as Dunk and Egg – they were absolutely perfect. Claffey really gets Ser Duncan, capturing both his good qualities and his weaknesses, which is what makes the character so compelling. He portrayed Dunk’s clumsiness, insecurity, and awkwardness perfectly, without making him seem foolish. It was a brilliant performance, and I couldn’t have asked for better.

What really struck me about Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, is how genuinely like a kid he is. It’s the best kind of child acting – he doesn’t feel like a miniature adult going through the motions. Egg is supposed to be smart, troubled, and full of anger, and Sol nails that, but he still feels like a child, which is so important. Honestly, without that real innocence, I don’t think the connection between Egg and Dunk would have felt nearly as strong.

The show boasts many excellent performances, but Daniel Ings is a standout as Lyonel Baratheon, nicknamed “The Laughing Storm.” Viewers are likely to quickly become fans – he clearly relishes his role and arguably has the most fun of anyone in the first season, possibly even in the entire history of Westeros. He fully embodies the character with playful energy, but never feels over-the-top. He’s a larger-than-life figure who delivers the captivating performance the role demands. In contrast, Sam Spruell as Prince Maekar Targaryen portrays a stoic and unyielding man who seems perpetually displeased. Spruell’s performance and appearance are so perfectly suited to the character that it feels as if George R.R. Martin somehow predicted his future performance when he originally wrote Maekar.

The first season is brief – only six episodes, each around 32-35 minutes long – giving it the pacing of a classic sports movie, which as a fan, I really appreciate. However, each installment still feels like a complete episode, not just a piece of a larger film. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a show that manages to be both satisfying and leave you wanting more, making you look forward to the next episode.

Honestly, my biggest problem with the show – aside from one character’s design, which they mostly get right – is a storytelling choice they made. They used a flashback right when things were getting really exciting, and it kind of killed the momentum. It wasn’t bad – the flashback actually gave us some great insight into Dunk’s past and made him a more compelling character. But it would have been much more effective if they’d shown it at a different point, somewhere it wouldn’t have interrupted such a strong build-up.

My biggest complaint about this adaptation is just a 10-minute pause, which isn’t much considering how much I enjoy it. Overall, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is exactly what I wanted. More importantly, it will likely remind fans disappointed with the ending of Game of Thrones what they originally loved about the world of Westeros. While it doesn’t have dragons or huge battles, it’s filled with the clever writing and compelling characters that made the original show so great. When Game of Thrones was at its best, the special effects enhanced the story. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms doesn’t aim for that epic scale—and therefore doesn’t need a lot of spectacle—and that’s precisely why it works. It feels like taking a cozy, character-driven scene—like the one around the fireplace before the Battle of Winterfell—and building an entire show around it.

I’m a big fan of the Dunk and Egg stories and I’m excited for more people to discover what makes them so special. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will help do just that.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ⭐ (4.5 of 5)

Mikey Walsh writes for TopMob. He’s a big fan of Dunk and Egg, so please don’t speak badly about them around him! You can find him on Bluesky at @burgermike, and he’s always interested in discussions about ranking the Targaryen kings.

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2026-01-14 01:04