The supposed side quest is suddenly playing like the main event, and the old king may feel a chill at its neck. If this upstart keeps climbing, how long before the original surrenders the crown?

Across its first four episodes, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has gathered momentum, with IMDb scores rising from 8.2 to 9.7. The surge invites direct comparison with Game of Thrones at its fiercest, when The Red Wedding and The Battle of the Bastards hit 9.9. Drawing on George R.R. Martin’s finished Tales of Dunk and Egg, this spin-off leans on a complete narrative rather than outpacing its source. Episode 4, released early around the Super Bowl, sharpened the edge with a tense Judgment of the Seven for Dunk, a betrayal by Ser Steffon Fossoway, and Baelor Targaryen breaking ranks to support him.

A return to Westeros with an intriguing spin-off

We return to Westeros with a different heartbeat. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” focuses on Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, a duo whose modest beginnings drift into legend. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” the series unfolds decades before the Stark-Lannister feuds (nearly 1 century earlier). Fresh faces, familiar scheming, and a quieter, steadier magic take hold.

Climbing the ratings ladder

Week after week, the numbers tell a story of steady surge. According to IMDb, the 1st episode landed at 8.2/10, then 8.3/10, jumped to 9.1/10, and soared to 9.7/10 for the 4th. For context, “The Red Wedding” and “The Battle of the Bastards” from “Game of Thrones” sit at 9.9/10, the mountaintops any spin-off must scale.

“I will take ser duncan’s side” and the GoT theme plays in background

Goosebumps ra ayyaaaa 😭😭🔥pic.twitter.com/LVFQqtRe5U

— Dex (@DexMawa) February 7, 2026

Tightly woven tales and their growing appeal

Here, source material is the ace. Martin’s “Dunk and Egg” stories are already complete and compact, giving showrunners a completed source material to follow. This is the case where structure breeds confidence: a beginning, a middle, and an end, without the late-stage improvisation that beset “Game of Thrones” once the novels ran out (The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring). Indeed, the plotting feels leaner and more deliberate.

Episode 4: A crescendo of drama

The 4th episode dropped near the Super Bowl, but the real contest unfolded in Westeros. Dunk enters the Judgment of the Seven (trial by combat) with everything on the line. The twist lands hard: Ser Steffon Fossoway’s betrayal stings, then Prince Baelor Targaryen’s intervention flips the board. Stakes spike, oaths fracture, and the choreography of honor versus bloodline delivers a sequence fans will replay for months.

Can it surpass an enduring legacy?

Can it truly outshine “Game of Thrones”? The bar is punishingly high: “The Red Wedding” and “The Battle of the Bastards” became cultural shorthand for dread and catharsis. Yet momentum matters. With rising ratings, compact arcs, and an evident trust in character, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is poised to carve its own peak. If the show keeps threading courage with consequence, unforgettable will not be a borrowed word—it will be earned.