{"id":405644,"date":"2026-01-14T01:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/405644\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T01:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:19:11","slug":"a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-is-an-absolute-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/405644\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u2019 Is an Absolute Triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"

The success of Game of Thrones\u2014divisive last season<\/a> notwithstanding\u2014naturally inspired HBO to go back for more. House of the Dragon arrived in 2022, a prequel about warring royals patterned so closely after Thrones that it uses the same theme song. But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/a>, which premieres January 18, is cut from a different cloth. A rougher, stinkier cloth<\/a>. It\u2019s an approach that perfectly suits the source material, George R.R. Martin\u2019s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas<\/a>\u2014and it makes for a wonderfully entertaining TV show that explores Westeros from an entirely new point of view.<\/p>\n

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u2014co-created by Ira Parker and Martin, and showrun by Parker\u2014takes place between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, which are themselves separated by 200-odd years. The new show, therefore, takes place generations after the Dance of the Dragons but generations before the Mother of Dragons. The Targaryens are still very much in power at this point, something that\u2019s of zero concern to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u2019 protagonist\u2026 until it suddenly becomes his biggest problem.<\/p>\n

\"AknightDunk (Peter Claffey) and his beloved horses. \u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

When we first meet Dunk (Peter Claffey), he\u2019s burying his master, the very recently deceased Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place far away from the castles we\u2019ve seen in the previous Westeros shows. Instead, it shows us how people not born with fancy titles get by on the day-to-day\u2014including hedge knights and their squires. It is a life of rain, mud, and sleeping under trees; dealing with buzzing flies and unpalatable food; and not owning much more than your horse, your sword, and the clothes on your back.<\/p>\n

Being a knight gives a man a certain status, but there are limits to that. As Dunk\u2014\u201cSer Duncan the Tall\u201d is the plainly descriptive name he chooses for himself\u2014is made to understand again and again, a dirt-poor hedge knight is the lowest rung of the ladder. That\u2019s brought into clear focus when he ambles to Ashford Meadows, intent on entering a tournament where the other competitors include highborn lords and princes. He\u2019s got close to no money, and this is a place where loyalty tends to be intertwined with whoever\u2019s paying the highest price.<\/p>\n

As A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms explores over its six episodes (all of which io9 was able to view for review), being a knight\u2014sworn by oath to \u201cprotect the innocent\u201d\u2014and being an honorable man are not always the same thing. In fact, as the unintentionally blundering Ser Dunk discovers, there\u2019s often a deep divide between the two. Even worse, the people with the most power can sometimes be the most despicable of them all, a timeless lesson that Dunk learns in the hardest way possible.<\/p>\n

\"AknightAerion Targaryen (Finn Bennet) meets Dunk (Peter Claffey). \u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

Deciding to check out the tourney at Ashford Meadows is literally Dunk\u2019s first move after Ser Arlen\u2019s passing. And he\u2019s not on his own for long; though he resists the idea, he\u2019s worn down by a bald-headed little oddball named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who really, really wants to be his squire. No spoilers here, but even if you haven\u2019t read Martin\u2019s novellas, close viewing of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will reveal Egg\u2019s secret before the narrative comes right out with it.<\/p>\n

And that narrative is a compressed one, especially compared to the sprawling likes of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Though there are flashbacks to add important details\u2014since Martin\u2019s stories rely heavily on Dunk\u2019s internal dialogue, this frees the show from needing any voice-over\u2014A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms basically takes place over a couple of days in a single location.<\/p>\n

But the stakes are still sky-high. They\u2019re life or death both in the jousting ring, where men compete knowing the considerable risks, and also in the rowdy camp that springs up around the tourney. There, Duncan sees firsthand what an angry, impulsive, bratty Targaryen prince is capable of\u2014bolstered by the confidence that comes with being above the law simply because of who his family is.<\/p>\n

House of the Dragon fans are well familiar with that signature Targaryen trait, but you don\u2019t need to have seen that show or even Game of Thrones to enjoy A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Previous Westeros know-how is a bonus, since you\u2019ll recognize certain names and have a working familiarity with the kingdom and its tumultuous history. But with Dunk\u2014an unconventional, immediately likable protagonist\u2014as its entry point, the perspective here is much more immediate and intimate.<\/p>\n

\"AknightDaniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, sure to be an instant fan favorite. \u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

That extends to the supporting characters, who enter the story naturally as part of the bustle of the tournament and make an immediate impression, thanks to the show\u2019s consistent blend of clever writing and wonderful performances. Claffey and Ansell are a fantastic leading pair, but the character actors who fill the rest of the cast are also memorable, whether they\u2019re playing sleazy villains, sleazy guys just trying to get ahead, or sleazy good guys. That latter group includes Daniel Ings as the raucous, terrifying yet endearing Ser Lyonel Baratheon, as well as Webb\u2019s craggy old Ser Arlen; the more we learn about Dunk\u2019s time with him, the more it becomes a surprisingly touching backbone to present-day events.<\/p>\n

Touching and full of deep ruminations on personal integrity? Yes. Gruesome violence? Indeed, lots of it. But also, bawdy humor and fart jokes? You better believe it. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is confident enough to embrace all of the above. It\u2019s as self-contained as any Martin-adapted Westeros work could ever be, with an almost anthology format set down by the Dunk and Egg novellas. (This first season draws entirely from his first story, \u201cThe Hedge Knight.\u201d) And while it takes place in a world Martin fans already know and love, it\u2019s got its own flavor.<\/p>\n

One example that illustrates this quite well: while its most recurring musical cue is a whistling motif that underlines the story\u2019s Western feel, it also brings in that famous Game of Thrones theme in two important places.<\/p>\n

\"Aknight\u00a9 Steffan Hill\/HBO <\/p>\n

One is a stunningly heroic, goosebumps-raising moment. The other is a cheeky-as-hell invocation\u2014followed by the show\u2019s first display of ridiculously crude humor, a tactic used sparingly but effectively throughout the series. This show takes its characters and situations seriously, but it doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously, and that makes all the difference.<\/p>\n

It\u2019d be easy to complain that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is too short, because we\u2019d love to spend more time hanging out with Dunk and Egg. But six episodes is actually pretty perfect\u2014much like the show itself ends up being. Thank the Seven there\u2019s already a season two on the way.<\/p>\n

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18 on HBO and HBO Max, with a weekly rollout of new episodes.<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The success of Game of Thrones\u2014divisive last season notwithstanding\u2014naturally inspired HBO to go back for more. House of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[120897,88,52585,140243,1035,72905],"class_list":["post-405644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms","tag-entertainment","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-george-r-r-martin","tag-hbo","tag-house-of-the-dragon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/405645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}