Cersei chose violence. Rhaenyra commandeered dragons. But the protagonist of HBO’s new “Game of Thrones” spinoff, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”? Don’t expect vengeful wildfire or shouts of “Dracarys!” Wanna-be knight Dunk is earnest, gentle and enjoys sleeping under the stars.
There are no magic spells, dragons or major wars in Dunk’s (Peter Claffey) timeline, which is set about 100 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” and roughly seven decades after 2022’s spinoff, “House of the Dragon.” But there’s still mud. Lots of mud, mixed with blood and guts, because what’s Westeros if not a queasy swill of muck and bodily fluids? Here’s to consistency between series.
But there’s a problem. It turns out that sitting through scenes replete with diarrhea, snot, vomit and bashed brains isn’t all that tolerable without the payoff of royal feuds, sociopathic personalities, supernatural phenomenon and above all, a story that promises to go somewhere bigger.
Based on the “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” novellas by author George R.R. Martin (he wrote “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the novel series that inspired “Game of Thrones”), “Knight,” premiering Sunday, takes a humble road into the realm, basing its story around a simple, low-born wanderer who dreams of becoming a knight.
His story unfolds over six episodes that take place over the course of a few days, which is quite a switch from the vast timelines of “Game of Thrones ” and “House of the Dragon’s” debut seasons. The tighter scope and folksy approach — from a score with more spare acoustic guitar than sweeping orchestral numbers and an abundance of drab peasant rags over plush regal garb — is refreshing, at first.
Dunk, a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall, is a strapping but awkward young man with little confidence and few skills. We meet him upon the natural death of his mentor and adoptive parent, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). The old man was a hedge knight, meaning he wandered about Westeros renting out his protective services to monied houses and, occasionally, those in need. One such charity case was young Dunk, whom the older knight saved from a thief’s knife before taking on the boy as his squire.
Now on his own, Dunk aspires to become a hedge knight too. On his way to prove himself at a jousting tournament, he meets a clever, bald-headed boy who calls himself Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). The child is as smart and cunning as Dunk is thick and guileless. They repeat history when the child becomes the wanna-be knight’s squire, and together they prepare for a match that Dunk is wholly unsuited to win.
Created by Ira Parker, in conjunction with Martin (“Game of Thrones” co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had no involvement), “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is a David and Goliath story, with a somewhat predictable outcome.
Granted, nothing will ever be as grandiose, addictive and surprising as the fantasy universe that brought us White Walkers, the Red Queen and the Faceless Man, but to pull out the magical realism, then fill the gaps with Dunk’s sincerity and honor-above-skill ethos is not a winning strategy.
One of the more successful aspects of the series is the performance of Ansell as Egg. The boy squire shines bright in the otherwise drab surrounds of the tourney campgrounds. His wits and ingenuity versus the knights’ brutality and violence is a worthy match.
Nevertheless, the bloodiest forms of combat decide the day at the tourney, be it by mace, battle ax or bludgeon. The gore throughout this drama is on par with some of the more violent and ferocious scenes from previous HBO series set in Martin’s world. But without the possibility of a story that rises above Dunk’s slog on the ground, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” stays stuck in the mud.
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