A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Season One)

Created by: George R.R. Martin & Ira Parker

Starring: Peter Claffey & Dexter Sol Ansell

What is it about? It's the story of a knight and his squire in Westeros, the Game of Thrones universe, set roughly 100 years before the events of the original show (and roughly 100 years after the events of its first spin-off, House of the Dragon). The knight, Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall, is a "hedge knight," meaning he has no liege lord. He's a mercenary of sorts, but he's really barely more than a commoner, except that he's allowed to have horses and carry weapons. Egg, the squire, is a young boy who wants to escape his family and seek adventure. The boy has a secret, and he shaves his head to keep it safe. The show follows them as they travel through Westeros. This first season mostly focuses on introducing the characters and a tournament that Dunk wants to take part in. However, he needs someone to vouch for him because no one knows him, and he doesn't belong to any house in particular.

Spoiler-free review: I really liked it! When one thinks of Game of Thrones, one thinks of high-stakes intrigue, in-your-face violence, and the fact that no one is safe from an untimely and horrible death. However, another thing that made Game of Thrones such a popular show, in my opinion, was all the duos traveling, having small adventures, and having amazing interactions and dialogues. Arya and the Hound come to mind first, but also Brienne and Jaime, Brienne and Pod, Jon and Sam, Tyrion and Pod, Tyrion and Bronn, and Tyrion and Varys, Tyrion and pretty much anyone he interacts for more than a few seconds. While watching Game of Thrones, I dreamed of a show that would be just that: two interesting, likable characters traveling and interacting. While these scenes weren't the most spectacular of the original, I always thought they were its heart and soul. (I also think this is what House of the Dragon lacks to become a truly compelling show, but that's for another day.)

Well, that's pretty much A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in a nutshell. It follows Dunk and Egg; everyone else is a secondary character, though some are great, I'm a big fan of Lyonel Baratheon. So far, the show has no high stakes, and I hope it stays this way. As I mentioned, the main plot of the first season is whether or not Dunk will be able to participate in the tournament. Also, Dunk and Egg clearly have plot armor and won't die horrible, untimely deaths. Treating main characters as disposable is so 2010s anyway.
While there is some violence and it can be gruesome, the show is mostly lighthearted and much more humorous than Game of Thrones, which makes it all the more pleasant.

The first season only has six episodes, most of which are under an hour long. In other words, I highly recommend you take the time to watch it.

Enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

Best,

David