A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, season 1

Westeros has a sense of humor: what were the first episodes of the series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” like?

An unconventional, mischievous, and touching prequel to “Game of Thrones.”

It is safe to say that there has been no equivalent to Game of Thrones on modern television—neither before nor after its release. George R.R. Martin's fantasy saga A Song of Ice and Fire was adapted exclusively for the small screen. In the early 2010s, HBO could not have imagined how phenomenal the show's success would be and how disappointed fans would be by the end of the eighth season. Some time later, House of the Dragon was launched: a spin-off about the Targaryen dynasty, rulers of the fictional continent of Westeros, which turned out to be no less dark, but fell short of the dramatic and visual heights of its predecessor. Martin himself recently expressed his disappointment with House of the Dragon, saying that the showrunners did not listen to him, contradicted him, and generally ruined the source material. Martin channeled his frustration into a good cause and produced The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This charming adaptation of the writer's book series of the same name opens up a new facet of the saga, becoming a sincere, modest addition to it and evoking a feeling of gratitude.

The Knight takes place 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Squire Dunk (Peter Claffy) buries his teacher and decides to participate in a knightly tournament, claiming the merits of the deceased for himself. Along the way, the young man meets a mysterious nine-year-old orphan boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ancell), who volunteers to be his squire. The duo faces dangerous adventures and, as a result, forms an unexpectedly trusting relationship stronger than any Westerosi steel.

The first season is based on the novella “The Border Knight” and consists of six episodes ranging from 30 to 45 minutes in length. The budget is noticeably limited, but the compactness is appealing. Martin and his colleague, showrunner Ira Parker, who worked on House of the Dragon, deliberately choose an ironic tone for the series that is quite disrespectful to the legacy of Game of Thrones. Instead of the traditional, carefully crafted opening credits, there is a sparse font and a scene of Dunk defecating, standing out from those around him with his enormous height and amusing clumsiness. Dragons are only present as cardboard theater props, and the characters drink heavily, copulate, and engage in dance orgies, surpassing the original series in this regard.

“The Knight” instantly draws you in: due to the time limit, the narrative becomes more intense, and the characters in the series, most of whom are unfamiliar to the general audience, win you over and draw you in emotionally. The narrative here focuses on the common people who live alongside the ruling elites of Westeros. Dunk does not seek to write his name in history or find himself on the fields of large-scale battles. His modest quest and search for his own identity are comparable to the path of a samurai and place the young man a step above the violence and chaos happening around him. For the world of Game of Thrones, resignation to fate is generally uncharacteristic (the heroes tend to desperately try to bend fate to their will), which is why this perspective seems refreshing.

The main actors are definitely the highlight of Knight. Thanks to his role as Duncan, Cliffe is able to break into Hollywood, where tall, muscular actors are often typecast and confined to roles as henchmen to villains. In addition to his obvious physical strength, the Irishman is charismatic, endearing, and even gentle. Ansel is no less impressive: the bald Egg interacts with Dunk as an equal, and his true intentions are yet to be revealed to viewers (those who have not read the original source material will be intrigued by the character's origins until the very end). The Knight has been renewed for a second season, which is good news. Westeros, like the real world, has lacked humanity in recent years. The Knight came unexpectedly, recharging the franchise and the hearts of viewers.

You can watch "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" at HBO

This article was sponsored by Sandeep Kumar