Returning to the continent of Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms brings us a small-scale (or tall tale) narrative about the adventures of Ser Duncan and Egg. Set during the rule of the Targaryen dynasty, minus dragons, is follows a hedge knight and his newly appointed squire as they oppose the post powerful foes in all the seven kingdoms.
This series had its odds stacked against it when it came to drawing in audiences; it didn’t have the benefit of a kingdom-sprawling narrative nor the allure of dragons. It’s a much smaller, focused story that takes place in the span of a few days, setting aside the grand battles and replacing them with touching character work. The main point of difference with this series is undoubtedly the tone; for the first half of the season, gone is the serious, gritty tone of Game of Thrones and in its place is a slapstick comedic vibe. The unserious comedic tone is immediately conveyed when a traditional GoT intro is substituted with someone projectile pooping from behind a tree. It’s abrupt and designed to catch you off-guard, and that tone is carried through the first half of the season almost unopposed.
Honestly I didn’t love the tonal shift; it didn’t fit the tone of the universe, and I know that is by design, but it’s far from the type of series I was expecting and so never really got on board with it. That being said, there are still a few hilarious comedic moments, particularly those involving Egg, so while the tone isn’t my favourite, it paves the way for some good isolated moments. While those first three episodes are average, it picks up drastically in the latter half of the season as it becomes a lot more tense and dramatic than silly and comedic. The fourth and fifth episodes together are a masterclass in epic action, tense dialogue and the grit you expect to see from this universe. It had me locked in with suspense, and genuinely caring for the wellbeing of both Dunk and Egg; these episodes are where the existence of this series really hit for me.
Then we get to the finale, which I didn’t expect to come so soon, and it’s a solid ending. It’s carrying the emotional fallout of what happened in the penultimate episode and it has some beautiful moments within. It’s really focused on rounding out the arcs of Dunk and Egg and it does so in a nice way. When it comes to impact, there isn’t a lot, and I think that comes down to the length of the season. Having six 30-minute episodes makes the series feel very much like a short story as opposed to a fully fledges series. Of course it’s based on a short novella, so the length makes sense, but it’s still a slightly disappointing affair.
By far the shining light of the season is the duo of performances from Peter Claffey (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg). Even when the narrative wasn’t really hitting, the joy of every episode was watching these two strong personalities interact in the most touching and hilarious ways. Both Claffey and Ansell play their roles in the most earnest and grounded manner, really bringing out their loveable, human qualities in a world that’s unforgiving to those souls. Claffey brings a “big, friendly giant” demeanour to his character, delving into his emotional side but also recognising when to bring out a little tongue-in-cheek comedy. Meanwhile, Ansell is an absolute delight, evoking a distinct child-like wonder that puts an immediate smile on your face every time he’s on screen. It’s not all just sunshine and rainbows; when he’s required to deliver on a more dramatic moment, he executes it perfectly.
Despite not being grand in story and large in scope, it’s still a beautiful watch. The cinematography is full of stunning shots and there’s plenty of intricately detailed sets and costumes to marvel at. It’s not quite impressive in the same way as GoT, but it’s very well pieced together for being on a much smaller scale.
In the end, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms manages to overcome a somewhat underwhelming first half to deliver a second half packed with tension, action and emotion-fuelled storytelling. The tone is a strange amalgamation of drama and slapstick comedy, one that’s particularly jarring when considering the serious tone of other Westeros-set shows. Aside from two exceptional episodes and some compelling dialogue, it lacks the impact to have me anticipating more. The one element that has me wanting to see more is the presence of Dexter Sol Ansell; so as long as we get more of him, I’m happy to WAAAAAAIIIIIITTTTTT.
6.5/10
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