A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a more than welcome return to the world of Westeros. The show works as both a faithful adaptation of its source material and as a refreshingly different entry into the Game of Thrones universe thanks to its comedic angle. Yet it still possesses a strong sense of character dynamics and bold storytelling: hallmarks of this franchise at its best. This smaller-scale and character-focused piece also shines thanks in no small part to star-making turns from its two leads, Peter Claffey as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg, who turn in terrific work individually but also shine as the beating heart of the show in every scene they share. You may watch this show because you love Westeros, but you stay hooked because you cannot get enough of Dunk and Egg’s dynamic. 

As an adaptation, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms proves to be  fantastic for its preservation of the spirit of the source material. This season adapts the first novella in George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg series, The Hedge Knight, and is set in between the events of House of The Dragon and Game of Thrones. Season one follows Dunk as he takes on the mantle of a hedge knight and meets his squire, a young boy named Egg, on his way to compete in a tournament. There is a fair amount of the dialogue taken verbatim from Martin’s excellent writing. Furthermore, just about every new addition or change made by showrunner Ira Parker and his team, such as expanded roles for more minor characters in the source material to flesh out their relationships with Dunk and the creation of new characters like Rowan, is for the best. In particular, I think Rowan’s arc serves as a neat thematic parallel to Dunk and enhances the richness of our protagonist’s journey! While some book purists will undoubtedly take offence at the change that happens with the post-credits scene in episode 6, it is one that has emotional validity behind it given the mental state of the characters at the end of the story and the short timespan that it takes place in.

The comedic lens the show takes on in adapting the source material also helps give this version of the story its own unique flavour. The fun editing, music choices, and physical comedy bits are across the board a welcome addition that make it feel like a singular show rather than another “Game of Thrones” entry, even if its scatological and bodily  humor may not always land. As an adaptation, the show also takes advantage of the fact that it knows more about what happens to the characters in the future than Martin did when he first wrote the novella, allowing for several neat hat tips to future events that are fun for fans of the world without detracting from the main story the show is trying to tell.

With that said, the show retaining the spirit of the novella also means that it ends up taking on its flaws as well, namely in regards to the female characters in the story. While the creation of Rowan improves on the source material by actually introducing a female character with an arc, the other significant female characters in the show end up as mere storytelling devices to motivate our male protagonist. What happens to Rafe is particularly disappointing considering that it is an alteration made for a show that already has a scarcity of female characters.

On a more positive note, the show absolutely nails the central stories it seeks to tell, both in terms of serving as an exploration of knighthood and what it means to be a good knight, and as a character piece focused on establishing, developing and earning audience investment in the central relationship of Dunk and Egg. It expands on the bond Dunk had with his mentor Ser Arlan and parallels it beautifully with the budding dynamic between Dunk and Egg that is the thematic cornerstone of the entire season. As for its success as a character piece, that is down to the instant and natural chemistry that Claffey and Ansel have with each other, which the expanded canvas of the television medium is able to take advantage of.  Simply put, Claffey and Ansel’s undeniable chemistry make it an absolute delight to watch the relationship between these two characters develop over the course of this first season. The light-hearted and good-natured interactions between them in the first part of the season are hugely charming and almost immediately earn audience investment, which makes their later material absolutely sing dramatically.

While the relationship and chemistry between the two actors is undoubtedly dynamite, they both also manage to turn in terrific individual performances and feel very much as though they have stepped straight from the pages of Martin’s writing onto the small screen. This is all the more impressive when you remember that both Claffey and Ansell are only just starting their relatively new careers. Claffey is winning as Dunk thanks to the combination of physical comedy, awkwardness and palpable earnestness which he manages to embody, but he also manages to capture the emotional intensity that Dunk experiences over the course of the season. He has a particularly good monologue at the end of episode 2 that delivers a mix of sadness and resolve and a hugely impressive speech in episode 4 which is a perfect blend of righteous indignation and challenge. It can be a difficult thing to make a straightforward and nice character an interesting one to watch, but thanks to great writing and a star-making turn from Claffey, Dunk ends up being a great hero for the audience to invest in and root for. As for Ansell, he turns in similarly impressive work over the season. He makes Egg instantly lovable and playful, demonstrating good comedic chops and fun reactions earlier in the season, while also managing to convincingly portray his character’s insecurity, deep hurt and regret as the show progresses. The show’s adaptation of Egg also ends up being darker compared to the one in the novella—an aspect of the character that Ansell manages to embody well, particularly in a scene in episode 6 which features some really superb non-verbal work from him. All credit goes to the show’s casting department for finding such a brilliant young actor, and to Ansell himself for delivering such a fantastic and well-rounded performance at such a young age.

The show’s understandably tight focus on Dunk and Egg as its central pairing mean that the material for the other characters in the show is nowhere near as rich, but the rest of the cast still turn in good performances that deliver exactly what their characters need. Shaun Thomas brings a good buddy energy to Raymun, Danny Webb perfectly embodies Arlan’s old drunken master spirit, while Danny Ings is instantly charismatic as Lyonel Baratheon and injects a wild and electric energy to the character which is hugely enjoyable to watch. Finn Bennett does well in capturing Aerion’s cruelty and arrogance, Oscar Morgan delivers a beautiful one-scene performance as Valarr,  Bertie Carvel effortlessly embodies Baelor’s nobility and intelligence, and Sam Spruell delivers some terrific work when the spotlight falls on him, balancing Maekar’s sadness, bitterness and resignation in a truly beautiful way. As previously mentioned, the actresses do end up getting short end of the stick with their characters, though Tanzyn Crawford does well with what she has been given as Tanselle and has sufficient chemistry with Claffey to make the story work, while Rowan Robinsson turns out to be an unexpected scene stealer as Rowan and manages to make a meal from what little she gets.

While the joys of the show primarily come from its strengths as a character piece, it also manages to offer the spectacle that certain fans of the Game of Thrones universe have come to expect through its jousting and combat sequences, which are expertly staged and shot to convey the visceral brutality and violence experienced by the characters. “In the Name of the Mother” certainly proves to be a high water-mark with regards to this aspect of the show. The mix of practical stunts augmented with special effects and then being shot with a clear directorial vision situates the audience’s view of the action from Dunk’s perspective and ends up making for a superb action setpiece.

Overall, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms proves to be a hugely enjoyable return to the world of Westeros. As an adaptation it ends up being an assured one which captures the spirit of its source material while taking advantage of the television medium and its status as an adaptation. Sure, it unfortunately still ends up with the same issue the novella has regarding its female characters. But nonetheless, the show proves to be a terrific piece of television, thanks to its production value, writing and solid cast. Above all, this show shines thanks to the fantastic central pairing of Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who prove themselves to be absolute stars in the roles of Dunk and Egg.

8/10