The Faith of the Seven restored, the Old Gods smiling upon us all, and the Children of the Forest buried deep within the Great North, waiting to be discovered again. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms once again pulls us deep into the world of Game of Thrones. At a different time, in a different city, but with the same old continent riddled with people who have more layers to them than the onions Ser Davos smuggled for Storm’s End. 

The premiere episode of the series based on George R. R. Martin’s beloved tales of Dunk and Egg puts us straight into the middle of things and, without wasting time, takes us face-to-face with the young knight, Ser Duncan the Tall. And with him, introduces a myriad of colorful characters that fill this world, which is slowly getting ready to be rid of the Targaryens. 

In a striking turn of events, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms refuses to continue the beloved Game of Thrones tradition of having a grand opening sequence. Instead, it follows the source material to put us right in the middle of a funeral, which Dunk (Peter Claffey) is having for his former master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). The scene is filled with emotional elements that tell you the tales you need to know about the two, but also sprinkles dashes of hilarious anecdotes that serve as comic relief. I loved how the opening itself is able to establish this show as a much more grounded story, rather than the usual grandeur of the previous shows set in the universe. 

Although I loved Dunk dreaming about future possibilities for him, including joining the Gold Cloaks in King’s Landing, and him practicing how he would stop a miscreant just by telling him no, it would take at least 3 months for me to forget the imagery of seeing him poop behind a tree and looking at a bird while doing it. 

And after mulling over what to do next and talking to his horses about it, Dunk ends up at an inn on his way to Ashford next, where he will take part in the tourney. And thus we meet our second hero of the story, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). The very first encounter between the two set up what I think will be one of the most amazing duos in recent times. Right off the bat, we hear Dunk threatening Egg with a, “Do you want a clout in the ear?", which I am definitely using at my friends before actually giving them one. 

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The remainder of the inn sequence drives home the rooted nature of the story while never once abandoning its comedic elements. The fact that the innkeeper decided to chug down the remainder of the drink in the cup, and then reused the same cup to serve Dunk his drink in, sure, he is a knight, but he is a hedge-knight. The scene also introduces a rather interesting character who uses a Targareyen dragon to pay his bills; his identity is something we shall discuss as the story progresses. 

Just after Dunk leaves the inn, we are introduced to what ‌is one of the most important elements of the Game of Thrones universe  — its music. Ditching the usual Ramin Djawadi, this series gives the musical reins to Dan Romer, who recently set the tone for Stranger Things’ mega finale. And Romer does not disappoint at all. The music is fresh, warm, and definitely something that will have you coming back for more. 

After crossing the beautiful meadows and arriving at the city of Ashford, we are met with the many houses that dictate the politics and lives of Westeros. Flying banners everywhere, knights roaming the alleys, and horses neighing at every nook and cranny, setting up what will be an exciting next few episodes at the jousting tournament. 

The show does an amazing job at introducing new characters that fill this world, almost all of whom look at Dunk with a hint of disgust or mockery. Whether it is Plummer’s (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) rather graphic joke about the “Ashford chair” turning into an order to find a lord to vouch for Dunk, or it is the introduction of the Fossoways, where Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley) is‌ training with his cousin and squire, Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas), who takes no time to badmouth Dunk as he asks the tall, ill-dressed knight to fight him, and so does Raymun Fossoway. 

In his search for Ser Manfred Dondarrion (Daniel Monks), Dunk is met with a dilemma of whether to camp among these brutes or choose silence somewhere else, and being the humble guy he is, he picks the latter. Finding an elm tree by a river just outside the makeshift tourney village, the hero does his best to freshen up and head for the village again. Following which we get what was by far my scene, where the whores outside Ser Manfred compare the hedge-knight to a wh---’s, implying that both of them have to put their bodies on the line to make sure they ae alive. 

Next, Dunk heads to a puppet show narrated by Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) featuring a caricature of a dragon. We see an awkward Dunk smiling at the beautiful narrator, and she, too, reciprocates. Book readers know exactly what is cooking! 

Quickly after this cute scene, Raymun Fossoway hurries to catch up with Dunk and apologizes to him for pushing him to fight his cousin. And thus the knight gets an invitation to a grand banquet in the Baratheon’s tent, drinks, and of course, the most hilarious character of the sitcom-like drama, Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings). What follows is a series of events that can only be seen through tears of laughter, as the Baratheon lord asks the room to shut up and hear his profound thoughts, accuses Dunk of being there to murder him, and dances like a fool with him as the night gets darker. 

After the party, we see Dunk catch Manfred Dondarrion as he is exiting the festivities. And as he asks the Lord for his approval to participate in the tournament, we see him not only decline but also ridicule the efforts his master put in for Manferd’s lord father. Clearly, GOT’s Beric Dondarrion did not take after his cold and sour relative. Dunk is then left short of words and visibly sad, thinking about who he can now turn to, to be in the tourney. 

The last scene of the episode brings back the sarcasm and wit personified, Egg, back to the picture, who ignored every warning of Dunk and travelled all the way to Ashford in a lamb cart. He not only lets himself into Dunk’s camp (if you can call it that) but renovates it with washed clothes, fresh fire, clean horses, and a fish waiting for the knight. After an endearing conversation, Dunk finally takes in Egg as his squire.

And as the duo lay down under the night sky, Egg once again brings his sarcasm out to point out how they were the only ones who did not have a roof above their heads. Dunk, of course, threatens him with a clout in the ear, and then slowly realizes that just might mean the luck is theirs alone, while Egg smiles to himself. And with merely a handful of moments together, this duo sure fills me with hope and excitement for what we are going to get in the next episodes. 

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What did you think about the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode? Let us know in the comments below.