In the wake of author George R.R. Martin’s growing frustrations with HBO’s House of the Dragon (an adaptation of his 2018 fictional historiography, Fire and Blood), his praise for HBO’s latest series came as a surprise. In a blog post, Martin described A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (AKOTSK) as “as faithful an adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for.”
The HBO original series premiered this past January. Across six episodes, its first season adapts The Hedge Knight, the first novella out of three, in Martin’s “Dunk and Egg” collection. After his mentor passes away, wandering hedge knight, Dunk (Peter Claffey), travels to compete in a tournament. He reluctantly takes on a young squire called Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). After defending a young girl from being beaten by Prince Aerion Targaryen, Dunk is drawn into a trial of seven. This trial is a high stakes tournament of justice that forces Dunk and Egg to recruit a team of knights to fight at his side.
AKOTSK is an undeniably faithful adaptation of the first Dunk and Egg novella, but the series distinguishes itself from other A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) adaptations by embracing a more character-driven approach. One of the things I have always loved about Martin’s characters is how deeply human they feel, and this series bottles that quality for viewers. It leans into the buddy-cop, big brother/little brother quality that Dunk and Egg have in the novellas.
The series’ success in capturing the humanity of Martin’s characters is largely due to the strength of performances. Claffey and Ansell share an easy, natural chemistry – the backbone of the series. But the series’ best performances come from Daniel Ings (Ser Lyonel Baratheon), Bertie Carvel (Prince Baelor Targaryen) and Sam Spruell (Prince Maekar Targaryen). These actors bring a depth and authenticity that makes the story feel real and believable. Additional minor roles by Danny Webb, Shaun Thomas and CaraHarris also contribute to the consistently strong ensemble.
A highlight from any ASOIAF adaptations is its score, and AKOTSK is no exception. Composed by Dan Romer, the soundtrack includes 22 tracks of varied tones. There are more epic, orchestral pieces like “He’s Too Low” and “I Suppose We Could Go Anywhere,” and then there are some tonally unexpected western titles like “Quieter Accomodations” – at one point, American folk classic “Sixteen Tons” plays as an end credits theme. These folksy, western-feeling songs seem out of place, but ultimately bringout the subtle, roaming quality of Claffey’s wandering knight.
As an amateur, armchair armour analyzer — an AAAA, if you will (and yes, I’m overqualified, I know) – my interest was piqued by the show’s armour. The attention to armour is another example that indicates the show’s commitment to craftsmanship. The set Prince Aerion wears during the trial of seven is the most striking and intimidating in the show. All black with dragon-scale detailing and a horned helm, his armour looks practical and reflects the prince’s cruel personality. With the visor down, the faceplate is a mold of Aerion’s face. A detail that is, frankly, terrifying. Ser Lyonel Baratheon’s armour is a close second. While practical looking, it still captures the pride of House Baratheon, gold plated with a helmet crowned by stag horns – the sigil of their house.
Seasons 2 and 3 are in production now, with season 2 slated to release in 2027 and the third in 2028. The series is set to adapt one novella per season, but that does not mean we will only get three years of AKOTSK. Showrunner Ira Parker has expressed interest in stretching AKOTSK into twelve to fifteen seasons. Parker wants to cover Dunk and Egg’s entire lives – a goal that is very ambitious, considering there are only three novellas. This has been a concern of some ASOIAF fans, given that both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have proven how disastrously an adaptation can unravel once it expands beyond the source material.
Martin has stated that he likes writing these stories more than anything else in the ASOIAF world, so more Dunk and Egg stories are not impossible. In fact, it might be more realistic to expect a Dunk and Egg story before the concluding ASOIAF novels.
Season one of AKOTSK is now available to stream on Crave.
Contributed Photo/HBO Original series poster
