A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is Well-Crafted Fantasy Fun
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a refreshing (yet brief) return to Westeros. A prequel to Game of Thrones, the six-episode series is an adaptation of the first of three novellas in George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg series.
I was never a huge Game of Thrones fan. Martin’s work might not be quite as grimdark as someone like Joe Abercrombie’s, but it still veers a bit too dark and bleak for my personal tastes. (The fantasy worlds created by the likes of Robin Hobb or J. R. R. Tolkien are more my personal fantasy speed.) So, I wasn’t sure if A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms would be a show I’d appreciate.
Fortunately for me, the show is distinctly not like Game of Thrones. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is far more lighthearted than its predecessor was, and though there’s still violence, the series is less bleak and depressing.
We’re also dealing with way different stakes here. Game of Thrones had a lot to do with the fate of the entire continent and plenty of politicking by characters vying for power on the main stage. Here, our focus is a comically large hedge knight named Dunk who wants to enter a jousting tournament. Fans of the original show hoping for something more similar to Game of Thrones will find themselves disappointed.
Personally, though, I really appreciated this fun, fast-paced fantasy story. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is part buddy comedy fantasy show with Dunk, our aspiring knight, teaming up with Egg, a bald-headed boy who wishes to serve as his squire. There were times during the show I genuinely laughed out loud.
Still, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms strikes a good balance between its humor and the harshness of its world. As I mentioned, there’s still a bit of brutal violence on the show, and the world isn’t always kind to Dunk or Egg.
Peter Claffey stars as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall and he excels in the role. A former rugby player, Claffey has the size to be physically intimidating, but he is also able to maintain an aloof, goofy air about himself.
Dexter Sol Ansell, the 11-year-old actor who plays Egg, is great opposite Claffey. The two play off one another well. Oftentimes, wiser-than-their-years child characters can be annoying, but Ansell plays Egg with a certain endearing earnestness that keeps him likable.
In contrast to many TV shows nowadays, we really only follow our central storyline about Dunk wanting to fight in the tournament, and don’t become wrapped up with unrelated storylines of lots of side characters. It keeps A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms from ever feeling off-task or at all boring.
At the same time, this is barely a series. Most of the series’ episodes clock in at just over half an hour. Taken altogether, you’ve got one long movie’s worth of content here. I wouldn’t have minded if they released all three novellas as one 15 or so episode season instead of having this short mini season.
As it is though, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a fun, short fantasy series that’s great to binge-watch over two or three nights. If you’re a fantasy fan who wasn’t a big Game of Thrones fan like me, I’d implore you to give this one a try.
Grade: 8.5/10