A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is everything you wouldn't expect from something set in the Game of Thrones world: A heartfelt coming-of-age story that thrives on ordinary kindness and simple pleasures far removed from the grand plottings of kings and queens.
It follows the adventures of a downtrodden hedge knight, Sir Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), and his squire, the precocious Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), as they try to make their way in a world full of unspoken rules and alliances that fly in the face of the simple oath that Duncan has sworn to live by. For him, all that matters is to protect the innocent and fight for justice. It should be simple, yet somehow it isn't.
The scale is pleasingly small. There are no grand heroics here, nor great dragons or mythic quests. For Duncan, it's hard enough to find a place to get a drink and sleep for the night.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on the series of short stories by Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin, each of which focus on a singular event in the lives of our two heroes. Those familiar with the expansive lore of Westeros will know where their adventures end up. Others will do best to just go with the flow. These are characters who you want to spend more and more time with as you get to know them.
The story serves as a setup for greater antics down the line. We meet Duncan as he takes up as a wandering hedge knight, how he encounters Egg, and how the two wind up in the middle of boasting lords and aging feuds awakened at a tourney 100 years before Ned Stark took his family to King's Landing.
What really makes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms sing is how it understands place and time. This is a series that genuinely captures the sense of brisk spring mornings and lazy summer nights, where the sun lulls in the horizon never quite setting. It looks like a world that once existed on a scale that a regular person would have experienced it. The epic landscapes of The Wall and beyond are great fun for fantasy, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms feels more like home.
Likewise, the casting is simply exquisite. This story wouldn't work if Dunc and Egg weren't perfect, and they absolutely are. Claffey and Ansell bring the duo to life with an easy camaradarie that instantly finds a natural rhythm and vibe. They're easy to love and cheer for, especially as we learn more about how much life has kicked them in the head.
Claffey is terrific as Duncan, a man of great stature in more than just physicality. He's the epitome of a good knight, yet one whom everyone puts down because of his status and perceived slowness. But Claffey never plays the part for laughs. Instead, we can feel a deep undercurrent behind everything he doesn't say or do. As the story unfolds, we learn that his perception of the world is just as realistic as the rest of us, but his innate optimism and desire to make things better refuse to let him take the easy way out. It is a wonderfully textured performance that makes the show.
Ansell, for his part, is just as mesmerizing as Egg. It is an equally complex part, both supporting and leading the story in its own way, one that opens up so unexpectedly it forces earlier episodes into a fresh perspective. Ansell pulls through miraculously, giving a performance that is tender, funny, and moving all at once. It holds the promise of a great arc unfolding across the years.
Arriving into the shadow of both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it would be easy for A Knight of the Seven Kingdom to just coast by with familiarity. A few times it even winks knowingly at these expectations, the first of which is funny, the second one so on the nose it hurts. It quickly becomes apparent this is a series that doesn't need either of its larger-scale siblings. In fact, like its characters, it is better off far removed from that world entirely.
At just eight episodes, each around 30 to 45 minutes in length, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is surprisingly brisk and efficient in its pacing. By the time it's over, you wish it stuck around just a bit longer. The season builds around the tournament and boasts one of the most spectacular jousting and swordfighting sequences put on film, yet it's the smaller moments that stand out. Whether it's a goodbye to a horse, a burial in the rain, or even a simple kindness between unexpected friends, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is packed with memorable events from beginning to end.
If House of the Dragon didn't vibe with you and the gargantuan scale of Game of Thrones got out of hand by the end, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the perfect way to return to Westeros. It is so unassuming and effortlessly charming that I hope we get many more seasons of adventures out of it. For once, Martin's world feels full of hope and optimism, even in the bleakest moments.
