There was solid buzz around A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the latest Game of Thrones spin-off, as Pop Thruster covered.
But if anything, that raised the stakes for the premiere episode, “The Hedge Knight,” which also serves as the title of George R.R. Martin’s novella of the same name.
After one episode, I’m giddy to report that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms far surpassed my relatively high expectations.
“Small stakes” + focus on writing and characters
Talky dramas that are adept at being legitimately funny are my TV everything.
Mad Men, Succession, The Sopranos are all in my TV pantheon.
One of the most refreshing things about “The Hedge Knight” is how small and contained – even tidy – the world is in the episode. While having some background in Game of Thrones lore is obviously helpful, it’s not even really needed here.
We meet a single character – Ser Dunk (Peter Claffey), sometimes known as Ser Duncan the Tall – who is the main character and point of focus throughout. The knight that he serves has just passed away, and Ser Dunk casts his lot and meager worldly assets (namely a knight’s sword and a few horses) on the long shot odds of winning a jousting tournament.
Along the way, our guy has a few minor adventures getting to the tourney and most significantly ends up grudgingly accepts the services of a bald 10-year-old aspiring squire named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
That’s the basic story of the episode – that’s it. And like an exquisitely prepared steak, it’s a fine meal all its own.
It’s actually funny – like legit funny
A steak needs some potatoes and a salad to truly make a perfect meal, right?
I was pleasantly surprised by the noticeably lighter tone of the show – gone were the Lord of the Rings-esque burdens of “who’s gonna rule the world?” in this one, nor were there even any Littlefinger-y “chaos is a ladder” schemers in evidence as yet.
But what rose nearly to the level of shocking were the earned, laugh-inducing moments. Many relied on the fact that Ser Dunk is a good natured, strapping lad who is quite naïve. And thus the comedy helped to flesh out the main character and make him all the more endearing.
My man Daniel Ings FTW
I was excited when I learned that Daniel Ings would be part of the AKotSK Season 1 cast, and man oh man that excitement was warranted.*
* I have many quibbles with the “other” GoT spin-off, House of the Dragon, but the ability to shorten the show’s title to HotD is not among them, I’ll note.
Ings is an incredible and versatile actor, but my favorite role of his to date is in the British romcom show Lovesick. It’s that incredibly rare show that manages to be utterly charming and super hilarious in equal increments, and a huge reason for the latter is how hysterical Ings is in portraying Lyonel Barathon, also known as the Laughing Storm.
Ings shows up relatively late in “The Hedge Knight,” but crushes every moment of screentime he gets.
When Ser Dunk eventually arrives at the site of the tourney, he fortuitously makes a friend who invites him into the Laughing Storm’s massive and regal – relative to the medieval-ish digs of the times – tent.
It’s here where the rhythm and vibe of the episode accelerates, in many ways thanks to Ings’ unpredictable, off-kilter, but (so far) ultimately fun Baratheon lord.
The dancing scene – in which the Laughing Storm weirdly and aggressively attempts to stomp Ser Dunk’s feet but quickly befriends our guy when he acquits himself well – is equal parts exciting, hilarious, and entertaining.
And as side note: one clue that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is going to be a relatively less somber and weighty proceeding is that we learn that we’re in territory controlled by House Baratheon, a relatively laid back and fun-loving lot by Westeros standards.
So where are we heading next?
One of the best parts of diving into a fantastic new show – even a spin-off – is not knowing what happens next but trusting in the storytellers, cast, and production for whatever comes next.
Dunk and Egg’s relationship has only just begun, while we also know that Dunk’s fortunes and future will soon be put to the test.
The only thing I can ask is that we get much more of the Laughing Storm.