IMPORTANT! Below is the raw uncorrected script for the episode. It’s meant as an aid, not a substitute for the full product. You have been warned!
Me doing a bad impression of the GOT Theme, which is then interrupted by “farting” noises.
“Ewww, that’s foul.”
“Yes but it’s gross with purpose.”
“What?”
“It’s distinguishing itself from the other shows in the franchise in a decisive visual manner.”
“No, it’s clearly a jab at House of The Dragon for not coming up with their own opening sequence.”
Gary: “You fool, the themes of the opening shit run far deeper than that. It’s obviously a deconstruction of audience and performer social dynamics via shock imagery.”
Wimpy: “I think it’s a post trans feminist statement on the Marxian position on material distribution.
Parody of that silly intro for the episode where Daenerys goes crazy, then interruption by gunshot leading into the episode proper.
Welcome to Retrospective Rants, with me, Joey Huff, as your host. Better late than never, but I’m gonna talk about “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, the latest of TV’s westeros offerings. Let’s get to it. There will be spoilers.
I’m gonna get this out of the way. I am but a casual Westeros. What does that mean? It means I watch the shows and then I watch other people talk about the original books and lore. Also, I play the Game of Thrones mod for Crusader Kings 3, but that’s different subject. Point being, I like but am not in love with George RR Martins world. Yet even I am not deaf to the adoration many fans have for the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms novellas.
These stories take place about 90 years before the grand intrigues of the core story, and about 80 years after the um…epic conflict of House of the Dragon. Both the novellas and this show look away from the struggles for the Iron Throne, Bloodraven notwithstanding, and focuses on the struggles of the average folk. Our hero in these stories is: Dunk. An orphan who grew up from the worst slums of the capital of Kings Landing and now wears the name of Ser Duncan the Tall. He is but a humble wandering hedge knight, accompanied by Egg his young squire. Together they explore westeros and get into a lot of trouble. And the 1st season of this show focuses on how these two met, and Dunk hoped to enter his first joust only to end up fighting a trial by combat for his very life. His supposed crime? Saving an innocent woman from the wrath of a vain and cruel prince. It’s your classic under dog story but set in a fantasy kingdom. And it’s awesome.
Even if you’re a new comer to the Song of Fire and Ice, I imagined you’d have to go out of your way not to be swept up in the adventure of A Knight of a Seven kingdoms. Our Heroes and villains, the world they live in, and the choices they make are so compelling and so human. The action of the final battle is lethal and engrossing and the humor, though sometimes juvenile, is always true to the characters and often adds to the humanity of each moment.
And speaking of the characters, they are the show’s greatest strength. We’ve an ensemble of some of the best supporting cast in any story ever. Baelor the truly noble Heir to the Throne, Steely Pate the brusque but good hearted smith, Raymond Fossaway our constant if also socially challenged comrade who goes on a massive Alex Jones Rant about the Targaryens. Lionel Baratheon the Mad and Madly Charismatic Laughing Storm. Every character is acted to perfection, not a single moment is wasted, and everyone feels real. And of course they are all built around our dynamic though fantastic duo: Dunk and Egg. Young Egg is a every bit the prodigious, though still innocent child. Filled with wonder at the wide world and the possibilities within it. He is wise beyond his years and has the confidence to act on it, but he’s still a child in need and in search of guidance in this confusing feudal world. And of course he gets it from our hero, Dunk, or Duncan the Tall.
Dunk is no great strategist or thinker. He’s actually a bit slow at times. Nor is he a supreme prodigy of combat. But he is possessed of earnest conviction and belief in the promise of True Knighthood, and both his spirt and frame are big enough to take all the punishment this cruel world can dish out. Like his squire egg, Dunk is still trying to find his purpose in this feudal hellscape of Westeros. And though his beliefs and the dreams burn bright, his faith his in ability to live up to them run low. Our Hero suffers from anxiety and a fair bit of imposter syndrome, and struggles to beat that as much as he struggles to navigate the nuances of westerosi politics. Yet when the time comes, and the hypocrites and corrupt nobles of the land try to crush the ideas of chivalry and justice beneath their selfish ambitions, Dunk gets up and fights for whats right. He’s earnest, lovable, and heroic. A true knight.
And our cast is augmented by some of the finest set, costume, and sound design you’ll ever find. Westeros, at least since season 2 of game of Thrones, has long suffered from a desaturation problem. Not so much here, where the beautiful locale and vibrance of the tourney ground are a feast for the eyes. Until a suitable dramatic moment arrives, then the atmosphere becomes tense, gloomy, and set for pure action. Everyone is also clothed as they should be. Nobles look nobles, thieves look grimy, and those trying to climb the ranks where their rugged gear proudly. Point being that nothing looks overtly clean or sterile, the costumes look as worn or as well kept as they ought to be. And the oh my the sound. Somone had a lot of fun. The pounding of horsehoofs, the impact of weaponry, and orchestra of wilderness, everything sounds gorgeous. And the music is bit of a departure from other westeros shows as well. The Iconic Theme does make an appearance, when the time is right. But most of time we get folksy sounding themes and at one point smooth jazz in place of orchestral grandeur. Except for one time and that’s for comedic effect.
That’s one thing I suppose could be considered a “flaw” with the show. Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is much funnier than the other shows. A lot of the humor though, is crude humor. And some people think it undercuts the drama. All I can say is: it isn’t marvel. The drama or tension is never diminished by a joke, if anything some of those jokes are meant to highlight the dire state of what’s happening or being talked about.
This is also an HBO show based on works from George RR Martin. Violence and other graphic content are aplenty here. If you watched the other stuff, you know the stories with mass murder, sexual violence, and children getting shanked, then you really have no place to complain about anything happening in this show. However, I will say that, barring the martial violence, this may be the least gratuitous and perverse of the shows so far. There are some moments but they’re more for shock comedy than anything else. But still, you can’t show this to your kids.
In summation, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a heroic tale with a very human and grounded cast and superb presentation. I loved it and so did a lot of people. We can only hope that the next season is as good as this first one.
And that’s all I’ve got for the day. Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this Retrospective Rant, and have a good one!
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