A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Last Sunday, the season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms released on HBO Max. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg as they wander through Westeros and attempt to join a tournament. It has been a couple of years since the last Game of Thrones show, and this show was one of my most anticipated of the year, so I was very excited for this.

I was very happy with this show. I am a big fan of fantasy shows, and this one gives me exactly what I want. One of the things I really appreciated about this show is how it opts for more of a smaller-scale story with a lighter tone. Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are big epics about the drama of who will sit on the Iron Throne, and they are pretty dark with disturbing moments, sex, and incest. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has none of that and instead is about a low-level Hedge Knight who just wants to compete in a relatively small tournament. The Targaryens are in the show, but they are more there as side characters instead of fighting over a throne. The show is mainly about Sir Duncan navigating the tournament, trying to find money to enter, as well as navigating the various booths. The show gives a more casual look at Westeros as we see the day in the life of a Knight of the realm. I also liked the tournament setting of the show, as we get to see how different knights behave and many of the different vendors that come to town for these events. The best thing about this show is the dynamic between Egg and Sir Duncan. Their relationship starts as Sir Duncan being a reluctant guardian to this child, and slowly starts to warm up to him until their relationship is actually rather sweet. The two characters complement each other quite well. While they are both pretty innocent, Egg brings brains to the duo while Duncan brings more of the strength and protectiveness.

The only issue I had was that there were some tonal inconsistencies towards the beginning. The show opens with Sir Duncan burying his master and then cuts to some fart jokes, which feels like a pretty jarring shift. The show finds its footing fairly quickly, but early on, it was a bit concerning.

Overall, this was a very good TV show and a great addition to the Game of Thrones universe, bringing a much-needed lighter story to the otherwise dark and brooding world. I can't wait to see what they do with these two in the next season.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A Recommendation: This is a must-see show.