📺 It took some time, but we’re finally back in Westeros. With the Seven Kingdoms having departed our screens since the summer of ‘24 with the House of the Dragon S2 finale, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is seemingly here to make amends for their absence — and all is forgiven. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg — in which he takes tremendous pride — the new HBO Game of Thrones spin-off hits all the right notes from the get-go.

The fight is not for the throne — it’s for honor. Exploring a hitherto under-represented facet of Westerosi life, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cares not for thrones or power; instead, the new spin-off dissects the ways and lives of those not fortunate enough to be born into one of the great houses.

The show follows Dunk (Peter Claffey), a lanky, awkward hedge knight with dreams of making a name for himself doing good. Upon the death of his mentor, Dunk — short for Duncan the Tall — begins travelling the Seven Kingdoms. His first stop? A grand tourney in Ashford, the Reach. Dunk has little to show for himself, but everything to gain. Along the way, he meets a scrawny, bald young boy called Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who wishes to be his squire. The peculiar youth is visibly not who he claims to be, yet Dunk reluctantly invites him along.

Despite only one episode being released, we’re wholly optimistic about the show — and so is GRRM. The seasoned author — who has been under fire for his failure to deliver The Winds of Winter, the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire — outlined up to 12 unpublished novellas centering Dunk and Egg, with the intention of the show adapting each. Which is to say, we’ll likely be visiting Westeros every year for the foreseeable future.

Humor is to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms what gore is to Game of Thrones. From the very first scene, the show proves itself a lighter, more comedic version of its counterparts. From the dialogue to the three-second-long flashbacks, the show makes it clear that it’s about to sing a completely different tune — and a welcome one at that. Despite offering a breath of fresh air, make no mistake: we’ll be in for plenty of gore in due time.

While we anticipate AKotSK to remain humorous and light, we know it’s bound to get darker. The show will — in classic GoT fashion — explore politics, ploys, and a slew of problematic people. We’re bound to witness House Targaryen following the events of the Dance of the Dragons as portrayed in HotD, and watch the seeds of rebellion take root.

Friendly warning: AKotSK is not family-friendly by any means, with its fair share of vulgar language and explicit scenes.

WHERE TO WATCH- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on Monday mornings on OSN+. You can watch the trailer on YouTube (watch: runtime, 2:32).

Tags: