Episode Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 1x1 - "The Hedge Knight"

Welcome back to the blog readers. If you know me in real life, you would know that I am a fan of Game of Thrones (2011-19), but not as big a fan as a lot of people are. But House of the Dragon (2022-) is absolutely one of the best shows on television right now. Getting a first-hand look at the Targaryen civil war has been fascinating. Now, we have a new kind of Game of Thrones show, in the sense that we are getting smaller with the focus being on one pair of characters. Would this pairing start off well, or are we doomed to have Game of Thrones fatigue with House of the Dragon back later this year? Stick around to find out as I review the series premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026-), titled "The Hedge Knight," written by Ira Parker, and directed by Owen Harris.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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I am one of the people who sort of wishes that we could get that Jon Snow sequel series set after he goes back North. Plus, where is that Arya show? With that being said, I was a little trepidatious going into this show, because I did not know of the novella on which this series is based. Any trepidation that I had evaporated in the first five minutes, because I very much liked what I saw in this premiere. I was attracted to the undeniable charisma of lead Peter Claffey and the rumblings of the story that we get this time around.

Peter Claffey is an actor from Portumna, County Galway in Ireland. He did not begin his life as an actor; instead, he began as a rugby player. After quitting rugby in 2019, he decided to act and has appeared in projects like Bad Sisters (2022-) and Small Things like These (2024). Taking on the role of "Dunk" (aka Ser Duncan the Tall, as he names himself), he is able to imbue a charisma and a likability to this role that not may people were able to in this premiere. This Game of Thrones spinoff is different than House of the Dragon because we are focusing on this one character and his chemistry with Egg. Even though the chemistry begins to take form at the end of the episode, I am hopeful that it will be what it should be: the beating heart of this show.

And now, we move on to the story of this episode. We start off with a man, later known as "Dunk," burying someone in the rain. The man is later revealed to be his liege, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. Ser Arlan succumbed to a cold on their latest expedition throughout Westeros, and his three horses and longsword were left to "Dunk." "Dunk" mourns his liege by commenting on his refusal to beat him when he did not deserve it, except for when he was falsely accused of stealing a pie. We then see every time Ser Arlan slapped "Dunk." As he tearfully mourns his lack of direction, he holds up Ser Arlan's longsword and practices with it while degrading himself. After deciding not to go to King's Landing or Lannisport, he settles on going to attend a tourney at Ashford Meadow to gain more notoriety as a knight. He defecates and takes the horses for his journey to Ashford. That night, he finds himself at an inn where he meets a stableboy that takes his horses. Entering the inn to get a bite to eat, he is encountered by a drunk patron that claims to have seen "Dunk" in a dream and warns him to stay away. He ignores the man on the innkeeper's advice. When he returns to the stables, he sees the stableboy riding one of his horses and wearing his helmet. Despite "Dunk's" lecturing, the stableboy continues to act recklessly while pointing out that "Dunk" does not look much like a knight. The child then asks "Dunk" to be his squire but he declines, leaving him behind.

"Dunk" makes it to Ashford and meets Plummer, who is the master of the games. Plummer has not heard of "Dunk" or Ser Arlan, which initially prevents him from joining the tourney. Plummer is not convinced of his story that Ser Arlan knighted him before his death and tells the young man he needs to find a knight that will vouch for him. "Dunk" remembers seeing the banner for House Dondarrion, whom he and Ser Arlan fought in Dorne. He makes it his mission to get their approval while also looking for coin to ransom back his horse and armor should he lose. He plans to use the ransom from his first win, but faces his first challenge when Manfred Dondarrion (the son of the man Ser Arlan served) will not see him and he is told to return later. As he ventures through the settlement, he notices a knight named Steffon Fossoway beating up all over his cousin and squire Raymun. Steffon tries to get "Dunk" to fight him, claiming Raymun is not much of a challenge, but he declines the offer while the cousins bicker. He then decides to set up camp outside in the woods before return to try to see Ser Manfred again, but is denied again. He finds two women outside the tent and airs out his grievances, but they begin to tease him. After apologizing, they claim that they have seen many like him that did not fare well. He parts on good terms with the women.

"Dunk" further explores the camp that night, and stops to watch a performance of a dragon puppet that breathes fire, but he shows more interest in the performer. After the performance, he has another run-in with Raymun, who apologizes for the scene with his cousin. Raymun invites "Dunk" to eat at Lyonel Baratheon's celebration. Lyonel has a tent full of supporters, but the Laughing Storm takes interest in "Dunk." He comments on the hedge knight's height and asks if he has anything to curry favor. He begins to get insulted until "Dunk" admits he is just there for the food. As the party dies down, Lyonel tells "Dunk" some stories regarding himself while "Dunk" stresses about entering the tourney. It is clear that Lyonel is getting amused by the hedge knight, and the two get drunk and dance during the festivities. "Dunk" finally sees Ser Manfred after the festivities, but is horrified when he remembers neither him nor Ser Arlan, especially since Ser Arlan was injured in the service of the Dondarrions. Deflated, "Dunk" returns to his makeshift camp in the woods until he finds the stableboy, who admits to riding in the back of a lamb cart to follow the hedge knight. The boy introduces himself as "Egg," while "Dunk" christens himself Ser Duncan the Tall. The two begin to gain some chemistry, but "Egg" shows off some arrogant tendencies, including remarking on Ser Duncan's lack of a pavilion. Ser Duncan agrees to take on "Egg" as his squire for the duration of the tourney. Maybe longer, if things go well. He admits to being humble, but promises to take care of "Egg" and share what he has. Before the two fall asleep, "Egg" notices a shooting star and comments that it will bring luck to whoever sees it. Ser Duncan remarks if the luck is just for them as the credits roll.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms starts off on some shaky ground, but a solid performance by lead Peter Claffey grounds this series in a smaller way. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.