Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” wants to signal to viewers that it won’t be the same-old, same-old “Game of Thrones” spinoff.
Viewers meet lead character Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall (Peter Claffey) as he’s burying his mentor knight, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). As the emotional scene begins to crescendo, the familiar “Game of Thrones” theme song starts to play but only gets a few notes in before a smash cut to a graphic view of Dunk having a bowel movement.
Yes, it’s gross, but it’s an effort to disabuse viewers of their expectations for a show from the “GOT” universe.
With shorter episodes (most clock in around 30 minutes), “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (10 p.m. Sunday, HBO, HBO Max) begins as a lighter, more comedic series — at least for the first few episodes.
Then the show does a bait-and-switch and turns into the gory, graphic “GOT” viewers probably expected.
Already renewed for a second season, the six-episode first season follows Dunk as he strives to prove himself as a knight, acquiring his own squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), as Dunk prepares to joust in a tournament.
In the “GOT” realm, Dunk is an unusually soft, kind character, who’s prone to falling for seemingly innocent, young women, and who’s protective of Egg even as Egg annoys Dunk.
Set a century before the original “Game of Thrones,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” still introduces characters from familiar families — Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) — using the relationships Dunk stumbles into to establish his character in advance of a big reveal midway through the season.
Until that point, “Knight” appeals with its comic sensibility but it can also feel underwhelming. That twist breathes life into the series and sends it into usual, violent “GOT” territory, propelling it to the end of its first season. Still, viewers charmed by the initial lighter tone may be taken aback or even turned off when the story turns bloody.
But Dunk is a welcome addition to the pantheon of “GOT” characters and Claffey imbues Dunk with a decency usually foreign to characters in this franchise.
The shorter running time for episodes is also welcome. Even when events in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” turn bloody, at least viewers can be assured there will be less of it to sit through.
