"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" was so wonderful that a real war broke out with "Breaking Bad" fans
After the epic battles, burned cities, and complex family dramas of "Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragon," HBO offered us a radical lowering of the bar. And, as it turned out, this was the most correct decision. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" showed that for true drama, you don't need a multi-million dollar budget and global cataclysms. It's enough to just tell a human story. The creators managed to make the audience cry, empathize, and sincerely hate. Caution, spoilers!
The Trial of Seven combat in the fifth episode of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is staged so incredibly that one has the feeling that even a breath can change its outcome. A still from the series
It was clear at the beginning of the season: the return to Westeros would be different. The series started as a daring satire on everything we used to consider "the game of thrones." Instead of dragons — the huge "snake" of the old hedge knight Arlan of Pennytree (Daniel Webb), with which he comes out to the audience to urinate. Instead of knightly romance — Dunk's (Peter Claffey) diarrhea right on screen to the heroic music from "Game of Thrones," or a knight's eye knocked out of its socket at a tourney and dangling by a single nerve.
But these ambiguous physiological antics were just minor amusements. Unable to offer the scale of previous franchise projects, the showrunners created an excellent show. Neither the smaller budget nor the simply ridiculous for our time 30-45 minute episode runtime hindered it.
Ser Duncan, who dreamed of winning the Ashford Tourney, will have to fight for his life against the mad Targaryen prince and the best knights of the Seven Kingdoms. A still from the series
The showrunners largely adhered to George Martin's original, deviating only in minor details or adding nuances to the story that didn't fit into the short literary work. There is none of that incomprehensible self-indulgence for which "House of the Dragon" was justly criticized by both fans and Martin himself, no artificial inflation of the plot for unknown reasons.
An unusual pair — the mighty beggar knight Duncan and the little squire Egg, who hides that he is a prince of royal blood. The brotherly relationship between them is captivating in its sincerity. A still from the series
A Tourney No One Will Forget
How did it happen that in a couple of short episodes we genuinely fell in love with the giant Dunk and the bald boy Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell)? We loved the reckless Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) and the thoughtful Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) — the ideal knight and heir to the kingdom? How did we begin to look at Prince Maekar with suspicion and fear, and fiercely hate his son Aerion? Why did we start to care in just a few episodes?
Prince Aerion is depicted as the ultimate villain, but his honor is ready to be defended by the first knights of the Seven Kingdoms, because he is a Targaryen. A still from the series
Many of the characters didn't have much screen time, but the directors and screenwriters managed, through glances, words, actions, and sweet everyday scenes, like when Ser Duncan shares his meager breakfast with the boy, to make the viewer a part of the ill-fated Ashford Tourney.
It seemed like an ordinary tourney. But then the mad and arrogant Aerion attacks the puppeteer Tanselle, who dared to show the death of a dragon in her performance. For the prince, this is an insult to House Targaryen, because the dragon is their family symbol, and it was the demise of these creatures that put the ruling dynasty in a vulnerable position.
The death of a dragon, depicted in a traveling theater, becomes the cause of the tragic events at the Ashford Tourney. A still from the series
When he breaks the girl's fingers, Dunk snaps: he pounces and sweeps everyone out of his way. And at this moment, the viewer perfectly understands what will happen because of this. For hitting royal blood with his hand and foot, Dunk is promised to have his limbs removed. And for the prince's loose tooth, the hedge knight is placed teeth-first on a wooden platform. Anyone who saw the neo-Nazi do the same in "American History X" feels a chill down their spine and waits with dread for the inevitable.
The tragic turn of events forces Egg to reveal his identity to try to save his knight Ser Duncan from death. A still from the series
In an instant, the short episode becomes taut as a bowstring. The music only enhances the effect. It seems like nothing special, but it works — the showrunners release the bowstring and the arrow hits the bullseye!
Only Egg's revelation of his true origin — that he is Prince Aegon Targaryen, son of Maekar — decides Duncan's fate. But he doesn't seem happy about the rescue, as Egg had been deceiving him all this time.
All that glitters is not gold. The story of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" once again proves that a person's dignity is shown by their actions, not titles, seniority, or age. Young Raymun Fossoway has more valor than his famous knight cousin Steffon Fossoway, who betrays to please the royal family. A still from the series
Ser Lyonel Baratheon knights Raymun Fossoway when his cousin Steffon betrayed his promise to side with Ser Duncan at the last moment. The scene is staged very cinematically. A still from the series
The creators of the series masterfully create the necessary atmosphere, deftly cranking up the level of drama to the maximum at very precise moments when it truly matters, and do not descend into the antics of a provincial theater.
This short series is filled with living characters, each of whom is not just an extra; everyone, from a prostitute to a prince, has their own motivation. Perhaps without old Martin's literary source, this wouldn't have been possible, but without the showrunners' talent, there wouldn't have been such a wonderful result.
The Tragedy of the Targaryens
The climax is the Trial of Seven, which occupies almost the entire fifth episode. It's a bloody, frantic show that is watched in one breath, where you literally fear to exhale lest your breath change the outcome in favor of the sadist Aerion.
Brothers Maekar and Baelor Targaryen clash in battle against each other, one for his foolish son, the other for justice. A still from the series
It was extremely difficult for Dunk to find those who would dare to stand by his side against the Targaryen princes. But the trial suddenly turns into an ancient tragedy of fratricide. The heir to the throne himself — the worthy and thoughtful Baelor — sides with Duncan, donning his own son's armor.
The fifth episode of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" was rated with the maximum score by most viewers on online platforms. The spectacle is truly as unique as it is brutal. A still from the series
And his brother Maekar (Sam Spruell) takes the side of his son Aerion, whom he clearly despises for his cruelty, but still loves as a father.
It is Maekar who rushes to help when Dunk begins to overcome Aerion, with a desperate cry: "My boy, my boy!". This cry tears at the soul, for you no longer understand whom to pity: the father who might lose his son through his own arrogance and folly, or Dunk, who might lose his own life because of this scoundrel.
The Seven do not forgive deception even in the best of men, which Prince Baelor was. A still from the series
In the heat of battle, Maekar strikes his brother Baelor's helmet with a mace. And it proves fatal. When the prince's helmet is removed after the duel, it turns out that his brother's blow crushed his skull.
Maekar found himself caught between two fires. And if at first you look at him as just another arrogant Targaryen, by the end you physically feel his tragedy: to fight his beloved brother to protect a worthless son, to lose his brother (and the best future king) and to remain forever in popular rumor as his killer.
At the same time, Maekar loses his own sons. One, Aerion, is clearly inadequate and should not inherit the kingdom — he is sent into exile in the Free Cities. The second, Daeron, is a drunkard who wants nothing. And the family's only hope, little Egg, eventually runs away with the hedge knight.
How did the showrunners manage to attach us to these characters so quickly, reveal their essence, and make us empathize, rejoice, and cry with them?
This is true magic, which "House of the Dragon" could not boast. There were also many interesting characters and tragic deaths of main characters, but little of it touched the soul in the same way. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" brought back our emotions of empathy.
Rating Wars
This success had unexpected consequences in the real world. The fifth episode ("In the Name of the Mother") received such high ratings from impressed viewers on IMDb (10 out of 10) that it threatened to dethrone the famous "Ozymandias" — the 14th episode of the 5th season of the series "Breaking Bad," which held the absolute record for over 12 years.
Due to the fan war for the first place in the ranking of the best TV series episodes in history, both series suffered, losing their "perfect" 10/10 stars on the IMDb website. Screenshot of the site
This provoked a real internet war (review-bombing). Fans of Heisenberg's series began massively giving "Knight" ones, accompanying it with comments like "For Heisenberg!". And fans of Westeros ("For Dunk and Egg!") in response crashed the rating of the previously untouchable "Ozymandias" to 9.9.
As a result, both episodes suffered slightly from this senseless fan brawl, but the fact itself is telling. That a humble spin-off about an clumsy knight and his bald squire managed to challenge one of the greatest TV masterpieces of all time says a lot. And these highest ratings are absolutely deserved.
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