A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere review: Ser Duncan the Tall’s spin-off might just be the weakest premiere in the GOT franchise

Starring Pete Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fails to leave an impact on you through its pilot episode.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere review: After putting our faith, time and emotions in the magnum opus that we know today as Game of Thrones, die-hard fans crave more and more of something that they once deeply loved watching. Even though the last season wasn’t up to the mark, it only felt right to expand the franchise and go further back into where it all started. While House of the Dragon started off strong, season 2 was a major let down and with that our trust in the world of Westeros started shaking little by little. When A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms released its teaser, it felt like yet another interesting story to tap into but with its pilot episode, it feels like yet another show that’s about to miss its mark. Maybe the reason why we keep coming back to anything related to Game of Thrones is a desperate expectation of finally living its peak again like we once did.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the second prequel in the Game of Thrones franchise. It is set 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones and after the doom of the Targaryen family. While the house of the dragon still sits on the iron throne, they are nowhere near what they once were. But this series isn’t about them at all. Hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) wants to find his footing in the world of knights; he wants to earn the same respect, status and lifestyle as the other knights who serve the royal houses but he is nothing like them. He does not disrespect women, he doesn’t have any distractions to keep him entertained, he does not have the same privilege to indulge in food and beer the way the others do. He is a lot more humble and naive and someone who wants to work his way up and hence comes his dedication to participate in the Tourney (A competition for knights). 

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, unlike its other two predecessors, is slow paced, dipped in humour and seems to be laying its foundation slowly and steadily. The premiere episode barely makes an impact on you and gives you no reason to look forward to what happens next. Maybe it's because of the other two counterparts who have spoiled us with dragons, betrayals and incestous relationships that a man who bathes and dumps in public seems rather bleak! What does stand out in the episode though is Ser Duncan’s banter with Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who is yet to be established full-fledgedly as a character. That and Duncan’s hopeful eyes that he will make it big one day. Given that their relationship is the core of the series, maybe their arc might just turn this one around and give us something we didn’t see coming our way!

The first episode of the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on JioHotstar!

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