Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, now streaming on HBO Max.
The dust has settled from the trial of the Seven, the injured have repaired their injuries, and Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has come to an end.
Dunk (Peter Claffey) is feeling pretty good after his Order wins a muddy battle against Aerion Targaryen’s (Finn Bennett) team. Although Dunk was victorious, he felt guilty after his teammate and heir to the Iron Throne, Baelor Targaryen (Barty Carvell), died after being accidentally hit in the head with a mace by Baelor’s brother Maker (Sam Spruell).
After Baylor’s funeral, Maker asks Dunk to serve him and make his son Egg (Dexter Sol Unsell) his squire, but Dunk says he is done with the prince. When the tournament ends and he is visited by the ghost of Pennytree’s master Ser Arlan (Danny Webb), Dunk quickly reconsiders and decides to remove Egg from the evil influence of House Targaryen. Against their maker’s wishes, Dunk and Egg ride away together as knight and squire. Dunk pays homage to Sir Arlan’s tradition by nailing a penny to a tree before departing, and Arlan’s ghost also mounts him, setting out on his own path.
Dunk and Egg are on a new journey and discuss heading to Dorne, a desert region in southern Westeros. In the final scene, the makers search for Egg as the wagon departs, hinting that there may be a crossover with Targaryen next season.
In an interview with Variety, co-creator and showrunner Ira Parker revealed that Season 2 will focus on George R.R. Martin’s second Dunk and Egg novella, The Mystery Night, and why Martin canceled one of the show’s original titles.
Stephen Hill
First of all, what is the title of the last part, “Knight of the Nine Kingdoms”?
That might be me joking a little too much. People may hate it or crucify me for it, but these shows have a little bit of a lighter touch. And I’m going to learn some things. People are going to react to it, and I’m going to react to it after not seeing it for a few months. And let’s take a look. I like it. A lot of the amazing creators I worked with loved it too. It came from a place of honesty. It’s all true. At that point there are nine kingdoms. We want Westeros to be a fun place to hang out, even when terrible things are happening and everyone is sad, just like in real life. It is okay to joke even in Shiva. We need that relief. So even if you’re in a bad spot, a dunk and egg is still a dunk and egg.
Speaking of titles, will this show be called “The Story of Dunk and Egg” like the novella?
Early on, George said, “Please stop calling this ‘Dunk and Egg.’ It sounds like ‘Laverne and Shirley.'” It’s like a sitcom. “I said, ‘Oh, it’s totally fine.’ When I was putting the finishing touches on it in the post-production process, it was pretty late in the game, so I was a little lost. I said, “Everyone’s going to call it ‘dunk and eggs,’ so why don’t we call it that?” My assistant then told me, “That’s not a smart idea.” I agree. It’s nice to be able to watch a show called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and know that you kind of know what you’re getting when you come in there and know that it’s a little bit lighter and fun, rather than egging people on with “dunks and eggs.” I hope.
Will Dunk and Egg go to Dawn in Season 2?
They go to Dawn. I’ll leave it up to those who watch season 2 to decide how much ground to cover. I don’t know if I should talk about that yet. Most of the time we follow the book. So season 1 was “The Hedge Knight.” Season 2 is “The Sworn Sword”. Hopefully, when we get to season 3, it will be “The Mystery Knight.”
Each novella is a stand-alone story, but will characters from Season 1 return in Season 2?Elyon and the Maker seem to be looking for the Egg at the end.
The only thing about this show is that the nobles, kings, and queens are all very interesting. As many times as you would like to write for them, the truth is, this show is not about that. There are plenty of shows in this world and others that definitely cover that part. And we are not. We are bottom up. We are inside Dunk’s POV. Even minor lords and ladies, we don’t allow them to go behind the scenes of their gonzo scenes. For better or worse, that’s the storytelling lens we’ve set for this show. I don’t think anyone will ever enter the dunk world again. Westeros is–yes. yes. That’s all I want to say. yes.
Will season 2 also have 6 episodes?
Yeah. It really was the perfect amount for us. Honestly, HBO was great. They said anything between 30 and 60 minutes would be fine. This will give us a very big goal. You can also express exactly what you want based on the source material.
How much will we learn about the Blackfyre Rebellion in Season 2?
The Blackfire Rebellions were going back and forth for Dunk and Egg, and I think they lasted pretty late. The Second Blackfyre Rebellion is pretty heavily factored into one of the books and is obviously mentioned a few times in season one. But I think it’s important background and informs a lot of the characters they come into contact with. Basically, we’re 15 years into a major civil war, so there’s still a lot of resentment. There are certainly a lot of open wounds left. One of the promises I made to George very early on was that we would never do a story. We will add characters and worldview. We’re writing this TV show as if George had written a novel instead of a novella. So we’re just filling in what he would probably do naturally.
But we don’t send people on side quests, and we try not to get too caught up in history. These are nice, slightly restrained journeys. It’s almost an action-adventure series. Dunk and his followers have fun adventures and get into trouble. Even with two years between seasons, there’s no cliffhanger. We told a story and put it together. I hope you enjoy it. We hope you will come back to see their journey next time.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
