Episode 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled “The Hedge Knight,” t racks Ser Duncan the Tall, or Dunk, as he buries his late mentor Ser Arlan and heads to Ashford Meadow’s grand tourney. Broke and unknown, Dunk needs a lord to vouch for his knighthood just to enter.
The episode builds tension as he pitches himself to highborns, from chatty Ser Lyonel Baratheon to standoffish others, but nobody knows his name or Ser Arlan’s fading rep.
Peter Claffey’s Dunk carries a quiet desperation that sells the stakes. Flashbacks paint his orphan past in Flea Bottom and loyal service to Arlan, but no deathbed knighting scene raises eyebrows about his claim. ScreenRant flags this gap, hinting that the show might question Dunk’s legitimacy later.
His friendly banter with the Laughing Storm clicks personally but falls short officially, leaving him barred from jousts.
Defeated, Dunk trudges back to his elm tree campsite, penniless and alone under the stars. That low point flips the episode’s opening bravado, where heroic music cuts to his roadside panic.
Esquire praises the trim focus on character over dragons, letting this hedge knight breathe. Forbes recaps the burial and eulogy as a grounded start, miles from throne room scheming.
The episode clocks in tight at 55 minutes, packing world-building through Dunk’s eyes without info dumps. Tourney prep buzzes with familiar houses like Targaryens and Baratheons, teasing ties to future kings.
Egg’s Return Sparks Instant Bond
Just as despair peaks, the bald boy from the inn shows up at Dunk’s camp . Egg has followed him miles, built a fire, cooked food, and waits as he belongs.
Sportskeeda details how Dunk’s initial refusal at the stables melts here; Egg’s hustle proves his worth. “I’ll do for you as you did for Ser Arlan,” Egg pledges, echoing Dunk’s eulogy.
This moment cements their partnership. Dunk accepts Egg as squire, correcting him on “Ser” since he’s just a hedge knight. YouTube breakdowns call it fate’s hand, with Egg’s mystery adding layers; his bald head and poise hint at royal blood.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Credit: HBO Max)
ScreenRant notes that Dunk sees his younger self in the kid, paying forward Arlan’s kindness from the Flea Bottom streets.
Den of Geek highlights the warmth amid snobbery; lords feast in pavilions while these two share stew under trees. Reddit post-episode chats buzz over Egg’s quick loyalty , tying to book fans’ love for the duo. Claffey and young Dexter Sol Ansell nail the mismatched chemistry, setting up road-trip hijinks.
No big twists here, but the acceptance feels earned after Dunk’s rejections. It flips his isolation, promising mutual support for tourney trials.
Shooting Star Lights Underdog Path
Lying back, Dunk and Egg spot a shooting star streaking overhead. Egg calls it good luck, and Dunk agrees it’s theirs alone, unlike tent-bound nobles missing the view. ScreenRant unpacks this as clever symbolism: humble roots grant them fortune that others overlook.
The quiet close contrasts with the premiere chaos, promising growth. YouTube explainer Film Paradise labels it “thunder before storm,” with echoes of Dunk’s dream and Egg’s secrets brewing. No vouch yet means episode 2 pressure, but the omen suggests shifts ahead.
Esquire ties it to Martin’s novellas, in which smallfolk defy the odds. Forbes praises the restraint , ending on hope, not gore. Social feeds explode with theories; some eye Targaryen hints in Egg, others Dunk’s tall frame foreshadowing clashes.
This setup hooks for weekly drops through February. House of the Dragon looms later, but Knights carves cozy chaos niche. The ending whispers Westeros magic favors the ground-level gaze.
HBO’s newest Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, dropped its first episode on January 18, 2026, and wasted no time shocking viewers. The premiere opens with Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk, burying his mentor and staring at a sword with big dreams of knighthood.
Right as he grabs it, the familiar, bombastic Game of Thrones theme kicks in, swelling with promise, only to smash-cut to Dunk squatting behind a tree for a graphic, projectile bowel movement.
That jarring pivot hit social media like wildfire. Reddit threads and Twitter clips spread the scene instantly, with fans calling it bold, hilarious, or just plain gross.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with showrunner Ira Parker, who broke down the choice as a deliberate gut-punch to expectations. In the script, Dunk simply “hears the hero theme in his head,” but post-production landed on Ramin Djawadi’s legendary track for maximum impact.
Parker stressed the moment captures Dunk’s vulnerability. He is no ready-made legend like Jon Snow or Daenerys; he is a hedge knight with zero funds or polish, facing a tournament that could make or break him.
The theme represents his inner call to greatness, but his body betrays him, turning ambition into literal fear. Decider noted how this “unheroic crouch” pokes fun at the epic music that defined eight seasons of the original show.
This opener fits the source novellas by George R.R. Martin, Dunk and Egg tales from his Tales of Dunk and Egg collection. They always mixed grit with humor, far from the main saga’s throne games, and the adaptation leans hard into that lighter vibe from frame one.
Showrunner Defends the Gross-Out Genius
Ira Parker has fielded questions nonstop since the premiere, framing the poop scene as core to Dunk’s arc. In chats with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that Dunk wants heroism badly, but reality hits like a freight train. The theme swells as he steels himself, sword in hand, only for nerves to overwhelm his system.
“That’s what the whole season is for him,” Parker said, highlighting a growth journey from scared nobody to true knight.
The decision to use the Thrones theme evolved late. Early cuts tried other heroic cues or composer Dan Romer’s simpler score for Dunk, but nothing matched the grandeur Dunk craves.
Djawadi’s piece screams “epic destiny,” making the cut-off all the funnier and more poignant. Cosmopolitan recaps how the music crescendos just before the squat, amplifying the absurdity.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Credit: HBO Max)
Parker also revealed the theme returns later in season one, reframing this opener with new context. That callback suggests the show plays with franchise nostalgia smartly, not just for laughs.
Tribune reports Parker calling it a setup for tone, not cheap shock value. Even Martin reacted with surprise at the graphic detail, per IMDb, but the books have their own crude moments, so it stays true to Westeros’ earthy side.
Critics have warmed to the risk. Rotten Tomatoes gives the series an 87% score, praising its shift to buddy-adventure comedy over dragon battles. Fans appreciate the breather after House of the Dragon’s intensity, with Dunk and his squire Egg hitting HBO Max charts fast.
Spinoff’s Fresh Path Shakes Up Westeros Wars
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms marks HBO’s third Thrones project, after the original and House of the Dragon. Set 90 years before Game of Thrones, it follows lowborn Dunk, played by Peter Claffey, and sneaky royal Egg, actually Prince Aegon Targaryen, played by Dexter Sol Ansell.
Their road-trip quests dodge the Iron Throne drama for tournaments, hedge knight hustles, and smallfolk scrapes.
Dropping the full theme song signals bigger changes. The original’s map crawl and ominous strings set a dark, scheming mood; this spinoff wants laughs and heart.
Parker positions it as underdog fun, with six episodes weekly through February 23 , already greenlit for season two. House of the Dragon season three follows later this summer, promising dragon fireworks.
Business-wise, the bold start pays off. HBO Max sees franchise traffic spike, proving fans crave variety beyond gore and incest plots. Yahoo Singapore echoes the shock value, drawing eyes, while ComicBook debates Martin’s unease but defends the adaptation’s punch.
Fan splits add spice. Some miss the epic sweep, others love the parody of heroism tropes. ScreenRant calls it tonally distinct, perfect for weary viewers. The scene also spotlights practical effects; that squat looks convincingly messy, grounding fantasy in body horror humor.
Parker hints that future episodes build on this honesty. Dunk’s growth mirrors real stumbles toward potential, theme song or not. As Westeros expands, this spinoff proves the universe thrives on reinvention, poop, and all.
