A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms brought excellence to Westeros

Photo by Steffan Hill

contains very minor spoilers

After a generous helping of IMDB upset, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' concluded its brief six episode run with the most wholesome of ends, of course on par with the tone of the season, quite unlike any 'Game of Thrones' adjacent tv we have seen thus far. It's impossible to not be foaming at the mouth for what has already been confirmed to be quite the expansive run (at least two more seasons to adapt existing content, possibly more to come), the people yearn to gallivant around sunny green fields.

Episode six positions itself to tie up the inevitable post-trial loose ends, and it does so with an air of melancholy. Dunk is limping around like a kicked puppy while grief still lingers in the air. It's sad, of course, but the season's witty humour still manages to rear its scruffy head and penetrate the sadness in a way that it doesn't quite reach the audience the way it does the characters. Instead we're met with this idea of sorrow, but can only observe it through the torment of those on screen, retaining the show's more lighthearted tone.

This reaction-driven approach has produced a series built on real, raw emotions, serving its viewers through characters who feel much more personal and familiar to the audience as they gather in some mucky fields to drink and fight, rather than debating politics in a castle (not that there's anything wrong with shows observing politics in castles, they're just very tonally different). The season's smallfolk-centred orientation makes for gritty realness we're yet to properly explore in Westeros, even the lords featured are done so in a more down-to-earth light than previously.

The obvious element to criticise is the episode lengths, or lack thereof. Six half-hour episodes leaves much to yearn for, yet it raises the question of how exactly to increase screen time. The pacing was perfect, padding out each episode or adding in fillers just for the sake of it would be a pointless endeavour to tick a box, why unnecessarily taint what is already near perfection? The runtimes inevitably come down to lack of source material, adapting novellas is no easy feat, especially when staying faithful to the book is so essential for many viewers and we have previously seen what happens when plots tend to stray. A solution may, afterall, be unnecessary; what little runtime we do have maintains impeccable quality, a sacrifice I think is acceptable to make.

The best things come in small packages, and 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' has proved itself to be a captivating little pocket of the 'Game of Thrones' universe. Dunk and Egg have charmed their way into television excellence, if only for six episodes (so far!!).