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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms just dropped and this feels completely different from anything we have seen in this universe before, like the whole vibe is way more light and chill compared to Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon where everyone is scheming and killing each other every five seconds, this episode is basically just Duncan and Egg meeting each other and going to this tournament, nothing crazy happens except for some jousting setup and people getting slapped around witch was funny the way they edited those scenes together. The music fakeout at the start had me thinking we were getting some epic intro but nope, just a dude burying his mentor and talking to horses, witch I actually do not mind because it gives us time to see who Duncan really is without throwing a million characters at us right away, the setup is simple and works better that way. The whole thing with Egg lying about his name and Duncan just going along with it even though he knows this kid is probably Targaryen royalty or something, that dynamic between them is what makes the episode worth watching because you can tell these two are gonna have this brother type bond as the series goes on, they got this chemistry right from the start witch is rare. What bugs me a little is how short the episode feels, like it ends right when things are getting interesting and I know the rest of the season is gonna be even shorter episodes witch worries me because I want more time with these characters but at the same time keeping it tight and focused might work better than dragging things out for no reason, we will see how it plays out as more episodes drop.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27497448/
- Platform: HBOMAX
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The tournament setup takes up most of the episode and its basically just Duncan walking around trying to get someone to vouch for him so he can compete, he goes to the Dondarrion pavilion looking for Sir Manfred because Sir Arlan fought alongside Manfreds father in Dorne hunting down outlaws. Two guys make fun of Duncan for being a hedge knight witch is what they call wandering knights without a master, they sleep in hedges because no lord will have them and everyone looks down on them like trash, but Sir Arlan always told Duncan that hedge knights were the truest kind of knight because they serve out of personal conviction not feudal obligation or land ownership. Duncan sees Raymond Fossoway getting beat up by his older cousin Sir Stefan Fossoway who is a real piece of shit, Stefan asks Duncan to try him in battle but he decline as its not his problem, this shows that Duncan isnt some hero rushing in to save people he is just trying to survive and not make enemies before the tournament even starts. Later Duncan goes to this big party at the Baratheon pavilion and meets Lionel Baratheon who is called the Laughing Storm because he laughs at his opponents during battle, Lionel is heir to Storms End and loves fighting, he asks Duncan why he slouches all the time when the gods gave him tallness and tells him to just be who he is without shame. The two of them get drunk together and dance and Duncan stomps on Lionels feet witch makes the lord laugh even harder, Lionel tells a story about almost dying in a storm at sea but pushing through witch is supposed to parallel Duncans situation going into this tournament, by the end of the night Duncan is wearing Lionels stag crown and they are best friends even though they just met a few hours ago.
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After the party Duncan finally finds Sir Manfred Dondarrion but Manfred doesnt remember Sir Arlan at all, he says House Dondarrion launched several excursions into Dorne with hundreds of men losing their lives so one random hedge knight doesnt stand out in his memory, Duncan gets rejected and walks away with no vouch and no way into the tournament witch is a bummer. Back at camp Egg has set up a fire and caught a fish and tended all the horses, Duncan makes a deal to keep Egg on as his squire until the end of the tournament promising to feed and clothe him but not beat him except when he deserves it, Egg is just happy to have a place to stay and someone who treats him decent even if Duncan is broke as hell. The falling star moment at the end is beautiful because it shows these two outsiders finding each other, Duncan is a hedge knight pretending to be something he might not be and Egg is a royal kid pretending to be a peasant both of them are lying about who they are but they connect anyway, thats what makes their relationship work so well even this early on, Im sure all this lies are going to become a problem at some point in time either between them or around them, most important if any of the two will get piss off because the other was lying, I bet will be Duncan who gets piss when Egg gets him in some kind of trouble with royal family for having him as his squire. At the end of the episode Duncan still doesnt have a vouch to compete and the whole thing could fall apart before it even starts, but at least he has Egg now and that counts for something in a world where most people are alone and struggling just to make it through the day.
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