Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms…
After three episodes, A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms changed how newcomers will view it with the reveal that Egg is not some lowly stable boy but Aegon Targaryen, heir to The Iron Throne. This also means that the show has larger implications for wider Westeros. “Seven” is focused on the aftermath of Ser Duncan’s actions and this bombshell revelation, a key tenet of the novellas but which will come as a surprise to those unfamiliar.
Ser Duncan has landed himself in the hottest of water, facing the wrath of Westeros’ ruling family. He spends much of the episode discussing potential options with different sets of Targaryens, none of them looking good for our hedge knight. Eventually, the Trial of Seven comes into force. Seven vs seven, but with Ser Dunc, a lowly knight finding allies to join his cause and take arms against the Targaryens is no mean feat.
Even for what is essentially set up for the final two episodes, there is plenty to enjoy in the humour and increasing tension. It feels like there are proper stakes, and once again, the short runtimes work as we build towards what feels like an inevitable showdown. George RR Martin’s story has been lovingly brought to life here, and impressive that such a slight novella has been so faithfully rendered, but without the problems that befell, say The Hobbit films. This remains arguably the most faithful of all the adaptations of his work.
A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, like its source material, slowly builds, beginning as one thing before turning into something unexpected and different to the grandeur of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. With two episodes left there is plenty for it to resolve but if it carries on in this vein it promises to be one of the most rewarding screen trips to Westeros to date.
Chris Connor
