TV Review: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Streaming on HBO

“A caller ‘Game of Thrones’ series!” you mightiness beryllium thinking. “Time to unroll my representation of Westeros.” Well, unroll away—but “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” contempt its name, won’t necessitate a refresher connected the region from Sunspear to Dragonstone. The six-episode series, which débuted this period connected HBO, has a small-scale focus, and its archetypal play takes spot connected a tiny spot of map. Unlike “Game of Thrones” and its prequel “House of the Dragon,” it doesn’t purpose for epic. Based connected George R. R. Martin’s bid of novellas “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” and a invited instrumentality to quality development, “Knight” centers connected the adventures of Dunk (Peter Claffey), a strapping naïf different known arsenic Ser Duncan the Tall, and his spectacularly bald lad squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Each wants to beryllium himself, and for that to hap Dunk indispensable triumph successful a jousting tournament. That’s beauteous overmuch the plot.

Where “Thrones” was a soaring fantasia of ice, fire, dragons, and direwolves, and “House of the Dragon” was a saga spanning decades, “Knight” is simply a gentle buddy dramedy. It wants to springiness america a frisson of the aged “Thrones” feeling but besides wants to subvert it. The bid signals this aboriginal successful the archetypal episode, erstwhile we ticker our aspiring knight contemplate his aboriginal and get a bully idea. Inspiration strikes, strains of the “Thrones” taxable euphony statesman to swell—Oh, boy!—and past abruptly stop; the country shifts to Dunk crouching beside a tree, bare rump majestically spraying shit. “[Wet splatting], [relieving sighs],” the subtitles explain. Moments specified arsenic these assistance bespeak whether the amusement is going to beryllium your bag.

“Knight,” created by Ira Parker with George R. R. Martin, is acceptable a period earlier the events of “Thrones.” As the bid opens, Dunk, a squire, stands connected a desolate one-tree hillside, lowering the assemblage of his mentor, the precocious Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), into a grave. “I don’t cognize the close words,” Dunk says. “You were a existent knight. You ne'er bushed maine erstwhile I didn’t merit it.” (Well, but that 1 time.) Later, lying nether a sunny sky, helium brainstorms aloud, talking to his 3 horses. Should helium spell to King’s Landing? Lannisport? Join the City Watch? He imagines this, brandishing Ser Arlan’s longsword: “Stop raping, ser!” Hmm, the sword fits his grip. And hmm!—the bully thought cometh. “There is a tourney astatine Ashford Meadow . . .” helium says, thoughts visibly moving crossed his look and firming into resolve.

So the travel begins. The archetypal occurrence is mostly Eggless, but helium makes a memorable impression. Approaching a tavern with his horses, Dunk, successful a grubby cloak and a enactment belt, encounters a tiny bald kid, assumes he’s the unchangeable boy, and tries retired his caller knight persona, demanding oats and a palfrey rubdown. He doesn’t wonderment wherefore this well-spoken, funny kid resists confirming that he’s the unchangeable boy. (Egg has immoderate secrets.) “You’ll get a copper if you bash well, and a clout successful the receptor if not,” Dunk says, a menace we can’t ideate him carrying out. The mysterious Egg scoffs astatine Dunk’s enactment loop but offers to beryllium his squire. Dunk declines; soon enough, Egg has recovered him again.

Dunk is simply a spot of a lunk. He hits his caput connected a doorframe, twice; successful the 2nd episode, helium observes, during a infinitesimal of philosophizing, that radical person ever said helium was stupid. (“And?” Egg asks, expecting a pep talk. But that’s the full anecdote.) Still, Dunk believes successful himself, similar immoderate bully hero, and radical are drawn to his guilelessness. He’s besides an outsider. Ser Arlan had been a hedge knight—a freelancer of sorts, who roamed the realm doing chivalric things and making his location wherever helium recovered it. In flashbacks and outdoor home scenes, Dunk seems astatine location and astatine bid successful nature, extracurricular of society. But similar astir of us, helium indispensable marque his surviving wrong it. In Ashford, wherever a campy has been acceptable up for the tournament, helium tells the registrar of his tendency to participate and joust; Ser Arlan knighted him earlier helium died, and helium wants to service the realm and support the weak. But is helium really a knight? the registrar wonders. Busting Dunk’s chops portion hocking into a tankard, the registrar says that if he’s someway revealed not to beryllium a existent knight they’ll administer “the Ashford chair”: little him bare onto a sharpened constituent and fuck him dry, har har! But seriously, helium needs a existent knight to vouch for him. Dunk looks befuddled, but past different thought occurs—Ser Manfred Dondarrion of Dorne volition surely retrieve me, from erstwhile Ser Arlan knighted for his father!—and helium sets disconnected to find him. We mightiness not stock his confidence.