A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the newest HBO series in the Game of Thronesuniverse, premiered less than a week ago—and is already impressing audiences.
Set between the events of House of the Dragon and nearly 100 years before Game of Thrones, the six-episode series is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of three novellas that are set within the world of his A Song of Ice and Fire books.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms differentiates itself from both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon in several ways, the most obvious being the scope of the story. Like The Mandalorianin the Star Wars Universe, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has none of the epic scale of its two preceding series. It’s a much more personal tale, and what could very much be described as a buddy comedy.
It follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall, a.k.a. “Dunk” (Peter Claffey) and his mysterious young squire “Egg” (Dexter Sol Ansell), who just happens to be hiding a very royal secret. The show follows their journey across Westeros to the Ashford Meadow Tournament, where Dunk intends to be declared a genuine knight.
But, as is typically the case, all does not go as smoothly as Dunk had planned, and the two soon find themselves regularly attempting to escape danger.
While the series features its fair share of violence, it’s also a much more lighthearted affair—and very much free of dragons (which could be good or bad news, depending on what you’re looking for).
What might be most impressive about the series is that it currently boasts a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This puts its reviews above both of its preceding series: Game of Thrones holds an 89 percent Rotten Tomatoes score (plus an 85 percent score from audiences on the Popcornmeter), while House of the Dragon boasts an 87 percent score (versus 77 percent on the Popcornmeter).
The story does change a bit, however, if you break down the other two series by seasons: while Game of Thrones Season 1 boasts a 90 percent rating, Season 2 and 4 lead the ratings with a 97 percent. Season 3 scored an impressive 96 percent, while Seasons 5, 6, and 7 scored a 93 percent, 94 percent, and 93 percent, respectively.
What brings the series’ overall rating down is the dismal 55 percent rating Season 7, its final season, received.
While House of the Dragon kicked off with a 90 percent rating for its first season, Season 2 was less well-received with an 84 percent rating.
