Knights, princesses and the rulers who oversee them are just as fantastical in the Game of Thrones universe as they are in the real world. No matter their social status or upbringing, the sheltered children are the ones who learn the hardest that their dreams are only just that. As written in George R. R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords, “Their dreams were full of songs and stories, the way [Sansa’s] had been before Joffrey cut her father’s head off. Sansa pitied them. Sansa envied them.”
The third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled “The Squire,” is the difficult wake-up call that Dunk (Peter Claffey) needs about knighthood. But it’s surprising that Dunk, a man from the depths of Flea Bottom and raised by an imperfect knight, has to learn this truth in almost the same way as Sansa, who grew up well-off in a castle in Winterfell surrounded by a loving family. “The Squire” witnesses Dunk as the more willfully ignorant type to maintain some optimism in a bleak world. Reaching the middle of the first season, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has frolicked through the field of daisies for long enough, and is now ready to brace the storm ahead.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Paints the Tranquility Before the Turmoil
In a change of point-of-view, “The Squire” opens from Egg’s (Dexter Sol Ansell) perspective with an entertaining sight of the young boy training for the upcoming tourney. The episode portrays a picture of childlike wonder that has been gravely missed since the early seasons of Game of Thrones with the young Stark children. It makes one realize just how lacking House of the Dragon was when it came to depicting the lives of Alicent and Rhaenyra’s children, further stressing the consequential pressures of the familial conflict.
Ansell is a hilarious kid who bursts of sunshine in every scene he’s in, but he’s particularly fascinating in this opening sequence. Talking to the horse with more empathy than any other person would give it, Egg has so much heart that Dunk has slightly lost with every minor setback at the tourney. Small moments like these show how special Egg is in this world, and help make a later revelation click into place.
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The Targaryens return to the screen, and Dunk seizes the opportunity to prove his worth. Meanwhile, Egg becomes Game of Thrones’ next best character.
Down the line, Dunk and Egg gain more of an understanding of each other while partaking in tourney activities. The two have lively conversations and debates, one of which is about the subject of a song that helps them come to terms with the reality of hedge knights: that most often their names are forgotten, but their actions aren’t. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues to be fluently in-tune with the way it delivers its themes. Sparing a few monologues and dialogue pieces, the writing hides thematic material in metaphorical scenes.
In one of the most touching scenes of the series so far, Egg and Dunk lay on the field, looking out at the tents and people enjoying the tourney. Egg touches on how happy he would be to live in a place like this, imagining himself fighting for a great lord and receiving a serene home and the hand of his second-prettiest daughter as a reward (Dunk, naturally, would have the prettiest). Dunk looks at the young boy with wonder, like everything has fallen into place. Dunk had never felt this peace with Ser Arlan; Egg felt it instantly with Dunk.
Egg’s Confession Comes to Little Surprise
Dunk (Peter Claffey) talking to Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), who is sitting in a tree, on A Knight of the Seven KingdomsImage via HBO
Bit by bit, the episode presents snags for Dunk that gradually challenge his character and honor. The smaller ones are the cracks in this perfect bubble he’s created that he can only temporarily patch up. The spitting tourney master asks Dunk if he can fake a victory to help Lord Ashford pay off the extravagant event. When Dunk exclaims that he can’t accept a victory he didn’t earn, the master replies, “Have you not earned it?” The question appears to rattle Dunk later on: perhaps a lifetime of swallowing his suffering for the betterment of Westeros is the joust he already won.
The tourney’s offer is likely to be quickly forgotten in the latter half of the season after Dunk’s world comes crashing down. Dunk is given two separate warnings that Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett, who transforms into the harrowing beast) will be trouble in the future. One was when he watched Aerion deliberately kill his opponent’s horse in the tourney. The other is Raymun Fossoway’s (Shaun Thomas) heated rant about the Targaryens’ incestuous and colonizing nature that has insulted the customs of Westerosi people.
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Despite these warnings, Dunk attacks Aerion when the prince breaks Tanselle’s (Tanzyn Crawford) fingers for portraying a puppet dragon in a negative light. Dunk is an absolute monster when triggered, almost demolishing Aerion and is only held back by four or five knights. He finally uses the height and the strength that the gods gave him like Lyonel Baratheon recommended. But the most surprising shock of all to Dunk comes when Egg reveals himself as Aegon Targaryen, one of Maekar’s missing sons, to put a stop to Aerion punishing Dunk.
The reveal is a tremendous cinematic closer for the episode, ending on the grandest score the series has done yet. It’s shot and edited like a dramatic opera sealing the most life-changing act in a production. Nevertheless, the surprise itself is insufficient for the monumental execution it’s given. The series gave fairly conspicuous hints throughout the first three episodes; even non-book readers could catch on.
The need to adequately prepare for Egg’s identity reveal so it’s not undeserved is understandable. Yet, his worrisome glance towards the Targaryen family, his proficient knowledge that only highborns possess, and a witch foreshadowing his future as king all spelled out the revelation. It’s an unfortunate trade-off to be adapting such a beloved book; twists and turns are only another part of the story, and not game-changers for the audience.
Episode 3 Anticipates an Ominous Future for Dunk
Peter Claffey as Dunk on A Knight of the Seven KingdomsImage via HBO
The set-up for Episode 3 resembles the type of narrative structure in which a character is given an unusually large amount of screentime dedicated to their hope for the path ahead, only to rip it out from under them by killing them off. No one has died in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms yet, but a similar principle applies. Dunk and Egg have finally found their groove with one another, learning how to balance each other’s complexities to make a suitable team.
Nice things are never given without a sacrifice in the Game of Thrones universe, so what’s left to wonder is how much more Dunk will have to give away to at least remain on the Targaryens’ good side. Rest assured he won’t die; an early second season renewal allows for a sigh of relief on that part. But death is not always the worst punishment. Being sentenced to the Wall or losing a limb wouldn’t service Dunk’s dreams of being a great knight.
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While only brief, the final scene is a nice revisit to the show’s core social commentary that touches on the class disparity in Westeros. It seems unfathomable that Aerion, as highly as he thinks of himself, would’ve been waltzing around the fairgrounds and happened upon the puppet show. Aerion probably has little birds like Varys will eventually, and deliberately sought the show to feed his hunger for authority. In all this mess, the biggest irony is that Aerion’s argument holds no ground — the dragons lost the long battle in the end. Those with the power to do so can easily disregard history and logic if it fits their agenda.
Big moments are ahead for Dunk, the most pressing of which may not even be for a fight for his life, but feeling like a fool. As well-meaning as Egg was, he was a little prince who tricked a hedge knight and indirectly caused him trouble for it. It’s a betrayal that hits hard for a man who only knows tragedy and believed he was regaining some sense of purpose. The playing field is no longer equal and the ball is most definitely not in Dunk’s court. For entertainment’s sake though, it’s a mighty bold way to start the second half of an already whopping season.
New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere every Sunday on HBO.
Release Date
January 18, 2026
Network
HBO
Showrunner
Ira Parker
Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall
Pros & Cons
- Dunk and Egg share heartwarming scenes that show the depth of their connection.
- Following Egg’s perspective sets up a big revelation at the end of the episode.
- Three episodes in, the series remains smartly written.
- Egg’s reveal as Aegon Targaryen falls flat due to obvious teases.
