Dunk and Egg #3

A Dragon In Our Midst.

I rewatched both the previous episodes before this one, so I was really raring to get into it. The thing is though, is that this episode is quieter than the others. Little takes place in the narrative - the focus is very much on character here. Egg is, as usual, fantastic. His antics with Dunk’s horse are entertaining and give us hope he will indeed prove a useful squire when the time comes for battle. Also! No gross out shit at the start of the episode - though there is some background puking, as I knew there would be (and it is very funny).

Horse :)

Watching Dunk and Egg chat, cook and eat together is a blast. Their relationship is very enjoyable, and their original-to-the-show conversations are written exceedingly well.

There is a decent amount of singing in this episode. All very good stuff. All to entertain, and some to educate us on Westerosi history too, if you pay close enough attention.

The practical designs of the puppets in Tanselle’s tent continue to impress. Well worth watching the behind-the-scenes stuff, by the way, it’s very interesting.

We enjoy some further jousting, and in this tilt see Aerion Brightflame, Targaryen prince, show off his skill at combat. He is brutal, actively killing a horse with his lance. This causes an uproar in the crowd, and this, along with a later rant by Raymun Fossoway (in which he disparages the Targaryens as foreigners) sets up later plot elements in the wider Dunk and Egg lore.

An opinionated young man.

Speaking of wider lore, Egg receives a strange prophecy and looks very disturbed. If you know a good deal about him, you know why it bothers him so. If not, I advise you to stay in the dark about it. Dunk is none the wiser, so why should we be?

Plummer, the phlegmy Master of the Games, gives Dunk the chance to fraudulently win a tilt against Lord Ashford’s son. This serves well to give Dunk some much needed screentime being stubborn and true to his morals of honesty and hard work. This is far from the last decision of this sort Dunk will face, and now we know just what to expect from him.

The fight with Aerion is good stuff. Hardly a fight, really, as Dunk rocks his shit (being absolutely gigantic and all). The jabs and kick he gets in are satisfying, particularly as Tanselle’s finger-breaking looked particularly nasty. Really viscerally nasty. Big fan of that. The Dragon should never lose, unless it’s to a seven foot hedge knight, eh?

Angry Dunk, at last.

Anyway, just as Dunk is about to be viciously stage-stomped, he’s saved by a surprise protector - none other than his little squire Egg. As many of you may have already guessed, or known off the bat, Egg is no orphan boy from Flea Bottom. He is, in fact, Prince Aegon Targaryen, missing son of Maekar, and brother to the unpleasant Aerion. His grandfather sits the Iron Throne, and he has the blood of the Conqueror in his veins. How will this change things up? What other secrets are hidden right in front of our eyes?

He knows the guards by name.

We will have to wait and see.

Oh also - Dunk’s awkwardness is still on show. His attempts to flirt and his desperate charades as he tries to buy eggs are both hilarious.

As ever, thanks for reading,

Until next time,

H.E.

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