Dunk and Egg Wrap-Up

Goodbye for now, Ser Duncan the Tall.

As we have a long, long wait for Season 2, let’s look back on the premiere season of AKOTSK, considering what was good, what was great, and what was a mixed bag.

Let’s start with the positive. The casting was absolutely cracking. Claffey is absurdly good as our hero Dunk The Lunk. He is a towering, beefy castle of a bloke, but easily slips into being timid and bumbling where needed. His Irish accent is a charming and welcome addition I didn’t know I needed. I could go on and on about the way he performs emotions, delivers dialogue and holds himself from scene to scene, but I’ll just say the performance speaks for itself.

Similarly Dexter Sol Ansell has proven he is a brilliant actor. Though I wasn’t sure in the run-up to the show’s release he is super fun to watch. As George himself put it, he is Egg come to life - funny, quick and loveable

The side characters are all pretty strong too. The Fossoways, one blunt and unpleasant, one dependable and friendly, are great foils. The Laughing Storm is strange and unnerving. The Targaryens all carry themselves with that iconic regal vibe - from Baelor’s calm and collected restraint to Maekar’s unrelenting brusqueness. Everyone from Pate to Tanselle feels appropriate for their role.

What was also very strong, and something I noted a lot in online discourse, is the set design, filming locations and costuming. The armour, particularly, is gorgeous, but the rolling greenery of Northern Ireland is lovely too.

Not sure why this picture is so glossy.

The delivery of the dialogue, much of which is straight from the novella, really sells the feel of the show. It is consistently funny, emotionally resonant, and you truly do feel like you’re properly back in Westeros. People are people, no matter if they’re dying in Flea Bottom or serving at Ashford Castle.

The original music is wonderful. The whistling tune that occasionally plays is almost Robin-Hood-like in nature and it fits perfectly the quieter tone of Dunk and Egg. The use of the Game of Thrones theme generally feels appropriate, though I’m not sure how I feel about its initial use. Felt a bit cheap, personally, but maybe I’m just a killjoy. I did love the diegetic music though - often both funny and expositionally rich!

Something that I had high hopes for and met with serious glee was the depiction of violence. The combat is unforgivingly brutal, but not overly nasty. Each hit is satisfying, each fight feels well-crafted. Dunk’s fighting style is just as it should be - brutish and adrenaline-fueled. I have high hopes for Season 2’s big duel (yes, there will be another one on one duel), in which Dunk takes on an unpleasant knight known as the Longinch.

I must now tackle what I didn’t love. For one thing, the toilet humour. It was ok, and the show is crude in tone, and this sort of thing is to be expected. However it did start to feel unavoidable towards the end. Like, you’d go into an episode just waiting for it. I’ve even heard they cut some extra bits out. It’s whatever though - puking, gobbing and giant phalluses and I was amused by, so I’m not sure what it is about this particular element that rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not very significant in the grand scheme. Similarly is my second gripe, which is the anachronistic music in the final episode (though I didn’t love all the music in Episode 4 either). This is just a matter of personal taste, and yes, I know GOT did it once or twice as well. I wasn’t sure about it then, either.

My final points will be on narrative changes, additions, and the nature of adaptation. The show follows the source text closely, but not completely. The additions are pretty much fine though, generally speaking. We get some insight into characters we otherwise would not have, from major moments like Egg nearly killing his own brother, to more thematic minor moments like the story arc of Rowan. The flashback with Rafe was received 50-50 from what I can tell, but I feel like the kid actor playing Dunk (Bamber Todd) was so brilliant it really makes up for most of the issues people might have with these scenes. We also follow Dunk in nearly every scene, which is great, and the very few in which we aren’t doing we follow Egg, which feels completely justifiable. My favourite addition the show brought is by far the look into what Ser Arlan of Pennytree was like. I am certain we will see more of him, and I can’t wait for it. I feel that the tone of the show is slightly different to the novella, but barely, and in a way I think it should be distinguishable, as text and screen are two very different mediums. I enjoyed the slightly subtle changes to Dunk’s characterisation - despite the fact our hero is not a teen in the show Claffey portrays him as an emotionally charged adult positively riddled with anxiety. He is recognisably the book character, but he reacts and interacts in a way that makes sense considering that every other person in the show is slightly different to their book counterpart. Most if not all scenarios are made a little different to how you might expect because of the nuances each actor gives to their character. It is undeniably interesting to watch the minute creative decisions being made.

Maybe my favourite addition.

In terms of the future of the show, I have high hopes. We will investigate a very different setting in Season 2. There are completely different stakes. Westeros is undergoing some big changes. Dunk has something he’s wildly unprepared for ahead of him. Most exciting of all, we might get to see Dorne! Unlikely, but not impossible.

Anyway, as ever, thanks for reading,

Until next time,

H.E.

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