Re:tro Re:view - Rental Family!

Rental Family is the only film that made me laugh in five minutes and broke my heart ten minutes later! It is directed and co-written by Hikari who also directed 37 Seconds (2019), a Japanese drama movie. Stephen Blahut, the film’s co-writer, was the cinematographer for 37 Seconds. Rental Family is currently streaming on Hulu. The movie opens with a blurry of activity on Tokyo streets. Crowds of people walking this way or that way. The frantic music is by Jon Thor Birgisson and Alex Somers. 

At a train station, Philip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) rushes to the train, but the doors close on him. Fraser is of course coming from his Academy Award winning performance in The Whale (2022). Philip finally makes to an office building for an audition. Another actor leaves the room. Philip shyly says he is there, and brought in. He introduces himself and then goes into his lines about finding a culprit in some crime drama. Philip then bows and leaves, outside he has an uncertain expression, then we find himself outside of a set. 

He is on a chair in a massive tree suit! It’s funny! Another actor walks out in a pink bunny suit. We close in on Phillip’s overwhelmed face. He is at an almost empty bar, Philip asks him how he knew, and the bartender replies, “Your face.” Philip enters a crowded subway and takes a seat on the subway train. You can feel his intense loneliness. He sees on the other side, a salary man asleep. He returns to his apartment, getting the mail, inside his closet is a costume that looks like Mr. Sparkle from The Simpsons, hilarious! 

Philip sets his meal next to the window and looks at the apartments in the next building. He sees a couple giving each other a cheer with bottles, a woman walking to her balcony, and an elderly man hanging up clothes by the window. On the outside looking in. Haunting music by Birgisson and Somers. Then, a pan out as we see Philip alone with his drink. Later, his cell phone buzzes, Philip wakes up to take a call from his agent from EZ Talent, Sonia (Helen Sadler) who has a job for him at Saitama, it is about a 23 minute ride by public transport. 

He asks her what is the part and Sonia answers, “Sad American.” In his suit, Philip greets the receptionist in Japanese and she whispers for him to go inside. It is a funeral for Mr. Daito. Philip tries to quietly move through a row of mourners. Miss Nakajima (Mari Yamamoto) is called up to say words about her friend. Yamamoto currently plays Dr. Keiko Miura in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. She says she was in love with him and they had their first kiss. The mourners cry. Mr. Daito (Shohei Uno) is in his coffin and Philip is startled. 

Miss Nakajima cries about his early death and Mr. Daito cries. The mourners are asked to say final words to Mr. Daito. They bow to him and Philip sees Mr. Daito with a smile on his face. Tado Shinji (Takehiro Hira) who has arranged the funeral is thanked by the family. Hira also stars in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and plays Hiroshi Randa. It has given Mr. Daito “a reason to exist.” It seems absurd, almost dark humor, but finding value in death, even as a performance with an actor like Philip, is meaningful. Philip walks back to the room with the empty coffin. He tries to squeeze himself in the small coffin and closes his eyes. 

He is wakened by Shinji speaking in Japanese who tells Philip is docking his pay for being late. Shinji tells him it will be 15 minutes until the next service! Shinji thanks his workers and Philip runs up to ask if it was all fake. He is told that it is a “specialized performance.” Philip is asked how long he has been in Japan and his reply is seven years. This conversation shifts to Japanese and English from line to line. Shinji gives him his business card before he walks away. 

It reads Rental Family, Inc. Philip heads over to the company and knocks. He enters seeing Miss Nakajima and another worker, Kota (Kimura Bun), while Shinji is on the phone. Bun played Koji in the crime drama series, Tokyo Vice. He finishes his call and then has Philip take a seat across from his chair. Philip jokingly says the business is selling people. Shinji says, “We sell emotion.” He explains that they play all roles for a person, acting as a surrogate, “to help connect to what is missing.” They could be family members, boyfriends or girlfriends, coworkers, or best friends. 

This seems a wild concept, but on second thought there is the Big Brother and Big Sister organizations. Rental family is more transactional, but this may make Japanese. It started in the 1990s and also includes South Korea and China. Philip brings up therapists, but Tado  answers that it would be disrepectful to get such help. He wonders what his job would be and Tado says they need “a token white guy.” Funny! Philip apologizes and then gets up to leave. Tado says he loved his toothpaste commercial. 

We see billboard screens of the commercial. A family is attacked by little black-suited plaque creatures. The famliy wonders what to do when Philip appears in superhero costume, the Clearbright Man. The family dances with him before he flies off on his giant toothbrush! This is hilarious like Mr. Sparkle in The Simpsons. Too funny! Kota recognizes him and renacts the commercial! Tado says he can go back to his acting jobs and try Rental Family. There is a beautiful shot of Mt. Fuji, hazy in the distance, above Tokyo. The cinematographer is Takuro Ishizaka. 

Aiko sitting next to Philip is discussing the terms of a wedding. The company provides guests except the client’s parents and family. The client, Yoshie Ikeda (Misato Morita) nods in agreement. There will be the ceremony, reception, and then move to Canada. Philip asks in English why they will go to Canada, Aiko explains that Brian Callahan is Canadian and his job is there. He asks Yoshie in English about what her parents think about the wedding. She replies that they are surprised, but happy. 

We see Yoshie walking away while Philip asks if she can’t leave her family, Aiko says she loves them. At night on the street, Aiko tells him to memorize everything in the folder. The buildings of Tokyo, the next day, with storm clouds building up. Tado greets the guests. He checks in with Aiko about the wedding. Kota knocks on the door of the room for Brian (Phillip). He opens the door to find an empty room! Yoshie has a white kimono, wataboshi, hood, and pale make-up. Kota politely shuffles over to Aiko. They head outside and Kota reports he can’t find Phillip! Runaway groom! Aiko rushes over to Tado to tell him the situation. They meet with the family as the trio discuss what to do. Tado has them take each floor to search for the groom! 

They rush into rooms, down stairs, all the while trying to act if there is no emergency. It’s kinda funny in the awkwardness. Aiko checks the men’s room for Phillip. At a stall, she finds him in his black kimono, he says he needs a moment. He is reluctant because the wedding is a lie. The concept of Rental Family is making him nervous. This frustrates Aiko so she stands over the stall on a step ladder to say it’s not a lie. I like her frustration about his nervousness. Aiko says the parents get their memories of the wedding and the bride gets her freedom. She rushes him out. This contrasts with the gentle flute playing, a waterfall, and the wedding party walking up a path with a little lake. It is beautiful and seeing the bride and groom makes me think of James Bond and Kissy Suzuki in You Only Love Twice (1967). 

They drink from the sake and say their vows. The wedding photographer taking photos of the family, Philip smiles as well as his “mother in law”, funny! His “father in law” welcomes him to the family in English and they hug. On a couch in the bridal suite, Philip in white suit sits across from Youshie, now in a green dress, on a couch. He says it was a beautiful wedding. They look on until a bell rings. A woman, Jun (Nanami Kawakami) in a white suit walks in. What happens, the realization, is devastating and bittersweet. What will we go through to get a happy life. I love the contrast of a funeral that has a joyful ending and a wedding that is bittersweet. This captures the tone of the movie. 

The next part after this introduction to Rental Family and Philip has a woman, Lola (Tamae Ando) snuggling with Philip in bed. Ando was in the drama, Perfect Days (2023). He says that it was fake, but “there were moments that it felt real.” She says they are the same, she helps people physically and he helps people emotionally. This girlfriend is there to bounce off ideas about Rental Family, but her part is small here. I can see that she would steer the story away from a stereotypical romantic connection with co-worker Aiko. 

Morning, Philip apologizes for the incident at the wedding. Tado asks Philip if he is dedicated to the job and he assures his boss that hiding in the bathroom will never happen again. Tado gives him the part of a father. Aiko says he is not ready and Tado sends her out to get some air. Kota joins her. Tado shows him the folder of a little girl needs a father to enter a private school. Her mother was rejected the first time she tried to enter her daughter. He explains that the mother wants her daughter to have a father to get confidence. Philip admits he grew up without a father. 

Shinji says the private school test is in three weeks and so Philip will have to get to know the girl. At night, Philip walks the street until he finds Aiko at a restaurant. When he takes a seat, she gets up to leave, he asks that she stay for five minutes. Aiko is still angry at his reluctance at the wedding and calls him a gaijin, foreigner, who will never understand Japanese culture. Ouch! Philip says he is gaijin, but that he is home in Japan and wants to understand. 

It isn’t the language that Philip needs to tackle, he speaks Japanese very well, but has to get past the cultural barrier. He asks Aiko why she works at Rental Family. She says the people look at them like they waited their whole lives. Tado says on the phone that he is coming home. He enters his house, his wife (Yuka Itaya) is cooking dinner, he asks about the game and his wife shakes her head in a negative. Tada sits next to his son (Hinata Kaizu) who says he lost the soccer game missing a pentalty kick. He gets encouragement from Tado. Beautiful shots of Tokyo at night. Philip is at his balcony, practicing meeting Mia, who will be his daughter, as Kevin. 

The next day, Philip walks into a building to meet with Hitomi Kawasaki (Shino Shinozaki), Mia’s mother. This is the first film for Shinozaki. She brings him a backpack that Mia always wanted and Hitomi also adds her daughter doesn’t know he is meeting her. Philip follows Hitomi who takes a seat next to Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), comoplte with pigtails, reading a book. This is also Gorman's first movie. She introduces Mia to Kevin, he gives a kinda smile. The look she gives him, the father she never knew, it just looks like years of being ignored. He gives her the backpack and she throws it at him! Philip tries to apologize and Mia runs away. 

He says her mom needed him to help her get into the private school. She pushes him back. Hitomi catches up to them and confirms that Kevin is needed. Mia holds up her pinkie and has him swear never to leave them. He agrees and Mia sings a Japanese song that if he breaks the swear he will swallow a thousand needles and die! She pulls away her mother to walk down steps. An older man tries to apologize to a room filled with cardboard executives. Tado shouts at him and the man bows saying he begs forgiveness from taking from the employee retirement fund! He takes a call from Philip who says, “She hates me!” Tada says that’s being a parent. He has a new client, the actor, Kikuo Hasegawa. 

Tado explains that Kikuo’s daughter thinks he is forgotten so she wants someone to interview him.This is fascinating, a successful actor having a struggling actor to remind him of his work. Philip reads a book by Kikuo while on the subway. He introduces himself as John Conway to the house keeper, Mrs. Ogawa (Masayo Umezawa). He is led into the house and told don’t bring up the Ronin of Hiroshima. Philip enters Kikuo’s room, jazz is playing as Kikuo (Akira Emoto) is asleep in a chair. Emoto is a veteran actor who was in The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003). Philip quietly looks at his photos and trophies. 

He is startled when Kikuo asks him if he is a thief, Philip says he is a writer, Kikuo says, “All writers are thieves.” His desk has a katana and several kabuki masks. Philip introduces himself as a reporter from Vivid Frame magazine. Kikuo looks closely at his business card. He asks in English if he plays music, Philip says his father played bass, Kikuo bursts up and enacts the improvisation of jazz in a sort of dance! His English is struggling, but perfectly understandable. I just love the grumpy, seasoned actor. Masami (Sei Matobu), Kikuo’s daughter rushes up to her father. She brings his sandals, but he likes walking barefoot. Masami is the daughter who really doesn’t understand her father. Kikuo is the elderly man who still has so much to say, but no one to listen. 

The next day, Philip is early to meet with Mia and Hitomi, his earliness shows how much Mia and Kikuo mean to him. The young and the elderly, both needing connection, wuthg Philip who is disconnected. Mia passes him to go into school. Material are brought by the students to their table, the parents stand against the wall until the teacher calls them to help build an animal with their kids. Philip sits next to Mia, but she leaves him to go to a boy, Shion (Rikuto Ishizuka) who is alone, no family. Mia asks Philip if he can be his dad as she brings to her table. He says he wants to build a “Shark-topus.” Mia and Shion, she thanks him, and gives him a gift, a wire of jellyfish. 

Later, Philip hangs up the jellyfish artwork at his window and smiles. This movie is so kind and wonderful. Sundown on Tokyo Tower, Philip gets a call from Toda who tells him to go to Karoke Box. Aiko is in a silver dress singing next to a short woman in a similar dress. Philip answer the phone on the street saying he loves video games. He plays a wrestling game next to a guy in a dark, cluttered room. The karaoke tune plays over the various jobs. Philip renacts a line from Kikuo’s films, “I will follow you.” Kikuo stands up with a kendo stick because it is from his movie he particularly doesn’t like, hilarous! Even though the story may be in a different culture and language, I think it applies even more to any audience because it is about human experience.

Five+ Business Cards out of Five! 

#RentalFamily, #Hikari, #StephenBlahut, #BrendanFraser, #ShannonMahinaGorman, #AkiraEmoto,  #TakehiroHira, #MariYamamoto, #KimuraBun, #ShinoShinozaki, #MisatoMorita, #NanamiKawakami, #ShoheiUno, #YukaItaya, #HinataKaizu, #TamaeAndo, #SeiMatobu, #MasayoUmezawa 

A Night of Stars, Jupiter, and Bob Gurr: Living by Design!

 February 28th, was a showing of the documentary, Bob Gurr: Living by Design, and also planets visible at the Griffith Park Observatory! Bob Gurr is the designer for many attractions in Disneyland, the monorail which always impresses me, Autopia, Main Street Vehicles, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. In the Q&A, Gurr said it now carries less people forced by the safety lawyers and designed by engineers. Originally Gurr said he sat on “a mock up visualizing every force that was going to happen in that car.” There was also the Haunted Mansion Doombuggies, the King Kong Encounter at Universal Studios, the sinking pirate ship for the Battle of Buccaneer Bay at Treasure Island, Las Vegas and creations for Burning Man in 2010! Bob Gurr is the host of his show, The Bob Gurr Show, with episodes on Youtube, check out: https://www.fandomproductions.com/the-bob-gurr-show. 

The documentary premiered on April 2025 at the Alex Theatre. There has been several showings of the documentary with plans to have it on home media. The film that screening at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills was introduced by the director, Frank H. Woodward. Bob Gurr grew up in Glendale, at one point, he visits his childhood home and invited in by the family who lives there. He also visits the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) to see the place where he watched planes as a child. He tours the planes with content creator, Justin Scarred. Gurr went to the Los Angeles Art Center School and then went to work for the Ford Motor Company. He gives a tour of the cars at the Petersen Automotive Museum. There is just history, craftsmanship, and love of cars shown by Gurr. He of course starts designing the Disneyland ride systems. 

Bob Gurr on stage with his characteristic red shoes after the Bob Gurr: Living by Design Screening, Fine Arts Theater, author’s photo. 

Gurr gives a tour to cast members of the Main Street Vehicles at the park. What becomes clear is that Walt Disney wanted the impossible for his attractions. Gurr’s skills didn’t follow standard mechanical engineering that made it impossible so he was free to make dreams into working creations. I asked Gurr about how the new technology rides break down while his designs still are in operation from 1955! He said “Here’s the problem. The algothrimic curve of improvements get harder and harder and cost more because of the natural competition between theme parks or with the same company with different parks. I’m waiting for the day when someone puts their foot down and say, `Must a minute, let’s back up a minute, this infernal chase for ever more technology and all these things for immersive and all this stuff.’” 

Gurr continued, “So why doesn’t someone write a nice story and let’s look at how you might make that into a machine. Think of the terms of what you might build and won’t break.” In 1981, Disney had only licensed designers working on their attractions and Gurr was fired. He turned it around an incorporated himself! Gurr went on to design for other theme parks, the flying saucer in the 1984 Olympics. He made a Disney Legend in 2004. We see Gurr at the Disney Legends Plaza at Walt Disney Studios. He has a talk with Garner Holtand visits the students designing animatronic birds. This was for the Bog Gurr Scholarship Fund and Garner Holt Foundation. There are also the cruises that he takes, hosts the Waltland tours, conventions and other appearances. 

The moon, stars, and Griffith Park Observatory during the Planetary Alignment, photo by the author. 

Afterwards, there was a Q&A and signing of various posters and other merch. What is also characteristic of Bob Gurr is his storytelling and humor. Also that night, I was interested in seeing the Planetary Alignment, which is said to return in 2040! I eventually thought that Griffith Park Observatory would be the best place to see it. You can visit yourself and still see the planets, I was told March 6th would be a cluster of planets, check out: https://griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/ The alignment was explained by a worker there that it is not a line, but the planets that happen to be visible from our planet. The traffic going to the observatory is challenging so I had only arrived when most of the planets were no longer visible. Still, there was a telescope to see the only planet that could be seen was Jupiter. There were so many people, families, that were at the observatory. I loved that there were so many people excited about science and learning. It was great to see Jupiter through the telescope. A fanastic night seeing the Bob Gurr: Living by Design documentary, also Gurr in person, and also being able to see Jupiter in the night sky! 

#BobGurrLivingByDesign, #FineArtsTheater, #BobGurr, #FrankHWoodward, #JustinScarred, #GarnerHolt, #GriffithParkObservatory  

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Finale, Review!

The conclusion of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is the aftermath of the Trial of Seven, little action, but strong drama! “The Morrow” is directed by Sarah Adina Smith, she had directed ep, 4, “Seven.” It is written by Ira Parker and Ti Mikkel, she co-wrote the previous ep, “In the Name of the Mother.” The title is the best medieval way to say the Next Day. First, a flashback to the spoiler at the end of last ep.: Dunk had assembled all of his seven champions for the Trial of the Seven. 

It ended with Dunk forcing Prince Aerion to withdrawn his accusation. He did so to the crowd cheering. Then, Dunk set down asks who has died. Steely Pate says, “Beesbury and Hardyng in the first charge.” The Humfreys have died and Ser Hardyng did not get his revenge. He has found the lance went into Dunk’s armor. 

Steely Pate says burning oil should be poured on his wound. He is corrected by Prince Baelor that it is wine to be poured on the wound. He promises Maester Yormwell to tend to Ser Dunk after Aerion. Dunk says, “Your Grace. I am your man.” Baelor says he needs good knights. Dunk staggers back, Prince Baelor asks Ser Raymun to remove his helmet, I know what happens next! Raymun staggers over to him as Prince Baelor says his fingers feel like wood. He asks for Steely Pate to help him. 

The blacksmith says the helmet is crushed. Prince Baelor turns to Ser Raymun and says it was his brother’s mace. Steely Pate pulls the helmet free. Ser Raymun hops over to see the back of Prince Baelor’s head. The prince turns, the back of his head is a bloody mess, Egg is shocked. Prince Baelor Targaryen, Hand of the King and Heir to the Iron Throne, falls down dead. What could have been if he lived and bring honor to the Targaryens and the Seven Kingdoms? 

Dunk repeats again and again, “Get up” to plead for him like Ser Arlan and “I’m sorry” as Egg kneels next to him. A trumpet almost the blues is heard as we see Ser Lyonel and a masester (Paul Murphy) in a black cloak standing before a overhanging tree. Finally, Lyonel offers a flask, which is to Dunk still with a battered face, swollen and now black eye, silent leaning on a tree. It is his tree and Dunk is laid out and doesn’t move his body!

 Lyonel says it was a “wonderful tournament”, he has a cut above his right eye, bloodied nose bridge, and a wound healing on his cheek. Ashford Septon waves a smoky branch in front of the hedge knight. Lyonel says Dunk could join him, Dunk just stares at him, the septon says Dunk is dying. He is sent away by Lyonel who tells Dunk he should go with him to Storm’s End. Ser Lyonel groans getting up and using a crutch. Dunk finally says it is a good offer, but Lyonel should be more respectful to Prince Baelor. 

A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS -- “The Morrow” -- PETER CLAFFEY, DEXTER SOL ANSELL -- Photo Credit: Steffan Hill/HBO. 

Lyonel bursts out, “I fought for you!” We see the split shield and sword next to Dunk. Lyonel says “there is a war coming” and offers Dunk to be by his side. There is no mourning here, just morning. Lyonel says that the caravan leaves after the “roast.” It may be the funeral pyre for Prince Baelor. Prince Maekar stands to the side along with two Whitecloaks. The young Ashford Septon gives the ceremonial words. 

Prince Valarr is also at the ceremony. Maeker just watches. Later, Dunk is at the now extinguished pyre and Prince Valarr sits and says that his father died in his armor. He asks why the gods took a man who be a “great king” and spared him. Dunk limps through the Ashford marketplace. Ser Raymun Fossoway calls Dunk over. Dunk thinks everyone blames him for Baelor’s death. Raymun limps over to Dunk to hug him. He points out that Steffon took the tent thinking his cousin betrayed him. Raymun smiles saying he defeated him. 

He points out the green apple on his shield that he had made to differ from Steffon’s “wormy, red one.” This was before the trial, but I’m glad it was somewhere in the story. A ginger woman (Rowan Robinson) in a red dress walks out to pour some water. He introduces Rowan and kisses her. Dunk doesn’t realize that she is his wife! Funny. She had watched him in the trial and fancied Raymun! He explains that he didn’t have a squire so Rowan helped him out his armor. She notes that she is going to have a baby. Um, a baby in one night? 

This is the Red character, the prostitute at Ser Manfred Dondarrion, so he must be the father!, and then cheered for Dunk at the trial. Robinson played Zaya in the fantasy show, The Wayfinders (2025-2026). Dunk is stunned and Raymun winks at him. Two knights ride up hailing Ser Duncan for Prince Maekar. Dunk hobbles with them. Prince Maekar is in a cold room, Dunk is there, and he sends away the guards. The prince says he sent Aerion to the Free Cities in the East. Where his childhood friend, Rafe, wanted to go. 

Maekar says, struggling to keep an even voice that some would say he wanted to kill his brother. Dunk says Maekar swung the mace, but blames himself since he was the point of the Trial of Seven. He had said nothing to Baelor and the prince volunteering fully knowing that he would be in danger. Maekar is calm now, but during the trial, he fully knew who he was attacking, it may have been an accident, but is still to blame. 

He says Dunk hears the whispers, but that everything that goes wrong in the kingdoms would have been stopped by Baelor and his death blamed on the hedge knight. Under his tree, Dunk wondered if he could have lost a hand or foot in “exchange for a prince’s life.” Maekar asks with contempt what his tree told him. Dunk tells him that Ser Arlan would say every evening, “What will the morrow would bring.” Nice title reference and exact words from the novella. 

We see Egg, in a black cap and his noble clothes, listening in through a crack in the door. Dunk says that there might be a need for his foot more than a prince’s life. Maekar vehemently disagrees. The emotional context is in the series, just the words are on the page. Maekar slowly walks behind Dunk and says his youngest son, Egg, should be a squire. He continues saying Egg will only serve Ser Duncan. Dunk says he is a good boy. 

Maekar says Dunk will serve him at Summerhall and Aegon will then be his squire. He says his master-at-arms will complete Dunk’s training. This is interesting, my take reading it was Maekar was humbled and wanted to do right by Baelor with Ser Duncan, but here, there is a veil of contempt. Dunk coughs, asks for forgiveness, but says he no longer wants to be around princes. Though Egg is technically a prince! We see Egg’s face again. Dunk struggles to limp down the stairs and sees Egg in a corner like a time-out!  

Sitting next to him with the window between them, Dunk asks Egg if he was spying. He says no and asks if Dunk is in pain. Instead, Dunk says, “I can’t.” Egg says that maybe he isn’t the knight he thought he was and walks away. I think that one hurt more than most of hits from the trial! A closeup of Dunk’s face. Ser Arlan, in flashback with the tree and hill that began the series, asks Dunk if he heard of a story. Dunk says it was from Ser Arlan. The knight just continues saying that a lord told “the boys” to nail a penny to a tree and to take it down after the battle. 

The origin of his name, nice! Dunk asks why Ser Arlan did not knight him. He gets no response. Dunk cries and then suddenly Ser Arlan revives! He says, “A true knight always finishes a story.” Dunk is back at the Beesbury tent, there are cheers to Ser Beesbury and Hardyng, he is quiet. Raymun wonders how the bees stay in a hive covering a stone casket. Rowan tells him the queen bee is in the coffin. I’m getting serious Samwell Tarly and Gilly vibes from this couple! There was no Rowan in the novella. 

Valarr takes a seat and Dunk limps over to him saying the knights died because of him. He asks if Dunk will take Egg as his squire. Valarr says his brother is not a monster. Dunk thinks he is talking about Egg, but it is Aerion. Valarr says he was a “glad child” who liked fishing. We see flies around a plate of fish, Egg is slumped on the side of his bed, he walks over to see himself in a mirror. Very Taxi Driver (1976)! He walks over to his sleeping brother with a knife behind his back! 

Egg looks tearful and hears a noise, turning to see his father sitting in the darkness. Maekar puts his hands on Egg’s shoulder and the knife drops. A knock at the door as a guard says it is Ser Duncan. He is waiting in a hallway when Lady Gwin says she doesn’t blame Dunk for what happened on her name day. The conversation with Egg including these scenes are all additions to the novella. Ser Maekar hurriedly walks into his room. Dunk says Baelor’s last words were the realm needs good men. 

He agrees to take Egg as his squire, not at Summerhall, this continues the conversation that was in the novella. Dunk says Egg could learn from being away from nobles and castles. Instead, he will live the life of a hedge knight, in stables and on the road. Maekar says Aegon is son of the dragon, so here we go again, the same as Aerion! Dunk nods. Maekar says to Dunk, “He’s my last son”, and then leaves. Dunk readies the staddles for Chestnut and then Sweetfoot appears! He never brought up in the novella. 

Ser Samwell, err, Raymun brought Sweetfoot. Dunk says he isn’t going with Ser Lyonel. He asks about Raymun who says his father is having a new cider business. Dunk gives Raymun Sweetfoot and he bites a green apple to feed the white horse. Alone, Dunk uses a knife to nail a penny to the oak tree. Dunk talks to Chestnut saying he doesn’t know where Ser Arlan would go. Then, he hears Egg call his name! He jumps down with his green cape saying his father told Egg to serve Duncan. Dunk corrects him, “Serve you, Ser Duncan” and gives Chestnut to Egg. 

They ride and Dunk says they could go anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms, Egg corrects him saying nine kingdoms. He names off the nine kingdoms, hilarious!, Dunk tries to work it out. Egg says, “They have good puppet shows in Dorne.” We see them ride down the road, a wheat field to the side and Ser Arlan riding behind them before turning away on Sweetfoot. End scene: Prince Aerion is on a carriage, Maekar rides back asking about Aegon, he screams about his son again escaping him! The end credits run with “Sixteen Tons”, the song by Tennesee Ernie Ford. This show has some strange music and song choices. 

Largely, this is a dramatic ep with very little action, if the writers wanted some action, the long flashback with Rafe could have brought over to this ep. I’m disappointed that Tanselle is never shown, basically a damsel in distress, a little underwritten part in the novella and show. I would have at least liked to see her bandaged hand and looking as she is leaving Ashford. Great beginning, Ep. 3 and 4 were highlights, then it kinda lags, but the show is still the best! Read the novella if you need more Dunk and Egg adventure. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a fantasy with its own hard edged “reality”, Dunk and Egg are the best pair especially Claffey and Ansell!, there is still more adventures ahead! 

Four+ Shields out of Five! 

#AKnightOfTheSevenKingdoms, #TheMorrow, #SarahAdinaSmith, #IraParker, #TiMikkerl, #PeterClaffey, #DexterSolAnsell, #DannyWebb, #DanielIngs, #SamSpruell, #DanielIngs, #OscarMorgan, #CaraHarris, #FinnBennett, #PaulMurphy