"The Squire" has some terrific new scenes that really explore Dunk and Egg's friendship and shocking drama! The director of the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Sarah Adina Smith. She also directed two episodes of the action show adaptation, Hanna (2019). The writing team includes Hiram Martinez, who wrote 2 eps of the sci fi series, Snowpiercer (2020) and Annie Julia Wyman who was story editior and writer for the crimes show, Tokyo Vice. Dunk is asleep, his face half lit with red, the blue of darkness is at his other side as well as showing Egg staring at him. He looks up and makes a horse nickering, a better opening that the other two eps! It is early morning, Egg holds out his hand to Thunder, he calms the war hourse. Then, he takes Thunder out for a stroll, beautiful photography of the misty morning, sun glowing through the trees.Thunder becomes uncooperative with Egg yanking on his reins.
Egg starts to calmly talk to Thunder and says a horse doesn’t want to be ordered around to which the warhorse nods! Horse whisperer?nHe says that he needs Thunder’s help for the joust. Egg screams to have Thunder charge and the warhorse is still in place! Funny! Finally, Thunder trots forward. Next, we see Thunder at a full gallop, impressive. I really like this scene because it is added from the novella. Egg pretends to hand Dunk his lance and then sword, cheering on Thunder racing across the meadow, suddenly an older man with an eyepatch (William Houston) and a staff asks if he stole the horse. Houston was the herald in The Last Knight (2021). The man tries to reach for Thunder, but the warhorse bucks and he retreats. Then, we get two riders at a joust, ending with a shattered lance! One rider has a bloody eye. Flashback, Egg recognizes Ser Robyn Rhysling, Ser Robyn says he is a “vessel for the Warrior.”
We finally get to see Dunk who is sewing a patch when Egg arrives with Thunder. Dunk orders him to brush down the warhorse. He shows Egg how to sew and tells him it takes practice. Egg is paring a stick with his knife in a tree. He idly sings a song of the Targaryens! Dunk asks Egg to get his armor for the joust. Egg says he doesn’t have a shield, Dunk says they will pick it up on the way, Egg counters that only high born knights start the jousts. Dunk did not know this part! A butcher is about to behead a goose and Dunk tries to explain he only wants the eggs. Tanselle in a blue dress walks up as Dunk has two handfuls of eggs. She tells him that the shield will be ready in the evening. Egg makes fun of him as Dunk puts the eggs in his pouch! Egg stirs in the eggs as Dunk stirs the salt beef. They have it in millet bread. Next, they cheer at the joust, Egg is right at the edge so he doesn’t need a boost.
Egg and Dunk mock each other, then argue about ale since Egg finds it disgusting! They overlook the tents and Egg says he wants to live there. He says he will be a war campaign and returns to be rewarded and marries this lord’s “second most beautiful daughter.” Egg tells Dunk he would marry the first most beautiful daughter. I really like this added dialogue with the friendship developing with knight and squire. Dunk says he is a good worker and Egg asks him if he can continue as his squire. The hedge knight worries about losing his first joust. Before he can say anything about Egg as his squire, they are interrupted by Plummer who is still hocking phlegm, and go for a walk. The Master of the Games admits that Lord Ashford overspent on his daughter’s tournament. Ashford faces difficult times and Plummer says he is looking to “reverse their fortunes.” He asks Dunk about the youngest son, Ser Androw.
Flashback to the knight with the red shield, unhorsing his opponent, Plummer says a challenger may come around and unhorse Ser Androw with some bets on that knight. Dunk starts to walk away and says he doesn’t want a thrown competition. Plummer says he would get Ser Androw’s horse, weapons, and armor. He would like an answer on the next day. Dunk is left alone and then he hears horns blaring. Everyone is headed to the joust including a troubled Dunk and Egg. A herald announces Prince Aerion Brightflame. The knight rides up with his red cloak and armor of dark plates. He is the same knight who mistook Dunk for a stableboy when he arrived in Ashford. It is a bit confusing which knight is which, but this is the end of the joust seen last episode in the novella. Ser Baelor watches his nephew sitting next to Lord Ashford. He acknowledges his father and then rides to the tent of his Prince Valaar. He says he won’t embarrass him and then rides over to the tent of Ser Hubert Humfrey Hardyng (Ross Anderson).
He says, “It’s time you faced the dragon.” Ser Hubert’s helmet has a red face. Aerion’s helmet looks almost like Dr. Doom with slots like eyes in an angry expression and red spines. Ser Humfrey rides out to cheers. They start their charge and Egg screams out almost desperately, “Kill him! Ser Humfrey points his lance downwards, but Prince Aerion dodges it! They pick up new lances and Prince Aerion lowers his lance at the list fence. Dunk is shocked saying, “He’s too low.” This strikes Ser Humfrey’s war horse who goes spinning breaking another list fence. They fall with the horse crushing Ser Humfrey’s legs and he screams in pain! This is far more graphic in the novella so warning to any animal lovers. Gwin shuts her eyes at the horrific display. Ser Baelor lowers his eyes. The crowd is angry, Prince Aerion rides up to his fallen opponent opening his visor, Ser Humfrey’s face covered with blood, and one of the crowd throws a rock at Prince Aerion shutting his visor.
It turns to chaos with guards running over to the scene. The two Whitecloaks charge out of a gate with their horses. The crowd is held back by guards. The master of the joust, a man in yellow surcoat, walks over to the horse with a halberd. He raises the halberd. Egg tells Dunk he wants to go and they both leave through the crowd. Dunk calls it a mishap and wants Egg to be ready for a mishap when he jousts. Egg says it wasn’t a mishap, look at his eyes!, all of the sad hatred burns in his eyes, powerful. He loves horses. A shirtless Ser Lyonel complete with his antler helmet begins to sing. The lightness of Ser Lyonel’s drunkness just can’t lift up spirits after Prince Aerion’s joust. The rest of his party sings along about poor Alice who lost two of her fingers. Of course, Dunk and Egg are somber at a table. Egg wonders if the song is true and if there was an Alice. He says he could be a “story of honor”, a crippled girl getting past her condition and pleasuring men. Egg says her real name was Hope and that belongs to anyone who needs hope. A kinda poetic phrase for such a drunken song.
Later in the market, Dunk asks Egg if he knew his father, he says his own father was hanged for being a thief in Flea Bottom. Dunk walks to see Plummer and then continues on. A fortune teller in a ragged black cloak says Dunk will be successful and “richer than a Lannister.” Dunk says to tell Egg’s fotune. She says, “You shall be king”, then that he will die in a fire! Egg is shocked and Dunk laughs. Raymun Fossoway greets Dunk and he introduces Raymun to his squire. Raymun wants Dunk to join him with a cuppa cider. Egg wants to see the puppet show and says he will bring Dunk’s shield. At Raymun’s tent, he asks whom Dunk will challenge, Dunk replies maybe Ser Androw. Raymun tells Dunk that Aerion was angry at Lord Ashford for giving up his horse. Dunk says that Egg thought Aerion intended to kill Humfrey’s horse. Raymun is angry at the Targaryens and says they not honorable. Egg watches the puppet show with a knight, played by Tanselle, fighting a dragon. It breathes fire blocked by the knight’s shield.
Dunk notices Prince Aerion is there. The knight stabs the dragon, it shrieks, and blood like red flowers toss out of it. Everyone is quiet as Tanselle stares at Aerion! I really dread this part. Raymun and Dunk are laughing at the tent. Dunk says Prince Maekar was missing at the joust. Raymun says he had left in the morning to find his sons, Daeron and the youngest son. He says they left Summerhall, but never showed up in Ashford. Egg enters shouting Ser Duncan’s name! I’m really not looking forward to what happens. He says Aerion’s “hurting her.” Dunk walks through the angry crowd. Aerion is on the stage and takes Tanselle’s finger and breaks it! Difficult for me to write that part. Tanselle screams. Dunk’s eyes blaze and he charges Aerion hitting him several times and throwing him down. He is held by guards. Aerion picks himself up and spits blood. He says Tanselle is a traitor because dragons never lose. Dunk is silent. Aerion says one of his teeth is loose so all of Dunk’s teeth will be broken! Spoiler for the ending! "The Squire" episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms revolves around Egg which is great, the joust, and the ending are stunning!
Five+ Shields out of Five!
#AKnightOfTheSevenKingdoms, #SarahAdinaSmith, #HiramMartinez, AnnieJuliaWyman, #IraParker, #PeterClaffey, #DexterSolAnsell, #TanzynCrawford, #DanielIngs, #FinnBennett
#OscarMorgan, #RossAnderson, #PaulHunter, #CaraHarris, #TomVaughanLawlor, #WilliamHouston
