The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms won over Game of Thrones fans with plenty of standout moments.
The HBO series is the latest spinoff set in Westeros, although it's a much smaller-scale story about the optimistic hedge knight, Dunk (Peter Claffey), and his loyal squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). While there are no dragons or even a glimpse of the Iron Throne, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms delivers some big moments.
The show is confident enough to try an unexpectedly comedic tone, making for some hilarious moments. There are also scenes that make these new characters new fan favorites in the franchise. Of course, there are also hard-hitting moments of battle that pack a bunch, despite the smaller story.
To celebrate the great first season, I ranked the six best moments that helped establish A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
6. The theme song fakeout
The first scene of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms does a lot of great work in setting this new tone for the franchise. There are a few quirky comedic moments while also presenting it as more grimy and grounded.
However, one joke achieves this better than anything else and resets the audience’s expectations in a great way. As Dunk sees his path ahead as a knight, the familiar music swells as if we are going to cut to the iconic theme song. Instead, Dunk’s stomach gurgles, and it cuts to him squatting behind a tree to relieve himself.  The unceremonious title card solidifies this as a true underdog story.
5. Egg reveals his identity
Egg quickly steals the show as the latest in a long list of precocious young Game of Thrones characters. He is as passionate about being a squire as Dunk is about being a knight, but that doesn’t mean he is going to be polite about it.
Egg’s confidence in speaking his mind makes a lot more sense when his true identity is revealed. When Dunk is about to be killed for standing up to the sadistic Aerion Targaryen, Egg stops his brother and surprises Dunk by revealing he is Prince Aegon. It is a spectacular twist that changes the show and gives Egg a true heroic moment.
4. Dunk appeals to the knights of Westeros
Dunk is a great hero at the center of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms because he is so different from the other overly serious Game of Thrones protagonists. However, while he is not necessarily the brightest man, and he is hilariously awkward, he does have the ability to inspire those around him.
When looking for another knight to join his team in the trial of seven, Dunk gives a passionate speech, appealing to the oaths they swore to do the right thing. Even as the audience laughs at him, Dunk holds onto his dignity and refuses to become a cynic.
3. Prince Baelor fights for Dunk
A big theme of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is characters who have something to prove. That is seen in the lowly hedge knight, but also in the prince set to inherit the Iron Throne. When the other knights fail to answer Dunk’s call, Prince Baelor Targaryen joins his team in the battle.
Baelor may be one of the most powerful men in Westeros, but there is a sense that he wants to do this to prove to people that the Targaryens are not all evil, greedy lords. It is a triumphant moment that validates Dunk’s optimism while also setting up the brutal twist to come.
2. Ser Arlan saves Dunk
Throughout the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, we see Ser Arlan of Pennytree, the knight under whom Dunk serves, in various flashbacks. These quick moments give the impression that he was a less-than-impressive knight. While that might be true, the moment he meets Dunk proves he can step up to the occasion.
After Dunk’s beloved friend is killed, the corrupt Gold Cloaks are about to murder Dunk when a drunken Ser Arlan charges to his defense. It is a wild and chaotic fight that shows how little Ser Arlan was prepared for the deadly confrontation, but he didn’t give it a second thought because it was the right thing to do.
1. Dunk stands
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms delivers perhaps the most brutal fight in Game of Thrones history with Dunk's trial of seven. It is another moment that highlights the griminess of this story and a viciousness that makes it hard to watch.
Dunk gets several nasty injuries throughout the fight, leading to his face-off with Prince Aerion. Battered and beaten, he appears to be dead. But, the moment Dunk gasps another breath and stands to fight on marks a great moment in his underdog story.
You can watch all six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO and HBO Max now. HBO has renewed the series for a second season.