The second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues the saga of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his precocious squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). After the slowburn season premiere laid the groundwork for the series and cemented the relationship between our leading duo, "Hard Salt Beef" introduces a slew more characters and brings Dunk to the point of no return. By the time the credits roll, he's more determined than ever to prove his worth in the tourney, even as he comes to understand just how daunting a proposition that will be.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 Episode 2, "Hard Salt Beef."
Ser Arlan of Pennytree was a benefit to those around him
The second episode of HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff begins with Dunk recounting the life and virtues of his former knightly master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). The flashback sequences here offer more insights into what Dunk and Ser Arlan's travels were like together, including a bit more of Ser Arlan than I think any of us needed to see in the form of a full frontal nude scene revealing his massive genitals. This is obviously not a detail from the book, and I can only imagine how whatever creative behind the series chuckled to themself when they came up with the idea to have Ser Arlan so heroically endowed completely out of nowhere.
Eventually it's revealed that this montage with Dunk narrating is actually his attempt to refresh the memory of various knights around the tourney grounds, in hopes that one of them will remember Ser Arlan. It cuts back to the present right as Dunk is making his pitch to Leo "Longthorn" Tyrell (Steve Wall), but alas, the Longthorn doesn't remember Ser Arlan any more than Manfred Dondarrion did last episode.
I like that this sequence gives us an idea of what sort of knight Ser Arlan was; that he wasn't keen for gold or glory, and had few friends, but always strived to be a benefit to those around him. Given how much political baggage usually comes with being a knight in Westeros in previous series, Ser Arlan's more liberated status as a hedge knight is refreshing, and in its own way, almost more honorable.
I also have to shout out a fun little detail: during the bit of the flashback where Dunk and Ser Arlan are huddling under a tree from the rain, they're eating salt beef. The final shot of the episode similarly shows Dunk ripping off a piece of salt beef, which serves as a nice bookend. It's tough as shoe leather and not the most pleasant meal to swallow — not unlike the bitter lessons this episode imparts to Dunk about his chances in the tourney and the sacrifices he'll have to make to get there.
House Targaryen arrives at Ashford Meadow
The montage leads into some nice banter between Egg and Dunk, where the young squire tries to convince Dunk that he shouldn't be groveling to the high lords since he himself is a knight. Before the conversation can wander too far afield though, trumpets blare to announce that House Targaryen has arrived. Egg has an interesting reaction to the Dragon lords' arrival, and promptly asks Dunk if he can head back to the camp instead of wandering the tourney grounds more.
That leaves Dunk alone to witness the arrival of the Targaryens: Baelor (Bertie Carvel), the heir to the Iron Throne; Maekar (Sam Spruell), Baelor's younger brother; and Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett), Maekar's son, who styles himself "Brightflame." Baelor gets the biggest welcome, but it's Aerion who makes the most striking impression on the audience and Dunk out of the gate. He assumes Dunk is a stable boy and tries to get him to tend to his mount, eventually insulting Dunk once he realizes he's a knight.
Despite Aerion's cold reaction to Dunk, the hedge knight does end up helping out with the prince's horse after it kicks a nearby stablehand. I love how much A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is leaning into Dunk's small kindnesses with animals. This leads into an introduction for two members of the Kingsguard: Ser Roland Crakehall (Wade Briggs) and Ser Donnel of Duskendale (Bill Ward). It's nice to see Dunk chatting with some other knights who actually treat him kindly, as well as this unique design on the Kingsguard armor, owing to the fact that we're halfway between the more ornate armor of House of the Dragon and the more modern of Game of Thrones on the timeline.
Ser Donnel gives Dunk some food for thought: he as well comes from humble origins. Rather than being a member of Duskendale's ruling family, House Darklyn, Donnel is the son of a crabber. You can see the wheels turning in Dunk's head at this revelation, though of course we get a hilarious turn on it by the end of the episode when Egg exclaims that Donnel's family owns half the crabbing fleets in Westeros. Humbling beginnings, indeed.
"Do you remember him, Your Grace?"
Next, Dunk follows some servants into the castle, where he overhears that Maekar's sons Daeron and Aegon are missing. Lord Ashford's daughter comes up to him and confirms as much, before calling him big and stupid and going on her merry way. Dunk truly cannot catch a break this episode; there's an even split between people who are taken in by his earnestness and show him kindness, and those who rag on him relentlessly.
Dunk is soon found out, since he's a giant dude trying to hide behind a small doorframe and Maekar spots him. Baelor invites Dunk into the meeting chamber, leading into my favorite scene of the episode, where Dunk asks Baelor Targaryen himself if he remembers Ser Arlan of Pennytree, since Ser Arlan often told stories of a joust where he faced Baelor many years ago. This scene is line-for-line from the book, but it's elevated by the performances of actors like Carvel, Claffey, and Spruell, as well as smart decisions about where to place the camera focus in any given moment. I especially like how Maekar gets some bemused reaction shots when Dunk second-guesses Baelor's recollection that Ser Arlan broke four lances fighting the dragon prince, rather than the seven the old knight always claimed.
Ultimately, Dunk manages to sway Baelor by recalling another of Ser Arlan's stories properly, where he defeated Damon Lannister, known as the Grey Lion. Dunk is admitted into the tournament, but with one catch: he can't use Ser Arlan's coat of arms on his shield, since he wasn't actually the old knight's son. Dunk needs his own sigil. This scene is a total highlight of the episode, and once it's over, Dunk is finally past his first hurdle on his quest to compete in the tourney.
"All men are fools and all men are knights, where women are concerned"
Fortunately, Dunk has a good idea of how to get his shield re-painted. He and Egg head to Tanselle's (Tamzyn Crawford) next puppet show, and after it's over, he asks the puppeteer if she can design a new sigil for him. Tanselle is the painter of the troupe, while her uncle makes all the puppets, and as such she's the perfect pick for a job like this.
There's a cute scene where Dunk stumbles over his words, while Egg looks mortified for him. There's a fun bit where Tanselle reveals that she was mocked as "Tanselle Too-Tall" as a child, which gets Dunk to nearly say that she's just the right height for him. It's another instance where the show took a bit of internal monologue from the book and blew it up into an awkward, cute bit of dialogue that makes Dunk, Egg, and Tanselle all more endearing. Smart decision, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
With Egg's help, Dunk settles on a sigil for Tanselle to paint on his shield: an elm tree, like the one he and the squire are camped beneath, with a shooting star overhead, against a field the color of sunset. Dunk's shield is an iconic image from the books, and I can't wait to see how it looks in the show.
"Will you heed my call to war?"
With Tanselle handling Dunk's shield, he and Egg spend some time hanging out and watching people play tug-of-war. The banter between these two is charming here, especially during the bit when Egg thinks Dunk is consoling him, only to realize Dunk had nothing further to say. Claffey and Ansell are great on screen together, and are doing a great job of owning these roles.
Dunk and Egg are soon press-ganged into playing tug-of-war on the side of Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), which of course makes for a fun little scene where Lyonel showboats and his team ultimately wins, thanks to Dunk.
Steely Pate sells only his own work
All the fun and games of the afternoon grow a little more serious by nightfall, when Dunk sets out to gain some new armor. He meets a blacksmith named Steely Pate (Yousseff Kerkour), however he can't afford to by any of Pate's armor. The casting for Steely Pate is completely on point, and Kerkour perfectly embodies the character's gruff exterior and hidden softness. He offers to hold a helmet Dunk takes a liking to for a day, in case he can drum up enough money for it.
Alas, Dunk has only one real way to make money: he sells one of Ser Arlan's horses. Sweetfoot is a gentle beast, and Dunk promises that if he wins the tournament, he can come back and buy her again. But there's a feeling he doesn't fully believe it even himself. This scene hits harder than its book counterpart, thanks to the extra work the show has done to build up Dunk as an animal lover and Claffey's performance. Dunk better win, because he can't be leaving Sweetfoot behind!
Dunk and Egg get one last scene of bonding over some cider (which Egg isn't especially keen on, since his has a bug in it), before horns blare to announce the beginning of the tourney. It's time for a night joust!
The joust begins!
Lord Ashford and the Targaryens take up their spot on the dais overlooking the jousting field while Dunk, Egg, and all the rest of the people who want to watch the action crowd up to the fences. This entire sequence is fantastic, from the introduction of larger-than-life characters like Lord Medgar Tully (Russell Simpson) and Ser Humfrey Hardyng (Ross Anderson) and Lyonel Baratheon and Baelor's son Valarr Targaryen (Oscar Morgan, to the outrageous stunts the knights pull as they charge their horses at each other. We've seen tourneys before in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but this is the first time it's really felt like one captured the festivity and thrills of what it would be like to actually be at one of these events. It's an auspicious start to the tournament at Ashford Meadow!
Dunk and Egg have very different responses to the joust, however. Egg loses his mind with excitement, shouting and cheering. Dunk, meanwhile, starts to have a subtle panic attack, complete with some subjective sound design that builds with his anxiety.
Despite everything he's been through, this is the moment where the reality of what he faces really hits Dunk. When he and Egg return to their campsite, he finally opens up about the fact that no one remembers Ser Arlan, which probably means he wasn't that great a knight, which could mean that Dunk is even more ill-prepared than he thought. But rather than let this uncomfortable truth weigh him down, Dunk declares that on the morrow, he'll carry on as Ser Arlan's legacy and show the noble houses what his old master's training has made of him.
It's a solid way to end the episode, with real progress having been made by Dunk on multiple fronts, new characters making their debut, and a bit of stunning action to cap it all off. Extra points as well for some smart lore references, like Egg pretending he's killing "Blackfyre bastards." That's a reference to the Blackfyre Rebellions, where bastards of House Targaryen tried to overtake the Iron Throne. This is a historical event in Thrones, but in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms it happened within living memory. I doubt we'll learn too much more about the Blackfyres this season, but expect to hear that name more in season 2 and beyond.
Verdict
"Hard Salt Beef" is a solid second episode for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which takes all the details laid out from the season premiere, adds a bunch of new ones in, and uses it all to firmly hook us in for the remainder of the season. There's a feeling that this is the calm before the storm, with Dunk and Egg spending some good quality time together, and the Targaryens arriving to finally kick off the tourney. Dunk's personal journey to find someone to vouch for him was compelling, and his scene with Baelor Targaryen is a standout. It'll have us counting down the days until Episode 3 airs next week.