We've reached a major turning point in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The third episode of HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff is now out in the world, and with it, one of the big reveals of George R.R. Martin's novella "The Hedge Knight." As Dunk (Peter Claffey) finds himself in mortal danger after throwing fists with Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennet), his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) comes to the rescue with a shocking revelation. He's no simple peasant boy; the squire's true identity is Aegon Targaryen, youngest son of Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell) and Aerion's own little brother.
We don't see what happens next after this revelation, but it's obvious that there will be no going back to the simple way things were for Dunk and Egg. And that's just one of the exciting things that went down in "The Squire." As we do each week, Marq Nettles and I break it all down on our weekly Take the Black podcast. Check it out below:
We spend a lot time with our titular squire in this episode, and it's a charming affair. From Egg training with the warhorse Thunder and trying to imagine himself with Ser Duncan on the field, to wandering the market town in Ashford, to a joust that goes suddenly wrong, Egg is everywhere in Episode 3 — which feels just right.
There are also some interesting developments for House Targaryen, which has fallen far from grace by the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We get deep into discussing that, courtesy of Aerion's violent methods on the tourney field and Raymun Fossoway's (Shaun Thomas) outburst to Dunk about the former dragon-riding family.
We also spend a little time this episode talking about some massive fantasy news: the huge deal Brandon Sanderson and Apple TV just signed to develop his interconnected Cosmere universe for the screen. Mistborn movies! A Stormlight Archive show! How could we not talk about it?
The Take the Black Podcast is on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube! Please subscribe, download, and rate us there or on your podcast platform of choice if you want to show us some love!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres new episodes on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. New episodes of Take the Black drop on YouTube and all the usual podcast platforms right after each installment of the the show ends. Come along with us as we see what perils await Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg in the weeks ahead!