A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can finally highlight an aspect of George R.R. Martin's books that the other Game of Thrones shows haven't had much time for. The latest Game of Thrones spinoff has already proven to be quite a different show, with a funnier and smaller-scale story than fans are used to.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdom's first episode highlighted this approach, clearly setting itself apart in the franchise. However, the first episode also hinted that the show could do justice to some elements of the Song of Ice and Fire books that have been otherwise glossed over in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
A Song of Ice and Fire highlights the smallfolk, but the shows have not
A Song of Ice and Fire is obviously a story about the power struggle between powerful people looking to control the Iron Throne. Indeed, many of the characters who are at the center of that power struggle are the main focus of the narrative. However, George R.R. Martin has also made it clear that this is also a story about how these wars impact the entire kingdom.
A Feast of Crows, the fourth book in the series, finds characters like Brienne interacting more with the smallfolk, giving us a glimpse at their lives and how they have become collateral damage in this war between lords. However, their stories are far less important in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. While there are brief moments showing the struggles of the people in Flea Bottom, or how the armies abuse the smallfolk, they are fleeting moments until the story refocuses on Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen.
It is not necessarily a criticism of the other shows, as they both have a lot of material to cover and are indeed focused on the battle for the Iron Throne. However, it is essential that the franchise remembers that Martin's books highlight how the fighting between lords over a silly chair doesn't matter to the people who are just trying to live through the day. Finally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can deliver those stories.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the perfect show to highlight the smallfolk
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already presented itself as an underdog story. The now-famous pooping scene in the first episode is funny, but it also serves as a way of showing that this is not a story about dignified lords and ladies, as songs are often written about. It is going to show the unseen parts of Westeros.
This theme is quickly hammered home in the first episode when Dunk stops at an inn on his way to the tourney in Ashford. The innkeeper mentions, "I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs." Even Dunk's own ambitions to become a knight are already shown to be less heroic and noble than he imagines they are.
His life as a hedge knight is going to be far less glamorous than what we have typically seen in these shows. He will be interacting more with the smallfolk, seeing their problems and struggles up close, and understanding how little notice they get from a king.
There are more twists to come in this story, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may not always be about this underdog. However, even if Ser Duncan the Tall rises to more impressive places in Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already planting the seeds to ensure he is someone who will not forget where he came from.