Warning: This text incorporates spoilers for the collection premiere of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”
The debut of any new present set in the identical world as the unique “Recreation of Thrones” is all the time sure to fire up dialog, and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” has positively lived as much as the hype in that regard. The premiere virtually instantly had tongues wagging through the very first scene, when our foremost protagonist Dunk (Peter Claffey) buries his late grasp Ser Arlan (Danny Webb) and appears forward to the long run. The upcoming tourney at Ashford Meadow supplies a tantalizing glimmer of glory and heroism, the well-known “Recreation of Thrones” theme kicks in, and all of it builds to a fever pitch … earlier than slicing to our humble hedge knight, uh, evacuating his bowels behind a tree in essentially the most undignified method conceivable.
Understandably, viewers skilled a variety of reactions to this second — primarily, why use that particular music cue within the first place? Fortunately, co-creator and showrunner Ira Parker not too long ago spoke throughout a roundtable interview (which /Movie attended) and addressed this very matter. In accordance with the author:
“On the web page, it was written as, ‘Dunk hears the hero theme in his head,’ and we did not know precisely what the hero theme was going to be at that time. However once we tried a complete bunch of issues out, Dunk’s hero theme that [composer Dan Romer] developed for the present felt like Dunk on this second now. However what he is listening to in his head is that decision to greatness, that decision of a possible one thing else sooner or later. And so, what’s the finest name to greatness of the entire world than the ‘Recreation of Thrones’ theme, essentially the most iconic theme that is ever been laid down earlier than?”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms makes use of the Recreation of Thrones scene for an ideal, character-centric motive
What a approach to set “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” other than some other present within the franchise, eh? The “Recreation of Thrones” model has by no means hesitated to throw viewers headfirst into the muck and dirt of Westeros earlier than, however this occasion in some way felt a bit extra visceral than followers could have been anticipating. Many have been fast to take to social media to precise their displeasure on the visible of Dunk relieving himself explosively (simply as others have been fast to defend it), however what was actually occurring right here? As soon as once more, Ira Parker supplies the reply — and it has all the things to do with Dunk’s sophisticated headspace at that second in time. As he defined:
“As quickly as [Dunk] hears that music, the truth of what it takes to really go off and do this and the way terrifying it’s hits him, and forces him into a really unheroic crouch […] that yields unhealthy issues for him. Which I feel, hopefully [laughs], could be very comprehensible to lots of people who’ve had large concepts and never identified precisely — , been hit with the truth of, ‘How do I am going off and do that?'”
After all, the web has a method of studying somewhat an excessive amount of into issues. Whereas some questioned whether or not this gross subversion of expectations was actually vital, others interpreted it as a direct shot fired at both of the 2 predecessor exhibits that got here earlier than. Contemplating Parker beforehand labored on “Home of the Dragon” and in addition speaks extremely of the unique “Recreation of Thrones,” that principle appears quite unlikely.
New episodes of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” air on HBO and HBO Max each Sunday.
