A knight’s tale that needs no dragons

With burnout being the defining state of our time, a new “Game of Thrones” spinoff may be the last thing most people want to see. The final seasons of that drama swooned into a creative tailspin that “House of the Dragon” couldn’t pull out of. Worse, that show transformed high fantasy’s most magnificent beasts into little more than pimped-out rides for pasty dictators.

Season 2 ended with clashing Targaryen factions heading to war, and . . .  lots of staring, which is pretty much how the first season wrapped up. Shortchanged viewers vociferously complained – including author and executive producer George R.R. Martin, who spun several furious complaints about the show’s direction on his blog before deleting them.

Enter “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” created by Martin and “House of the Dragon” co-executive producer Ira Parker, and part of a TV franchise that’s continuing to expand despite delivering diminishing returns.

Its hero, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), serves no lord, holds no glory and doesn’t even have a bar of soap to his name. Three horses, a rope to hold his long sword and his honor are the extent of his meager inheritance from the hedge knight he served until the man’s death.

Lacking a major “Thrones” character or house name to sell it, this six-part excursion about a nobody isn’t an obvious must-see. Herein lies our honest attempt to address any doubts and perhaps encourage skeptics to tag along with bravely bold Ser Duncan.

Fine. What is this noise about?

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is an adaptation of Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, the first of which introduces Dunk and his puny 10-year-old squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

Will I better appreciate the show if I read the books?

No. This is easily the most enjoyable season of anything related to “Game of Thrones,” whether you’ve read everything Martin’s written or only watched the shows. That said, viewers who haven’t read a page of “The Hedge Knight” —  the first story in the “Dunk and Egg” stories, and a prequel to “A Song of Ice and Fire” — may get more satisfaction out of it than those who know what lies ahead for these two.

All you need to know is that Dunk meets Egg at a roadside inn. From there, the rest of the first season’s arc unfolds at a countryside tournament where Dunk sets out to make a name for himself.

I see. “Game of Thrones” is taking us to a Renaissance fair, huh?

In a manner of speaking. A comically gigantic turkey leg makes an appearance at a feast, so there’s that. However, this tourney attracts lords and knights from great houses throughout Westeros, including a couple whose families figure prominently in “Game of Thrones.”

Wait. Are there “Game of Thrones” characters in this show?

Not quite, since it takes place around 90 years before the War of the Five Kings and well after the Dance of the Dragons. It introduces a few famous nobles’ ancestors.

So what do Dunk and Egg have to do with the events of “Game of Thrones”?

Directly? Very little. Even so, those who pay close attention to a couple of early “Game of Thrones” episodes will hear Ser Duncan’s name mentioned at least twice, and in glowing terms.

Cool. When do we meet Dunk’s dragon?

Um . . . there are no dragons in this show.

Boo! . . . I guess.

This shouldn’t be a spoiler 15 years after “Game of Thrones” first aired, but the Targaryen dragons have died out by this point in the timeline.

On the bright side, you may recall from the second season of “House of the Dragon” that a couple of nobodies became dragon riders simply by auditioning, upending generations of tradition holding that honor as exclusive to the Targaryen royal bloodline. Ample opportunity exists for anybody to advance in this feudal system, provided that person can impress the right nobility. Consider Ser Duncan the Tall’s prospects to be encouraging.

What about Egg? Anything special about him?

He’s a pint-sized smart aleck who cares deeply for Dunk. Ansell’s also flawlessly cast in this part, and he and Claffey have a jubilant chemistry.

Is that all?

That’s all that I can say right now, yes.

Whatever. Since there aren’t any dragons in this, that probably means no dragon lords.

Not true! A few Targaryen failsons lower themselves to wow the peasants, including Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett, from “True Detective: Night Country”) and his drunk brother Prince Daeron (Henry Ashton).

You may be more excited to make the acquaintance of Ser Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), the lord known as the Laughing Storm and one of the most entertaining characters in all of Martin’s stories.

But “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is less concerned about the aristocracy than what life is like for smallfolk like Dunk, an orphan who spent his early childhood scraping by in Flea Bottom.

Right. Translation: “Get ready to root for the dirty people!”

Harsh! . . . Honestly, though, that’s not wrong. Claffey may be charming, and he cleans up well, but the series isn’t shy about showing how unglamorous life can be for people on the lower rungs of Westerosi society. One woman describes Dunk’s station as “like a knight, but sadder. Gotta sleep in the hedges because no lord will have ‘im.” And within moments of introducing him, the camera captures him defecating in the open because he has no other choice.

That sounds grim.

Maybe, although this show is not. In fact, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is as close to a buddy comedy as a Westeros-sided story is apt to get. Many people make jokes at Dunk’s expense in the first episode or two, but the tone sharply turns once his peers begin to take him seriously.

Is it a grim turn?

Not really. The upbeat tone of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” remains constant. Even its darkest moments are a bright contrast to the way “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” treat the smallfolk of Westeros and Essos. Those dramas make peasants fodder for all manner of exploitation and sexploitation, or disposable steps on a hero’s journey or anti-hero’s redemption arc. Once Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons came of age, the little guys that got in her way became roasted marshmallows.

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This adventure travels much closer to the Everyman’s station, as good Ser Dunk struggles with imposter syndrome before circumstances and his naïveté force him to live up to the oath that every Westerosi knight takes, but few bother to follow.

When that happens, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” transforms from an origin story into a heartfelt critique of inherited power’s worth against the oaken will of a simple man fueled by duty and honor. If there were an unofficial tagline that describes it best, it is that all men are knights, and all men are fools.

Nice.

Either that, or “I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs.”

Yeah, I don’t need to spend any more of my free hours being reminded of how terribly life is going right now, even by way of an offhanded comment about groceries.

Does knowing that none of its episodes run longer than 42 minutes change your mind?

Enough to give it a shot, sure! When does it come on?

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” premieres at 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 on HBO and streams on HBO Max. A third season of “House of the Dragon” is expected to premiere later this year.

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