A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and the Greatest Warrior Fallacy

A Knight of the Seven Kingdom, (AKSK) is HBO’s latest follow up on the blockbuster series Game of Thrones and House of Dragon. Chronologically, AKSK takes place in the 100-ish years between HoD and GoT. All three fantasy shows are based on books by author George R.R. Martin.

While the latter two are epic in scope, cast, and plot, AKSK is close and achingly personal.

Now, for all the hype, watching both GoT and HoD often felt like a job. Just as often, it was a painful job. Thankfully, AKSK is completely different.

*Spoiler Alert* You know the drill. Continue reading at your own risk.

The story of Dunk, (Peter Claffey) a squire-turned-knight, looking to secure his place in a scary world and Egg, (Dexter Sol Ansell) a runaway prince who desperately wants to squire for a real knight...and possibly have someone killed.

Mostly, AKSK is television's best buddy-series in at least a decade. 

Egg trying to sort things out.

When Egg, (his Momma named him 'Aegon') asks Dunk if he is real knight, he's not asking for references or work history. See, Egg has two brothers with the title of "knight" but between them there isn’t one real knight. Or, for that matter, not much of a decent human being. To Egg, a “real” knight is not a complete psychotic or a degenerate alcoholic.

As we follow them to the tournament where Dunk hopes to make his bones as a knight, we see just how low the bar for being a knight—real or otherwise—can be.

Here’s the rub, Dunk (Ser Duncan) is a knight of questionable provenance. As in there are no witnesses to Dunk’s knighting. No one remembers his former lord. Oh, and he’s a bit, um, threadbare even by lordless-knight standards.

'bama: [noun] unsophisticated...of modest education/background.

Through a comedy of virtues, Dunk ends up on the wrong side of the ruling family. Namely, Prince Aerion Targaryen, (Finn Bennett) a grandson of the king. Aerion wants blood for Dunk’s offenses. Some people, you kick them in the mouth and they take it all wrong.

Prince Aerion: nowhere near as nice as he seems.

But as mighty and formidable as Aerion is, Dunk makes two of him. And this is perhaps George R.R. Martin’s greatest gift. He’s been around enough to know that the toughest tough guy seldom wants to mix it up with anyone big enough to pull a wagon and eat hay.

Most writers (new and otherwise) don’t get that memo. Really, they are moved by romantic legends. Leonidas and his Spartans (each warrior worth a thousand), Richard the Lionheart–who led from the front against superior forces, the unstoppable Genghis Khan—legends, aka, great PR. Mostly written by men with agendas.

I get it. Most writers want the romance of a legendary, indomitable warrior. So, in fiction we get Thor, Conan, and Aragorn, et al. They’re all fine characters but the trope isn’t. It’s dishonest and worse, it’s boring.

So, who does it right?

For context, this is a graduation ceremony.

Frank Herbert’s Sardaukar are the fiercest fighters in the known universe. They instill terror in anyone facing them—although mostly, they attack from ambush, have superior training, and top-of-the-line equipment. Then they meet the Fremen who bring the fight to them with psycho-tropic-fueled-religious frenzy. 

Fought this duel after a sword-tip was removed from his arm.

In Richard Lester’s 1973 version of The Three Musketeers, Athos, (Oliver Reed) is the best swordsman of the group. But swords are swords and a watermill doesn’t care about reputation. Athos’ cloak gets snagged on a watermill and he takes a blade to the throat for his trouble. 

Bonus points for D’Artagnan, who kills another "deadliest swordsman," Rochefort—with a broken sword. 

FIERCE

In the Netflix Original, Last Samurai Standing, (based on the manga by Shogo Imamura) Saga Kokushu, (Junichi Okada) is a renowned swordsman and samurai, (military leader in feudal Japan). His nom de guerre is “Kokushu, the man slayer.” Unfortunately, in19th century Japan the samurai class is fast approaching extinction. 

In flashback, we (and Kokushu) watch as artillery and a rifle company cut his army to pieces. As a result, he suffers from PTSD. The mere sound of a sword drawn immobilizes Kokushu as he descends into uncontrollable shakes, complete with uncontrolled flashbacks of carnage.

What’s the problem you ask? Just don’t fight. Well, as previously stated the times, they are a changing. The samurai in service to daimyo (lords, high and low) have all been dismissed. The landed samurai, (like Kokushu) struggle to make ends meet. Oh, and a cholera epidemic is sweeping the Japan. Kokushu’s own child has died and his village is suffering. 

The only option is an organized series of duels with a grand prize of BIG money. Really, more like brawls conducted under shadowy circumstances no one can really trust. Still, desperate samurai of all stations—even Kokushu—gather to slaughter each other for the promise of a life-saving fortune. 

Except Kokushu still cannot draw his sword, even to defend himself. Yeah, the “compelling,” like the conflict is baked in. Throw in a kid who looks/acts a lot like Kokushu’s late child and you have money in the bank. Which is why the series has already been renewed for a 2nd season by the notoriously fickle Netflix, (seriously, they are the deadliest swordsmen). 

"What does this have to do with that big 'bama and bald kid?"

So, yeah, Dunk and Eg. Dunk is barely qualified for the tournament he has begged/borrowed/stolen his way into. Assaulting the king’s grandson was NOT part of the plan. On top of all that the little twit knows the law.

Aerion has been trained his whole life for single combat. He is the preeminent swordsman of his age. Dunk had to pawn his horse to buy armor. I’m not joking. 

Not as stupid as he looks.

But Aerion knows one thing for sure he does NOT want to fight that big ‘bama all by his onesies. He invokes a Challenge of Seven. Really the full explanation isn’t worth the typing. Basically, Dunk has to come up with six other schlubs to fight with him or he forfeits his right arm and leg. 

Who wouldn't trust this guy? Um, just watch his hands.

Long-story-short, Dunk’s drinking buddy and maybe-friend, Lyonel gets a gang of reprobates together. Still, he’s still one man short. Then, as if delivered from the heavens, Prince Baelor Breakspear (Bertie Carvel) heir to the throne, Aerion’s uncle, and the best swordsman in the Seven (nine, whatevs) Kingdoms pledges to fight alongside Dunk.

 

Yay! Right? 

"Is that my blood? What the actual—?!" 

Obvs, nothing goes the way you expect. Otherwise, what story? Dunk does clean Aerion’s clock and makes him withdraw his challenge/charge/whatevs. Dunk keeps life and limb. Baelor doesn’t... fare as well. 

Which is the ultimate lesson. 

The ultimate swordsman's greatest adversary isn’t some other swordsman. It’s the time of day, the footing of the battlefield, the guy who showed up with an ax/spear/club instead of a sword. The man determined to take what fate/birth order denied him.

Or, the guy who’s no swordsman, scared to his very marrow, but harnesses his unbridled terror into the fight because he has something to fight for. 

Who wouldn't risk a right arm and leg for her?

Big hearted, narrow in focus, and earnest as first love, AKSK is an absolute joy to watch. I highly recommend it. Last Samurai Standing is grittier, meaner, and absolutely as captivating as AKSK. Do yourself a favor and check them both out. 

I own none of the images above. All are used for illustrative/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.

Writing the Adult in the Room

 

The late film director Garry Marshall said he tried to cast at least one adult in every movie he made. Most commonly, that adult was Héctor Elizondo. Truly, Mr. Elizondo was in every feature film that Garry Marshall directed. 

Good looking, engaging, with presence far exceeding his stature, Mr. Elizondo has something else that few actors have, self-possessed maturity. No matter the role—hotel manager, garbage man, cop—his characters know their place in the world and in relation to the other characters. His voice of reason is never whiny or stilted. He does not suffer from stick-up-anatomy syndrome.

Too grown for the Richard Gere role

Hector was never the bellowing police lieutenant in the buddy picture. Never the comic-relief sidekick. Purportedly he won’t take roles that are punched out of stereotypes or demeaning to latinos. That self-respect, along with a healthy dose of “no small roles, only small actors” lends great gravity to his work. 

More than Hector: lending a hand or doing the heavy lifting?

Often depicted as the bumbling sidekick, Watson is the rent-come-due-practical adult in the room who keeps Sherlock Holmes from flying off the rails. In Caleb Carr’s The Alienist, Dr. Kreizler, is the adult and the chief detective in a disparate squad of sleuths. More than simple hierarchy or narrative choice, Kreizler is just as traumatized and scarred as his fellows but he has mastered his emotions, his desires, and his psyche. 

Thankless and seamless 

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts shine in Pretty Woman but it is the afore-mentioned Mr. Elizondo who is the bedrock of Mr. Marshall’s best-known film. More professional than paternal, Barney Thompson, (Elizondo) the hotel manager is primarily interested in providing his customer (Gere) with a pleasant hotel-stay, while establishing that he will not tolerate a woman of Vivian's (Roberts) frequenting his establishment. In the course of his duties, Barney instructs Vivian in decorum as an authority figure, working within the bounds of his responsibility, not from the deep well of ego. 

You know it ain’t easy

In Michael Mann’s Thief  Frank moves through a life where you are either a predator or you are prey. Frank is a highly specialized predator and he works deep to avoid much larger monsters, (the Chicago mob) as well as the carrion eaters, (the police). He knows his niche and sticks to it—until he sees a chance to catch up on decades of life lost to prison. Unwilling to be a piece in someone else’ game, Frank pays a heavy price to live as a grown up.

Somebody has to be the bad guy

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam does not cast herself as Jessica’s tormentor no more than she considers herself Paul Atreides’ nemesis. Much like Barney Thompson, (Hannibal Lecter's chief jailor) Mohiam is simply the sheriff who keeps the peace and enforces the law.

The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, (more intellectual geneticists than religious order) has determined that the survival of mankind depends on a strict breeding program. Her role is to prevent deviations from the program and, failing that, preventing deviations from compounding into disasters. It’s thankless work. 

Too much of a good thing is DRAMA

In Ridley Scott’s genre-crossing masterpiece Alien we have three grown ups—surprisingly enough they don’t get along. Captain Dallas, (Tom Skerritt) is a journeyman. He neither owns the ship he skippers, nor did he pick his crew. So, when he is ordered to investigate a distress call, he certainly doesn’t have the authority to decline. What he has is the power of personality to compel his band of skeptical, irreverent civilians to follow orders. 

Dallas, Ripley, and Parker, NOT besties and that's the point

Chief Engineer Parker, (late-great Yaphet Kotto) is the career technician. He knows his job, like the ship, inside-out and won’t budge on his principles—until countered by an overwhelming, or-you’re-fired force. Warrant Officer Ripley is the new blood. A young, skilled-professional woman, she is by-the-book even (especially?) when it draws her into conflict with everyone. 

Obviously, spoilers...

An obvious allegory for professional women everywhere, Ripley is the voice of reason. That voice is ignored to everyone’s detriment. It’s no coincidence that she is the only surviving Nostromo crew member.

Ultimately, your story needs an adult to address the elephant in the room. Warning: the following examples are wildly paraphrased and any likeness to actual dialogue (living or dead) is purely coincidental. 

We must make our stand here, on this little moon, against the ultimate power in the galaxy, or more planets will suffer the fate of Alderaan. —General Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan

No, we’re not trained investigators, we’re not the killer’s target, and we certainly have no actual authority but if we don’t stop this Jack-the-Ripper in New York, more children will be viciously slaughtered. —Dr. Laszlo Kreizler

This hotel caters to specific clientele. Our guests expect the best service possible and we make allowances to ensure that they enjoy their stay. Mr. Lewis is just such a guest. I am willing to accept you here to make Mr. Lewis happy just as long as you and I understand that once Mr. Lewis is gone, you will be too. —Barney Thompson

Ultimately, the adult in the room is not for the good girl/guy, the bad guy/girl, or even in service to them. The adult in the room is there in service to the reader.

I own none of the photos above. All are used here for illustrative/educational purposes covered under the Fair Use Act.