While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 2 starts with a hunt for someone to vouch for Ser Arlan and Dunk, the episode also brings up the topic of grief. At the same time, we get some teases about Egg’s identity.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 2
The episode opens with Dunk retelling the story of Ser Arlan of Pennytree. It gives us a small look at the man’s life, but there is also a hidden message in here. Dunk is grieving, but he’s not really allowed to show it. He has to focus on living, and that means finding someone to vouch for him.
The problem is that nobody remembers Ser Arlan. While he was everything to Dunk, he was just another knight — one without land or a castle. It means that he has died as a forgotten man, and that angers and annoys Dunk.
The Targaryens come to town on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 2
When the Targaryens ride into the tourney, Egg immediately gets worried and runs off. It’s clear that he’s scared, and this offers us a hint of who he really is. Dunk doesn’t pay a lot of attention to Egg’s attitude, though, as he is more focused on his own problems. That makes sense since he doesn’t know a lot about Egg in the first place.
There are a couple of teases of things to come, including Prince Aerion’s dislike of Dunk and an upcoming rivalry and the way Dunk looks up to the Kingsguard. He has a dream, and Dunk is willing to do what it takes to reach that dream, which we’ll come to.
Before that, he needs to find a man to vouch for him, and so, he gets an audience in front of Prince Baelor, who shares that he does remember Ser Arlan. He decides to vouch for Dunk, and that gets him into the tourney.
However, before Dunk can enter the tourney, he will need his own sigil. Since he isn’t a blood son of Ser Arlan, he can’t use the Pennytree sigil.
In all this, we get another hint at Egg’s identity. Two Targaryen princes were on their way to the tourney, and they have gone missing. This is worrisome for the family, but it doesn’t seem like they’re doing a lot to find the boys.
Dunk asks Tanselle for help
After watching another performance from Tanselle’s team of performers, Dunk decides to speak with her. It starts with a discussion about how she gets the dragon puppet to work, but then it turns to him asking her if she can paint him a sigil. He doesn’t really know a lot about what he wants, but Egg points out that it should have an elm tree.
This elm tree is important. Not only is Ser Arlan of Pennytree buried under one, but Dunk and Egg are staying underneath one right now. It’s also where they end up getting to see the shooting star that offers them luck.
With that, it’s time for Dunk to get some armor. While he finds someone who can make one, he doesn’t have a lot of money. He needs to sell one of his horses to be able to do that, and there is a heartbreak to this. The horses are family to Dunk, and he even gives over some money to make sure the horse gets some oats that night. It adds a somber moment to a day that was full of celebrations with winning the tug of war.
If that wasn’t enough, to finish up there’s a night tourney, and Dunk really gets a look at what’s to come as he proves himself as a knight. It’s clear that he worries that he won’t be good enough, especially now that he’s losing more of his life in the sacrifice of this. However, he needs to do what he can to prove himself.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sundays at 10/9c on HBO and HBO Max.