Some nuances escaped the showrunner when transferring the source material to the screen.
Although the new Game of Thrones spin-off is most often praised for its fidelity to the source material, it is not without its flaws. Showrunner Ira Parker admitted that some of the changes were not a conscious decision, but a mistake "out of stupidity."
During a Q&A session on Reddit, Parker responded to a fan complaint who drew attention to the lack of dialogue between Dunk and the blacksmith, Steel Pate. In the original story, while preparing for a duel in which he could die, Dunk asks the blacksmith: "Why? What am I to them?" - "A knight who remembers his vows," he replies. This scene did not appear in the series. Parker commented on it as follows:
«Honestly, it was my mistake. Not the first and not the last in this series. This scene was once in the script, and then it disappeared. I agree that “a knight who remembers his vows” is the soul of this story, but I think that it is still important for the series, even if I foolishly cut this scene out... Maybe it’s not said directly, but Dunk’s actions remain the same».
This admission was not the only one. Parker called the absence of individual coats of arms of Princes Maekar and Aerion Targaryen in the series the second mistake: instead, the artists mistakenly used the standard three-headed dragon of House Targaryen.
Despite some inaccuracies, viewers continue to praise "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" for its intimacy, atmosphere and attention to detail. The fourth episode became one of the highest rated in the entire franchise, and the series itself recently topped the HBO Max chart in 78 countries. The first season finale will be released on February 22, and HBO has already renewed the project for a second season.
