So recently a Game of Thrones fan asked me to watch "Dunk and Egg" with him.
"Dunk and Egg", otherwise known as "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is a prequel to Game of Thrones, and I believe takes place after "House of the Dragon". This friend had watched all of Game of Thrones, and was able to see in-real-time as the show's good-will was torn away and ripped to shreds as the showrunners focused more on "Subverting Expectations" than writing a good show with compelling characters in the last few seasons. In a similar vein, they've mentioned on several occasions that HotD had different issues including characters with inconsistent motivations and a seemingly adversarial relationship with the audience where a character will become popular with the fans, and the showrunners will (in the next season) retcon details about them in an attempt to make them not only bad, but have always been bad. So when I heard them recommend Dunk and Egg, I took their word for it, and boy was I glad to have done so.
Dunk and Egg is a series following Ser Duncan, a Hedge Knight whose master had just passed away at the start of the series. Wondering what to do next, he decides to claim knighthood and join a series of Local Games to prove his knightliness. He comes across a bald orphan boy who goes by Egg; and, after some small spats between the two, he decides to take the boy on as a Squire for the games. It's a simple story, but simple doesn't mean bad. It knows what it wants and does it with flying colors.
One of the key strengths of the show is the character writing. Every character is fully realized with many layers to their motivations and who they are as people. They all have flaws, but shockingly many of them have great redeeming qualities. But the best part is how all of these characters bounce off of one-another. They all interact super naturally with one-another, and it makes them all feel more real for it.
What gets me most about this show, though, is that even though the show is undeniably dark (it's part of the Game of Thrones franchise, it's naturally going to be dark), it's not just some grimdark misery-slop. No, the show always prides itself on hopefulness and the belief that things can be better and that people can do better. Dunk was raised in very rough conditions before the start of the show, so he's very familiar with how grim things can get; but he believes strongly in the virtues of knighthood and does his best to protect innocents. It's a good reminder that even though things suck and may continue to suck, it's necessary to have a healthy dose of optimism to keep moving forward.
Very good show, highly recommended, and I'm glad I didn't have to watch GoT or HotD to understand it. 9/10.