A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is reminding Game of Thrones fans why they fell in love with Westeros in the first place, which is particularly impressive since AKOTSK is almost nothing like the original GoT (outside the stellar writing, production value, and acting, of course). Based on George R.R. Martin's The Tales of Dunk and Egg, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is much more personal and smaller in scale than both Game of Thrones and the A Song of Ice and Fire books that inspired the series.
An adaptation of the first Dunk and Egg novella, The Hedge Knight, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 is a flawless recreation of the novella – except for one missing moment in Episode 4, Seven. Many fans hoped and assumed Dunk and Steely Pate's iconic exchange ending in Pate telling Dunk he reminded the smallfolk of "a knight who remembered his vows" was being saved for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5, but in a recent Reddit AMA, showrunner and writer Ira Parker unfortunately confirmed the line has been cut from the show; and for a disappointing reason, at that.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Showrunner Ira Parker Reveals He "Stupidly Left Out" The Hedge Knight's Best Line
In a Reddit AMA on the Game of Thrones subreddit, Redittor u/Theostru wrote,
"Many readers consider Dunk's exchange with Steely Pate - 'Who am I to them?' 'A knight who remembered his vows' - to be the soul and the moral of the entire novella. The impact comes not just from the exchange itself, but [its] careful placement at Dunk's lowest point, before he realizes any champions have answered his call, let alone Breakspear joining him.
Could you speak to your reasoning in removing (or potentially moving to a later episode) the exchange? Removing it entirely diminishes the soul of the story, and moving it to a later moment weakens its impact as Dunk already has the favor of the Prince of Dragonstone. It's an odd choice given how faithful you've otherwise been to the novella."
Responding from his personal Reddit account, Ira Parker wrote,
"Honestly it was a mistake on my part. Not my first not my last on this show. That scene was in the script at one point, then fell out. I agree that 'a knight who remembers his vows' is the soul of this story, but I think that is still very much at the core of the show, even if I stupidly left out this scene... It may not be said explicitly, but Dunk's actions remain the same."
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The fact the exchange was in the script originally, but ended up on the cutting room floor is quite disappointing, to say the least. This is a character-defining moment for Dunk, that also speaks to the whole message behind The Hedge Knight as a novella. Despite not being a typical knight (or even a literal knight if the theories are to be believed), Dunk embodies chilvary better than any other character in the story, as well as series.
To Parker's credit, however, the fact he's so willing to open up to his mistake and refer to it as such is refreshing. Where David Benioff and D.B. Weiss often gave unsatisfying answers to controversial moments in Game of Thrones, and Ryan Condal has doubled down on House of the Dragon's massive adaptation changes to Fire & Blood, it's nice to see a showrunner own up to what is clearly a mistake. Parker clearly cares about the world George R.R. Martin has created, and aside from this minor omission that actually did make it into the script, A Knight of the Sven Kingdoms has been the best adaptation of George R.R. Martin's work since Game of Thrones Season 1.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 Still Shows That Dunk is a Knight Who Remembered His Vows
For what it's worth, Ira Parker clearly understands how important Dunk being referred to as "a knight who remembers his vows" is to the overall story, and that message can still be felt in Dunk's charged monologue in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4. Not just that, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on a whole makes it clear that Dunk is trying his best to embody a real knight – that's why he immediately springs to Tanselle's defense in Episode 3, while everyone around him does nothing.
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No adaptation is perfect, something Game of Thrones fans know all too well, but it's striking how close to the novella A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is, and how much humility Ira Parker carries with him in adapting the book to the screen. He doesn't try to excuse a major cut, understands where fans are coming from, and still finds a way to embody the importance behind the book's missing moment. Season 1 only has two episodes left, but things bode well for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so long as Ira Parker leads the charge.
- Release Date
- January 18, 2026
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Ira Parker
- Directors
- Owen Harris
- Writers
- George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Daniel Ings, Henry Ashton, Edward Ashley, Shaun Thomas, Sam Spruell, Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Ross Anderson, Danny Collins, Daniel Monks, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Jenna Boyd, Danny Webb, Tanzyn Crawford
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
- Creator(s)
- George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker
