The first episode of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms features a shocking scene that dissed the legacy of Game of Thrones, and even franchise creator George R.R. Martin was left shocked by it.
As it turns out, the author famous for gory violence in his books draws the line at defecation.
In the episode, Peter Claffey’s Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk sets out to earn a name for himself as a knight, with the original show’s iconic theme song underscoring the moment.
However, the heroic scene abruptly cuts to Dunk taking a dump in the woods, and the unpleasant sight of projectile feces was a tad too much even for Martin.
George R.R. Martin wasn’t onboard with A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ most shocking scene
Image credits: Game of Thrones/YouTube
During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin shared his thoughts on the spin-off series taking a dig at Game of Thrones with the defecation scene in episode 1.
The author admitted that the moment was “a bit of a surprise,” even for him, since it wasn’t in his source material, as he refrained from writing about characters emptying their bowels at length in his books.
Therefore, when he saw a rough cut of the episode, he was taken aback by the gross scene.
Image credits: Game of Thrones/YouTube
“When I saw the rough cut, I wrote, ‘What is this? Where did this come from? I don’t know if we really need the shit,’” he said.
Despite Martin not being completely onboard with the idea, he admitted that showrunner Ira Parker liked the moment enough to keep it in the final cut.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms showrunner shared the reasoning behind the surprising moment
Image credits: Game of Thrones/YouTube
In the same conversation, Parker revealed that the scene wasn’t meant to be disrespectful to the original show. Instead, the showrunner wanted to convey the idea of a young man’s response to hearing a call to greatness.
He said, “It’s a little scary, and you feel like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna be the guy. I’m gonna do it!’
Parker added that despite Dunk’s eagerness, the reality of just how difficult Dunk’s goal of becoming a true knight is turns his guts to water because he is not a hero yet.
“All we’re trying to say here is that Dunk is not a hero yet. He’s just a nervy kid with a nervous stomach,” he said.
The showrunner described the scene as a microcosm of Dunk’s arc in the first season and suggested that this isn’t the last time the original show’s theme will be heard in the spin-off.
Fans are loving A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ take on Game of Thrones’ opening
Image credits: Game of Thrones/YouTube
Despite the shockingly gross action set to GoT’s iconic music, most fans enjoyed the scene, calling it one of the best moments in the first episode.
On Reddit, several users agreed that the scene perfectly complemented the spin-off’s more comedic tone compared to the original series.
“That fakeout was legendary,” one fan wrote.
Another user commented, “Laughed so hard, started choking on my food.”
“I knew it was going to nail it when they started on the GoT intro and just smash cut to Dunk ripping a massive s*it, and still juxtapose it with a beautiful bird singing,” a third person said.
After early reviews turned out slightly mixed, the first episode seems to be winning over the audience with its humor, and the reception is likely to turn more positive with subsequent episodes.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms drops new episodes on Sundays, which can be streamed on HBO Max.
