Ser Duncan is poorly trained, lacks experience and is dressed in little better than rags, with a rope for a swordbelt, but he hopes that if he makes a name for himself at an upcoming tournament in Ashford Meadow, one of the great houses might take him into its service.
On his way to the “tourney”, he reluctantly accepts the squiring services of a bald-headed boy called Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who has started following him. Egg, as tiny as Dunk is huge, wants to be a knight and is a bit of a cheeky know-it-all – generally far sharper than Dunk “the lunk”, who is no intellectual.
The story, based on the first of three Martin novellas featuring the pair, is about what transpires at the tournament. In press notes provided by HBO, showrunner Ira Parker compares Ashford to Glastonbury or Burning Man, and the events that unfold there have geopolitical ramifications that ripple down through the decades and are still being felt when Thrones begins. However, it is Dunk and Egg’s odd-couple relationship, occasionally mildly antagonistic but mostly affectionate, that is the beating heart of this excellent six-episode show.
Both the old gods and the new were smiling over the production when Claffey and Ansell were cast. They are brilliant individually and the chemistry between them is extraordinary. You’d think they’d been working together in a Laurel and Hardy-style double act for decades, yet Claffey – a hulking former rugby player – has only been acting for a couple of years and this is his first lead part. His 11-year-old co-star has been acting since he was four and has already had a number of significant roles. Ansell reveals in the press notes that George R.R. Martin told him: “You are perfect. You are Egg.”
