Sir Duncan is poorly trained and inexperienced, wears little more than rags, and wears a rope around his sword belt, but he hopes that if he makes a name for himself at the next tournament at Ashford Meadow, some prestigious school might recruit him.
On his way to the “tournament”, he reluctantly accepts the submissive services of a bald-headed boy called Egg (Dexter Sol Unsell), who begins chasing him. As small as Dunk is huge, Egg wants to be a knight, is a bit of a cocky know-it-all, and is generally much sharper than the unintelligent “lump” Dunk.
This story is based on the first of Martin’s three novellas featuring the pair and depicts what happens at the tournament. In press notes provided by HBO, showrunner Ira Parker likens Ashford to Glastonbury or Burning Man, and the events that unfold there have geopolitical implications that have reverberated through the decades and are still being felt as Thrones begins. But it’s Dunk and Egg’s odd-couple relationship, at times mildly adversarial but mostly loving, that is the heart of this excellent six-episode drama.
Old gods and new gods were smiling at this production when Claffey and Ansel were cast. They are individually great and the chemistry between them is extraordinary. You might think they’ve been working together as a Laurel and Hardy-esque double act for decades, but Claffey, a hulking former rugby player, has only been acting for a few years, and this will be his first leading role. His 11-year-old co-star has been acting since he was four years old and has already played many important roles. Ansel revealed in his press notes that George R.R. Martin told him, “You’re perfect. You’re an egg.”
Source: BBC Culture – www.bbc.com
