At Decider, we often delight in sharing intriguing .gifs, but Episode 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (“Hard Salt Beef”) presents moments we can only describe through words. During a voiceover by Dunk, we get a vivid glimpse into his past as a squire for Ser Arlan of Pennytree. This seasoned hedge knight led a life of bare-bones existence, both literally and figuratively. Arlan had neither wealth nor heirs, often sharing scant shelter with Dunk beneath a tree during fierce storms. Despite these hardships, Arlan was known for his rousing songs and relentless spirit in battle. Through quick edits showing Arlan’s rough handling of Dunk, the series provides a raw, ground-level perspective of Westeros.

Egg, with his frank manner, questions Arlan’s reputation as a knight. Dunk’s tales may be tinted by Arlan’s own embellished tavern stories, yet Dunk is resolute in finding someone at Ashford Meadows who remembers Arlan’s name. He approaches Leo “Longthorn” of House Tyrell (portrayed by Steve Wall), recalling how Arlan once described hedge knights as bridges between nobility and commoners. Unfortunately, Leo responds with a dismissive “I know him not, man.”

Perhaps Dunk’s quest for recognition should aim higher. A buzz of anticipation spreads through Ashford as the elite arrive. In grand fashion, the Targaryens make their entrance, clad in striking black armor, mounted on magnificent black steeds, and waving banners with the iconic red dragon. This is the pinnacle of Westerosi society in 209AC. Among them is Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen (played by Bertie Carvel), heir to the Iron Throne, alongside his brother Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell), and the disdainfully arrogant Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen (Finn Bennett), who briefly encounters Dunk with a typical air of superiority. The cream of Westeros has arrived at the tournament.

Despite being labeled as the “big and stupid” type, Dunk proves resourceful. He discreetly navigates a servant’s passageway, landing him just outside the castle’s great hall where the Targaryens are discussing the mysterious absence of Princes Daeron and Aegon. Dunk’s presence is soon detected, turning the conversation to him.

Undeterred, Dunk pushes onward with his mission. He recounts Ser Arlan’s triumphs, such as overthrowing Lord Stokeworth in a melee at King’s Landing, hoping the Targaryens will recognize the name. While Maekar dismisses both Dunk and the event, Baelor acknowledges Arlan, recalling a joust where he endured seven lances before being unseated. With Baelor’s endorsement and Arlan’s historic achievements, Dunk earns his validation. Ser Duncan the Tall is now officially recognized among the nobility.

But as someone not Ser Arlan’s biological son, Baelor reminds him, “You must needs find a new device, ser.” A sigil of one’s own. And luckily there’s an artist and creative in camp who he’s already crushin’ on. With Egg, Dunk visits Tanselle, the poet and puppeteer, and she shows them how her troupe uses pollen to stage dragonflame. Would she paint something? Something representative on his shield, over the fading chalice with wings that was Arlan’s? Tongue-tied, Dunk says she must think him a fool. And Tanselle’s response is a nice couplet that feels representative of the Seven Kingdoms outlook: “All men are fools. All men are knights…”

With Tanselle and Dunk continuing to quietly flirt, the group also concepts the official sigil for Ser Ducan the Tall. On a background the color of sunset, in tribute to the old man, there will be a sturdy brown elm tree, like the one in their camp by the river. And above, a shooting star. Because as we know, the luck is theirs alone. OK! Dunk’s getting ever closer to competing for real in the lists. Now he will just have to compete for real in the lists, which looks cool as hell and dangerous as fuck.           

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms portrays the first night of competition at Ashford in a flash of pageantry and flame. A lively crowd is gathered beneath the Targaryen-strewn observation platform. Knights in competition, like Valarr Targaryen (Oscar Morgan), enter the lists, where squires hand them new lances with the precision of tire carriers in pit crews. Dunk and Egg are wowed by it all, the thrills and spills the fan wants to see and hear. Horses throw their riders, lances break on breastplates, and sparks fly where metal clashes at speed. This is chivalric virtue as Drive to Survive. 

The sight of it, after all his lobbying to be a part of it, also flattens Dunk’s resolve. “Do great knights live in the hedges and die by the side of a muddy road?” He asks Egg later, by their fire. “I think not.” Ser Arlan, with all his lived experience, was a hard man to know and never once a champion. What possible chance could “Ser Duncan the Tall” have, with a fraying rope cord for his longsword.

Helms and Hauberks for Episode 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (“Hard Salt Beef”):

• Sadly, Dunk has to sell Sweetfoot, Arlan’s white horse, to afford a set of tourney armor. But fortunately, he meets Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour), a blacksmith and someone we trust immediately. Steely Pate says of his work, “Mine’ll serve you better if you take a lance to the face.”

• Dunk also meets two Kingsguards, Ser Roland Crakehall (Wade Briggs) and Ser Donnel of Duskendale (Bill Ward), and these dudes look cool. With so many knights in town for the tourney, Seven Kingdoms is showing off some choice armor and weapons designs.

• “Will you heed my call to war?!” Ser Lyonel Baratheon leads a tug of war across a mud pit and glugs flagons of piss froth and doesn’t do much else in Ep 2 of Seven Kingdoms, but his drunken party lord’s energy feels vital to this series, and cannot be contained. The Laughing Storm to his team of tuggers: “Pull, you cunt-strapped dandelions!” 

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.