A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the first Martin series that isn't afraid to laugh at itself. Meta-humor, a charismatic Baratheon, and a Westeros you want to stay in.

Do you remember the last time Game of Thrones made you laugh? No, not at the final season's script, but actually laughing along with the characters, at absurd situations and dim-witted heroes. HBO apparently felt the same—so they decided to fix things with the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premiered on January 18 and immediately established itself as the most unexpected return to the world of George R.R. Martin.

What's It All About

Forget dragons, court intrigues, and endless claims to the Iron Throne. The action takes place a hundred years before the original saga, when the Targaryens still firmly hold power and the world hasn't descended into total chaos. The main character is Ser Duncan the Tall, nicknamed Dunk (Peter Claffey), or maybe the other way around. He's a clumsy two-meter giant desperately trying to become a true knight after his mentor's death. On the way to a tournament, he meets a bald boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), whom he later takes on as his squire. And this pair of wanderers will travel across Westeros, getting into trouble along the way. Six episodes of 40 minutes each—no pretensions to epicness.

Below there are minor spoilers for the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Creators Who Know Self-Irony

The first five minutes of the series are a manifesto. The majestic and spine-tingling Game of Thrones theme by Ramin Djawadi plays, the camera solemnly glides over landscapes... and is immediately cut off by the sound of Dunk relieving himself behind a tree. Showrunner Ira Parker explained that this isn't a mockery of the franchise (as we might have thought), but a way to signal that this is a completely different Westeros. And you know what? It works. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the first project in Martin's universe that isn't afraid to be funny. The very first episode is filled with comedic situations, clumsiness, Dunk's questionable intellect, and bathroom humor (no less), all fitting organically into the narrative.

Especially notable is Lyonel Baratheon, played by Daniel Ings—a drunken, charismatic heir to Storm's End, described by the creators as "a mix of Jack Sparrow and Ernest Hemingway." Ings brings an energy to the series from the start that House of the Dragon sometimes lacks. This character lives for adrenaline, loves fights and drinking, but it's clear he's much deeper than he first appears. When Lyonel uniquely persuades Dunk to participate in the tournament, saying that "honor lies in facing a worthy opponent," you believe every word.

Beauty Without Pomp and an Actor Without Experience (But with Charisma)

The series was filmed in Northern Ireland—in the same locations as the original Game of Thrones. The landscapes here work to create the atmosphere of a wandering knight's life, radically different from other shows in the universe that mostly showed throne rooms. The directors of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (the debut episode was directed by Owen Harris) prove that location shooting can be just as impressive as CGI dragons.

Peter Claffey, a former rugby player standing nearly two meters tall, takes on his first leading role—and handles it surprisingly organically. His Dunk is a good-natured giant with an iron moral compass, who looks almost like an alien in the rotten world of Westeros. Claffey admitted to suffering from imposter syndrome: throughout his career, he was happy playing supporting characters, and suddenly finding himself at the center of a franchise was frightening. But it's this vulnerability that makes his Dunk so human.

And his on-screen chemistry with young Dexter Sol Ansell (who was only nine at the time of filming) already feels like the soul of the series. They say Claffey took the boy bowling and to arcade games between takes, so it's no surprise you can feel their friendship on screen. Moreover, according to Claffey, the finale of the sixth episode will show viewers "one of the best acting performances he's ever seen"—from young Ansell. What that will be for those who haven't read the source material is a mystery, but the intrigue is clear.​

The Bottom Line

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is what happens when a franchise stops trying too hard and starts enjoying its own universe. Yes, it's too early to judge the overall quality; it might still sag in attempts to add drama. Yes, it's already clear that female characters won't get much attention in this show. But this is the first Martin project that isn't afraid to be intimate, funny, and human all at once. It's a kind of road movie through Westeros, where what matters isn't where the heroes go, but how they interact along the way.

With a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a second-season renewal, HBO has clearly found something important. Sometimes in fantasy, the best is the enemy of the good. And A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms proves it from the very first minutes, when it cuts off the pompous music with the sound of diarrhea. Damn, Game of Thrones hasn't felt this alive in a long time.