HBO released the first episode of its new series, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” Jan. 18, a prequel and spinoff to its famous series “Game of Thrones.” Like the well-known series, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is inspired by the works of author George R.R. Martin, specifically his “Dunk and Egg” series of novellas.

The story follows Ser Duncan the Tall — referred to colloquially as ‘Dunk’ — and ‘Egg,’ a precocious boy who soon becomes Dunk’s squire, as they wander across Westeros. It is set around a century before “Game of Thrones” and around seventy-five years after “House of the Dragon,” another spin-off based on Martin’s work. 

Though connected to the other television series by a timeline, many hope that “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” escapes some of the trappings of its predecessors, particularly where accuracy is concerned. “A Game of Thrones” is now infamous for its negatively-received finale, while George R.R. Martin recently revealed in a Hollywood Reporter interview that his relationship with the showrunners of “House of the Dragon” has soured after changes made to his original story. 

While “A Song of Ice and Fire” has yet to conclude, I watched the finale of “Game of Thrones” after catching up to Martin’s work. It inaccurately portrays multiple characters and storylines, with many plot points and characters being dismissed or forgotten entirely.

Though the showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, may not have had concrete material to finish their series on, they almost definitely misrepresented much of Martin’s storytelling and character-developing ability. 

That leaves us with a third series that shall hopefully prove more faithful.

YouTuber Fantasy Haven has around 76,000 subscribers and makes animated “A Song of Ice and Fire” content, about his impressions of the first episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” 

Haven said he first became interested in “A Song of Ice and Fire” after “Game of Thrones” reached its massive heights of personality, though he read the series before watching its adaptation. 

“I spent [a] summer binge reading all five books,” Haven said. “… I fell with it immensely.” 

Haven, unlike me, has read the “Dunk and Egg” series — or the installments thus far. He said the first episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” was largely faithful, capturing the tone and events of the original faithfully. His only critique, he said, was the comedy being a bit cruder than in the books and the tone overall being more lighthearted than the original. 

According to Haven, the first episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” also made welcome additions to the original. He said additional scenes and interactions between characters, particularly concerning Lyonel Baratheon, felt authentic and helped develop their personalities. 

“They did a pretty good job keeping with the style and tone of Martin’s work in terms of how the characters talk and fleshing out the side characters,” Haven said. 

What might the difference be, then, between additions and changes? Haven said he agreed with fellow YouTuber Glidus that a faithful adaptation does not need to be a literal adaptation, and that certain adjustments must be made in a change of medium. According to Haven, effective changes keep with the general style of the original and do not explicitly contradict other elements of the source material. 

According to Haven, he is both a purist and a realist in the sense that he prefers minimal changes though acknowledges the need when moving a story into the televised space. He said he would ideally see adaptations where characters appear almost identical to how they were described in the book and dialogue to be preserved if possible.

Returning to “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Haven said he felt optimistic about the rest of the season. Causes for hope, he said, include the past work by showrunner Ira Parker, the show’s close collaboration with George R.R. Martin (a positive trend) and great casting.

“I think it’s going to be a fantastic series, and I can’t wait,” Haven said.

As someone who is watching the series “blind” in a manner of speaking, I was overall satisfied with the first episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” I would agree that the comedy was slightly crude, but the series seems to offer a more grounded and heartfelt take on a world that is usually beset by violent conflict. 

I would also agree that “Game of Thrones” was best when it followed the source material as closely as possible. Doing so opened room for additional scenes such as in season 1, where audiences could learn more about the characters without feeling like they contradicted the book. 

Ideally, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” will follow its path of faithfulness that “Game of Thrones” lost. It should use the medium of television to flesh out the characters and the world — not to rewrite them.