A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2, “Hard Salt Beef,” delivers another quaint, charming tale surrounding Dunk and Egg, adding some extra excitement and world-building. The episode begins with a crude flashback of Ser Arlan of Pennytree, with some softer moments between him and Dunk. All of this is narrated by Dunk, who is trying and failing to get the many Lords at the Ashford Tourney to vouch for his validity as a knight. Very quickly into the episode, the Targaryens and the Kingsguard arrive. Dunk, after being ridiculed by Prince Aerion, admires a knight of the Kingsguard before sneaking into the castle. From here, he eavesdrops on a conversation between Baelor and Maekar, eventually intruding to discover that two of Maekar’s sons are missing. Luckily, Baelor shows fairness to Dunk and, with a memory of Ser Arlan, is able to help him enlist in the tourney. In need of a new shield sigil, Dunk awkwardly asks the puppeteer woman, Tanselle, to paint his shield. He goes about the rest of the day getting sucked into a tug-of-war and must sell one of his horses for armor. The episode concludes with an exciting joust, and Dunk questions his and Ser Arlan’s validity as knights under the stars.
From the first, “Hard Salt Beef,” continues in the pilot’s tradition of crude humor and quieter moments. While a little gratuitous, naked Ser Arlan is the extent of the episode’s less mature humor, as the rest of the episode relies on the characters’ personalities for humor. The arrival of the Targaryens promises higher stakes, more conflict, and a confusing family tree. Luckily, the episode does an excellent job at spacing out the Targaryen introductions and making each of them stand out. Aerion’s pompousness works very well, while Baelor and Maekar are given ample time to display their personalities and conflicts in a refreshingly long scene. Finally, Valarr is introduced only when necessary as he rides in the tourney at the episode’s climax. Before that, though, there are many charming scenes that further Dunk and Egg’s relationship while breathing more life into the tourney.
The highlight of this and the previous episode, especially as an adaptation, is Lyonel Baratheon. Thus far, his standout, scene-stealing moments are original to the show. Lyonel is one of the clear standout side characters, providing a reliable, frenetic energy to the sparse scenes he’s in. The scene of Dunk selling his armor was excellently placed, giving deeper insight into Dunk’s goals and inner thoughts. The action-based highlight of the episode comes with the highly anticipated joust. Firstly, the tangible crowd and various personalities throughout were a phenomenal detail. This, paired with the bright sigils and varied temperaments of the knights, made the joust feel as alive as possible. While brief, the joust itself was engaging and dynamic, with electric cinematography and sound design–especially as Dunk grew nervous. Overall, “Hard Salt Beef” was a great continuation of the story and adaptation of the source material. While providing an exciting joust, the show managed to maintain rich interpersonal relationships and embraced smaller stakes, such as Dunk’s armor, as ones that could sustain an episode.
Rating: 9/10