Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Instantly Breaks A Massive Game Of Thrones Rule

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Emilia Clarke's Danerys sits and stares in Game of Thrones

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

Although A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms immediately broke one of the biggest Game of Thrones storytelling rules, it is not hard to see how the spinoff got away with this daring choice. While some viewers might still want to see another version of the Game of Thrones finale, times are good for fans of the franchise who have moved on.

A revival of the original series looks increasingly unlikely, but from House of the Dragon to A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spinoffs are going stronger than ever. A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is a prequel that brings George RR Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg to life onscreen for the first time.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Breaks Game Of Thrones Flashback Rule

Emilia Clarke's Daenerys on the beach in Game of Thrones season 7

Effectively a lighter, more playful take on the fictional universe of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms follows a knight and his squire in their trek across Westeros years before the events of Game of Thrones take place. Almost immediately, the HBO show underlined the differences between this series and its predecessor.

Since Game of Thrones was already a complex series with a lot of characters for viewers to keep track of, the show had an unofficial rule that it didn’t feature any flashbacks. Anything seen in the past was through memories or visions, and these were always set up by characters before they occurred.

The first episode of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms instantly breaks that rule with random cuts to flashbacks, something that the show can get away with thanks to its simpler story. The cast of A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is impressive, but part of the show’s appeal is its focus on only two main characters.

Why Flashbacks Make Sense For A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

Lyonel and Dunk on the dance floor in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

This simpler storyline means the show can cut to flashbacks without needing to spoon-feed viewers, since A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms isn’t busy balancing over a dozen main characters like Game of Thrones did. It helps that the show’s story is also a bit lighter in tone and has more humor, meaning flashbacks can be casually incorporated into the plot.

Game of Thrones was a darker, heavier, and denser series than A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, and most mainstream TV shows in general for that matter. The series couldn’t afford to make its timeline confusing, considering how complex its existing plot was, whereas the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms can offer a more irreverent take on Westeros.