A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 2, ‘Hard Salt Beef’, has landed on HBO Max, and while it’s receiving praise across the board, fans have one major complaint about the Game of Thrones prequel – and no, it’s got nothing to do with Ser Arlan’s manhood.
The new series is the latest to join the expanding Game of Thrones cinematic universe, but unlike House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a scaled back tale, centering on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas.
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Season 1 adapts ‘The Hedge Knight’, following Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) on his quest to find out what being a knight really means. Along the way, he’s joined by his new squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
It’s a warm, more lighthearted Westerosi tale, one that drew plenty of attention when it premiered (not least because of that poop scene). While Episode 2 has an even more explicit moment, that’s not the reason why some fans are complaining.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans complain about runtime
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 2 has a runtime of just 33 minutes. Even though the runtimes were released before the show debuted, this has come as a surprise to many fans, with some suggesting Season 1 should have been dropped in one go.
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon both typically had one-hour episodes, but the new spinoff is a different kind of story. Even though the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere was 42 minutes, the rest are around the half-hour mark.
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You can check out the Season 1 runtimes below:
- Episode 1 – 42 minutes
- Episode 2 – 33 minutes
- Episode 3 – 31 minutes
- Episode 4 – 34 minutes
- Episode 5 – 37 minutes
- Episode 6 – 31 minutes
Those who have read the novella have jumped in to defend the show, pointing out that ‘The Hedge Knight’ isn’t a long story. However, a number of viewers have complained about the decision to release each episode weekly.
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Taking to Reddit, one wrote, “These episodes are so short! Just as you’re getting into it… Episode over! This will probably be a great series to binge all at once, but on a weekly basis this is quite the test of patience.”
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“Ya I need it longer. Even if it’s just Dunk chilling with Egg,” another agreed, while a third added, “Literally just finished Episode 2 and it doesn’t scratch the itch. Another week? Fml.”
A fourth chimed in, “I literally came here to say this. I understand the source material is short, but come on. They even confirmed a Season 2 ffs. The greed, man.”
Others wish the creators had chosen a different format, including this person who said, “I would rather have three 60 minute episodes, or a full length movie and good writers could add content that wouldn’t be considered needlessly drawn out.”
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Another said, “I’d genuinely rather it just be only one season of hour long episodes than two seasons of 30 minute episodes. And I don’t even mean from the context of it being fewer months of a subscription, that part really doesn’t matter much to me. Just based on the content alone I’d rather it not be spread so thin.”
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“I wish there were three episodes, though I get that HBO’s business model is drawing it out. I love what I see but it’s harder for me to get immersed in the world when it’s shorter,” added a third.
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“With House of the Dragon I felt more like the characters were real. These characters are as interesting and fleshed out but it still feels like a TV show.”
Not everyone agrees with this criticism, however. “The source material is 85 pages. I promise you shorter episodes are the better way to tell the story,” one pointed out.
A second chimed in, “This complaint is becoming so tired already. Damn. Something actually good with excellent acting and good writing sticking true to source material and everyone is a cry baby about time… when the source material is SMALL. If you don’t know the books and the source material just don’t watch.”
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Showrunner breaks down Ser Arlan scene in Episode 2
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The conversation also sparked plenty of penis jokes after Ser Arlan of Pennytree’s (Danny Webb) full frontal scene in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 2.
Responding to the mention that the episodes are short, one fan quipped, “Unlike Ser Arlan’s lance…” And another joked, “They’re just as short as Arlan’s d*ck is long.”
Showrunner Ira Parker has since spoken about this scene, saying he can’t remember if Webb wore a prosthetic while filming.
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“Was that a prosthetic? I forget,” Parker told Entertainment Weekly. “I thought he just showed up on set that way, but maybe it was prosthetic.”
The showrunner went on to say, “I felt bad for Ser Arlan at some point. He was the only person who’s ever looked out for Dunk and really stuck with Dunk.
“And he died on a muddy road in the middle of nowhere, was buried without ceremony, and now Dunk is going around trying to find somebody who just even remembers him – people that he served for, people that he bled for, these knights and these lords.
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“They can’t even remember his name. I felt the need to give him his one special thing, to channel a little Boogie Nights, I suppose.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episodes 1-2 are streaming on HBO Max now. You can also read about what George R.R. Martin said about Episode 1’s poop scene, why there are no dragons in the show, and if Dunk is related to Hodor.
