The season finale of HBO’s latest Game of Thrones spin-off left viewers with a haunting question about Ser Duncan the Tall’s past, and it turns out that mystery was included exactly how the author wanted it.
The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wrapped up on February 22, 2026, and the finale included a flashback scene that has everyone talking. In episode 6, titled “The Morrow,” viewers see a young Dunk speaking with his dying master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). Dunk asks the old knight a simple but painful question: “Why did you never knight me?”
What happens next is what makes the scene so confusing. Ser Arlan doesn’t answer. Instead, he starts telling the story of how his village, Pennytree, got its name. He seems to die mid-sentence, then briefly wakes up to finish the story with a strange line: “A true knight always finishes a story.” He never knights Dunk, and the scene ends without giving fans a clear answer.
The Flashback Scene That Has Everyone Guessing
For those who have read George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, this moment hits differently. The books never clearly state whether Ser Arlan actually knighted Dunk before he died. It has been a topic of debate among book fans for nearly 30 years.
The show’s version of the scene keeps that question mark firmly in place. In the flashback, Dunk directly asks why he was never knighted, which suggests it never happened. But then the scene cuts away right as Arlan asks for his sword, leaving just enough room for viewers to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the old knight did it in those final moments.
Showrunner Ira Parker recently sat down with Collider to explain exactly why that scene plays out the way it does, and his answer points directly to Martin himself.
Ira Parker Confirms It Was GRRM’s Specific Request
According to Parker, the ambiguity of that moment was not an accident or a creative choice made by the writing team. It was a direct request from the man who created these characters in the first place.
“That’s exactly how Mr. R.R. Martin requested it,” Parker told Collider. “It remains [ambiguous] and people can decide for themselves”.
Parker went on to explain that in his mind, the flashback shows that Dunk had never been knighted up to that point. Arlan dies, and viewers think that is the end of it. But then the old knight briefly wakes up and asks for his sword. The show never shows what happens next.
“There isn’t any confirmation, somehow, coming out of that scene,” Parker added.
The showrunner also had high praise for Danny Webb, who played Ser Arlan. “Look, Danny Webb is a f***ing magician. I love him so much. He’s just become Arlan. It could have been nobody else in this whole world. He was just pitch perfect, all the way up until his death”.
What This Means for Dunk’s Story
The bigger question the show is asking, according to Parker, is not whether some old knight said the right words over Dunk years ago. It is about what makes a person a true knight in the first place.
“This whole journey is going to be about what makes a true knight, whether or not you’re given the title, or if you have to earn the title even after you’re given it,” Parker explained. “Can you earn it, even if you’ve never been given it?”.
Throughout the first season, Dunk proves himself to be more honorable than almost anyone else he meets. He risks his life to protect Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) from Prince Aerion Targaryen. He takes on Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as his squire because he wants the boy to grow up better than his brothers. He stands up for what is right even when it means facing death in a Trial of Seven.
In many ways, the show is making the same point that Martin’s books have always made: titles and ceremonies do not make a person good. Actions do.
Martin’s Self-Deprecating Humor Makes an Appearance
There is another layer to that final flashback scene that eagle-eyed viewers have picked up on. When Ser Arlan wakes up one last time to finish his story about Pennytree, he says, “A true knight always finishes a story”.
Fans and critics have pointed out that this line feels like a joke at Martin’s own expense. The author is famously slow at finishing his books, with fans waiting over a decade for the next novel in the main series. Having a dying knight insist on finishing a story before he dies feels like a wink from the author to the audience.
Martin has done this before. In the book A Dance With Dragons, a character complains about “the fat man’s plan” that changes every time the moon turns, which many readers took as Martin poking fun at his own writing process.
Martin’s Close Involvement in the Show
This attention to detail and respect for the source material comes from Martin’s unusually close involvement with this particular adaptation. Unlike the later seasons of Game of Thrones, where Martin’s role was minimal, the author has been deeply involved in bringing Dunk and Egg to the screen.
Parker spent a week at Martin’s home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the beginning of the process, just talking through ideas with the author. Martin was always the first person to read every script, even before they went to HBO.
“He was pretty much always my first read on any script,” Parker told the New York Post. “I would send him scripts, even before I sent them to HBO. We’d have great conversations about them. I told him pretty early on that I wouldn’t put anything in that he didn’t want me to”.
When Martin visited the set in Belfast, he had one piece of advice for Parker about the novella The Hedge Knight, which season one is based on: “Please don’t mess it up”. According to the cast, Martin seemed genuinely happy with what he saw.
In a blog post on his website, Martin confirmed he has seen all six episodes and loved them, calling the cast “incredible”.
What Comes Next for Dunk and Egg
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already been renewed for a second season, which will adapt the second Dunk and Egg novella, The Sworn Sword.
Parker has said that the show could reasonably run for three seasons, covering the three existing novellas. But there is hope for more. Martin is reportedly working on another Dunk and Egg story, which could expand the series further.
“I love writing in this world. I hope we get to do it as long as an audience lets us do it,” Parker said. “We haven’t aired yet, so we’ll see what people think of us”.
Based on the response to season one, audiences seem to be enjoying this gentler, more character-focused corner of Westeros.
All six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 are currently streaming on HBO Max in the US. Viewers in the UK can watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW. In Canada, the show is available on Crave. Australian viewers can stream it on Binge and Foxtel. Indian audiences can watch on JioCinema. The show has also been picked up by various broadcasters across Europe, Latin America, and other regions through HBO’s international partners.
Season 2 is expected to arrive sometime in 2027, though an exact release date has not been announced yet.
Also Read: Industry Season 4 Episode 7 Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in “Points of Emphasis”
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