The Reddit “Ask Me Anything” interview took place on Tuesday, February 10. Parker, the executive producer and showrunner of the new Game of Thrones spinoff that’s become an instant hit, fielded tons of fan questions on the Reddit thread. Fans of Martin’s books and the onscreen adaptations have been praising A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for being a faithful adaptation of the essence of Martin’s work. Some fans, however, had some fair questions about things omitted from the books in the HBO drama, which airs Sundays at 10/9c.
Parker gave an honest response to one fan’s question about a beloved Dunk line from the first book in the trilogy.
“Many readers consider Dunk’s exchange with Steely Pate — “Who am I to them?” “A knight who remembered his vows” — to be the soul and the moral of the entire novella,” they said. “The impact comes not just from the exchange itself, but its careful placement at Dunk’s lowest point, before he realizes any champions have answered his call, let alone Breakspear joining him. Could you speak to your reasoning in removing (or potentially moving to a later episode) the exchange? Removing it entirely diminishes the soul of the story, and moving it to a later moment weakens its impact, as Dunk already has the favor of the Prince of Dragonstone. It’s an odd choice given how faithful you’ve otherwise been to the novella.”
“Honestly, it was a mistake on my part,” Parker replied. “Not my first, not my last on this show. That scene was in the script at one point, then fell out. I agree that ‘a knight who remembers his vows’ is the soul of this story, but I think that is still very much at the core of the show, even if I stupidly left out this scene… it may not be said explicitly, but Dunk’s [Peter Claffey] actions remain the same.”
Reddit users and fans on X/Twitter loved the honesty.
“Thank you for an honest answer!” one fan replied on Reddit.
“Sir, you have balls of steel. It’s been so long since the last time I saw [a] showrunner being able to admit they made a mistake. Mad respect,” said another.
“I have to say I think ur honesty is really refreshing, especially after seeing how [House of the Dragon] was handled,” another response said. “I think you guys are doing an amazing job keeping the stories and plots based on the text. I know I’m not alone in my dislike in some of the creative decisions being made on HotD. Please keep doing what you’re doing, you are crushing it!”
A fan on Twitter said that this answer made them trust Parker more.
“You know what, Ira, I am sold,” they posted. “I appreciate the sincerity and honesty. Sometimes s**t happens, and you make a mistake. You still made that line the core of the story, but I am glad you admitted leaving it out was a blunder. I look forward to seeing how you grow as a showrunner.”
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There was a second “mistake” in Episode 4 pointed out by a fan on the Reddit thread.
“I noticed that Maekar’s [Sam Spruell] and Aerion’s [Finn Bennett] personal coats of arms don’t appear in the show,” they said. “Was this a conscious creative choice, or was it avoided for practical reasons like visual clarity or production constraints? As a personal fan of heraldry, I would have loved to see them. Thank you for the amazing adaptation you and your team are giving us!”
Parker was transparent once again in his answer.
“So far I’ve seen fans point [out] two mistakes in this show that I was unaware of. This is one of them,” Parker wrote. “Definitely should have had Maekar’s…that would have made it soooo easy to distinguish him in the fog. Whoops.”
A fan on X/Twitter was impressed, saying, “Unfortunately, this man is so earnest I can’t even be mad. He’s not justifying his f**k ups or pretending the audience is stupid, he’s saying yep, my bad. I probably should’ve done that.”
“I do like how transparent he is about his mistakes, though. Very much appreciated. But for sure a bummer,” another X user replied.
“This dude seems genuinely down to earth and humble,” they said. “Recognizes mistakes and areas that could’ve been improved, and I think he’s going to learn from them as well. He doesn’t try to justify it or imply the audience is dumb, etc. Best possible dude to adapt these novellas tbh.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Sundays, 10/9c, HBO
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