A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms concluded on February 22 with a darkly comical twist, as Maekar Targaryen discovers that his youngest son, Aegon Targaryen, has vanished. Again. The Targaryen prince is already reeling from devastating losses. His older brother and Hand of the King, Baelor, is dead, and his son Aerion was gravely injured during the Trial of Seven. To make matters worse, Egg has run off.
Simply put, Maekar cannot seem to catch a break. Despite the fact that he accidentally killed Baelor, the mounting misfortunes make it difficult not to empathize with him. On a recent episode of the Official Game of Thrones podcast, host Jason Concepcion discussed how the series reframes Maekar’s character, offering a more layered and sympathetic portrayal.
Quick read:
- Maekar Targaryen’s tough exterior has an emotional backstory.
- The screen adaptation gives a better look at Maekar’s struggles.
- Maekar’s initial offer to Dunk was an attempt at taking control, says Ira Parker.
Official Game of Thrones podcast host on how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adds depth to Maekar Targaryen
The prequel series is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight. Since the source material is relatively short, the creators had some creative flexibility to expand the story without straying from its core. In doing so, they deepened several character arcs. To that end, Maekar Targaryen emerged as one of the most notably expanded and nuanced figures.
Reflecting on this, Concepcion, who has read the book, said, “One of my favorite things about this episode and this series as a book reader has been the way it kind of reframed Maekar for me a little bit. You know? He’s a very steely, stern… not quite mean guy, but definitely not someone you’d want to raise issues with easily.”
He further spoke about how the series gave an insight into the reasons behind Maekar’s behavior. “In the show, it’s clear that that is an outgrowth of the fact that this guy’s just… He’s a father of three sons who are… all over the place. One’s an alcoholic. The other one’s a violent, near-psychopath. And the other one just keeps running away,” he said. In an attempt to make amends, Maekar even offers Dunk a place at Summerhall because Egg refuses to squire for anyone else. However, Dunk declines and for good reason.
Ira Parker on why Maekar’s “initial pitch” to Dunk was him trying to assert control
Reflecting on Maekar’s offer to Dunk, Ira Parker said, “That initial pitch to me was always actually maybe not the best side of Maekar, which was Maekar trying to take back some control.” He explained that Dunk did the right thing by pushing back on that offer because he has seen up close what the Targaryen family is like.
Despite his reluctance to engage with Targaryen princes again, Dunk goes back to Maekar and offers to let Egg squire for him. Daeron influenced that decision by subtly revealing that Aerion was not always this violent person he is now. Dunk, being the do-gooder he is, goes and tells Maekar that he will take up Egg as a squire but not at Summerhall. Maekar refuses the offer this time to no avail. Egg goes to Dunk anyway, lying about having his father’s permission.
Read More: The real reason Maekar Targaryen refused Dunk’s offer
