Dunk (Peter Claffey) might be the most likable character on television right now, but that doesn’t mean he always knows what’s going on. Half the time, he’s trying to figure out whether Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) is genuinely about to murder him or if the lord is just having a laugh at the hedge knight’s expense.
Showrunner Ira Parker breaks down exactly why this dynamic is working so well—and it comes down to Dunk being a genuinely good-natured idiot in a world full of people playing chess while he’s still trying to learn checkers.
Quick read:
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Ira Parker confirms Dunk constantly fears Lyonel Baratheon will murder him
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Dunk’s anxiety creates unique comedy through genuine confusion
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Parker explains why Dunk lacks quick wit but possesses genuine likability
Dunk versus Lyonel: A game of life and death (or maybe just jokes)
The comedic tension between Dunk and the Laughing Storm is one of the show’s breakout moments, and Parker nails exactly what makes it work. “Dunk is always trying to figure out if Lyonel Baratheon is seriously going to kill him, or he’s just joking around,” Parker explained. That constant anxiety—the uncertainty of whether Dunk is about to get stabbed or invited to drinks—is the entire engine of the scene.
Lyonel is genuinely unpredictable, and Dunk has no frame of reference for someone so openly chaotic. He’s not equipped to read the room because he’s never been in a room like this. The result is pure awkward comedy, the kind that comes from genuine confusion rather than scripted jokes.
Credits: HBO
Why Dunk is television’s most genuine underdog
What separates Dunk from other underdogs in George R.R. Martin’s universe is his fundamental lack of cunning. “He’s the most likable character in television,” Parker says confidently in an interview with Esquire. “It’s very easy with Dunk because he is such a fish out of water. Some of these guys he’s interacting with are just straight-up weirdos, but Dunk doesn’t know if he’s the weirdo.”
Unlike Tyrion or other Martinian heroes who rely on quick wit and charm, Dunk has to figure out his comedy from scratch. “He’s not like George’s other underdog characters. He doesn’t have that quick wit, so you adapt and you figure out where his comedy comes from.” That’s what makes him so magnetic—he’s genuinely trying, genuinely confused, and genuinely kind in a world that doesn’t value any of those things.
Read next: Showrunner reveals how Peter Claffey’s body language replaces Dunk’s missing inner monologue
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