George R. R. Martin Reacts To Game Of Thrones Spinoff’s Poop Scene

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1, episode 1!George R.R. Martin has offered his candid reaction to the unexpected poop scene near the start of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The opening episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms sees Ser Dunk bury his dead mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, under a tree. Not long after, the show cuts to a detailed scene of him pooping, meant to be a comedic gag.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin explained how he was surprised by the detailed cutaway of Dunk pooping next to a tree in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ opening scene. He expressed how, upon seeing the first cut, he didn’t think the scene was necessary, stating showrunner Ira Parker wanted to keep it in regardless:

Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise. Not to say that my characters don’t take s***s, but I normally don’t write about them at any length. When I saw the rough cut, I wrote, ‘What is this? Where did this come from? I don’t know if we really need the s**t.’ But [showrunner Ira Parker] liked it for whatever reason.

The sudden toilet humor at the start of the episode doesn’t carry over into the rest of the premiere. Episode 1 focuses on establishing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ core characters, as Dunk arrives in Ashford town to participate in a tourney. He also properly meets Egg, who he takes under his wing as a temporary squire.

Based on Martin’s novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg, season 1 pulls from the first book, including plenty of details from the source material that ground it within the world of Westeros. However, the show’s comedic tone, much like the series, goes in some different directions, such as the poop scene’s inclusion at the start.

More to come…