Now that new Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has premiered, fans are all talking about one character in particular.
Although everyone loves the show's main duo Dunk and Egg, it's Lyonel Baratheon (played by Daniel Ings) who seems to have emerged as the fan favorite. Known as the Laughing Storm in George R.R. Martin's novellas, the flamboyant lord is the great-grandfather to Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon from the original show.
One of the top comments on the post-episode discussion Reddit thread reads, "Lyonel Baratheon kicks so much ass omg. I'm really excited to see what the show does with all the supporting characters."
"Yep, Lyonel is gonna be the highlight of this show, he was unpredictable from beginning to end," wrote another user.
"He absolutely embodied the name The Laughing Storm in a scene in a way that even the book couldn't fully convey. I was blown away by how well they got his essence," said someone else.
"Lyonel is amazing so far, just delightfully deranged," agreed another. "I love his antler crown and antler chandelier."
However, not everyone is convinced. "I'm more tepid on Lyonel Baratheon," wrote another user. "Feels like they nailed the 'Laughing' part but missed on the 'Storm'. It felt like he lacked the commanding presence I would have expected from his character. When Dunk mentioned he was simply there for supper, I was expecting a boisterous eruption rather than a light chuckle. Hopefully this changes in later episodes. Ngl, he felt a little bit more like a more accurate book Renly than Lyonel if that makes sense."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows lowly hedge knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) as he attempts to make a name for himself at the Ashford Tourney – and reluctantly takes on an eager new squire, a mysterious young stable boy called Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is airing weekly on HBO/HBO Max and Sky Atlantic/NOW. Stay up to date with our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule or check out our verdict in our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review.
