I've been singing the praises of the latest Game of Thrones spinoff show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which has quickly become my absolute favorite thing to watch right now and may even rank up there in the top category of shows I've ever watched.
As I wrote about it last, it actually gave us the return of "the good guy," and I do mean an actual good guy. Not some anti-hero with a dark past, but a protagonist who, from head to toe, tries his best and upholds his oath to be a good knight, even if it gets him in trouble.
Read: Good Guys Are Back in Entertainment
But while I love the main character, "Dunk," I think my absolute favorite has to be Lyonel Baratheon, the Lord of the Stormlands. He is one of the best written characters in so many ways, and the one I appreciate the most is the fact that he's the first real masculine character I've seen that displays his masculinity in overt ways, sure — but what I'm impressed by is the subtlety of his masculinity.
Before I continue, for those who haven't watched the show yet, let me introduce you to the guy through these scenes from the show.
His behavior seems bizarre, almost confrontational at first, but you soon learn he's a man who lifts people up through challenge, and accomplishes increasing someone's confidence in themselves, not through inspirational speeches or reassurance.
He takes a liking to Dunk through his honesty in the face of a perceived threat, and from there, Lyonel seems to make it his mission to bring Dunk out of his shell, which he does by bringing him to the dance floor. What happens then is brilliant. Lyonel attempts to stomp on Dunk's feet, forcing Dunk to move and dance. When Dunk steps on Lyonel's foot in return, he's not angry; he's joyous. Dunk is owning his own space now, and the two party together.
Keep in mind, Dunk is a simple hedgeknight, a lordless sword who has to sleep under the stars because he doesn't have a home, and Lyonel is a Lord, but Lyonel doesn't see them in that way. He sees Dunk's character, and they become something like friends despite the power dynamic.
*LANGUAGE WARNING*
His confidence in himself rubs off on others, and I think that is, in itself, a truly masculine trait. He sees life as something to be enjoyed, not endured, and he laughs even at mortal danger. Later, when he gets the chance to fight for Dunk during a trial, he notes that a seven-on-seven trial by combat that hadn't been invoked in over a hundred years, and he wasn't about to miss the opportunity to take part. The connection, I think, that some people miss here is that earlier, Lyonel had called Dunk to "war," which ended up being a tug-of-war contest that Dunk backed Lyonel up in. Lyonel seems to treat both the life-threatening combat and the game of tug-of-war the exact same.
But I want to bring up a scene that I feel demonstrates his masculinity in a far more subtle way, and it's one I don't think people really caught.
Right after the dancing floor scene, it fast forwards to later as the party is winding down and things are far quieter. Dunk and Lyonel are sitting together at the head table, speaking to one another privately. Lyonel is well in his cups and on the philosophical side. Dunk is asking how someone like himself, who didn't have the same kind of training as the people he's about to compete against in the jousting tournament, could win. Bluntly, Lyonel tells him he has no chance, but adds this:
"But it's a great honor to test oneself against a worthy foe."
What I love about this scene is that it's so multi-layered.
Notice that Dunk is wearing Lyonel's crown. Dunk is not the kind of person to put someone's crown on his own head, meaning Lyonel had to have put it there, and he clearly did it because he sees greatness in Dunk, who just let it come through in the prior moments. It's a signal that he sees Dunk as an equal.
I love the fact that he sees the crown, not as a symbol of his authority, but as one of confidence in oneself and a love of life. He put it on Dunk's head as a memorial to his finding that in himself and letting it shine. He doesn't need to wear the crown himself to signify his title and rights. He carries that with him regardless of where he is or what he's wearing. He could be completely naked, and his spirit and authority would still come through.
But I love the line he gives Dunk about it being an honor to test oneself.
This is a sort of Goku mentality that I try to live by myself. It's the idea that the greatest foe you will ever face in your life is your own self-imposed limitations. The voice inside your head that says "I can't do it" is your real opponent. If you go up against someone stronger than you, tougher or smarter than you, you may very well lose in whatever challenge they put you through, but the experience and knowledge you gain from that loss is infinitely more valuable than the lesson you don't learn from never trying in the first place.
This is honestly a character that I've been screaming from the rooftops to be written for years now, and here he is. Better written than I could've ever anticipated.
If you haven't seen "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," I can't recommend it enough.
