‘It’s Out There’: Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Boss Explains Why (Spoiler) Already Got A Full-Frontal Nude Scene

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Be warned: this discussion contains spoilers for Episode 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled “Hard Salt Beef.” The episode is currently streaming on HBO Max as part of the 2026 TV schedule.

As a long-time fan of the Game of Thrones universe, I’m used to seeing… well, a lot. But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms really didn’t waste any time! The second episode kicked off with a full-frontal view of Ser Arlan, and honestly, it caught me off guard. I was curious why they went there so early, and showrunner Ira Parker actually explained it. He’d previously talked about why he thinks even something silly like “fart jokes” work in this series, and he applied that same thinking to the decision to include that nude scene with Ser Arlan.

The nudity in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms feels different than in shows like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. It’s used more for comedic effect than to be taken seriously. We continue to see less-than-ideal memories from Dunk’s past with Ser Arlan, which contrast with how highly he speaks of his mentor now.

This flashback features Arlan unexpectedly leaving a brothel completely naked, seemingly unconcerned about the exposure, and filmed without any attempts to hide his nudity. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ira Parker discussed the reasoning behind the scene, explaining it aligns with the troubled circumstances of Ser Arlan. He said:

I actually felt sorry for Ser Arlan. He was the only one who consistently looked out for and supported Dunk, and his death was incredibly sad – a lonely end on a random, muddy road with no proper burial. Now, Dunk’s going around trying to find anyone who even remembers him, the knights and lords he served and fought for, but they can’t even recall his name. I wanted to give him at least one lasting recognition, a small tribute to his memory.

Honestly, when I first watched this episode of AKOTSK, it didn’t immediately strike me as having a scene that would go down as one of the 90s’ best, or even a particularly strong opening. But you know what? This show feels way more like a tribute to Boogie Nights than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon ever managed to be. And I really found myself feeling sorry for Ser Arlan – thinking about how long he served Dunk, aside from, well, getting smacked around a lot.

This didn’t feel like a typical online prank, unlike the memorable opening sequence of Game of Thrones. I’m curious to know what George R.R. Martin, given his role in the series, thinks about it. The show’s creator couldn’t say for sure if a fake piece was used on actor Danny Webb during his scene, but they did share some thoughts about the scene as a whole:

It doesn’t rush by quickly or take center stage; it’s more of a detail that adds to the overall narrative without changing the core story. Surviving as a seasoned, independent knight in those times required incredible resilience – life was hard enough for everyone, especially warriors living a nomadic life in 14th-century Europe. He’s a relatively small and lean man, so I imagined he possessed something – a kind of inner strength or energy – that allowed him to overcome particularly brutal fights.

It’s a shame Ser Arlan didn’t make it into the main part of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; we’ll likely only see him in flashbacks. However, he seemed intent on delaying Dunk’s knighting until the very end, so his death may have been necessary to move the story forward. I suspect he wouldn’t have been a great match for the unpredictable Lyonel Baratheon, as actor Daniel Ings described him, and that would have made things less interesting.

Ira Parker’s show isn’t shying away from explicit content, a departure from some earlier seasons of Game of Thrones and its first spin-off. You can see if this continues with new episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on Sundays at 10 p.m. Eastern Time, or by streaming on HBO Max.

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2026-01-27 12:38