Ira Parker has shed light on a subtle creative decision that sparked conversation following the latest episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The showrunner addressed the reasoning behind a noticeable change in the finale. He also offered insight into how the moment fits within the series’ tone and broader direction.

Ira Parker explains title change at the end of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6

In Episode 6 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the closing title card briefly reads “A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms,” and speaking to Variety, co-creator and showrunner Ira Parker addressed the change. He said, “That’s maybe me getting a little too jokey.” He added, “It came from an honest place. It’s all true. It’s nine kingdoms at that point.”

Parker explained the tonal intention behind the change: “We want to make Westeros a fun place to hang out, even when terrible, terrible things are happening and everyone’s sad, just like real life.” He said, “You can still make jokes at a shiva, and it’s OK. We need that relief.” He confirmed, “We’re not changing the name of the show.”

Parker also addressed the final scene in which Prince Maekar realizes Egg is missing and shouts, “Where the f**k is he?” Parker said, “To be honest, the very, very, very end was almost just meant as a joke.” He added that people “took that quite literally,” and that he has “maybe had to deal with it a little bit more in Season 2 than I was planning to.”

Regarding Egg’s claim that he had Maekar’s permission to leave, Parker said, “It’s not confirmed canonically.” He stated, “We haven’t done anything egregious here, I don’t think. [And] I believe it from a character perspective.” He added, “I believe that Egg would do that again, because he’s already done it. We’ve seen him. He runs away. That’s sort of his thing. And he lies to people.”

All episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are now streaming on HBO Max.