Will Tanselle return in ‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ 2? Tanzyn Crawford teases future: 'I wondered that...'
Among many other narrative questions that the debut season of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' left unanswered in its sixth and final episode, the ultimate fate of Tanselle reigns paramount. Tanselle 'Too Tall,' played by Tanzyn Crawford, got along really well with Peter Claffey's Ser Duncan the Tall. However, their pleasant relationship suffered immensely after Finn Bennett's Sir Aerion Targaryen got enraged with Tanselle for killing a dragon during a puppet show. After Aerion snapped Tanselle's finger and humiliated her, Dunk could no longer hold himself back and jumped to her rescue.
Taking the fight directly to Prince Aerion, Dunk challenged his honor, thus leading to the first-ever Trial of Seven witnessed by Westeros in 100 years. This trial by combat had enormous consequences, and it is fair to say that more than half of the 'Game of Thrones' prequel show's debut season saw the characters dealing with the fallout. Although Dunk initially struggled to raise his group of knights, he was unexpectedly helped by Ser Baelor Targaryen, played by Bertie Carvel. Unfortunately, the valiant knight and the heir to the throne succumbed to his injuries after the rear of his skull was brutally crushed by a mace. His death, though unintentional, was directly caused by Prince Maekar Targaryen. Towards the finale of the debut season, Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell's 'Egg' were seen embarking on a new adventure, this time to try and locate Tanselle and her band of traveling puppeteers.
If one were to go by 'The Tales of Dunk and Egg' novellas written by George R. R. Martin, the chances of Dunk and Egg reuniting with Tanselle seem to be slim. This is because the literary source doesn't mention Tanselle ever again after she departs from Ashford Meadow. If the HBO Max show created by showrunner Ira Parker remains faithful to its source material, we won't hear from Tanselle for a while. Nevertheless, Parker had previously revealed Martin had provided him with 12 unpublished Dunk and Egg stories, and it wouldn't be a stretch to speculate that Tanselle might turn up in at least one of them. In a recent interview with TV Insider, Crawford was asked about the possibility of reprising her role for the HBO Max show's sophomore season, to which the actress playfully replied, "I would definitely love to continue her story and continue the Dunk and Tanselle connection, so I’m excited for the future of Tanselle. That’s all I can say."
Crawford further commented on her feelings about the historic trial by combat. She seemed as confused and eager as fans as she said, "There’s so many possible options. Did she leave and dismiss it and not think about it and self-preserve, or is this playing on her mind? I think that’s a question that’s up in the air. I think it should be left for interpretation. I don’t think I can answer that, because I think it could be explored later on, so it’s kind of up in the air. I’m sure it weighs on her somewhat, but she doesn’t really know this guy, so saving her own life and her family’s life is a priority.” 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Season 2 is expected to arrive sometime in 2027.
