Finn Bennett’s take on Aerion Targaryen reveals a version of the infamous prince that’s driven less by calculated cruelty and more by restless boredom. In ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’, Bennett describes how Aerion arrives at the tournament already annoyed by the circumstances. He blamed this simmering impatience that causes the sudden revelation of Egg to be so explosive.
Instead of portraying Aerion as a person who seeks violence at all times, Bennett portrays him as a person who seeks stimulation, power, and spectacle. Egg does not merely break the scene; he gives Aerion a motive to take it to the next level.
Finn Bennett On The Scene That Lets Aerion Assert His Power
Bennett says that Aerion enters the tournament, embarrassed to be there. In his view, the whole affair is inferior to him. He is a prince, and he is surrounded by peasants, and nothing is different enough to capture his attention. It is that boredom that makes how he behaves important. “Like I said, he comes into this tournament very bored. They shouldn’t be here. He knows it’s embarrassing. And when Dunk seizes him on stage and beats him up, he’s kind of got an excuse now to make an example of somebody,” he told THR.
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It is embarrassing when Dunk takes Aerion on the street and beats him, yet strangely helpful. Aerion has justification suddenly. One has the audacity to challenge authority, and that gives him the right to retaliate with force. For Aerion, it is no longer about ego, but about regaining control in front of an audience. However, even that soon becomes dull.
This guy stood up to authority, and he’s going to make a fucking example of him. And then when he says to Dunk, “If you’ve got nothing more to say,” and Dunk doesn’t say anything, it’s boring again.” As Dunk declines to retreat further, the excitement dies. Aerion is willing to make an example out of him, punish him in public, and move on. The struggle, as he sees it, is already at its climax. And then Egg shows up.
Egg Raises The Stakes And The Danger In ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
Everything is different when Egg breaks into the tent. According to Bennett, Egg’s presence is the point at which the scene really comes alive. What would have been a normal punishment turns out to be a chance to do something bigger, louder, and much more dramatic. The appearance of Egg increases the stakes, not only politically, but also emotionally.
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“When Egg bursts into the tent, the stakes are raised again. It’s suddenly really exciting for Aerion. He has an excuse to do something big and dramatic,” he explained. Aerion now possesses an audience, a disturbance, and an opportunity to dominate in a manner that is meaningful to him. It’s no longer boring. It’s exciting again. That is what makes the moment so disturbing. Aerion is not responding with anger alone; he is responding with pleasure.
Egg provides him with an excuse to indulge his most vile impulses, to make cruelty a show. The interpretation by Bennett introduces an uncomfortable dimension to Aerion Targaryen. He is not only dangerous because he is violent. He is dangerous because he is bored. When a person like that is given a reason to act, the results can get out of control very quickly. In ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’, Egg does not simply question Aerion’s authority. He awakens it.
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