Small Prophets and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have one lovely thing in common

On the face of it, similarities between Small Prophets and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are few and far between.

Mackenzie Crook's BBC Two series is a modern day, suburban-set sitcom about a man growing homunculi (miniature humanoid creatures with the ability to predict the future) in his garden shed.

The Game of Thrones spin-off, in stark contrast, is set in 209 AC (roughly a century before the first season of Thrones) in the greens of Ashford, where a lowly hedge knight crosses paths with a young boy concealing his noble dynasty.

No, there aren't many comparisons to speak of, aside from some well-deployed tonal acrobatics, a handful of quirky characters and a touch of the absurd.

But they do have one thing in common, and it warms the cockles of one's heart in these most divided of times: their celebration of unexpected friendships.

In both series, we find two people – Michael Sleep and Ser Duncan the Tall, also known as Dunk – who are, when we first meet them incredibly lonely.

The former is still grieving the departure of his girlfriend Clea, who disappeared nearly seven years ago, and on Christmas Eve, of all days. While he interacts with the public during his shifts at a DIY shop and visits his lovely dad Brian at a care home, he has no friends to speak of.

And save for his three horses, the latter is completely alone in the world after his mentor, former hedge knight Ser Arlan of Pennytree, drops down dead.

But eventually, companionship seeks them both out from the unlikeliest of sources.

Michael's first interaction with his colleague Kacey is him thinking she’s calling him a 'wanker'. The gesture is meant for their boss Gordon, who's needling Michael about something or other, but he gets the wrong end of the stick. A solid start.

Later, in the staff room, they strike up a conversation after she asks him if his beard is itchy (a fair question, given its demeanour) before moving onto the subject of underwater welders after he playfully fibs about being one in a past life.

It doesn't exactly sound like the makings of a solid friendship, does it? People either think Michael's a massive weirdo or taking the mick, which sends them scuttling off in the opposite direction – his very own defence mechanism, if you will. But Kacey, by contrast, leans in, and it unlocks something really rather special between them.

"I love the way that she sort of pursues him, because she's very tenacious and she wants to know more," Peace Quigley, who plays Michael, told Radio Times.

"She wants to know who he is. And then ultimately, she wants to know, actually, what is he doing [in his shed]? It's a lovely relationship."

Then there's Egg – first name: Aegon. Second name: Targaryen – who also pursues Dunk.

Of course initially, Dunk could be anyone, really. As long as they offered him a ticket away from his family, who he desperately wants to escape, and a route to adventure, Egg would squire anyone. But that all changes after camping out under the stars together and munching on some hefty-looking sandwiches while sitting shoulder to shoulder, talking about everything, and nothing.

The cadence of their conversations is one of the show's great joys.

Egg quickly grasps that Dunk is kind – his threats to give him a clout around the ear lack all commitment – which is a rarity in the world of Thrones, and certainly in the world of a family of high status, where internal and external threats and expectations create a pressure cooker environment.

He also addresses Egg without insult and agenda, unlike members of his own family – Prince Aerion, we're looking at you – or without fear or rigidity, as any small folk addressing a Targaryen would.

Granted, Dunk doesn't know who Egg is initially, but for the little Targaryen, it's time enough to get to know his new companion and before long, there's simply no doubt in his little bald head: Dunk is the man for him – which isn't something Dunk himself is used to.

Unlike Egg, most people don't want to know Dunk. He is insignificant, a nobody, often met with ridicule or dismissal. But not from Egg, never from Egg.

"You best be here when I get back," Dunk says to him before the Trial of Seven commences – and not for any other reason than to comfort him in a particularly difficult moment. He would be forgiven for only thinking about himself given what he was about to face, but instead, his mind turns to Egg.

Yet as mentioned, Egg is a Targaryen, which means this incredibly sweet and brotherly bond they share – or even father-son dynamic, as Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays Egg, has said he sees it – has no right to exist. It simply isn't befitting of someone who is lowly born, such as Dunk, and one Egg of House Targaryen, who will one day sit upon the Iron Throne.

It shouldn’t happen. It cannot happen – and yet.

But they don't just stand on opposite sides of the divide when it comes to status and life experience. They also have divergent personalities – naturally, Egg speaks with an authority and conviction that Dunk just doesn't have. Egg is also a little weirdo, while there's a perfect simplicity to Dunk – not to mention the significant age gap, which would also be a barrier to forming a friendship for many others.

But that hasn't proven insurmountable for Dunk and Egg, nor for Michael and Kacey, who are also decades apart in age, yet are tuned into the same frequency.

When the other pub-goers look at Michael like he's losing the plot as he drunkenly announces he's growing homunculi, Kacey only has questions. She engages with him in a way the rest of the world doesn't – and not to ridicule or judge him, or to make herself feel better.

Whatever he has to say is met with genuine curiosity and – as she learns more of his story – compassion, along with the hope that he'll see Clea again.

It's Kacey, after all, who encourages him to ask the small prophets about Clea – whether she still loves him, and if she's ever coming home. His anxiety initially proves too much to overcome, just as time is running out, but she spurs him on, just as Egg demands that Dunk haul himself back to his feet after taking the mother of all beatings in combat, courtesy of Aerion's flail.

Others might have used Michael and his prophets entirely to their own advantage, but there’s no malice or manipulation in Kacey's interest in him. She likes him for who he is, and he takes a shine to her. It's as simple as that.

And there's a beautiful simplicity to the bare bones relationship between Dunk and Egg – despite the complex circumstances they find themselves in – which stands in delightfully stark contrast to the politicking and scheming synonymous with Thrones.

In a world which often feels distinctly devoid of magic and hope at the moment, the unexpected friendships that blossom between Michael and Kacey, and Dunk and Egg – and exactly when they need each other most – are just the tonic.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Small Prophets is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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