Game of Thrones (Season 2)

Zach Goodier

(Note) The first paragraph contains most of the detailed spoilers, but there will obviously be a few around in the reviews, so be warned. 

*Season 1 spoilers*

With the rise of the new Lannister dynasty following the death of Robert Baratheon, and the revelation that king Jeoffrey is no true heir to the throne, there is now a civil war erupting over the Iron Throne.  Following the news of Jeoffrey’s lineage, Robert’s brothers, Stannis and Renley, each fight for the crown.  In the North, Robb Stark seeks to avenge his father’s murder and false accusation of treason against the crown, and to free the North from the Iron Throne, and become the first King of Winter in over 3 centuries.

*End Spoilers*

And remember, it does.

This season picks right up with introducing us to the contenders for the War of Five Kings, with an introduction to Stannis Baratheon, which we never had last season, as well as his “Red Priestess,” Melisandre.  Stannis’ “Hand,” Davos Seaworth, is concerned over the influence this woman holds over Stannis, and that leads to many interesting scenes in this season, as Melisandre constantly makes the audience wonder whether her intentions are truly in Stannis’ best interest, or if her unnerving magic is leading him astray.  Most of the other main characters are simply the ones we met last season, with a couple new additions of note appearing within the season.

  

Lord Stannis, King Robert's brother, and Melisandre, the mysterious "Red Woman"

The War provides a truly compelling element that we lacked in most of season one, actively pitting these characters against each other.  While season one contained a lot of politics and plotting, with a fight here or there, the war adds a military element to the game that keeps everyone on their toes.  While the Lannisters clearly have the other houses beat in terms of schemes and wealth, even their massive army isn’t invincible when contenders like Robb Stark and Stannis Baratheon prove to be very capable strategists.  Even at the end of the first season, we saw Robb prove himself a capable leader on the field. 

Davos is another addition, and a very relate-able and honorable man, despite his past.

Across the Narrow Sea, Dany is still struggling to recover from the end of last season, and her dragons (that’s right, she has DRAGONS now) are still too young to do her any good.  Still, Ser Jorah is at her side, guiding her and trying to help her back to power, but life is difficult without armies, wealth, or friends, so she has to strike out anew with her small band of followers to try to start over, which offers her a new perspective on the world and the importance of power and how it’s wielded.

Brienne of Tarth is another new face, and she place an important supporting role in the story.

In the north, the Night’s Watch moves beyond the Wall, to try to find out what threats lay beyond.  This journey takes most of the season, but we get a lot of added lore for the Night’s Watch, as well as some of the history and legends in the North.  The savage region is home to wildlings, and worse, as we’ve begun to see.  While this storyline seems to be isolated and not so important to the kingdoms, you quickly realize that these events are laying the groundwork for important events to come, and Jon Snow is forced to make some difficult choices.

Renly, Stannis and Robert's brother, has raised his own banners to take over Westeros.

This season is interesting, because the lines have been drawn, and the banners gathered, but clearly this is anybody’s game right from the outset, with nobody truly holding all of the cards.  Robb Stark and Renly Baratheon are certainly the most favorable men to lead of the group (both by the majority of the audience and by the majority of their subjects), but Renly lacks experience and the will needed to truly rule, while Robb lacks the soldiers and wealth that the other contenders have.  Tywin is certainly the favorite to win, with the deepest pockets, massive armies, and extensive experience in the field, but he finds himself with enemies at every front, and Robb in particular proves to be troubling for him because of his brilliant mind for both battle tactics and broader strategy.

"Impin' ain't easy."

After the end of season one, I wasn’t sure if I would continue to enjoy the series, due to how events played out in the story; however, I found myself still very much hooked, and characters such as Robb, Tyrion, and Davos, as well as some of the other new additions, actually manage to fill the void left after season one with much larger and stronger roles in this season.  Tyrion in particular becomes a standout character of the series, walking in a moral grey area where he isn’t a hero, but isn’t nearly as bad as his fellow Lannisters.  This, as well as Peter Dinklage and his excellent acting, actually make the show feel even better, somehow.

If there's one thing you need to know about GoT, it's that we HATE Joffrey... He is the Justin Beiber of Westeros, plain and simple.

The first season had a 10 rating from us, and season two, with its expanded visual effects, which you’ll see later in this season, truly adds to the sense of scale of this war, and just how dangerous the “game” has started to become, making the series even greater.  All of the storylines manage to progress at a natural, yet exciting pace, keeping the show well balanced between excitement and suspense, while not relying on action to keep those feelings going. 

Robb is in a tough position, but there's hardly a better man alive for the job than him.

If you have yet to pick up this series, or didn’t want to continue after season one, I would highly recommend you do so.  Despite the reservations even I had at some of the twists and turns this story took, the show still keeps going strong, getting even better in many ways, as I’ve already said.  As soon I started season two, I was hooked all over again, and for all the same reasons.  The story is original, suspenseful, exciting, and the twists and turns keep on coming.  While the raw and unrestrained elements definitely will alienate a sizeable part of potential viewers, as I’ve said of season one, it manages to entertain those who appreciate fan-service while adding to the brutal, dog-eat-dog feeling of the series as a whole.  Life in Westeros… well, everywhere actually… is brutal, and people survive however they can, and that’s one important element to this series that makes it feel original and unpredictable, and keeps people like me coming back for more time and time again.

Good:

-More excellent story

-Standouts like Robb and Tyrion, who have expanded roles from season one, as well as the extensive list of amazing characters that join them.

-THERE BE DRAGONS… even if they are still small.

-More twists, turns, and just plain awesome than you can shake a dozen sticks at.

Bad:

-Still a very RAW series, which doesn’t hurt my rating but should always be noted for potential viewers.

Scully Rating: 10 out of 10

Game of Thrones Season 4: Trailer #4 - Devil

Zach Goodier

Another epic trailer this week, this one for the new season of Game of Thrones ready to start up April 6th.  Love the song, since it really suits all the characters of this series so well.  We've seen some of the noblest characters in the series fall from grace, either through death or being survivors burdened with the knowledge that their murderers are being left unpunished.  Having read ahead quite a bit, I'm really excited for the new season, and seeing how they will tackle some of the scenes, such and Dany's battles and the Wildling attack in the north.  All in all, there's a lot to be excited for, even if you've already gotten ahead in the books.  

Game of Thrones (Season One)

Zach Goodier

In Game of Thrones, there are several prominent families, each rulers of one of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.  When the show starts out, you are shown a patrol in the far north, beyond The Wall, with the Night’s Watch, guardians of the Seven Kingdoms from threats that lay beyond, which in their eyes is always Wildlings, savage nomads that try to go south to raid settlements.  However, there is soon another, much more dangerous threat that reveals itself, and sets up for a menace not seen in Westeros for thousands of years.  However, the most interesting part of this show doesn’t lie in this conflict, it lays with the conflict between the ruling families in the Seven Kingdoms; among them the Starks and Lannisters, who are the focus of most of the first season.  However,  across the sea, the last two Targaryans (the former ruling family) seek a means of regaining their lost throne in Westeros, which adds another faction to the mix.

A better way to let you glimpse what is going on in Game of Thrones

The conflict starts out right in episode one, with a conspiracy over the death of the Hand of the King, an official who helps govern the Seven Kingdoms for the King, Robert Baratheon.  After the death of the previous hand, King Robert rides to the Northern castle at Winterfell, under the rule of lord Eddard “Ned” Stark.  Stark, like his ancestors, is deeply bound by honor, and is perhaps the only person in the Seven Kingdoms that Robert truly trusts.  However, the Lannisters have plans of their own, and between their deep political connections and even deeper pockets, they sit high and mighty in Westeros.  Suspicions run right that the Lannisters have many secrets to hide, and that it may have been what led to the previous Hand’s death.  Lord Stark decides to try to get to the bottom of things, and the best way to do that is to serve as the new Hand of the King.  What ensues is a mix of political strategy, gripping suspense, and a raw, unrestrained feeling that this show runs with to create a truly unique experience that sets itself apart from anything else on television.

Some of the set designs are simply beautiful, and really help give atmosphere to the show.

Game of Thrones is easily my favorite show right now, and there are several reasons why: the characters are all amazingly well-written, and are all complex enough to where even after watching three seasons you still can’t always exactly nail down what makes a person tick.  Some are decent, honorable, but have a couple of stains on that honor, others are out to manipulate, to pit the powerful against each other in order to clear their own path to power, but may have compelling reasons for doing so.  There are no real “heroes” in this series, nor are there entirely pure “villains,” either.  What makes the characters so compelling is that they all occupy different shades of grey, and even then, those shades can change.

Costume design is phenomenal, too.

I love the action, the cast is impressive, and the story is epic, yet very detailed and intricate.  You really don’t know where this story is going, or where it will end up.  What makes things even more suspenseful and tense is knowing that nobody is ever truly safe.  Having seen a lot of “good” television, you notice that there are usually predictable paths that a show can follow, and the only real twists come from outside interference that the audience either can’t expect, or simply involves the audience not being privy to some detail that was deliberately left out.  Now, you will still find hints of that in GoT, but most of the surprises come from within, when circumstances change, or characters make a difficult or sudden choice, and that’s what makes this show great.  Not everything works together smoothly, and that makes it all feel much more real, since things rarely fall into place, and characters are all trying to adapt as events unfold. 

Tyrion has always been a fan favorite.  Not sure if it has to do with his whit and charm, or if it simply stems from being the only Lannister you don't want to see dead.

Now be warned, this is HBO, with sex, nudity, and blood.  However, it all really suits the story well, surprisingly.  I generally feel that any use of sex appeal is a cheap attempt to generate fans, but this show works it in more naturally, with just as much, if not more, than most movies that use it, but it all works towards this feeling of a raw, uninhibited story that holds nothing back, and challenges the viewer to both accept the reality of what is going on, while also challenging the viewer to keep up with the many storylines and plots.  There is only one source of criticism that I could even make about the show, since so many storylines mean that you only get a small bits of each during an episode, and many would likely find it difficult to follow.  However, this really works for me, because the details of each story have an impact on events taking place elsewhere.  For me, it’s not a weakness at all, since it shows the intricacy of the story and characters, and the transitions are all well-timed while driving the narrative forward. 

Later on in the series you can tell this is all CGI, but the reason is because in the story, Direwolves grow to be the size of a horse, so finding an actual dog after puppy-hood is impossible.  But man, are these dogs I would love to have.

An amazing story, exceptional cast, and epic scale with a rare attention to detail make this the most incredible how on television for me, hands down.  Without getting into spoilers, this show will surprise you.  Many who have either seen the series, or heard about it, will probably already have a good idea what I’m talking about, but still, the show will almost certainly surprise you in some way.  It doesn’t cater to fan expectations, it outright defies them, sometimes.  That’s what makes me fall in love with this show the way I have.  Too many writers cater to whatever fans expect, forcing romance or switching loyalties just to make sure you wear a smile on your face throughout.  This show will not do that; it will be bold, making choices that people won’t always appreciate, but doesn’t completely turn away from what it believes fans would find acceptable, neither.  This bold measure means I honestly have no idea what to expect, and that you truly feel like this is a story that stands on its own, not being pulled and changed by fan outrage or expectations in any way. 

What kind of epic fantasy story doesn't have dragons?!?!? I'd still rather have a direwolf, though.

This is a drama/epic-fantasy/action/suspense series that continues to surprise me even after 3 seasons.  If you don’t want to buy this series without knowing what you’re buying, borrow it, stream clips, do what you have to, but I can’t do this show enough justice.  It’s bold, original, raw, challenging, full of deep and original characters, and always full of suspense.  To call it the best series in recent history would be insulting it by comparing it to other shows.  This show is truly unique, and impresses me throughout.  It doesn't pander to expectations, but that only makes me respect it more, and feel compelled to keep watching, just to see how everything eventually turns out.  This is the best show I've seen in a long time, maybe ever.  It is a masterpiece that sucks you into its world of intriguing realism, and overwhelms you with an epic scale of characters, both in quantity and quality, and a brilliant originality that quenches a thirst I didn't even know I had in television.

Good:

-Outstanding story.

-Very detailed, intricate, original characters that challenge the audience and each other.

-Unpredictable, with no set destination or single over-arching goal to steer the story, besides survival and whatever motives the characters have.

-No real favoritism, some are more likeable than others, but there is no clear cut protagonist to hog the screen.

Bad:

-Not a real fault of the show, but it IS and HBO series, with nudity, sex, and violence.  Not for the weak of heart or stomach.  So forget about it, kids, unless your mom and dad say you can.

Scully Rating: 10 out of 10