Game of Thrones (Season 4)

Zach Goodier

Another season of my favorite show just ended its run on HBO, so it’s time to give it a review.  Did season 4 keep the awesomeness that is Game of Thrones at its well-deserved place as my #1 favorite show on TV?  Let’s discuss that…  **SPOILERS** (Obviously).

Season 4 starts out with one of the saddest scenes I have ever watched.  Tywin Lannister is having Ice, Eddard Stark’s ancestral sword, a blade that has served the Starks for 1,000’s of years, melted down and reforged into two separate blades.  The music, the lighting, everything just reflects the tragedy, and reminds the audience of the end of an era.  With the loss of Robb Stark, and the end of the Northern Rebellion, it seems the Lannisters have secured their hold on the Iron Throne, with Stannis still trying to recover from the Blackwater, there is nobody left militarily to oppose them.  However, the Game of Thrones never truly ends, and it’s never over until it’s over, and this season drives that point home more than any other.

 

This whole scene gave me feels... bad feels.

In the north, Roose Bolton has secured the title of Warden of the North, but he has almost no actual control over the North.  The Greyjoys hold Moat Cailin, and in doing so, are keeping Roose’s army trapped below the Neck, and unable to actually  enter the lands he supposedly holds.  The rest of the North is in disarray, between the loss of Robb and the invasion of the Ironborn, the North faces aggression on multiple fronts without a Stark to lead them for the first time in recorded history.  Theon Greyjoy (AKA “Reek) is now a member of the Bolton household, and his tragic loss of identity is truly complete this season, as he shows his Stockholm-driven loyalty to his captors.

Yup. Dany still has dragons.

For Dany, this season is a test of her ability to rule, as she attempts to settle down in Meereen and truly rule for the first time.  She will finally start to understand that ruling is not as easy as it seems, with difficult decisions and realizing that her conquest, even in the best of hopes, has a lot of collateral damage, not only to the city itself, but to the lives of the people who live there, both during and after the conquest.  Dany’s always been a character I found to be a rather naïve one, but this season really addresses that, and challenges her convictions to their very core, much like Robb in season 3.  Her relationship with her oldest friend, Jorah Mormont, will also be pushed to the limit as old allegiances are revealed.

Meereen, Dany's next challenge.

Arya is another interesting character this season, as you start to see her transition into a true killer.  Her first kill at the end of last season, but it’s this season that you start to see Arya truly become a killer.  Her relationship with the Hound is also brilliant, providing a nice dynamic between the relatively innocent girl, and the heartless beast, but all the while they almost share a disgust with everyone else, and a melancholy that really brings the two closer together, even if Arya still wants the Hound dead.

Meet Oberyn, one of the best characters of the season.

Jaime and Tyrion really knock it out of the park this season, but perhaps one of the greatest characters in King’s Landing is a new face: Oberyn Martel.  Prince Oberyn is on a quest to exact vengeance for his sister’s murder at the hands of the Mountain, under orders of Tywin Lannister.  Oberyn is an exciting character, giving the Lannisters a dangerous foe who walks beside them in King’s Landing.  While his role wasn’t all it could be, it gives us a reminder that there are still other powerful people in Westeros, and many of them are opposed to the Lannisters who many see as usurpers.

This is where I saw Peter win another Emmy. True story.

One of the biggest highlights this season is another full-episode battle at the Wall, with the Night’s Watch fighting off the Wildling army.  In many ways, this battle really outdoes the Blackwater, with hordes of on-screen fighting with relatively little CGI, aside from the Wall itself.  Many characters really stand out, and while not all of them are still standing by the end, many go out in the right fashion to make you proud.

Bravos, we expect to see more of this city next season, but we get a brilliant intro this season.

The finale is one that is going to be talked about for a long time.  While it might not have the impact of the now infamous Red Wedding, this is in many ways the twist that we all have wished for.  Not going to go into specifics, but it was definitely a twist that will define the entire show from here onward.  Like the Red Wedding, the finale redefined Westeros, and left a void in the series that seems almost impossible to fill.  Even so, the story will keep us coming back, eager to experience more of this epic story of deception, betrayal, survival, and the desperate pursuit of justice.

Arya and the Hound need their own spin-off series.

Season 4 is in many ways a reminder that this series is far from over.  While season 3 ended things in a way that felt like the end of an era, this season really reminded us that this is far from over, and even the strongest house in Westeros is by no means untouchable.   The only real disappointment for me was the lack of Lady Stoneheart, which I won’t delve into very much here, other than saying her inclusion in the finale would, like the books, add a very jaw-dropping moment to top off everything that happened, and it would really help validate that whole “The North Remembers” thing that many of us (myself included) have been whispering under our breath.  Still, this season continues to turn up the heat, and keep us all guessing which characters are destined to die, and which will advance in their quests.

Good:

-Epic story keeps on being epic.

-Lot of standout moments for several characters.

-Unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat action, with lots of twists and turns to keep the story engaging

-Brilliant combat scenes, particularly the Mountain and the Viper.

Bad:

-Just for the sake of having some geniune criticism, this season really deviates from the source material in certain areas.  While it usually works just fine with the story, it does create some conspicuous moments that might challenge the loyalty of books fans.

Scully Rating: 9.9 out of 10

Game of Thrones (Season 3)

Zach Goodier

In anticipation of the end of Season 4 tomorrow, I figured I better make sure I’m up-to-date on our GoT reviews before reviewing the entirety of Season 4.  So here’s our season 3 review, obvious ***SPOILERS*** included.

If you give an aspiring Queen an army... She's going to want a throne to go with it.

As we left off in Season 2, Dany is learning to become more assertive, and with the help of Jorah is becoming more of a queen every day.  Back in Westeros, The war is dragging on, as Robb continues to win on the field, but starts to have trouble amongst his own ranks.  Further south, the Lannisters still hold King’s Landing, but are struggling to contend with continuing opposition, and even their allies are out to undermine them.  Stannis, still reeling from the Battle of Blackwater, licks his wounds, and struggles to keep himself in the game, despite being the rightful heir to the throne.  And north of the Wall, the Night’s Watch struggles to contend with the White Walkers, as well as the savage Wildlings.  All in all, the struggle for the Iron Throne, and the dangers to the far north, are only escalating.

 

We really get to know more about the Wildling clans this season.

For Dany, the season is all uphill, with her dragons, as well as her growing reputation, she starts to become more of an actual leader this season.  Her cause of liberating the slaves gives her a sense of nobility, and her charisma is almost as potent as dragonfire.  However, I found the season for Dany to be somewhat less interesting than the other storylines, particularly after she obtains the Unsullied army.  Ser Barristan Selmy appears again, adding some new life to Dany’s story, as well as returning a favorite side-character of mine to the show again.  Towards the end of the season her story picks up again, with the siege of Yunkai and the introduction of the character of Daario.

Mance Raider, the King Beyond the Wall.

For Robb, the season is full of frustration, as he keeps trying to engage the Lannisters, only finding they have fallen back, murdering and pillaging everything they can along the way, leaving dead northerners behind at Harrenhall in order to further frustrate Robb.  Following his mother’s betrayal by setting Jaime Lannister free, Robb starts to struggle with the difficult position of not killing Jaime, and the resentment fostered amongst many of his supporters for it.  The growing tension amongst his own ranks gives Robb no end of difficulty, and things come to a head later in the season when one of his lords outright violates Robb’s orders and takes matters into his own hands.  While I sympathize with Robb’s problems, I believe his approach was far too soft, and that his lords are right to question his ability when Robb could lose his father, and see the bodies of murdered Northmen and still not exact vengeance for those loses.  It makes Robb start to lose face, and altogether lose the support of his own men.

Robb has an increasingly difficult season, trying to find justice in a world without mercy can be very difficult, and the enemies never play fair.

Since I mentioned Jaime, I should say that this is really Jaime’s breakout season, as he struggles to get back to King’s Landing to return to his beloved Cersei.  Despite the disturbing nature of his incest relationship, Jaime really starts to develop as a character this season, really challenging some of the conceptions we’ve had about him from the beginning of the series.  He doesn’t necessarily redeem himself, but he certainly does a good job of walking a fine line between hero and villain in the story, especially in a bath scene with Brienne where to tells the story of how he killed the Mad King.  I won’t spoil details, but it’s a standout scene where he really starts to open up, and we finally see the man underneath the armor.

Jaime doesn't have a very good season... But it's at his lowest that he really starts to shine.

Jon Snow is struggling to survive north of the Wall, and Ygritte proves to be one of his greatest challenges yet, in more ways than one.  She challenges Jon, and helps validate the warning Aemon gave to Jon way back in season one.  This really starts to give some complexity to Jon, who now faces the cruelty of his own vows.  While I left off after season 2 believing that the White Walkers were finally on the warpath (I hadn’t started reading at that point), there really isn’t that much about them this season, aside from a significant role later on when we finally find out that they do have some sort of weakness.

Robb's allies and relatives, the Tully's.

The most discussed moment from season 3 is without doubt the Red Wedding.  I won’t go into it in this review, besides mentioning that it is one of the greatest twists/shocking moments of television history.  It’s not just the event itself, but the brutality of it all, as you are reminded that this world and story takes no prisoners.  If you’ve seen it, then you know just how brutal it all is, even making changes to the story to keep things fresh and exciting for even those that have read the books.

Ygritte is Jon Snow's biggest test yet.

Overall, season 3 keeps the trend going of turning up the dial, throwing twists and turns your way, all the while fooling you into believing you have this show all figured out.  It’s this tightrope walk between defying expectations and still giving the audience something to go on.  It’s a dangerous line that few shows have ever thought to walk, and none have successfully done.  George R. R. Martin has earned a reputation as a literary sadist in the way he writes, but if this story was only about “bad” guys winning, it would still fall into the same predictable patterns as any other show.  It’s not knowing where or when the twists will come that keeps this show so interesting, and the depth of character makes it all stay fresh and exciting, never formulaic or dull.  Like the rest of the show, the complexity and depth make it all so incredible to watch, and a masterpiece in modern television.

Good:

-More incredible story and characters, some new, mostly old.

-More twists and turns than you know how to cope with.

-A continually rich, visceral world that captivates with its scale, intrigue, and utter brutality.

Bad: 

-Not really a bash on the show… but ‘dem feels, bro.

Scully Rating:  10 out of 10

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 Trailer #2 - Vengeance (HBO)

Zach Goodier

New GoT trailer... 'nuff said.  It's right around the corner, and I can't wait.  In honor of the release of season 3 this week on DVD/Blu-Ray, he's this awesome trailer, and maybe a little more this week, who know?