Game of Thrones Season 2 (2012)

The Lord of Light wants his enemies burned. The Drowned God wants them drowned. 
Why are the gods all such vicious cunts?

HBO's hit fantasy drama continues as the War of Five Kings is in full swing with the Stark banner-men under Robb Stark fighting Lannister banner-men under Tywin Lannister while both remaining Baratheon brothers advance their own claims to the Iron Throne. In the capital, Tyrion Lannister uses his new power as acting Hand of the King to try and manage the chaos while the poor starve and Joffrey continues to be an ineffectual king who regularly abuses those under him including Sansa ostensibly for the crimes of her brother Robb. Tyrion manages this while playing a dangerous game of politics and treachery among the court.

There are many concurrent plot-lines, but Tyrion's is the most interesting as Peter Dinklage (who now has top billing. Winning Emmys will do that) plays the quick-witted and clever character masterfully and sympathetically. Not that the other stories are bad, just pale in comparison when Tyrion isn't onscreen. They are excellent otherwise. Everything  from the characters to the costumes and sets is wonderfully crafted despite a limited, though newly raised, cable budget. The CG graphics for Daenerys' dragons is very well done though not perfect, but it is a small blemish on the series.

The many plots can be overwhelming, but they are handled as well as they can be given how many there are and the limited number of episodes. Add to that some excellent dark age style swords and sorcery action with the well realized atmosphere and mood of the first season and you get a show that is very much worth the hype and acclaim.

Episodes to See:
All of them again as missing one will probably leave casual viewers terribly lost given how much detail and plot is crammed into just the 10 episodes.

Buyer's Guide:
Available on DVD and Blu-Ray box sets and streaming for HBO Go subscribers.

4½ Tits and Wine out of 5

GAME OF THRONES [2011]

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.

There is no middle ground.”

Faithfully based on author George R.R. Martin's sweeping medieval fantasy novels Songs Of Fire & Ice, HBO's Game Of Thrones is without a doubt a monumental achievement in television productions.  I hate to be, yet another interwebs “critic” gushing over the series, but quite frankly I believe it deserves every single ounce of praise it's received.  It captivated the brain from the instant the hypnotizing main titles sequence spun into action, right up to the goosebump inducing final scene of the season finale. 

Games is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms Of Westeros, where the throne is fought over between several different noble families inhabiting the lands.  Sean Bean, known primarily for his roles in The Lord Of The Rings and TV's Sharpe, takes center stage as the instantly engaging Lord Eddard Stark.  Newcomer Emilia Clarke joins the other spectrum of the series as  Daenerys Targaryen, an exiled child of the previous king who is determined to regain her family's rightful place in the kingdom.  Bean & Clarke are joined by a brilliant ensemble cast, including Lena Headey of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, as the resident bitch Queen Cersei Lannister.   There's newcomer Jack Gleeson as Joffrey, the Queen’s snotty coward of a son who you just love to hate.  A Knight's Tale's Mark Addy is finally granted a decent role as the good-willed King Robert Baratheon.  However it's The Station Agent's Peter Dinklage who chews up the scenery as the razor-sharp witted boor of a brother to the queen, Tyrion.  This colorful character is by far the best.  Give Tyrion the throne and be done with it.

What's interesting about Game Of Thrones is although it's set in a fantasy world, it rarely ever makes use of fantastical elements to push the story forward.   This series is all about character and that's what I love about this series.  The characters are so well fleshed out, you think you were watching a biographical piece.

Filmed primarily in Ireland, Games' mood and atmosphere is effectively bone-chilling and moody, particularly with composer Ramin Djawadi's ceremoniously subdued music to compliment the picture as a whole. 

It's not often a show deserves the buzz it's receiving but Game Of Thrones lives up to it's acclaim for a reason.  It's that damned good.

10 episodes. Approx 60 mins each.

Must See Episodes: 

All of them.  They’re all adapted from a single book and need to be seen as a whole.

Buyer’s Guide:

Widely available on DVD/Blu-ray in a complete season set or the pilot episode is sold seperately…but why just one when you will end up watching them all anyways.

5 deadly golden crowns out of 5