The action in this episode follows on from the end of the previous season and concentrates on reminding us where each of the protagonists is now. Opening in King's Landing we see King Joffrey is as unpleasant as ever as he watches knights fighting to the death and orders one, who turns up drunk, to be forced to drink a cask of wine; only kind words from Sansa save the man's life. Tyrion arrives at King's Landing to act as Hand of the King while his father is fighting Robb Stark's forces in the North. Across the Narrow Sea things aren't going well for Daenerys and her people; they are deep in the desert and know that many locals would kill her for her dragons rather than help. North of the wall Jon Snow and the other members of the Night Watch accept the hospitality of Craster; a man who lives with his many wives, who are also his daughters! We are also introduced to another of the claimants to the Iron Throne, Stannis Baratheon, and his sorceress Melisandre.
Inevitably as this episode concentrates on reminding the viewers where most of the major characters are now there is less plot advancement and action than most episodes. This doesn't mean it is boring though; the violent opening reminds us that this is a dangerous place where the slightest offence towards those in power can mean a cruel death. The introduction if Stannis and Melisandre promises to be interesting; both grab the viewers' attention as he pulls a flaming sword from a fire and she drinks from a chalice she knows to be poisoned and survives. Satannis's spreading of the news of Joffrey's parentage has immediate repercussions as Joffrey moves to kill any child who may have been fathered by the late King Robert. Jack Gleeson does a fine job as the repellent Joffrey as he avoids making him a pantomime villain. Amongst all these events the only real disappointment was the fact that Arya barely featured and that was just an unspeaking appearance at the end. Overall though a good episode that effectively brought me back in to the world of 'Game of Thrones' and left me looking forward to watching the rest of the season.
Inevitably as this episode concentrates on reminding the viewers where most of the major characters are now there is less plot advancement and action than most episodes. This doesn't mean it is boring though; the violent opening reminds us that this is a dangerous place where the slightest offence towards those in power can mean a cruel death. The introduction if Stannis and Melisandre promises to be interesting; both grab the viewers' attention as he pulls a flaming sword from a fire and she drinks from a chalice she knows to be poisoned and survives. Satannis's spreading of the news of Joffrey's parentage has immediate repercussions as Joffrey moves to kill any child who may have been fathered by the late King Robert. Jack Gleeson does a fine job as the repellent Joffrey as he avoids making him a pantomime villain. Amongst all these events the only real disappointment was the fact that Arya barely featured and that was just an unspeaking appearance at the end. Overall though a good episode that effectively brought me back in to the world of 'Game of Thrones' and left me looking forward to watching the rest of the season.