User Reviews

When I first saw Game of Thrones a little over a year ago, I didn't not read any of the books. But when Ned's head was chopped off, Joffery wasn't the true heir and Robb has crowned himself as The King in the North, I couldn't wait any longer. So I decided to read the books. Now I'm watching this show from a different perspective and I am still amazed how well this episode was played out.

"The North Remembers" shows us how much this show will now jump around. With Ned Stark dead, there is no real center role to keep everything together. Even though Tyrion (played by Peter Dinklage who won an Emmy and Golden Globe for Supporting Actor last year) is now considered the overall fan favorite, he still fits in the supporting actor role; and it's better that way. The season will jump around a lot from Daenerys and her dragons to Robb Stark and his ongoing war against the Lannisters. For those who had problems remembering plot and characters from Season 1 might want a note pad handy - because it doesn't get any easier in Season 2.

The season premiere was all about showing where everyone is. I loved how it opened; they show King Joffery and much of a monster he has become by nearly drowning a knight in wine. I also loved that Tyrion is finally in King's Landing serving as Hand of the King that his sister, Queen Cersei, is not too happy about. Across the Narrow Sea, the episode showed Daenerys and her dragons heading east for shelter or civilization. While we were only able to see on dragon, it looked beautifully made. Robb Stark, the King in the North, sends his peace terms to King's Landing and wants the North to be separate from the Kingdom forever. We also see his wolf, that has grown since we have last seen it, test the imprisoned Jamie Lannister. The episode also shows Jon Snow north of the wall and we are told that a new king has also risen beyond the wall.

The episode shows some new faces. Stannis Baratheon, only mentioned in Season 1, finally comes on screen during a ritual that dealt with burning the old gods for the new God of Light that a sorceress, Melisandre, is performing. Stannis has declared himself the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and declares war on King Joffery.

Yes, the episode is full of information. They throw a lot at you and since this is only a ten episode season, it's required to show so much information. Having said that, they did a marvelous job of bringing the book to the TV screen. The little game between Cersi and Littlefinger (also known as Lord Baelish) was tremendous and shows what power really is. The ending with all of King Robert's bastard sons was beautifully done. Though I wish we could have seen more Arya (who only appears before the credits role), everything else about it was fantastic.

"The North Remembers" was about bringing everyone up to speed again and now the show should continue with great pace. This is a 1000 page book they are trying to squeeze into ten episodes. So far, the show is doing beautifully. I can't wait to see how everything else is played out. Even though I have read the book, I am still eager to "see" what happens next.

9.4/10

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.

I'm a reader, and I think it is a remarkable adaptation. I would go so far as to say that we owe it to the author himself being part of the production. He is not letting anyone butcher his baby and that's why it is so awesome.

The casting is wonderful. So many new faces mixed with a bunch of well known celebrities make the characters really come to life and I imagine their faces when I read. The wardrobe and make up are stunning, the locations are beautiful and really seem Westeros and Essos, the FX, the plot is genius, the dialog too, and the small changes from the book are a success.

In this episode, we take up exactly where we left. It is amazing how everything is so real, even when it's fantasy. Good guys do bad things, bad guys have hard times, good ones too, sometimes it is not even clear who the bad guys are. Some facts that are clearly explained in the books have to be conveyed by images and voices that's why we see:

.Joffrey taking off his boy-mask to show the ruthless ambitious sadistic psychopath he is. Even to his own mother. Can a king like this really rule? Great scene with Cersei.

.Cersei carries on her plans, like eliminating the bastards and showing Petyr who's the boss. But she knows she raised a monster, she has to deal with Tyrion and Jaime is missing. She is actually reaping what she sew. I really like the actress, I think she is doing a great job.

.I totally love what they did to Robb Stak. Totally worth seeing. In the book he is much younger but here it is a really strong character and the huge direwolf gives him such a halo of power that he is even better than Eddard. We all want to see him rip off Joffrey's head right now! Will life be so just?

.Tyrion becomes Hand, and we all think "Gee, look at Tywin making a good decision..." Let's all hope he brings some wits into King's Landing. Nice man Tyrion, you have to be a dwarf to be a little bit of a humble Lannister. He always steals the scene.

.Sansa is living the real nightmare having to comply with the king's every whim. Will destiny smile at her and she'll escape? Or will life be a bitc* and Joff might kill her (or worse)?

.Jon Snow and the brothers reach Craster's. And like they say "there are no laws beyond the wall". Nice scene too with the Old Bear.

.Arya follows Yoren north as an orphan boy, that continues to show the incredible strength in this young and female character.

.We were all hoping to see Daenerys conquer half of Essos, but the truth is that the dragons are babies, the Red Waste is an awful desert and she is the queen of a bunch of homeless starving dirty souls. Also great female character that steals the scenes when she appears.

With this set forward it is clear to the viewers that we can expect anything in this season. Pretty much like life itself, unpredictable.

Game of Thrones: The North Remembers is a about a power grab. The series creates the impression of ruthless people and the results of ruthless actions. The Kings death created a power vacuum. The new boy king is a sadistic tyrant. Each sadistic act creates new enemies for the king. The King's biggest mistake was beheading Stark, which resulted in war with the North. The question is will the North alliance create a new tyrant if the boy king is unseated, or will the Dragon queen create a surprise coup? All the above mentioned plot elements, and sub plots creates a boiling stew of controversy! The controversy make the viewer wanting more? Lets see who will win the Game of Thrones? Eight out of Ten.

Peter Dinklage(Tyrion) was awesome as usual, Lena Headey(Cersei) and Jack Gleeson(Joffrey) was remarkable. Scene changes with using comet was a great idea. Some acting looked stiff but other than that, it was a good start for season 2.

Good, but not great like first season. Because there is buts...

There is little screen time so we can understand why creators of this series, put some great things out of the show. My concern is what is "in" the show.

The writers seems to getting bolder this season so they decided to make the show little different than the books. I'm okay with that, but there is things you shouldn't change. Like character profiles.

1- Littlefinger not so dumb to threaten Cersei to her face. He doesn't play like that.

2- Joffrey not so bold to threaten his mother. Actually he is afraid of her. (now i wonder, how he will react on Tyrion's ass kicking.)

3- Stannis would not be so arrogant to deny north alliance if he really did learn the truth about Joffrey from Ned's letter.

4- Robb would not be so eager to become King in the North or keep the crown if he really knew that Stannis is the rightful heir.

5- And please, stop making Jaime Lannister look like a coward for your audience. Man doesn't fear death, he proved it countless times in the books.

My concerns not for present, but the future of this show. If you play character's profiles this way, soon people will start saying "this doesn't make sense. why he would do this, or why he wouldn't do that." This is not a comic book series, there is no whites and blacks, rights and wrongs. Line between good and bad is very thin in these books. So please, keep it that way.

Sorry, English is not my native language.

Joffrey sucks. Right where Season 1 left off. And with the winter people apparently we are moving into winter. At least Tyrion is letting his sister know how terrible she is. Joffrey becomes king and the whole world goes to crap, except for Jon Snow and the winter people. Just stating the obvious.

This Craster dude is more messed up than Cersei. At least he informed Jon Snow about all the people that are going to attack them from all directions.

Stannis seems crazy, so he'll fit in just fine. Of course he has a crazy woman behind him. My money is on Robb Stark with the Jon Snow ace in his back pocket to win this one. At least Stannis let everyone know Joffrey is an inbred. Robb was at least raised well. And Arya is bound for Jon Snow if she can make it. Things are looking up for the Starks at least. Things were also looking up for Drogo as well.

Joffrey is on a power trip. He really needs to be killed.

THE NORTH REMEMBERS starts the second season with a real bang, featuring the single most shocking incident in the show's entire history - no mean feat given the endless massacres, murders and betrayals making up the rest of the show. It's a busy, breathless episode, filled with the stuff we love: dark and intriguing new characters, Joffrey getting outsmarted at every turn, Tyrion being amusing, and plenty of loyalty, courage, and difficult decisions.

1. Daenerys is hungry 2. Stannis is looking for throne 3. Joffrey gets stabbed

Bit of a slower start to a season. We pick up right where we left off in season 1. The war between the Lannister and the Starks continue. Some arrangements for peace are being schemed. Situation at the Wall is becoming more tense. Daenerys leads her group of people in fear of starvation.

Now that we are with some of the characters for more than a season, I love how consistent the writing is. I'm glad that we are getting some deeper character development - into Tyrion, Robb and Daenerys and Jon.

That's scene with Cersei and Littlefinger was amazing. Real queen move but in contrast to how Joffrey treated her earlier.

Lovely episode but a bit slower than usual.

The episode have same conflicts between Lannister and Stark families . Lannister try to find Sansa to make a good trade with the Stark for the brother . I found the episode still pretty good and have some nice plots . Still pleasant to see the fight for the throne and if they will reverse the situation or not . Still pretty good .Need to see more.

Finally,the wait is over for HBO brilliant and fantastic Game Of Thrones second season but which is any good or even better. the first episode of the second season already has so many intrigue from a scenery of a blazing red comet pass down in the sky to killing a baby,this season is definitely going to be a lot darker than the first season of this epic fantasy series. the story begin with the new monster king Joffrey and Sansa witnessed the hound butcher another knight in a tournament that was held for the king amusement and Joffrey forced Sansa to enjoy the tournament but Sansa was only pretending to enjoy the fight,when suddenly the charismatic Tyrion appear before Joffrey and Sansa.as usual Peter Dinklage steal the scene right away with his charming performance being a sharp tongue Tyrion Lannister,he has proved that he still got something that made him won last year golden globe.meanwhile back in the north Brand is still haunted by his premonition about the coming winter and dreams about the red omen in the sky.although his story didn't really get much of an improvement but it shows that there is still a constant character building on brand story. in the south,Daenerys was struggling in her journey to reclaim the throne despite having some dragon,mainly because neither Daenerys or her brother didn't know a thing about raising a dragon so she has to face the reality of only having a baby dragon and small follower even thought she was eager to take back the iron throne,fortunately she still has the brave and wise Ser Jorah Mormont accompany through out her journey. in the scene,Emilia Clarke was great in portrayed the struggled Daenerys even after manage to hatch some of her dragon egg,she just has that innocent look on her face that make you care about her character Daenerys even thought her character has made the first episode a bit look like a soap opera set in medieval times,nevertheless her acting was superb in this first episode.then we are introduce to the one and only Stannis Baratheon,who happens to be the true heir of the kingdom was now having a ritual of converting his religion into his wife new religion praising a so-called "God of Light" although his elder has warned him not to betray the old god but the stubborn Stannis disobey his warning and he choose to convert his old belief.in this season we are introduce to Stannis Baratheon played by actor Stephen Dillane,who plays the character convincing but somehow lack of intimidation although the novel has describe the character Stannis Baratheon as an intimidating and fearsome leader but it is early to judge from the appearance since it is still the first episode and an introduction to the character.these are the main plot of the first episode beside there are some interesting new character being introduce,there is also some of the old character show their other side such as little finger being easily disturb when Cerces mocked his status of being one of the honorable lord and Rob looking more fierce and brave than ever before,when he intimidate Jamie with his dire wolf and when he learn to stand up for himself in front of his mother.beside introduction and character development,there were also a brutal scene where a baby was killed in little finger whorehouse and near the end of the episode,a boy was drown into the water by one of the city guard,these scene are a little disturbing but it also help to build the suspense in the end of episode.so the answer to the question was yes,the new season is definitely going to be better than season one beside its more brutal and bloody aspect that we likely to see often in this new season but the intriguing plot and superb acting will attract new viewer,while the fan will be craving for more of game of thrones in days to come.