My Review of "Game of Thrones: Season 2"

Game of Thrones: Season 2 came out back in 2012. It's hard to believe that it's been so long that this had aired. If you get to watch this in its 4k glory you kind of forget the fact it's that old. That's what I did and boy did I enjoy this one just as much as I did when I first watched this season. Though watching this season over again gives me even more insights into the show.

The season starts off right after the events of the first season. Tyrion has been named the temporary hand of the king. Meanwhile his father, Tywin is fighting Rob Stark in a war that King Jeoffrey started by killing Ned Stark.

All hell is breaking loose because of those last few episodes from the first season. Ned had discovered that Jeoffrey isn't the actual heir to the throne. He's in fact the child of Cersei and Jaime Lannister. This means he has no blood ties to the Baratheon family. The crown is supposed to stay within that bloodline.

The previous king, Robert Baratheon named Ned his successor so Ned thought he was safe. Instead of playing the political game of deceit and treachery Ned opted to tell the truth to everyone he knew. Big mistake Ned! Though there was a huge cover-up that resulted in Ned's death some of his messages got through.

Fortunately Stannis Baratheon, Roberts younger brother gets the word and recognizes that he's supposed to be the true king. So he sets off to take the throne by force. This whole season leads up to Stannis trying get get enough forces and eventually attack King's Landing to sit on the iron throne.

There are a few other storylines where Theon Greyjoy has an existential crisis and betrays the Stark family. He wants to please his Greyjoy family but he's been away from them for so long. Though he grew up with the Starks he doesn't have a sense of belonging. He's conflicted and wants to impress his biological father that he doesn't even know. Basically he's a mess.

Then there's also the story of Daenarys Targaryen. Their family was usurped from the throne by Robert long ago. She's basically the last of the Targaryen family who were originally rulers of King's Landing. She's out in the middle of nowhere with a few followers trying to make ends meet. Her story is pretty interesting because she's getting by in life by her beauty. She's recently lost her husband Khal Drogo but birthed three dragons. Everyone seems to underestimate her.

The big story that no one is talking about is what's going on in the north. Apparently mysterious things are happening in the north and everyone is dismissing it. I guess since no one believes in magic and monsters anymore people brush off these stories about zombies and such. This season shows us that those rumors are definitely real and the world is in for a rude awakening.

This whole season is top notch. It really helps build all of the characters of the show. Their relationships are further cemented in this season and I love how everything just flows gracefully from one story to the next. You can see that there's a lot going on at the same time but somehow it works and it works well. This is probably one of the lesser violent seasons but still has your attention at all times.

Something missing in the later seasons is the dialogue and banter that this season possesses. They play with words and understandings in each of their conversations. It's like a beautiful dance that they have with one another that I sorely missed in the later episodes. This season has a sense of civilized nobility that I wished that they kept but I understand why they couldn't keep this up.

There are amazing performances by everyone as we watch plot twist to another plot twist. Most of the twists are casual but you know their decisions will haunt them later on in future seasons. This season also does a ton of foreshadowing for later seasons. It is much more evident after seeing the whole series what they were doing. You understand what these visions are and you see how this season was quite important for the progress of the show.

Overall, I really loved this season. It is such a joy to watch this over again as I could catch more tidbits that I never really understood before. Watching it in 4k allowed me to see some of the intricate details in the scenes and costumes that I never noticed before. It was also like watching a movie for the first time again. I have to give this season a 9 out of 10. Great stuff and a very underestimated season.