The Price

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking episode, that sums up very well the joy and pain that comes with parenting, and the absolute gut-punch of the necessity of having to let your child go to find their own way through life. Pedro Pascal puts on an absolute master class in acting, with able assists from Bella Ramsey and Joe Pantoliano. I find that I could watch this episode time and again and still draw more meaning from it each time. I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy the second season as much as the first, but have found that episodes such as this have rewarded my decision to continue viewing.

That was an incredibly good episode. I found myself unable to stop crying as I watched it. Perhaps I was projecting my own assumptions onto Joe's character. It made me reflect on my own experiences and feelings. If I had a father like that, someone who embodies such understanding and support, I would feel truly fulfilled. The emotional depth of the story resonated with me deeply, highlighting the importance of familial bonds and the impact a loving parent can have on one's life. It's moments like these that remind us of the beauty of connection and the longing for this meaningful relationships.

The type of episode that really makes you really think about your life and values. Masterful storytelling with every aspect of the episode being executed to perfection. I haven't seen writing acting and visuals complement each other so effortlessly and beautifully in a long time. Truly shows the power of film as a medium.

It can reshape your life, bring new meaning, and create shared cultural memories. The emotional resonance lingers long after viewing, inviting multiple rewatches to fully appreciate its nuanced layers. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's performances deserves recognition for their raw vulnerability. Gustavo Santaolalla's score heightens each pivotal moment without overshadowing the narrative's intimate human connections. An absolute gem, thank you HBO.

Okay, let me start by saying you people are ridiculous at this point with the hating on this season. Not sure if it's review bombing or just being intentionally hardheaded. This was some incredible acting from Pedro and Bella, like some of the best of the year and that's saying something after we just had Andor and it's stellar performances.

As a player of the game, I really appreciate the way they do the flashbacks. Some are scene for scene recreations of the game, and some are altered a bit. I think they did an excellent job with both. A masterclass in acting and writing.

Cant wait to see where things go from here. I wasn't expected one of the flashbacks they did, but I'm really happy with how they did it. I don't know how people are hating this season so much, but for me as a fan of the game, I'm digging it a lot.

Without doubt, the strongest, most poignant and utterly heartbreaking of all the episodes. It's their dynamic that ignites the series, it's the secret sauce. Everyone is on point here...cinematography, direction, acting, production design, music. The timeloop and re-loop works surprisingly well, the narrative threads through the episode seamlessly. There's an almost genuine restraint in this episode that means less action but ultimately we do need it. Everything somehow clicks succinctly into place and when the emotional belter comes it comes hard and true. I though it may be difficult to better THAT episode from Season One but they've surely done it here.