The Kingsroad

Soundtrack : (8.9/10) Dialogue : (9.5/10) Story : (9.1/10) Cinematography : (9.1/10) Character development : (9.8/10) Conflict : (9/10) Excitement : (8.8/10) Reasonableness : (9.6/10) Overall : (9.2/10)

Pros:

• more interesting relationships between characters ex: (Jon and Robb, Jon and Arya, Jorah and Daenerys, Jon and Ned, Tyrion and Joffrey etc...)

• more loving/hating characters

• more background stories of the characters

• action in the ending with strict decisions that plays with the audience's emotion

• a great hangcliff

Cons

• the same-slow pacing which can be a bit boring to some people

• complex stories in a short period which results in some difficulties in understanding the whole story.

This is the second episode of the first season of Game of Thrones. It is a great follow-up to the pilot of the Game of Thrones. We can tell right away that the show does not have a problem being controversial, and there is yet another controversial happenstance in this episode. That being said, it's a quieter, more reflective episode, but that doesn't stop the show from being excellent. The ending is fantastic and kind of sad.

In this episode, "The Kingsroad," Ned Stark takes his daughters with him to Kings Landing where it's agreed that Sansa will marry Prince Joffey. Trouble arises when Arya's pet wolf attacks Joffey. Meanwhile, Bran is unconscious from his fall and little hope remains about his recovery. Jon Snow travels with his uncle to the Wall. Finally, Daenerys is having trouble pleasing her new husband, the warlord Khal Drogo.

Overall, this is an excellent episode. The technical side of the series remain a high point. I really enjoyed the story throughout. It started slow, but picked up steam towards the end. The ending was quite a shocker. But after the first two episodes, consider me hooked.

My Grade: A

While Bran recovers from his fall, Ned takes only his daughters to Kings Landing. Jon Snow goes with his uncle Benjen to The Wall. Tyrion joins them.

What I Liked:

Each character is further explored and given added depth, especially Prince Joffrey. Jack Gleeson does an exceptional job portraying this character as a sadistic and entitled coward.

The high production value continues to prevail, giving each scene an organic feel. On top of that, strong acting is prevalent throughout this one, with Lena Headey providing perhaps the best performance so far.

The use of music in this one was particularly memorable, adding additional weight to multiple poignant scenes.

What I Disliked:

Catelyn deciphering what happened to Bran after finding a strand of Cersei's hair in the tower was a highly contrived moment. There could have been a more plausible way for her to make this revelation.

Overall:

Game of Thrones maintains the high standard set by its premiere with another terrific episode. It has been a highly enthralling viewing experience so far.

9/10

King Cadmium.

Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.

"The Kingsroad" is only the second episode and, while the pilot "Winter is Coming" is marginally superior, the quality is just as brilliant as before. Not many shows have their overall quality, tones, themes and characterisations so spot on and well-established when it first starts, but 'Game of Thrones' is one of the strongest exceptions. Really appreciated the more reflective tone here, and actually didn't mind at all that the story was not quite as eventful and slower in pace because the characterisation and overall quality is just so well done.

Visually, "The Kingsroad" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.

One cannot talk about "The Kingsroad" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.

It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced so beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence and sensitivity. The ending is a genuine shocker, and in a good way.

Not only are the more action-oriented/more dramatic moments done with a lot epic scale, superb staging, excitement and dramatic tension but underneath all the scale and flashy attention to detail there is a lot of heart and a multi-layered one.

"The Kingsroad" is so early on and already the characters are so well developed and as close to real life as one can get despite being in a fantasy world. These characters are not hero and villain archetypes (excepting Joffrey and he is an extremely interesting villain) and have both strengths and flaws and one can understand why they act the way they do.

Sean Bean and Kit Harrington both give some of their best ever work consistently in 'Game of Thrones', that can be seen here. Maisie Williams and Emilia Clarke are affecting, Lena Headey is deliciously manipulative and Peter Dinklage continues to be one of 'Game of Thrones' biggest pleasures. Can't not mention Jack Gleeson, whose Joffrey so early on is one of television's nastiest pieces of work, which Gleeson relishes to perfection, and he's not even at his most evil yet.

In conclusion, brilliant if not quite as good. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, Sean Bean and Jack Gleason I salute you.

In the second episode of Game Of Thrones, there is a bit more fleshing out of the characters but the pacing is still quite quick though. And whilst it was not as enjoyable as the first episode, it's still a good episode.

On the whole, it's a pretty depressing episode, with most of the characters being very unhappy.

There are a few scenes that I particularly liked,

The first one featuring Jon Snow and Arya Stark. This episode is the first to really give Maisie Williams as Arya really decent scenes, and she does wonderfully, she is very cute and endearing in the scene with Jon, and then later she is brave and feisty during her confrontation with Prince Joffery. One with Tyrion and Jon en route to The Wall, and again one featuring Jon. This time with Caitelyn by Brandon's bedside. I do need to praise Michelle Fairley, because her acting in these scenes is very good. As he is pivotal to three of my favourite scenes I need to add Kit Harrington is doing an awesome job as the bastard Jon Snow. As is Peter Dinklage, he simply steals every scene that he is in.

This is the first time, I have found myself liking a character played by Sean Bean. He is not someone whose work I have ever enjoyed, but his vulnerability as a noble Ned Stark who's prepared to do what he must (albeit with a heavy heart) is one I am particularly taken with. Jack Gleason deserves special praise too, as he simply makes you despise Prince Joffery.

And the final moment? Once again I needed to watch the next episode straight away