The North Remembers

Way to start a season. Great episode.

Fantastic work by all involved in this show. The music by Ramin Djawadi is awesome.

10 out of 10.

So.. Amazing.

It has traveled billion miles from the deepest corner of the cosmos and we have just experienced its calm impact on our screens. Welcome back GoT, we have missed you ! Who could possibly need a recap for such a show ? It's not like if we hadn't spent the last past months thinking and dreaming about it. Still seeing all the major events in such a short time was exciting and when the title sequence began its stellar dance I had already plunged into the forgotten realms.

I feel calm and around my head gravitates dozens of captivating televisual ideas. I see her angelic figure lost like an oasis in the desert and a fragile dragon as real as it gets. I feel the cold breath of a golden axe and the bitter smell of blood that follows. I hear their atmospheric voices, laugh of his wit jokes and wonder if I'm not hallucinating. A pagan and charming confusion, then a whore above a rocky CG Babylon. Can such an overwhelming production be real or have all my neurons already been scattered by this close encounter ?

A comet. What a majestic refrain to transition between the burning screams of the North and the cold ballads of the South. An irresistible Tyrion, a repelling tyrant. An educative tale. What an entertainment way to be a better leader, a better child, a better human. I have looked into the eye of the beholder. I saw a disgusting pig surrounded by young wives and ready to get slayed by thousands of flying knives. I drank sacred water to stimulate my senses and be as frightening as a dire wolf ready to cut your filthy throat. I have never been so lost in medieval times and still I can feel the ground beneath my feet. I'm at war. We're in love. I'm a dragon ! We're dungeon masters !

Note : This review was first posted on Kritikenstein, my weblog.

Soundtrack : (9.1/10) Dialogue : (8.9/10) Story : (9/10) Cinematography : (9.4/10) Character development : (8.8/10) Conflict : (9.3/10) Excitement : (8.9/10) Reasonableness : (9/10) Overall : (9/10)

Pros :

• a great beginning and set up to what yet to come!...

• showcase of different locations with several arcs and plot lines .

• a great view of the different lords and kings who are willing to act after the mess in Westeros .

• great interactions between the characters which enhances each's development as it sets them up for the coming episodes

Cons :

• a bit slowed down in pace

• not too many A tier scenes at action that would higher the episode's level but it's okay nevertheless .

To me this is a solid start to thevseason that graps your attention from the very first scene. And shows that yhis will be just as brutal as the first season!

I always think back to season two as one of the better premieres, as some og the other seasons doesn't really get going until episode 2 or 3!

The writting is every bid as good, with a lot of intrigue and moments that further develop the story! I especially enjoyed Tyrion! Its nice to see him in a position of power! We also get introduced to a new storyline with Stannis and the Red Woman!

The last scene was very dark, and it still remains that way after everything else that happens!

There are so many plot elements going on here that to try to go through them is quite fruitless. Suffice it to say there are some incredibly stunning scenes. For one, Joffrey is taking it to new limits. He is so heartless and so cold. He decides a drunken man needs to drown in alcohol, forced down his throat. He confronts his mother calling her out for her responsibility in driving his father to produce bastards all over the kingdom, then sending out assassins to kill them, including a small child and a baby. Of course, the most dangerous of these would be Jon Snow. We see Tyrion gaining the position of Hand to the King, showing little if any respect for his master. Once again, the smallest person in the series, dominates the screen. He is the survivor, the intellectual, the true predictor of actions. There are other aspects of the wars going on with the multiple kings. Once again, there are so many irons in the fire and it is becoming difficult to interpret the alliances.