big little lies

I just finished watching the HBO series Big Little Lies and, I'm sure, like many others, didn't want it to end. The slow, almost hypnotic pace of the direction by Jean-Marc Vallée in producer and writer David E. Kelley's adaptation of Liane Moriarty's book eased viewers into the complicated lives of the mothers of first graders in an affluent suburb of Monterey, California.

I quickly scooped up the book and was not disappointed by its southern Australian setting. The characters are the same: the charismatic, rapid-fire and funny Maddie, the outwardly serene but haunted Celeste, the tortured young mom Jane. These three women and their children and the men in their lives are all tangled together in a web of lies, both big and small. The story begins with a crime scene and the reader must shuffle through a series of entertaining, and at times, disturbing unreliable narrators until the truth is finally revealed.

Jane, Maddie, and Celeste share a high-end kaffee klatsch

Moriarty perfectly captures the Mommy Wars that some people indulge in these days and invites the reader inside the heads of the three main female characters. We see the men in their lives through theirs and other's eyes, but a little like the classic film The Women, the emphasis is squarely on the ladies. Themes of abuse, to children and adults, runs throughout. The setting may be beach/bucolic, but the passions run deep. Big Little Lies is a great read and I'd be willing to check out more by this author. There are rumors of a second series of the HBO show, too.

game of thrones ... well, we all saw that one coming, didn't we?

Lots o' spoilers ...

Whether you are a reader of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books or not, you probably could have predicted the closing shot of "Mother's Mercy," the final episode of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. Jon Snow, lying on the ground, stabbed by his own Night's Watch men, bleeding out on the ground in the snow, left for dead. Or is he? It is the same quandary that Martin left his readers in, at the end of the super-long A Dance With Dragons. Almost everyone believes that Jon is not truly gone, but how he might come back is what is entertaining the fans until we find out for sure — and there are a number of possibilities. We have seen the dead rise on Game of Thrones — as White Walkers, wights, sightly altered versions of themselves (Beric Dondarrion and the Knights without banners), a certain stone-hearted lady in the books, and even as hideous science experiments (hello, Franken-Mountain). And the Red Woman did just conveniently make her way back to Castle Black ...

You've got friend in me - Jon and Sam

But before Jon got what has been foreshadowed all season — particularly by the outrageous amount of close-ups young Olly kept getting — there were a few other interesting things happening in Westeros:

Arya — In Braavos we found ourselves back with the beyond-loathsome Meryn Trant, who likes to hit little girls. C'mon Arya, finish him off. She did so, in a most brutal way. But everything one does in her world has consequences. And a girl who is still Arya Stark is not no one, as Jaqen was quick to remind her.

Jaime — Myrcella may be as clever as her uncle Tyrion, but unfortunately for her, Allaria's goodbye kiss for the girl was a poisoned one. A bit obvious, like everything connected to Dorne this season. Sorry Sand Snakes et al, but you just can't measure up to Oberyn, who is still truly missed.

Cersei finally confesses (sorta)

Tyrion — Dany and Drogon left the boys behind in Meereen to lick their wounds and scheme how to get her back. And then all my prayers were answered. Varys showed up (!) to help Tyrion rule Meereen while Dany is ... somewhere in the wilderness with a cranky and wounded dragon, and surrounded by hordes of Dothraki. But will they like her as much as Khal Drogo did?

Meereen: where the boys are

Cersei — She finally broke down and confessed (some of) her sins to the High Sparrow. He told her that she could see her son and return to the Red Keep — but of course there's a catch. Her atonement must consist of the ultimate walk of shame. Her long blond hair cut off, she marched, naked, through the city. I was impressed by how upright and dignified she held herself throughout the ordeal (character and actress), with filth and curses hurled at her with every step. She didn't break down until she reached the city walls, where Franken-Mountain, her new champion, was there to greet her.

Stannis — Already there were effects from last week's horrific burning of sweet and innocent Shireen. The snow had started to melt, but also ... Queen Selyse hanged herself, and half of Stannis's men had deserted, with the horses. Oh, and his #1 cheerleader, the Red Woman, had taken off, too. I guess not everyone was supportive of the whole God of Light burning little girls gambit. Stannis, being the hard-ass that he is, decided to proceed as planned. He took the rest of his army on the march to Winterfell. It was a slaughter, with Ramsay running rampant over Stannis's men. Before the twisted Ramsay could finish him off, however, Brienne was finally able to exact her revenge for Renly's murder. So long Baratheons. Except for Gendry (remember him?), who may still be rowing somewhere to safety. Back at Winterfell, Reek finally stepped up to protect Sansa. See ya, Myranda. Your weaselly little face will not be missed, except, maybe, by Ramsay. And we have a new Game of Thrones dream team, Sansa and Reek, on the run.

At The Wall, Sam asked Jon to let him go to Old Town to train to become a Maester, and to take Gilly and the baby with him. Jon didn't want to lose his only friend (and Sam is truly his only friend), but, being the inherently good guy that he is, he let him go. As Sam left the Red Woman came back, to Castle Black, alone. So much for Stannis. So who will Jon and the Night's Watch look to for assistance or support now? All a moot point, as Olly came to tell Jon there was news of his long-missing Uncle Benjen. And then the "Et tu, Caesar" scene happened. As each man stabbed him they all said, "For the Watch." I expected Olly to be the first strike, not the last. Not a shocking development for book readers, or, as I said before, anyone paying attention this season, but still ... hard to watch.

It's an ominous ending for the season, as our handsome hero — and Jon Snow is truly the closest character Game of Thrones has ever presented as a potential hero, apart from perhaps Daenerys — is left to die, at the hands of his own men, alone. And where was Ghost? But with all the shock of the new that has happened for loyal readers this season, this episode was also the closest to the books, showcasing some of the biggest scenes from A Dance of Dragons. And now ... we wait a year. But will the next season of Game of Thrones start before Martin finally finishes The Winds of Winter? That's anyone's guess.

game of thrones — this week, we had fire

Spoilers for the first four seasons abound ...

Still reeling from last week's icy White Walkers and their zombie minion attack on Jon Snow and the Wildlings, viewers must have settled in to watching this week's episode, "The Dance of Dragons," braced for anything to happen — and it did not disappoint. Game of Thrones has made a habit of serving up some of its most shocking and exciting developments in the penultimate episodes of its first four seasons: the beheading of Ned Stark, the Battle of Blackwater, The Red Wedding, the Battle at Castle Black, and now ... well, there were two major things that happened in this episode, both to two young women.

Let's start with the most difficult first. Stannis Baratheon has been a difficult character from the start. His self-righteousness has made him at times seem stiff and boring. His religious fanaticism, although extremely dangerous, has never felt completely genuine. He believes in the Red Woman and her fiery god, but, it has aways seemed, when it suits his ends. Stannis, perhaps more than anyone else playing the game, really wants to sit on that Iron Throne. Even if it means sacrificing everything dear to him. Even the only living creature this hard man has ever loved.

A lovely gift for a lovely girl

Poor, sweet, Shireen. We could tell ourselves that the show runners were only toying with us, as Stannis declared a few episodes back his deep love for his daughter, and how the Red Woman could never have her. Or how Ser Davos, about to be sent conveniently out of the way on a fruitless mission to The Wall, might be able to come back in time to save her. That the lovely carved stag toy that he gave her before he left was not a harbinger of doom.

I was hoping that her grayscale might somehow save her from the funeral pyre, that the stony disease might protect her from the flames. But her screams, thankfully offscreen, told another story. Stannis didn't only lose his daughter (and any slim fan support he may have gained this season), but he may have lost the war. The comparisons to Agamemnon and Iphigenia are surely no coincidence. The Red Woman may think the fires are on their side, but Stannis is pure ice. He could be well on his way to becoming a White Walker.

I don't think anyone would be too terribly upset if the loathsome Ramsay Bolton decided to flay Stannis and his followers. But I don't think that's how things will play out next week at Winterfell. Another nod to fire this week: Ramsay's clever assault on Stannis's camp of freezing and starving soldiers, burning what little supplies they had left; even the horses.

Drogon and Dany: reunited and it feels so good

The other big moment took place in Meereen, at the fighting pits, which were set up quite similarly to Roman gladiatorial combat. To distract the tense queen and amuse himself, Daario tried to needle Hizdahr, Daenerys's intended. The newly installed advisor, Tyrion, looked bored at his boasting and flirting. He wasn't too fond of the pompous Hizdahr, either, paying him the ultimate anti-compliment, "My father would have liked you." And then Jorah showed up. Dany and Tyrion looked scared, while the rich and poor in the audience seemed equally bloodthirsty watching Jorah battle for his life.

He came out on top, and it was clear that Dany still wasn't sure how she felt about that, until Jorah sent a spear hurtling over her head ... to kill an assassin. The Sons of the Harpy poured into the arena and stands and started massacring everyone in sight. Dany, how can you doubt him anymore? All hell broke loose and Jorah extended his hand to his queen. She took it, and like that, he was back in her good graces. Now he can die a happy man — if he can get her out of this. She didn't touch him anywhere near the grayscale patch on his arm, but the internet is already buzzing about that potential infection.

Meanwhile, Hizdhar was stabbed by one of the assassins, but is he killed? It has seemed, all along, that Hizdahr may be one of the Sons of the Harpy himself. But we can't worry about Meereen politics right now, as Dany, Tyrion, Missandei, Jorah, and Daario were completely outnumbered. Tyrion proved he wasn't just boasting about his fighting skills when he heroically dispatched an assassin about to kill Missandei. Our favorite folks in Meereen made their way down to the arena, looking for some way to escape, but they were soon surrounded and outnumbered by the masked killers. It looked like this might be the end. Dany took Missandei's hand and closed her eyes and ... Drogon showed up, breathing fire. He knew just who to eat and kill, taking out her enemies right and left. But the Mother of Dragons could see that he had also sustained some injuries — there is a tear in his wing and a spear in his side. She then did what viewers had been waiting and hoping for since the dragons were just little critters — she climbed on his back and they flew away, rescuing each other, with Tyrion and Co. and the rest of us looking on in awe.

Those two sequences would have been more than enough to make great episode, but there were a few other things that happened which will undoubtedly play into next week's finale. In Dorne, Jaime was told that he could bring Mrycella back to King's Landing — as long as he brings along her boyfriend, Prince Trystane and puts him on the King's Council. Prince Doran is playing the long game, and Myrcella better pack some warmer clothing, winter coming and all.

Arya was still in super-spy mode, selling oysters ... and death. But she got distracted from her main objective when she saw a face from the past — Ser Meryn Trant, the man who killed her friend and "dancing" instructor Sirio. And one of the names still on her death list. And if we didn't want her to kill him enough, we get to see that the creep is also a pedophile. But what will Jaqen say when she kills someone from her own list instead of the many-faced god's? A man will not be pleased. And a girl is likely to get into a lot of trouble.

Jon is back at the wall, Wildlings, giant Wun Wun, and all. And his men are not happy to see him. Especially Olly, who is getting a lot of pinch-faced close-ups this season. Can no one see what's coming? We're going from Greek tragedy to Roman here, people. Next week's episode is titled "Mother's Mercy." Cersei and Jon are due for some big scenes. Will Brienne finally see a light from Sansa or Reek in Winterfell's tower, or be able to make good on her vow to kill the man who killed her beloved Renly? Be careful what you wish for Stannis ...

game of thrones: a man must serve

So many interesting things happened last night on the third episode, "High Sparrow," of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. I didn't miss Daenerys and her crew one bit, either. There are a few spoilers included below for those who haven't read the books ...

As Jaqen H'ghar, Arya's teacher/mentor/Mr. Miyagi told her, "All men must serve." Arya is just beginning to get a glimpse of what life in the House of Black and White might be like. Her first task was to cast off all things Arya, which meant her clothes, her precious "Valar Morghulis" coin, and [gulp] Needle, her trusty sword that was a gift from half-brother Jon Snow. But she couldn't make herself do it, and kept just a little bit of Arya inside of her, and spared the rest of us the despair we would have felt if we watched Needle sink into the Braavos canal.

The first ever Westeros wedding without a casualty occurred in King's Landing, between Margery and young Tommen, who embraced his wedding night with typical teenage boy gusto. Margery wasted no time exercising her home court advantage by getting Tommen to consider that an overbearing mother might be better enjoyed from a distance - and Tommen quickly suggested that Cersei might be happier in Casterly Rock. Cersei tries to intimidate Margery, but she and her attendants were too busy discussing the indefatigable young king's prowess to let anything Cersei might try to insinuate bother them. But no matter. At least Cersei still has her creepy sidekick Qyburn and his Mountain-like Frankenstein experiment, and a new friend and associate in the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce).

Up at The Wall Jon looked very comfortable in his new role as Lord Commander. He turned down Stannis's offer of becoming Lord of the North and proceeded to exercise his power by executing his first traitor, the loathsome Janos Slynt, just like his dear old dad Ned Stark would have done, with a sword of Valerian steel. Stannous looked on approvingly from the battlements. Jon may not have accepted his offer, but the two do seem to have a grudging respect for one another and may find themselves some sort of allies in the future.

For once I'm actually interested in what Littlefinger has to say.

The show took a real turn from the books by having Littlefinger offer Sansa in marriage to the creepy and sadistic Ramsay Bolton. This is a brilliant change and streamlining of the books clunky "fake Arya" storyline. I am looking forward to seeing how this will play out. And for the first time ever I wonder if I have caught a glimpse of Littlefinger's true end game. It as been assumed all along that Catelyn Stark was his true love and he lusts for Sansa as she reminds him of his lost love. But maybe he actually hates Cat and all of her family. He must know how horrible Ramsay is. And an alliance with the Bolton;s can't really mean that much to him politically - in fact it puts him in a more precarious position. We'll see ...

Brienne and Pod were lovely together and in another improvement on the book's storyline, Brienne showed that she is more aware of the behavior of the people around her than we might have thought. She illustrated this by telling a touching story of how she first met Renly Baratheon. Please keep giving us moments and stories like this, please.

game of thrones: it's a black and white world

I have not succumbed to the temptation of watching any of the leaked episodes of Game of Thrones. I prefer the anticipation of waiting until Sunday night. Maybe because I am caught up on George R.R. matins books I feel that I can relax a little. At least I thought so, but the second episode of the fifth season,"The House of Black and White," went off in a few new directions, so very different from the books, that I am starting to feel like one of "The Unsullied" (non book readers. But not to worry, there were enough nods to Martin's prose to keep everyone, readers and watchers alike, happy.

Arya outside The House of Black and White

Arya (Maisie Williams) arrived in Braavos, and we saw the first real, child-like smile we have seen from her in a long time as she took in the life and bustle of the city, the water, the warmth. So different from her childhood home of Winterfell and the hell she has been going through for the past few years. But don't think that she has lost her edge or determination. At first rebuffed at the black and white door outside of the The House of Black and White she soon showed her mettle against a group of toughs in the city that threatened to take her sword Needle. As she made her way back to the black and white door she finally was able to reunite with the enigmatic, shape-shifting Jaqen H'ghar. I don't know about anyone else, but I was thrilled to see the original actor for the role, Tom Wlaschiha, show his face again.

Up at The Wall, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) seemed to have more options than ever before in his young life. Stannis offered to give him his birthright — he would no longer be The Bastard of Winterfell, but Jon Stark, something he had wanted all his life from his father, and become the Lord of Winterfell — if Jon would leave the Night's Watch and fight for him. The Night's Watch had something else in mind. They held an election for a new leader, and after a heartfelt nomination speech from his best buddy Sam, Jon found himself the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. His smile at hearing the news was another welcome sight.

And then the show started to spin off in its own direction. One of this season's several road-trip dream teams, Brienne and Pod, ran across Littlefinger and Sansa in a tavern, with disastrous results. Sansa rejected Brienne's offer of service and protection and Littlefinger, per usual, instructed his men to kill the pair. After a quite exciting chase and rescue (Brienne rescuing Pod, of course) they decided to follow Sansa at a discreet distance, hoping that her rejection was out of fear. I worry for these two, as their story is going off into unknown territory. But I must admit I also find the turn of events intriguing.

Drogon is back!

In Meereen, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) was struggling more than ever to lead her people. First she insisted that an assassin of one of her Unsullied be given a fair trial. But when that man was killed by one of her men she ordered his public execution. This didn't go over at all well with the people of Meereen who went from calling her Mhysa (Mother) to Hissssss. Probably not a term of endearment. Dany's only bright spot was a quick visit from her oldest boy, her dragon Drogon.

Other nice touches: The princess Shireen teaching Gilly to read, Cersei getting a verbal smackdown from her Uncle Kevan — the first of which I'm sure there will be many this season, as she tries to consolidate her power base in King's Landing. We also caught a glimpse of another odd couple dream team, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Varys, on their way to Dany and Meereen. Hopefully they can talk some sense into the girl queen and help cut out some of her endless political struggles that padded out Martin's last few books. And finally, Jaime is teaming up with Tyrion's former sellsword Bronn to go rescue his daughter, the Princess Myrcella from Dorne and the Sand Snakes. Everyone seems to be pairing up, to entertaining effect, in one way or another in the Seven Kingdoms.

it's back ... game of thrones

Even though I've read all the books up to this point, and considered myself fairly up to date on the Game of Thrones universe, I felt a bit out to sea after the season five premiere, "The Wars to Come," last night. The scheming of Varys and Littlefinger and all the rest of the population of the Seven Kingdoms was off and running, and it was an unsettling yet exciting feeling to realize I had no idea where they were going next.

It was great to see Tyrion (Peter Dinklage — Dinkles is my jam!) again. And even greater was the hint that his story was being streamlined, and that some pretty annoying characters from George R. R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons might not be making an appearance. Dany (Emilia Clarke) was back and living large as the queen of Meereen, but seemed not to be in control of her dragons. She has two in chains beneath an enormous pyramid, while the largest, Drogon, has gone missing. As her current boy toy and chief warrior Daario reminded her — a dragon queen with no dragons is not a queen.

Young Cersei and friend — always a mean girl

The episode opened with the first-ever flashback, or maybe more accurately, back story scene, of a young Cersei and a friend off to see a local witch. Cersei was told a prophecy which still haunts her to this day - She will not marry a prince but a king, and be queen, but another, younger, more beautiful one will take all she holds dear. But that's not all. That her king will have 20 children, but she will have only three, which makes no sense to young Cersei. And, just wait ... and that of her children, "Gold will be their crowns, gold their shrouds." The present day grown woman Cersei assumes that the younger, prettier schemer is perpetual almost-queen Margaery Tyrell, and fears what she will do to her youngest boy, King Tommen, but my money is on Daenerys.

The showstopper of the first episode however, took place up at The Wall, where Jon Snow (Kit Harington) tried to save his former enemy Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds) from a fiery end. The two men share a deep respect for each other, even when they rarely see eye-to-eye. The unyielding "true king" of Westeros, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and his witchy woman Melisandre (Carice van Houten), are as creepy and inflammatory as ever, and I felt for Jon Snow trying to make sense of their manipulations.

Varys and Tyrion — on the road again

The Game of Thrones fifth season is off to a good start. I'm looking forward to what show-runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have in store for us next, especially the new road trip odd couple duo of Varys and Tyrion. They just may surprise me.

this is what happens when you binge-watch

I've been re-watching Game of Thrones, building up to the new season starting again on Sunday. The show is so intricate. Even when you know what's coming, there is so much going on, with so many characters, that some scenes seemed fresh, still surprised me.

Another funny thing happened while binge-watching. Certain minor characters that maybe I didn't pay as much attention to before stood out the second time around.

........................

Sir Loras (Finn Jones) — Everyone, except Sansa, is so mean to The Knight of Flowers.

Loras, "My father once told me... " 

Cersei, "Nobody cares what your father once told you."

But every once in a while he gets a chance to zing those snooty Lannisters of Kings Landing. It's hard to take sometimes, how snide everyone can be about Loras's sexual orientation. Even his grandmother (Diana Rigg) calls him a sword swallower. As much as some of the character's dialogue about him is offensive, Loras and Renly may be one of the few couples on the show that truly loved each other, and Loras's grief is genuine and heartfelt in its portrayal.

Jaime, "If you were to marry Cersei, she'd murder you in your sleep. If you somehow managed to put a child in her first, she'd murder him, too, long before he drew his first breath. Luckily for you, none of this will happen because you'll never marry her." 

Loras, "And neither will you."

........................

Ros (Esmé Bianco) — She is a prostitute with brains as well as beauty, who runs up against most of the male characters in the show — Tyrion, Theon, Littlefinger, and Joffrey — with dangerous results. She is also a controversial figure, a creation solely of the show, who appeared many times in "sex-plication" scenes - dialogue heavy scenes which helped move the plot along, aided by the scantily clad or completely nude Ros and her companions. She was also the recipient of violence, which raised the hackles of many. As disturbing as some of these scenes may be to some, it is undeniable that brutality exists in the world of Game of Thrones and in our own world as well.

........................

Theon (Alfie Allen) — The always out-of-his-league Theon is not exactly a minor character. He also has always been far from one of my favorites, in either the books or show ... except ... watching him in his transformation from Theon to Reek this time I could really see both the actor's and character's progression. There were seeds sewn in even the first episodes of the series of Theon's fate.

Such great storytelling — can't wait for Sunday.

ian mcshane is the lovable rascal lovejoy (and might just teach you a thing or two about antiques)

When American audiences hear the name Ian McShane the first image that comes to mind is most likely his gritty, brilliant portrayal of Al Swearengen in HBO's Deadwood. But the actor has been busy on stage and screen since 1962. And before Deadwood, he created another iconic character, Lovejoy, whose series aired in the U.K. from 1986 to 1994. The shows were picked up in the U.S. and broadcast by the A&E Network in the 1990s. They haven't been available to American audiences on DVD until recently, thanks to Acorn Media, who has released the first set, Lovejoy, Series 1, with hopefully the remaining five seasons to soon follow.

Based on the character from the popular mystery novel series by Jonathan Gash, Lovejoy isn't a typical British mystery series. The focus is not on grisly murders or detectives trying to get into the heads of brilliant and idiosyncratic criminals. Set in East Anglia, McShane's Lovejoy is an antique dealer, who is mostly honest, but most importantly, has an absolute love of all things antique and ancient. He is also a "divvie," someone who can feel in his bones whether a painting or an object is the real thing or a clever fake. It's a wonderful quality to possess, but it can get Lovejoy into a lot of trouble. What makes the series escpecially fun is watching Lovejoy's true love for his work, and being able to learn a thing or two about paintings, porcelain, furniture, and even history along the way. ...

You can read the rest of my review on Cinema Sentries ...

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• Ian McShane: Lovejoy could be ripe for restoration | Media Monkey

quote of the day

"A reader leads a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

I already shared this quote from the author my twitter, but I think it bears repeating. It really jumped out at me in the 1000+ page novel. I will share my thoughts about (finally finishing) the book tomorrow, but just wanted to remind myself and anyone who's listening, about the power of the written word.*

Don't provoke him, people

* Although Martin seems to have little respect for spoken words, as he has multiple characters spout often (and oftener), "Words are wind."

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• Read a New Excerpt from The Winds of Winter!

everyone likes the game of '80s thrones

Even though its sort of a faux throwback, I love this remix of the opening credits for Game of Thrones, '80s style. Kept waiting for Larry Hagman or Joan Collins to show up ...

game of thrones: a very special father's day episode

spoilers ...

Game of Thrones wrapped up its fourth season in Sunday with one of its most slam-bang episodes of any season, "The Children." Showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff upped the ante this season, ensuring audience thrills and surprise whether one has read George R.R. Martin's books or not.

Things picked up right where last week's "The Watchers on the Wall" ended — with Jon Snow (Kit Harington) heading, unarmed, beyond The Wall, into the Wildling's camp, in search of their leader, Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds). The tension was ramped up — would Jon make it out of the camp alive — And never quite let up throughout the rest of the episode, even when the action shifted to King's Landing; to the Riverlands; to way, way beyond the Wall with Bran & Co.; to Meereen and Daenerys and her dragons; and back to King's Landing again, where viewers who have fretted and wondered at the fate of the incarcerated Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) all season got their answer — and then some.

"Hodor! Hodor! Hodor!" (Hodor fights off some undead wights)

I held off reading Martin's latest entry in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance with Dragons, until recently. I'm about halfway through the novel, and was surprised to see a scene that I had read that very afternoon depicted in the finale — Bran, Hodor, and Jojen and Meera Reed finally finding the three-eyed crow who had been speaking to Bran in his dreams since the first season. Things went a little different on screen than in the book — their guide, Coldhands, was missing, and Jojen didn't quite make it all the way to the weirwood tree, but their attack by the wights (zombies) was beautifully shot, and reminded all of us still reeling from battles like Oberyn Martell's two episodes earlier that there is way more in heaven and Earth in Westeros than battling for the Iron Throne.

Another epic scene that didn't occur in the books but was perfectly placed in the series was a face-off between Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and The Hound (Rory McCann). There have been two road trips this season, Brienne with her clumsy squire Podrick, and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and The Hound, both headed for the Eyrie, although for very different reasons. Brienne believes it her sacred quest to honor the dead Catelyn Stark by finding her daughters, Sansa and Arya, if they are still alive. The Hound, for his part, knows how valuable Arya is, and hopes for a big ransom for her safe return to her family.

Last week his hopes for gold were dashed when the pair was informed that Arya's Aunt Lysa was dead. When Brienne (in some beautiful acting from Gwendoline Christie) realized that she had run across Arya, her quest quickly turned into a rescue attempt (and a kick-ass fight scene) as she tried to get her away from The Hound. This scene was not only beautifully staged, with the rocky cliffs of Iceland as a backdrop, but especially poignant, as both Brienne and the surly Hound have wormed their way into the hearts of both book and television show fans. It was not Brienne's time, but when she looked for Arya post-fight, the bird had flown. No one is going to push around, or lead, the Stark girl. Not anymore. Even more upsetting than watching The Hound lose his fight was watching Arya walk away from him, refusing to ease his passage. "You remember where the heart is?" Valar morghulis.

Two of the best fighters and fan favorites, Brienne and The Hound, head-to-head

Back in King's Landing, Tyrion was expecting his executioner, but surprise — his brother Jaime came to spring him from his cell. He and Varys had teamed up to get everyone's favorite Game of Thrones character out of town, and fast. But wait — instead of going up and out a passage, and to freedom, Tyrion decided to take a detour to his old rooms, now occupied by dear old dad Tywin (Charles Dance). Book readers will know that there was a strong motivation for this visit — Jaime had just revealed that Tyrion's first wife Tysha was not a prostitute at all, and his father only let him believe that to end their marriage in such a way that Tyrion would never go looking for her. The series has given Tyrion enough reasons to hate his father, but to leave out this bombshell drop did take away some pretty important emotional subtext for Tyrion's next move.

He entered his father's bedchamber, expecting to confront the old man, but instead got an eyeful of his ex-lover and honest-to-goodness prostitute Shae, in bed, waiting for Tywin, and calling his name. Tyrion saw red and strangled her in a heartbreaking scene — our hearts breaking along with him and for him. He spied Joffrey's old crossbow on the wall, and headed down the hallway, to the privy, in search of his father. Charles Dance as Tywin has always been magnificent. As always, he looked at his son, disbelieving that he had managed to escape, but maybe also a little impressed. He also was superior as always and dismissive of the potential danger. No one would dare challenge Tywin Lannister, right? Wrong. Plonk. The crossbow fired. Plonk. Twice. Happy Father's Day!

"Say that word again ..."

Varys helped conceal Tyrion in a breathable wooden box and saw him safely loaded onto a ship leaving King's Landing. After a moment's consideration he decided to join him on board. Another variation from the books, but a nice one. Streamlining the massive text and tons of characters can be an improvement sometimes. Also headed out of Westeros was Arya, who used her magic coin and the phrase "Valar Morghulis" [All men must die] to book passage to Braavos and Season Five.

I still have some more of A Dance with Dragons to tide me over until the next season begins. Will I want to rewatch this episode? Most definitely. And probably a few others from this season, like last week's "The Watchers on the Wall," with the Night's Watch and Wildlings episode-long battle at Castle Black. But never "The Mountain and The Viper." Never again. With Martin still writing (supposedly two more books), and Benioff and Weiss privy to at least some of the upcoming plot turns, it looks like Game of Thrones will be able to continue to surprise both fans of the fantasy book series and "The Unsullied" (folks who haven't read the books but just watch the show). Probably the most surprised after seeing "The Children" are all the internet mavens who were convinced they would catch at least a glimpse of Lady Stoneheart as a season finale coda. We'll have to wait until next year, guys ...

goodnight, sweet prince oberyn

Spoilers, natch.

Sunday night's episode of Game of Thrones almost did it. It was the first time ever that I considered, albeit briefly, quitting the show. The brutal Red Wedding didn't affect me that way. Or the shocking exit of Ned Stark. In fact that savage event and first season got me started on reading the books in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. But after viewing "The Mountain and the Viper" I felt brutalized. Even knowing what was coming I wasn't prepared for how far show creators (and writers of the episode) David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were willing to go.

A lot happened in the episode. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) finally heard of Ser Jorah's (Iain Glen) Season One spying for Varys (thanks to a letter from Tywin) and banished him from her side. Dumb move, Dany. Gilly (Hannah Murray) and her baby narrowly avoided being slaughtered during a Wildling raid with the rest of the inhabitants of Mole's Town, thanks to Ygritte (Rose Leslie). Sansa (Sophie Turner) decided that the devil she knows is better than the alternative, and finally showed not just backbone, but a desire for power. She backed Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) in his assertion that Lysa's trip through the Moon Door was suicide and forged a new, uneasy, and potentially very creepy alliance between them. Arya and The Hound arrived in the Vale, only to hear that Lysa had died. The two sisters so close, yet unlikely to meet.

But there were two sequences that were the dark, black heart of the show. Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon) sent Reek (Alfie Allen) to Moat Cailin to convince his fellow Ironborn to surrender, with promises that they would be spared. Of course as soon as the gates were opened they were all slaughtered and flayed alive — a Bolton favorite form of death. Allen looked as horrified as most audience members must have, in the jump cut from a close-up of a hopeful Ironborn soldier to a horrible close-up of his flayed body. Thanks, Game of Thrones.

Alas poor Oberyn, I knew him well

But that was just for starters. The episode ended in King's Landing, with the bout that everyone was waiting for — The Viper, Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) vs. The Mountain, Ser Gregor Clegane, in a fight to the death to determine the fate of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). Game of Thrones has been compensating for the season-long imprisonment of Tyrion by giving his some kick-ass monologues, and "The Mountain and the Viper" delivered, once again. Visited by his older brother Jaime, for what could potentially be the last time, Tyrion found himself reminiscing about their "moron" cousin Orson, who spent all of his waking hours killing beetles. Hundreds, thousands of them. It clearly both fascinated Tyrion and repulsed him. He wanted to know, “Why? Why did he do it? It filled me with dread.”

And speaking of dread ... now to the fight of the century. It was beautifully staged, but the ending ... Knowing as a reader of the books that Oberyn had to die (after poisoning/fatally wounding The Mountain) made watching the duel hard enough. Benioff and Weiss have allowed Pedro Pascal to bring so much to his role this season. The character is far more expanded and interesting than what I remember from the book. I suspect that many viewers like myself were maybe not hoping for a completely different outcome, but at least not a worse death than he had coming to him. But like Ramsay Snow, who isn't just satisfied with killing someone, he must betray them, castrate them, flay them alive, Game of Thrones didn't just stop at having The Montain get a last gasp of energy to kill Oberyn, they had him pulverize him in one of the most disgusting scenes ever on television. And I didn't even watch all of it. I had to turn away — but I heard it, and I still have nightmares of that last long shot of his body on the ground.

I can't really point an accusing finger at author Martin. Yes, he wrote the story and characters, but it is quite different to write about flaying and skull crushing than to insist on showing it, so graphically, on screen. They had to know how much the audience loved Oberyn/Pascal. Yes, he had to die, the story demanded it, but did he have to die so horribly? Are we the beetles, Benioff and Weiss? You just keep crushing and crushing.

peter dinklage sums up game of thrones in 45 seconds

“Stabby, stabby, stabby, sexy, sexy, sexy ..."

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Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? Talk about must-see TV  ; )

Dinklage had another great scene in last Sunday's episode, "Mockingbird," with Prince Oberyn (Pedro Pascal). Their interchange not only propelled the show forward into a confrontation we will all be looking forward to (Oberyn volunteered to be Tyrion's champion), but it filled in blanks about just how awful Tyrion's childhood must have been with a sister like Cersei, who despised him from birth. Great acting and storytelling are making this season Game of Thrones' best yet.

game of thrones — all dinklage, all the time

O.K., that may be a bit of an exaggeration. There are many fine actors/characters in Game of Thrones. Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, is just one of them. A main character for sure, but part of an ensemble. But his raging soliloquy at the end of Sunday night's episode, “The Laws of Gods and Men” was so good, so riveting, so emotional — it just made everyone else fade away just a bit.

As usual, there were some other things going on during the episode:

A nice exchange between "Lord" Varys (Conleth Hill, always good) and Prince Oberyn (Pedro Pascal, who just keeps getting better and better), reminding viewers that the politics of Thrones is just as important and frequently more fascinating than all of the blood and guts confrontations.  

A rescue attempt by Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) of her brother Theon (Alfie Allen) found that he had for all intents and purposes disappeared. All that was left was Reek, ripe for the latest mind games from the creepy and evil Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon). Or do we have to call him Lord Bolton now?  

Daenerys's (Emilia Clarke) dragons are getting bigger (and cooler-looking) and out of control, and Dany may have made a new adversary or ally in Hizdar zo Loraq (Joel Fry). 

It was also very cool to see Braavos and the Iron Bank (and especially guest star Mark Gatiss), but the Stannis storyline is still as dull as Stannis himself. 

A young goatherd watches a not-so-friendly neighborhood dragon scorch the countryside

But once that was all out of the way we could get down to the meat of the episode — Tyrion's trial and the never-ending drama that is the family Lannister.

Cersei (Lena Headey) was predictably evil condemning her brother. Papa Tywin (Charles Dance), as head judge, tried to appear fair, but clearly wanted to get the trial and Tyrion over with. Tyrion's real words and contempt for Joffrey were cleverly thrown in his face. Undeniable, but hardly evidence of murder. Only big brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) seemed to care about Tyrion, and he finally gave his father what he had been long waiting for — he promised to step down from the Kingsguard and take up residence at Casterly Rock if his father would assure him that Tyrion would not be executed. A ray of hope, but quickly dimmed by the appearance of Shae (Sibel Kekilli), who not only lied about Tyrion and Sansa's involvement in Joffrey's death, but shared intimate details of their relationship with the tittering onlookers. This caused Tyrion to understandably lose it, and gave Dinklage the opportunity to spew forth years of hatred and frustration at how he has been viewed and treated by the world at large, and especially, by his father. It was amazing, and all the awards should just be mailed to his home forthwith.

Tyrion has had enough, with father Tywin watching him, in the background

Just as viewers were trying to catch their breath the screen went black, and now we all have to wait until next week. Even if one is a reader of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books and have a general idea of what is coming next, show runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss continue to keep adding just a few new scenes or twists on characters to keep us all guessing. It's making this season more fun than could have ever been anticipated. In a recent EW interview, Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman hinted at what's still to come in the final episodes of the season, as a result of Tyrion's melt-down, so buckle up Game of Thrones fans, it's going to be a bumpy ride:

"Tywin’s plans, for once, were foiled, and now Tyrion has to deal with this rather rash decision he made. You’re going to see how that plays out. Also, expect the appearance of characters who you did not see this episode. That’s something we’re trying to do more this year too — less cutting back and forth to a lot of places. Do more quality vs. quantity. ... It’s relentless from now on. There’s no going back now for a lot of these characters. The rest of the season is based on the last third of A Storm of Swords, so it’s one big climax."

it was littlefinger, all along

Spoilers ...

Whether one has read the books in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, or is just following the drama in Westeros on HBO's Game of Thrones, it must have been apparent from the first season that Petyr Baelish, AKA Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), was plotting behind the scenes from Day 1. In last Sunday's episode, "First of His Name," it was revealed exactly how far back Littlefinger's plots and schemes have reached.

Sansa - can't the kid get a break?

Poor Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner). She has been forced to witness the steady destruction of her family, either first-hand, or through gleeful reports from now-deceased maniacal young kings. She seemed to be getting away from most of the horror last week when Littlefinger smuggled her out of King's Landing and delivered her to who she thinks may be her only living relative, her Aunt Lysa (Kate Dickie). Sansa had clearly been more than a little suspicious of Littlefinger's motives on their journey (he has said more than once that he was in love with her mother Cat, who she closely resembles), and was palpably relieved to see her mother's sister, who is holed up in the Eyrie, a virtually impregnable castle in the area of Westeros known as the Vale. But lemon cakes aside, Sansa wasn't able to enjoy her respite for long. Because her aunt is completely bonkers, and when she isn't accusing Sansa of sleeping with her beloved Littlefinger, she is planning her niece's nuptials to her infantile son Robin. Despite the fact that Sansa is currently married to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).

The happy couple, Lysa and Littlefinger - don't let the Moon Door hit you on the way out

Sansa not only found herself disgusted by her aunt's loud screams (celebrating her instantaneous wedding to Littlefinger — Lysa does not fool around), but defending her husband Tyrion. She may have actually formed some kind feelings for him after all. What Sansa didn't know, and what came as a big reveal to many, was that Lysa had poisoned her husband Jon Arryn at Littlefinger's behest. This is the act that starts the ball rolling in the first novel A Game of Thrones and the first episode of the series. Jon Arryn is killed. Lysa writes to her sister Cat that the Lannisters have murdered him. Cat urges her husband Ned to take Jon's job of Hand of the King that his friend the King Robert Baratheon has just offered (and that Ned has no interest in). Ned's Sherlocking around in King's Landing to find Jon's killer results in his own death, which leads to war, which ends up destroying the Starks and their seat of Winterfell and is well on the way to currently destroying the Lannisters and their hold on King's Landing. And in case you forgot, Littlefinger was the mastermind behind King Joffrey's (Jack Gleeson) death, too.

What does Littlefinger want? Cat is dead. He has Sansa, sort of, but would she be a suitable substitute for his youthful love and rejection? Lysa may have survived the wedding, which is quite an accomplishment, considering how Westeros weddings go these days, but that Moon Door must look pretty tempting ... Does he really see himself as ruling all of Westeros?

Ghost and Jon, together again

As we were all still reeling from Sansa's predicament, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and the Night's Guard shut down Craster's Keep. Jon was reunited with his direwolf Ghost in a great action sequence, which also saw the end of some hateful characters. Go Ghost! Go Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) warging into Hodor (Kristian Nairn)! "Hodor!" Bran had to decide whether he wanted to be rescued by Jon or not, and wisely chose to head onto the freezing unknown instead. I know, that might seem crazy to some, but the kid is on a mission, and he knows he can now transcend his body and do just about anything, which is a superpower as cool as, or even cooler than, Daenerys's (Emilia Clarke) dragons. Hmmm ... Bran ... dragons ... And speaking of Dany, she seems to be just about the only one in this universe who doesn't think she can just rule because she says so. Did you hear me, Stannis? Dany has decided to stay put in Meereen and learn to rule the city she has conquered before unleashing an army and dragons (!) upon Westeros.

But back to Sansa. Next week her hubby Tyrion is going on trial for the murder of the boy king/psychopath Joffrey. I missed Peter Dinklage this week, but he is sure to be front and center in the next episode, "The Laws of Gods and Men." Sorry to say, we are already half-way through this season. Say it isn't so!

games of thrones: now we're all in the same boat

Spoilers... 

The gap between the folks who have read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books and others who have just watched the series based on his wild world of Westeros, Game of Thrones, has suddenly narrowed. There was so much new material in last Sunday's episode, "Oathkeeper," that book readers are now as much in the dark as anyone. There were seriously so many "But wait a minute, what's going on?", "I don't remember that", or "What just happened?" moments that I wanted to dig out my copies of A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows to check if what I was seeing had ever really happened.

Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) tells her granddaughter Maergery (Natalie Dormer) who killed Joffrey (She did, with the help of Littlefinger) and also manages to get in a joke about always having to play her scenes in the gardens.

On the advice of her grandma, Maergery gets to know her next husband-to-be a bit better.

Martin is notoriously slow to get out sequels in this series. There are supposed to be two more books in the works, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, and the clock is ticking, ticking, ticking ... Could show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss be in so tight with author Martin that they are solving onscreen some long-unanswered mysteries that have as yet to be addressed in the books, such as what exactly do the White Walkers do with the babies they are offered (or steal)? Zombie baby army!?

While some viewers may still be concerned with last week's Jaime/Cersei close encounter, it was clear in "Oathkeeper" that the show, and Jaime, were moving on. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had some of the best moments in the episode, as he sparred both physically and verbally with his brother Tyrion's (Peter Dinklage) sellsword Bronn (Jerome Flynn); finally visited the wrongly-incarcerated Tyrion; watched his tipsy sister Cersei (Lena Heady) give her impression of the Red Queen; and finally, touchingly, gifted his once-captor, now friend Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) with a fabulous suit of armor, an honorable quest, and his sword, which she meaningfully dubbed Oathkeeper.

Jaime give Brienne a sword and she names it - Oathkkeper

All of Martin's characters are complex, but Jaime Lannister has had one of the more interesting backstories within the epic. When we first meet him he is arrogant and despicable (he tosses young Bran Stark out a window when the kid accidentally sees Jaime and Cersei having a quick incestuous tryst), and even though he is a fierce warrior and a member of the elite Kingsguard, his reputation is forever shadowed by his nickname, the Kingslayer, after he killed the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen. Later it is learned, in both the books and the HBO series, as Jaime confides to Brienne, that by killing the king, Jaime saved the city and its inhabitants from Aerys's deadly wildfire plot. Jaime is on the road to maybe not redemption, but at least honoring his promises. First up, he promised to return Sansa and Arya Stark to their mother. Catelyn Stark is dead, and Jaime assumes, so is the missing Arya, but he can at least enlist Brienne to find young Sansa and deliver her safely to her aunt Lysa.

The other wild "did you just see what I saw" moment came at the end of the episode, when the last male baby of clan Craster was offered up as a sacrifice, left out in the snow to be .... well. we're not exactly sure. I'm sure most viewers have assumed that the babies were food for the zombie-like White Walkers, but the last scene of "Oathkeeper" suggested something else entirely — how does one make a White Walker? Let the Night King touch a newborn human baby ...

All baby White Walkers are born with blue eyes ...

We're only three episodes into season four of Game of Thrones and anyone who may have thought they knew where things were headed will have to reevaluate. That makes for good television. I still may have to go back and check out the books ...

poppin' up in westeros

While there has been a lot of internet speculation (and outrage) over the latest Game of Thrones episode, "Breaker of Chains," I have been preoccupied with a new acquisition, the Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros. Designed by renowned paper engineer Matthew Reinhart and illustrator Michael Komarck, the book is a blast, with not just the cool buildings that populate the fantasy series, but lots of fun pop-up surprises and pull-out guides to all of the warring houses from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels and its current television adaptation on HBO. There are some detailed instructions on how to layout the intricately rendered Westeros. The book really goes from being book art to art and sculpture. It's lots of fun for fans of both the books and the television show.


You really need some space to get a lay of the land


And Westeros was worried about dragons ...


I love the pop-up member of the Kingsguard


Winterfell, the Wall, and what the heck ...


Watch out for the White Walkers!
HBO has always diverged from the books, especially with its frequent scenes of "sexposition," but many fans think that the show runners took things a bit too far last Sunday. An already outrageous scene in the book A Storm of Swords between incestuous siblings (and twins) Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), was pushed to the limit in the episode "Breaker of Chains," with Jaime forcing himself on his sister. The book depicted that as well, but with Cersei going from resistant to compliant — at least from Jaime's point of view. As shocking as that scene may have been, it's a shame that it is drowning out some other really good things that happened in the episode. I don't think Jaime's redemption arc has been as irreparably damaged as many are saying. As stated before, the scene in the book was pretty crazy, too. But at least I have my pop-up Westeros to guide me.

(does anyone care) whodunnit?

Contains (show, not book) spoilers for the most recent episode of Game of Thrones ...


Medieval fantasy world wedding planners take note. Westeros may not be such a hot idea as your go-to wedding destination. While everyone is still reeling from last season's eventful and bloody Red Wedding, last Sunday night gave viewers the nuptials of twerp-king and all-around bad guy Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) and the lovely Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer). Or as it is better known to fans of the fantasy series, the Purple Wedding.

Head for the hills — it's a wedding in Westeros (Image from The Big Lead)

Apart from Margaery and Joffrey's happy day there were other things going on in "The Lion and the Rose," including check-ins with Bran (good), Ramsay Snow and Theon/Reek (disturbing), and Stannis (still as boring as ever), but who are we kidding? There was a royal wedding in King's Landing, and that's the only place I wanted to be. "The Lion and the Rose" is also the only episode this season written by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin.

Fans of the series may not have had any cool CGI White Walker zombies this episode, but they certainly got something they had been waiting a long time for - the demise of one of the nastiest characters in the series or on television. Yes, finally, we watched Joffrey die, but not before he either insulted, tormented, or offended everyone in the vicinity.

The episode had fun teasing its audience by throwing in some clues (or red herrings) as to who may have poisoned the brat king. If Hercule Poirot or his Westeros equivalent has been on the scene he would undoubtedly assemble a list of suspects in the Iron Throne Room and grill them all. As it was, the hateful and heartbroken Cersei (Lena Headey) pointed at her despised brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), accused him of murdering his nephew, and ordered the guards to grab him.

Tyrion offers Joffrey his wine cup as Sansa looks on 

But did Tyrion do it? He certainly had ample motive. Seeing Joffrey taunt and disrespect his uncle in "The Lion and the Rose" was just as uncomfortable onscreen as it was to read in the book. Tyrion did handle Joffrey's wine glass, at the king's own mocking insistence, but he did so in full view of all the wedding party and guests. Joffrey, possibly the most widely hated of Game of Thrones characters, invited murder from many angles. Such as:

Sansa (Sophie Turner). A person who may have had more motive than anyone for wanting Joffrey dead, Sansa did handle the wine cup as she handed it to Tyrion. But she has always been a reactive sort, not one to take action. Now if Arya had been there ... Could Sansa be in cahoots with Sir Dontos (Tony Way), once a knight, and now a Fool, who she once stopped Joffrey from having killed? She was wearing the necklace that Sir Dontos gave her at the wedding.

The Tyrells. This ambitious family wants to rule in King's Landing, but they have been very carefully and systematically scoping out just how much of a monster Joffrey is before the wedding. Margaery did feed Joffrey pie - but was the poison in the pie or the wine? As heinous as the prospect of being his bride might be to Margaery, would it really be in her advantage to kill him off before they produce an heir? She is Quenn now, but with Joffrey dead, will she stay that way? Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg), her grandmother, who paid for the event, was hovering nearby and could have spiked the wine. She might be doing her granddaughter a small favor by killing off Joffrey before the wedding night, but how will his death affect the family politically in the long term? 

Lady Olenna, trying to console Sansa about her brother Robb's recent death, “War is war, but killing a man at a wedding. Horrid. What sort of monster would do such a thing? As if men need more reasons to fear marriage.” 

Olenna eyes the fateful cup

Prince Oberyn (Pedro Pascal). He has a long-standing grudge against the Lannisters, as he made very clear to Tyrion last week. Plenty of motive, but less likely to have had access to Joffrey's wine or food.

As much as the death of Joffrey was the main event (and shock to those who haven't read A Storm of Swords), there were some other fun things happening at the wedding. Until her beloved first-born monster died in her arms, Cersei was having a great time, trying to thwart Margaery's efforts to feed the poor, making noble Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) beyond-uncomfortable, insulting anyone who crossed her path. Good times.

But now the broken-hearted and vengeful mother has found a way to finally eliminate little brother Tyrion. What will Tywin (Charles Dance) think or do? Will he be broken up about his grandson's death? Where does this leave Margaery and her clan? And who will viewers love to hate as much as the evil Joffrey? I may have to reread A Storm of Swords). I don't know if I can wit until next week to find out.

not that there ever was any doubt ...

.... but Game of Thrones has already been renewed by HBO for two more seasons, after its fourth season premiere (which got record ratings) last Sunday night. In fact, the first episode was so popular that it crashed HBO's streaming site, HBO GO. But not to worry about the show going anywhere anytime soon. At the rate that author George R.R. Martin is writing the final two installments of the epic fantasy series, devoted viewers should be able to tune in for many years to come.

The premiere was subdued compared to last season's penultimate Red Wedding shocker of an episode, "The Rains of Castamere," but it was full of some great moments and season foreshadowing, and thankfully, no torture check-ins with Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow. The first scene centered around the forging of a sword, a very particular sword, instantly recognizable to readers of A Song of Ice and Fire. Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) was melting down Ice, Eddard "Ned" Stark's sword, as both a symbolic victory of his final defeat of the Stark family, and his acquisition of a magnificent item made of rare and precious Valyrian steel. As if melting Ned's sword down into not one, but two smaller weapons wasn't enough to slap the memory of dead Starks, he threw a dire wolf carcass on top of the fire at the end for emphasis.

Valyrian steel ...

The sword-forging scene not only showed how much the Starks had gotten under Tywin's usually imperturbable facade, but also the man's greed for glory and status. He tried to pass one of the swords on to his son Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), as a bribe for him to give up his post as Knight of the King's Guard and to return to their family seat of Casterly Rock and settle down and start his own dynasty. Jaime refused, uninterested in having kids or breaking one more vow, his vow to protect the King. One wonders if Tywin can be so blind that he doesn't realize that Jaime (and his sister Cersei) have already produced a brood of children. Tywin, in disgust, disowned his first-born, but let him keep the sword.

Jaime: "I suppose you want the sword back."
Tywin: "Keep it. A one handed man with no family needs all the help he can get."

Last season Tywin's son Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) made his bid for Casterly Rock and was rebuffed, both cynically and cruelly by his father. In this episode, "Two Swords," he was tasked as the welcoming committee for some visiting (King Joffrey and Maergery Tyrell) wedding guests, new-to-the-series characters Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) and his lady-love Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) - who just happen to hate the Lannisters and wish them dead. Get in line, folks.

Oberyn: “Tell your father I’m here. Tell him the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.”

Arya and The Hound

There were some other great check-ins, with Jon Snow and Sam, Maergery and Lady Olenna, Daenerys and her dragons, but the most memorable scene took place at the end, with the series' new favorite duo, Arya (Maisie Williams) and The Hound (Rory McCann).

The Hound: "I'm not a thief."
Arya: "You fight with murdering little boys, but thieving is beneath you."
The Hound: "Man's got to have a code."

The Hound is still traveling through the kingdom,  in search of someone he can ransom his young prize to - a difficult task as her family members have been dropping like flies. The pair come upon some King's men at a roadside inn, up to no good. Arya recognizes one of them, Polliver, as the man who killed her friend Lommy and stole her sword, Needle. What commences is one of the most badass confrontations in the series, with The Hound increasing his cool meter by thousands and Arya coming into her own as an avenger. The last scene, with the two riding off, the smile on Arya's face - was equal parts triumphant and tragic. Can her road get any tougher? We will all just have to tune in and watch it unfold as the season progresses.