GAME OF THRONES 406: THE LAWS OF GODS AND MEN

As I type this post I can feel the clock ticking.  The next episode of Game of Thrones will air in less an hour from right now.  Therefore, I will be typing fast and probably not very much.  But, in case you want to take some time to briefly reflect on what happened last week, let’s get to talking…

1.  Everyone is entitled to their day in court – Well sort of suppose this is true in the Game of Thrones world too.  Although before Tryrion’s trial even started, we (the audience) knew he was climbing an uphill battle.  I just don’t think we realized how low the Lannisters would get by the end of it all (see Shae).  I am fairly convinced that Tywin doesn’t actually believe his son killed his grandson, but we know that Tywin has never been Tryion’s biggest fan so I am not surprised that he is a willing participant in this debacle that is called a “trial.”  Further, Tywin doesn’t seem to mind that Jaime is called the “King Slayer” so I doubt his pride would be very much hurt if another one of his sons ended up being known as a killer of kings as well.  What I really can’t figure out is whether Cersei actually believes that Tryion is responsible for Joffrey’s death.  Because if she does, then she is clearly an idiot.  And, while Cersei may be many things–a power-hungry, adulterous, b*tch (to name a few)–I hadn’t yet took her for being completely stupid.

2.  Poor Jaime – I like Jaime, I really do.  And, I don’t know if he has just been clueless about depth of his father’s and sister’s vengefulness or what, but his face was priceless as the camera cut to him during Tryion’s trial. It was like he hadn’t really appreciated the mockery the trial would become (despite Tyrion’s warnings) until he was present at it and was getting smacked in the face by it.  I think Jaime’s best quality is his loyalty and he demonstrates it so well in this episode where he willing gives up his “life” (at least as he knows it) so that Tryion’s life can be saved.  This was truly a selfless act–something you don’t see much of these days.  Question though – How does Tyrion’s request for trial by combat going to affect Jaime’s deal with Tywin.

3.  Shae – Girl, the Lannisters had better have threatened your life or something because I cannot forgive you for humiliating and emotionally destroying Tryion the way you did.  I get that you are mad at him, but lady, you have taken the whole scorned-lover thing to a new level.  And, I certainly, don’t appreciate it.  Plus, not only have you backstabbed Tryion but you have betrayed Sansa (a girl that has done nothing to you).  And, that my dear, is low.

4.  Trial by combat – So, do we think Bronn steps in for Tyrion again or is Tyrion really going to have to fight his own battle this time?  I am not sure of the rules.

5.  Stannis is still boring as ever – I wish this guy would just go away.  I can’t find his storyline to be remotely compelling.  And, I can’t imagine that even the new financing Stannis has managed to acquire (by the help of Ser Davos) is going to make Stannis any more of a threat or any more interesting to me either.  Stannis along with Ramsey need to go to part of the Game of Thrones world where I never have to see or hear from them again anytime soon.

6.  It’s tough to be Queen – While I certainly think Dany has the abilities and the confidence to serve as queen of Slaver’s Bay and hopefully the Iron Throne (one day), she is definitely learning that ruling effectively takes a lot of different qualities and that it certainly isn’t an easy job.  It’s tough to be the one in charge and it’s tough to do the right thing, especially when there isn’t a clear right answer.  At least Dany seems to be taking her job seriously though and that is better than many of the previous men/boys that have sat on the Iron Throne.  Varys, you keep your spies out of Dany’s camp though.  I am watching you.

Alright, that is all I have time for this week.  What did y’all think?

-LJ

 

GAME OF THRONES 405: FIRST OF HIS NAME

I know, I am super late in getting a review of last week’s Game of Thrones episode posted.  But, it was a busy week outside of the blogosphere.  My best friend got married this past weekend and I received a promotion at work.  That meant less time for blogging.  Since I am cutting it so close this week, again, it’s likely this post won’t be very long.  Let’s get to talking.

1.  So the big reveal – In a surprise for us television watchers, we learned this week that it wasn’t the Lannisters who poisoned Jon Arryn, but instead his crazy wife Lysa Tully at the request of Littlefinger.  We have always been warned that Littlefinger would do just about anything to get himself more power.  As Varys adequately put it:  “He’d see the realm burn if he could be king of the ashes.”  Now, we know for sure, that Varys is probably right.  After all, it was Arryn’s death that caused Robert to ask Ned to become the King’s hand.  This ultimately led to the death of Ned.  And, thus the entire war.  We also know that Littlefinger orchestrated the death of Joffrey and the “capture” of the Stark’s oldest daughter.  I don’t know what Littlefinger’s ultimate plan is, but he is clearly 10 steps ahead of everyone else.  Maybe his new crazy wife might be the end of him though.  Fingers crossed.

2.  Mother’s Day – Today is Mother’s Day, so let’s talk briefly about the mothers in Game of Thrones.  Dany, the mother of dragons, I think deserves the mother of the year award,  given that she has freed all these people (even if she does learn that the liberated cities of Slaver’s Bay have already fallen back into the hands of the Masters or other despots without Dany there to oversee their cities).  What is commendable about Dany though is that, unlike everyone else that seeks the Iron Throne, she appears to recognize that she has much to learn before she ultimately assumes that title and she has decided to try and restore order in the cities that have fallen apart since her liberation.  I can respect that.  Cersei will never win mother of the year, but she certainly is the best at using motherhood as a manipulation technique.  It will be interesting to see if she has swayed Oberyn to her side after expressing her love for her daughter that was sent far far away from her.  Finally, Lysa Arryn gets creepiest mother ever award.  Not only is she crazy, but her son Robin certainly is taking after his nutty mother.  And, is Sansa really going to have to marry that kid?  It’s time for Sansa to catch a break.

3.  The great adventures of Arya and the Hound – I am ready for something to happen with these two, aren’t you?  I really wish the Hound would start teaching her how to fight.  I am ready for Arya’s revenge crusade to start.

4.  Close but no cigar – North of the wall Jon Snow along with Locke descend upon Craster’s house and kill everyone (other than the women) in sight.  Let’s take a minute and pause to remember Bran overtaking Hodor during this scene and crushing Locke’s neck.  Because that was awesome!  Also, here’s a thought for you, if Bran can pretty much jump into the mind of anyone, is he going to be able to possess Dany’s dragons one day (assuming he doesn’t die first)?  I am a little bummed that Bran and Jon didn’t get to reunite, and I honestly don’t understand the whole point of Bran’s quest, but if Game of Thrones doesn’t want these two to be together, I guess I will have to live with that.

5.  Reunited (and it feels so good) – At least Jon got reunited with Ghost.  Thank goodness.

6.  The Iron Bank – I assume that all this talk of debt and the Iron Bank is going to become very very important at some point.  I just don’t get it’s significance right now.  Hopefully, all will be revealed, in due time.

What did y’all think?

-LJ

GAME OF THRONES 404: OATHKEEPER

There were so many images to choose from for this week’s post, but I ended up settling on Margaery and Tommen because I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between these two (and by beautiful friendship, I mean some sort of relationship where Margaery manipulates the heck out of the future King).  Also, I couldn’t use the image of the White Walker because it scares the heck out of me and I really can’t look at an image of Hodor at the moment without feeling incredibly sad.  So much happened in this week’s episode that we better get to talking.

*Full disclosure, I am writing this post on Friday afternoon before CJ and I are set to go out of town.  There is so much that we could talk about this week, but I just simply don’t have the time.  Blogging can be so difficult when you have social obligations… (please feel free to roll your eyes at that comment).

1.  Future King beware – From what little we have seen of Tommen* in Game of Thrones (prior to this season, Tommen’s character only appeared in 9 episodes of the series), it seems like the young future-King has led a rather sheltered life.  And, while I certainly appreciate the fact that, at least for now, he appears to be kinder and possibly more wiser than his older brother, I feel like he is going to be eaten alive (either by Margaery or his grandfather, or both).  And, look, I like Margaery a lot and I hate the Lannisters (as a collective family unit), so I am all for a little manipulation on the part of the Tyrells, but I feel a little bad that for this kid that has no idea what kind of life he is getting himself into.  It’s not easy being King.**

*Prior to this season, I hadn’t realized that they recast Tommen (mainly because I honestly couldn’t remember what the kid looked like…remember, we didn’t see Tommen at all in season 3).  My guess is part of the reason for recasting was to make Tommen look a little older so this whole Margaery/Tommen love or friendship or future marriage doesn’t look quite so creepy to the viewers.  Interesting tidbit though, the actor that now plays Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) actually played a young Martyn Lannister in two episodes in season 3.  I had no idea!

**Let’s give a round of applause to Margaery for knowing the right way to manipulate this little King.  She doesn’t over do it, but instead becomes more child-like herself in order for Tommen to see her as hopefully a confidant and sort of his dream-girl of the future.  Nothing works better to manipulate a guy than getting him to develop a crush on you.  Well done Margaery, I appreciate your intelligence, your strategy, and your over gumption.

2.  Here are the things that I am concerned about after this week’s episode (in no particular order) –

• Summer and Ghost – Yes, my main concern is the direwolves.  Did you see how badly Ghost is being treated?  If you knew me it would not surprise you at all that I am most concerned about the dogs.  I can’t handle anymore dying.
• Hodor! – Oh my gosh, they tied of Hodor.  I am crying on the inside for this lovable man.
• Bran – I am not sure why I care so much about Bran because, let’s be honest, he can be kind of annoying.  And, I am kind of over this whole trick about being a warg.  But, I don’t want anything bad to happen to this kid!  I think it’s because I love the Starks and Bran is one of the last Starks living.  All the Starks can’t die, right?!  As for Bran’s friends, other than Hodor, I find them to be expendable.
• White Walkers – Let’s get real, the scene at the end of the episode with the White Walker King (I presume) and the baby was terrifying.  I wish I could unsee his face.

3.  Jon Snow – I am trying really really hard to care about Jon Snow, mainly because I know (assuming this show continues along like the books) that he is going to become a bigger and bigger character.  Right now though, I simply just don’t.  Or, I guess I should say that I only care about him in relation to other characters.  What I mean is, right now I want Jon to go save Bran, Hodor, etc. from the evil former men of the Nights Watch.  As an independent person though, I can’t really say right now that I care whether he lives or dies.

4.  Dany takes another city – You know I love Dany, I really do.  And, I mean, I am all for her saving the world one slave city at a time.  But, I am beginning to wish that she got to do something else, ya know, other than saving millions of people’s lives.  Maybe this makes me a bad person.  Side note though – I did enjoy getting to know more about Grey Worm’s past and I do like this budding relationship he has going on with Missandei.

5.  Brienne and Jaime – Say it isn’t over between these two?  Why did Brienne have to leave Jaime in King’s Landing?  Brienne + Jaime forever.

Again, sorry for such a short post, but better short than nothing at all, right?

What did y’all think?

-LJ

GAME OF THRONES 403: BREAKER OF CHAINS

So, last week was the episode after the episode that included the big purple wedding, which basically means that it had a lot to live up to.  And, for the most part, I think it did.  But, because there was no major event this week, it also meant that we returned to sorta tour-guide mode, i.e., we spent most of the episode checking in with different people at different places.  This, for the most part, is the typical Game of Thrones model for each episode, but it usually means that we only get to see little snip-bits of everyone.  Personally, I am just glad to see Dany again.*  Let’s get to talking.

*I know we don’t talk about movies on this blog, but CJ and I recently saw Emilia Clarke in Dom Hemingway (starring Jude Law).  Awesome movie and Emilia was amazing, plus she sings, so I pretty much died.

1.  Off course it was Littlefinger – So first things first, we get confirmation that Dontos was involved the poisoning plot and that it was partially designed to get Sansa out of King’s Landing.  However, it is also revealed that the mastermind behind the poisoning plot was Littlefinger.  Gosh, I hate Littlefinger.  He is so smarmy.  And, now, Sansa has been delivered into his arms.  Don’t forget that Littlefinger always had a thing for Sansa’s mother, which kind of adds a whole new creepiness into this scenario.  I am glad that Sansa is out of King’s Landing (and hopefully out of the clutches of the Lannisters), but is she really any better off with Littlefinger?  At least at the moment, I suppose, she isn’t being tried for killing the King, so there is the upside.**

**I am still not clear if the Tyrells were involved in the Littlefinger plan or not.  But, last episode seemed to imply that Margaery may end up getting to marry Joffrey’s younger brother now…whose name I should probably start learning at this point.

2.  That thing that happened – Most of the talk surrounding this past episode seemed to be about the scene between Jaime and Cersei and whether or not it was consensual or not.  I don’t really want to get into that aspect of the scene.  Because whether it was or it wasn’t, I am most upset about it because Jaime still wants to be “doing it” with his sister.  And, that is still super gross.  I loved the Jaime of last season, i.e., the Jaime outside of King’s Landing–the one who jumped into a bear pit with one arm to save Brienne.  I don’t want Jaime to revert back to his old ways simply because he is back in King’s Landing.  I want the new and improved Jaime.

3.  Tywin is in the empire business – I think it is abundantly clear that the worst person in King’s Landing and maybe all of Westeros is Tywin.  He has the most influence and power, now that Joffrey is dead, he is pretty much the de facto King…given how malleable young Tommen appears to be.  It’s just moments after Joffrey’s death and we see Tywin laying the foundation for his manipulation of the future new King, Tommen.  We also see him firming up his alliances; for instance, by recruiting Oberyn Martell to fill the open spot on the Small Council.  I just hope Oberyn has still kept his hatred of the Lannisters with him, even if he does appear to come the side of the Lannisters.

4.  Stannis – Remember when Stannis made such a big deal about the threat from the North?  Well we are now three episodes into season 4 and he hasn’t mentioned it yet.  This bugs the hell out of me. I mean I get that he is still interested in being the “King,” but I am a little disappointed that he hasn’t expressed any concerns about what is happening in the North, beyond what we saw in the season 3 finale.  Get it together buddy.

5.  I really need a prison break – How long are we going to have to watch Tyrion be in prison for?  Actually, I suppose, I should be happy that he is in prison and not dead yet.  I just really don’t want to see Tyrion stuck in prison for the rest of the season.  At least, we still get to see him giving some amazing speeches, even if he is just stuck in a room for the entire episode.***

***And, what does Tyrion’s accusal mean for Bronn?  It seems like we won’t have any more Jaime/Bronn sword lessons anytime soon, right?

6.  Mother of Dragons does it again – Not only do we get to witness Daario #2 easily and masterfully take out the champion of Meereen, but we also get to see Dany being Dany, which is always a thing of greatness.  To be honest, I was little worried that Dany was attacking the city with all of the innocent slaves watching (that didn’t seem like the right thing to do). But, when the barrels broke and revealed broken chains and collars, I was in awe of Dany’s intelligence and strategy.  Whether Dany ever makes it to Westeros or not, I don’t think it matters to me.  I could watch Dany being Dany for hours.

Obviously, much more happened in last week’s episode (I didn’t even touch on the Jon Snow or Sam bits or the new adventures of Arya and the Hound), but seeing as this post is happening so late, we might as well just wait a few more hours and see what is in store for them this week.  Happy Game of Thrones Day everyone!

-LJ

GAME OF THRONES & FROZEN CROSSOVER YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

Happy Friday to you!  If you are bummed to be working this Friday (when a lot of people have a holiday) or are simply looking for a pick me up this morning, then I have the video for you.  Joanna Robinson and David Chen from the Cast of Kings podcast have created a music video using the very popular “Let it Go” song from Frozen with Game of Thrones themed lyrics.  It’s performed by Gail Folsom.  If you love Frozen as much as you love Game of Thrones than this will be epic for you.  If you haven’t seen Frozen or Game of Thrones, then you need to reevaluate your life choices.

-LJ

GAME OF THRONES 402: THE LION AND THE ROSE

I am sure Joffrey would like us to remember him as the crazy child-king that he was, rather than that bloated purple mess that he turned into at the end of this week’s Game of Thrones episode.  Thus, I have chosen the picture above so that we can remember the horrible man-child (that believed he was untouchable) just the way he was–an idiot.  Ned’s death was spoiled for me before I saw it in season 1 and I wasn’t necessarily surprised by the end of Robb Stark and his mother (or I wasn’t as depressed by such events as a lot of people).  But, Joffrey getting killed, shocked the heck out of me!  I was not expecting it at all (please keep in mind that neither CJ or I have read the books).  So, let’s get to talking about what happened to the little purple people-eater.

1.  The purple wedding – Joffrey’s and Margaery’s wedding is referred to as the purple wedding.  I initially thought this was because purple is considered the color of royalty, so it seemed natural that the wedding of the king would be called “the purple wedding.”  But, now I am wondering if it is called that because Joffrey literally turned purple as he choked to death.  Anyone have any idea?  I would post the picture of his bloated purple face, but it gives me nightmares.

2.  I kinda feel bad – Before this week’s episode started I tweeted something about how Joffrey liked to drown puppies to calm his pre-wedding nerves.  It seemed appropriate given the psychopath that he was.  And, he was in rare form both before and during his wedding.  I mean, he was really acting like an a-hole.  But, in the aftermath of his death, I felt a little bad about my tweet.  I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to die!  So, as I sat there in shock after we watched Joffrey choke to death, I considered erasing my tweet (out of respect for the dead, of course, and because as Joffrey lay there dead in his mother’s arms, he definitely appeared more child-like than normal).  However, then I remembered what a lying piece of sh*t Joffrey was and got over any sadness I felt for his passing.  Don’t rest in peace Joffrey, you were a bad, bad man and the people of Westeros can sleep a little easier tonight knowing you are gone.*

*Part of my sadness may be due to the fact that Jack Gleeson claims to be done with acting for good.

3.  Tyrion didn’t do it – If Tyrion is one thing in particular, he is smart.  So, there is no way that I believe that he is responsible for the poisoning of Joffrey; he wouldn’t be so stupid as to be the one caught holding the last thing that Joffrey touched before Joffrey died.**  This means it was someone else.  But, who?

• Olenna Tyrell – Grandma Tyrell has never seemed exactly pleased with the fact that Margaery was to marry Joffrey.  And, she definitely did not look very celebratory during the wedding.  She is smart enough to figure out how to poison the King.  Plus, weren’t the Tyrells responsible for the pie?  It could have been a poison pie and not a poison drink that was the end of Joffrey.  I am not putting it past Margaery to have been involved either, although I can’t imagine that she wants the reputation as a husband killer.***
• The fool, Ser Dontos – There had to be a reason that the fool reappeared last week, right?  Now, we see him take Sansa away from the reception as Joffrey lays there dying.  And, if I am not mistaken, he tells Sansa something to the effect of “if you want to leave, we have to do it now.”  This may imply that he knew the poisoning was coming and used it as a distraction to get Sansa out of there (and by out of there, I mean out of the reception and potentially out of Kings Landing).
• Oberyn Martell – He hasn’t been in Kings Landing very long, but we know that he blames the Lannisters for the death of his sister and her children.  A child for a child?  He does claim to pay his debts.
• Sansa Stark – Now, I think this is a bit of a stretch, but we know that Sansa was one of the people that actually touched Joffrey’s cup of wine.  And, she has certainly been his favorite person to torment.  I wish she would have been the person to kill Joffrey, but I just can’t imagine that she did.

(A lot more people surely wanted Joffrey dead, but in my mind, these are the most likely candidates of the moment.)

**Cersei isn’t dumb, but she also hates her little brother so much that she may actually believe that Tyrion is responsible.  Both Tywin’s and Jaime’s expressions at the end of the episode lead me to think that they might believe Cersei as well.  Plus, I know that Tyrion spends some time in prison this season, so it seems logically that this would be the reason why.  I hope someone comes to Tyrion’s rescue though.

***If you want a visual breakdown of how Olenna could have killed Joffrey, here you go: http://imgur.com/a/Hjii3

4.  Who becomes King now? Joffrey’s younger brother? Is he next in line for the throne?

5.  The non-purple wedding stuff – In other news, Ramsay Snow is still a horrible horrible person.  He might be next on my list of GoT people I would like to die.  Watching him chase that poor girl through the forest was so uncomfortable; I couldn’t handle it.  I am also not happy about the fact that he knows the Stark boys are still alive.  Bran is at least north of the wall, which means he is hopefully out of the reach of Ramsay Snow (although he is facing other terrifying things).  We have yet to see Rickon this season though.

6.  The night is dark – We visit Stannis in this week’s episode who appears to still be allowing people to be burned to death in the name of the Lord of Light.  What I find most shocking is his wife’s complete devotion to her new faith, to the point where she appears to view her daughter as just another sinful non-believer.  I really hope nothing bad happens to that little girl.  Oh wait, what am I saying, it’s Game of Thrones, something bad always happens.

7.  Bronn vs. Jaime – Bronn is awesome.  Period.  I need more of these two together.

8.  Bran’s vision – Bran’s vision was quick and I haven’t gone back to rematch it, but it seemed like the most significant part was the image of a dragon flying over Kings Landing, no?

Ok, that’s all I have time for this week.  What did y’all think?

-LJ

GAME OF THRONES UPDATE: SEASONS 5 AND 6 ARE A GO!

On Monday, HBO announced that the season 4 Game of Thrones premiere was its highest rated show since the series finale of The Sopranos.  Therefore, yesterday’s news that HBO had renewed Game of Thrones for two additional seasons is probably the least surprising news ever.  It does mean, however, that we will at least get 6 seasons of the quest for the iron throne.  I will admit that the announcement does seem a little odd given that showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have previously indicated that 7 seasons seems to be the magic number for the show.  One would think that at this point HBO would simply give the go ahead for a seventh season, but who knows what the network is thinking.  Further, I suppose, there, of course, is always the outstanding problem of whether George R.R. Martin will have finished sixth and seventh books before the TV series catches up.

In any event, we are more than excited to know that Game of Thrones will still be around for the near future.

-LJ

GAMES OF THRONES 401: TWO SWORDS

It’s back!!!!  Season 4 of Game of Thrones premiered last night and it was awesome.  To be fair, I could have just watched Dany walk around with her dragons for the full hour and been perfectly content.  We got even more than that happening in the world of Westeros though.  Like my Walking Dead and Breaking Bad posts, I am going to try and blog weekly about Game of Thrones.  These posts won’t necessarily be recaps, but more my thoughts on particular events that have occurred.  Also, please keep in mind that neither CJ or I read the books, so if you choose to comment, don’t give anything away that we haven’t yet seen in the show.  Spoilers are the worst.  So, let’s get to talking…

1.  In the game of thrones, the Lannisters are kicking butt – In case you forgot last season that the Lannisters pretty much annihilated the Starks, we get a good reminder in the opening scene with Tywin Lannister melting down the House of Stark sword (and throwing a dead wolf into the fire for good measure).  Of course, the ultimate power of the Lannisters hinges on a sociopathic and utterly annoying/spoiled king-child, Joffrey, so I can’t help but think that the Lannisters are just one bad step away from total destruction.  This is especially true given that Joffrey’s actual parents (Cersei, the now alcoholic, and Jamie, the one-armed man) apparently have no control over their son.  (Joffrey obviously has no problem berating his uncle/daddy Jaime about his lack of accomplishments in the Kingsguard White Book).  Let’s hope for the Lannisters sake that Tywin has everything under control.

2.  Poor Jaime – So it appears that Jaime actually loves his sister in more than the appropriate kind of way.  I almost felt bad for him, when she turned him down.  But, then I remembered that they were brother and sister and I don’t want to see that kind of action ever again.  What is clear is that Cersei’s feelings for Jaime may not have been as genuine as Jaime previously believed.  I can’t help but wonder how this will affect Jaime going forward.  But, I am still hoping that Jaime ends up turning into one of the “good” guys and getting rid of his awful sister seems like a good place to start this transition.*

*I am also hoping that Brienne has convinced Jaime to help Sansa out in some possible way because I can’t watch her mope about for an entire season (I will let her have a few episodes though, considering the fact that basically her whole family has been murdered).

3.  There’s a new face in town – And, his name is Oberyn Martell.  At this point, he seems like he is the only viable threat to the Lannisters, especially considering the fact that he is hell bent on revenge and that he is actually in King’s Landing.  I am told that his conversation with Tyrion is an important one and may actually give some clues as to who Jon Snow’s mother (and possible father…say what?!) are.  In case you want to watch the conversation again…

4.  Shae’s time may be coming to a close – I like Shae, I really do.  I think she is good for Sansa and for Tyrion.  But, her being around, is creating lots of problems for Tyrion and also the whole jealously angle is creating some problems for me.  I mean, I get where she is coming from, but I also want her to realize that Tyrion is in an impossible situation.  In any event, Shae’s inability to truly see how sinister the Lannisters actually are may lead to her demise as one of Cersei’s spies has now caught her in an argument with her main man.  Plus, it seems about time for Game of Thrones to kill another person that Sansa cares about, just for good measure.

5.  DRAGONS – It is readily apparent that as Dany’s dragons grow so does her confidence in her abilities.  I am just not so confident in Dany’s ability to control those dragons these days.  I am also not so confident in Dany’s ability to control her heart.  I just hope that the new Daario (same character as last season, just a new actor…who is less pretty and more manly in my opinion) is a good news for the mother of dragons.  I can’t imagine that Jorah is particularly happy that this gentleman is still around though.

In other thoughts related to Dany, I must admit I am ready for Dany to start making her way towards claiming the Iron Throne, but it doesn’t seem like she is quite ready to make that journey yet.**

**Also, fair warning, Dany is my favorite character, so no matter where this season takes her or where she goes, my love for her will never waiver.  And, this blog will probably always be skewed in her favor.

6.  Umm, Sam are you forgetting something? – Does anyone else think that the first words out of Sam’s mouth should have been, “hey Jon, I saw your crippled brother and he was heading north of the wall.”  Why hasn’t Jon been told that Sam met Bran?  This seems like important information.

7.  Arya broke bad – So, I think season 4 is when we can officially say that Arya broke bad.  I’m glad she got her sword back and clearly got some much needed justice for her lost friend, but it is painful to see what such loss, devastation, and violence can do to a young person.  All I know is that from this point on, no one is safe from Arya.***

***I hope this Hound + Arya travel adventure works as well in this season as the Brienne + Jaime road trip did in season 3.

8.  The shadow that killed Renly – Brienne appears to be the only one still focused on the shadow-like monster that killed Renly Baratheon.  I am unclear whether this is because of Brienne’s loyalty to Renly or because she feels a greater need to figure out what certain potential dark forces are at work (and she is now the only person alive that witnessed the event).  It will be interesting to see whether her conversation with Margery Tyrell develops into something more or if it was just a simple way for the show to remind us that all that matters is who the current king is and that there is no need to concern ourselves with what happened to the would-be kings of the past.

There is so much more we could talk about.  But, I think that is a good start for the season.  What did y’all think of the season 4 premiere?

-LJ

PS.  I am ready for the Purple Wedding.

WHAT TO WATCH: APRIL 2014

Sorry kids, all the fun and games are over. April is not messing around. I hope you’re not behind on anything, because April is not going to leave you any opportunity to catch up on things. Premieres, finales, specials, reality shows, comedies, dramas…April’s got it all. And, it’s got it all in spades. January to March has been nice and relaxing, and I hope you’ve taken advantage. There are a couple of Sunday nights that I look forward to each year (or have in the past): Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire was an amazing Sunday of TV for the last several years, but my favorite Sunday for the last 3 years has been and will remain Game of Thrones and Mad Men (topped off this year with Veep and Silicon Valley). This is what April brings us. And, while last month, I couldn’t even come up with 10 items, this month, there are far more than 10, so let’s get to it:

10. Turn (AMC, April 6) — With Breaking Bad gone, and Mad Men on it’s way out, it’s time for AMC to start restocking on high quality, prestige dramas (I was really looking forward to Low Winter Sun, but that didn’t work out so well). AMC tries it again here with an American Revolutionary War drama about a group of spies lead by Jamie Bell. Most importantly though, the recurring cast includes the one and only Stephen Root (Office Space, Justified, King of the Hill, No Country for Old Men, Boardwalk Empire). Early reviews seem to be mixed, but AMC has bought enough good will with me to at least give it a look.

9. Orphan Black (BBC America, April 19) — So, here’s the thing. I’m just going to be honest with you. I’ve still not watched the first season. I have every intention of doing so, and hope to before the beginning of season 2. But, regardless of whether I’m able to do so or not, the fact remains that Orphan Black belongs on this list. More people (in this case, including myself) need to watch shows like this, and less people need to watch shows like The Following.  Sorry Kevin Bacon.

8. The Writer’s Room (Sundance, April 14) — Hosted by Community’s (and award-winning screenwriter) Jim Rash, The Writer’s Room is an hour long show discussing the writing process for several of your favorite shows on TV. Season 1 saw the writers from Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Parks and Rec, and New Girl come by. Season 2 brings more interesting personalities to the show, including Robert Kirkman (TWD), Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy) and Beau Willimon (House of Cards). The conversations are usually funny, often insightful and always worth your time.

7. Silicon Valley (HBO, April 6) —  Brought to us by Mike Judge and starring (among others) Martin Starr, TJ Miller (Denver, yeah!) and Kumail Nanjiani. If I need to say anything else to make you want to watch this show, I don’t even want to know you.

6. Fargo (FX, April 15) — So, here’s the thing, FX might be the best thing going right now for dramas. Justified, The Bridge, The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, and now Fargo (and soon to come The Strain). FX continues to deliver excellent shows from bright people. The reason they are able to do that is probably directly related to FX’s President, John Landgraf. He sees talent, and he doesn’t try to contain it, or think he knows better. So here we have Fargo, set in the same universe as the classic Coen Brothers film (and they also serve as exec producers), starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dr. Watson himself, Martin Freeman, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Kate Walsh, Adam Goldberg, Oliver Platt, Key and Peele. Oh, and it’s been run by Adam Bernstein, who has been studying at the school of Vince Gilligan for the last 5 years while working on Breaking Bad. So, yeah…I’m looking forward to this.

5. The Challenge: Free Agents (MTV, April 10) — The only reality show I still watch. And, I will never stop watching. The Challenge is the fifth major sport in this country, and it is the perfect mix of embarrassing, exhilarating and horrifying moments. My man CT is going to be wheeled out there when he’s 80 years old, still starting trouble…And guess what, I’ll still be watching.

4. Veep (HBO, April 6) — Veep had a historically great second season, and all the early reviews point to season 3 even being an improvement on that ridiculously high bar. There is no better (or funnier) commentary on the current state of American politics than Vice President Selina Kyle, and her ridiculous staff. The show is occasionally sweet, sometimes thoughtful, usually hilarious, and flat out always insulting! Watching these characters berate Jonah, better known as Jolly Green Jizz-Face, will never stop being funny.

3. Justified finale (FX, April 8) — While season 5 has admittedly been an up and down season of Justified (my number 1 show of 2013), the penultimate episode which aired on April 1 was as good as almost any episode of Justified. More so than looking forward to the finale of this season, I’m looking forward to seeing what it sets up for the sixth, and final, season. I’ve been saying since before this season even started that season 5 was likely going to be tough, as it had to hold off on, and set up the stories that will play out in the final season. Specifically, the resolution of the Raylan/Boyd friendship, or whatever it is. I was thrilled with the episode this week, am looking forward to the finale next week, but can hardly contain my excitement for seeing where the story of Raylan, Boyd, Ava and Art ends next year.

2. Game of Thrones (HBO, April 6) — I sometimes think about whether or not Game of Thrones is a “great” show, on the level with shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad or Mad Men…But, then I stop thinking about that, and I realize, “who cares.” I don’t actually need Game of Thrones to be those shows. What I do need out of Game of Thrones, is for it to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I have watching TV all year (like Justified). And, that is EXACTLY what Game of Thrones gives us. Game of Thrones has never been in my top 5 shows of any given year, but it’s always a show I’m looking forward to. It’s just fun to be in this world and with these characters, and I can’t wait to get back to see what hijinks the characters get into this season (side note: does anyone else want to help me Kickstart a spin off show with Arya Stark and The Hound as private detectives in Westeros? Amazing, right? #truedetectiveseason2 is all I am saying).

1. Mad Men (AMC, April 13) — So, look. Those who know me, know that I argue that Mad Men is the greatest TV drama of all time (or, if not, it’s millimeters behind The Sopranos). So, of course, this is going to be the top of my list. I know there are many out there that didn’t love season 6 of Mad Men, and I understand that. But, even if you didn’t love it, you had to love the way it finished. Season 6 was all about the multiple versions of ourselves, mainly, the 2 sides of Don Draper. This comes to a head in the haunting and heart-wrenching meeting with Hershey’s, and then with Don taking Sally to see where he grew up. His two lives are melding into one, and this final season (split into 2 parts, just as Breaking Bad was) will deal with the repercussions of that fact. Add that with the fact that Don was “fired” from his job, and the season is setting up for some truly interesting introspection by Dick Whitman.

So, there you have it. April 2014…Not messing around. Some honorable mentions: Playing House (USA, April 29) and Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed (Comedy Central, April 27).

-CJ

WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER ABOUT GAME OF THRONES

Game of Thrones season 4 happens in 5 days people. That isn’t a whole lot of time to rewatch all of season 3.  Now, if you are like me, most of what you remember about season 3 is the Red Wedding, dragons, and oh yeah someone gets their hand chopped off.  Let me tell you though, so much more happened.  Luckily, HBO has released a nice recap video.  It’s a little long, but I think it will fully prepare you for Sunday’s episode.

Also, there is a lot more information about season 4 that is out there on the interwebz.  New season 4 photos and episode titles seem to be getting released.  Having not read the books and enjoying the element of surprise, I am trying to stay away from a lot of that stuff, which is why we haven’t posted about such.  Just start googling people though, if you are interested.

-LJ