Sunday’s hour of Game of Thrones felt a scant 20 minutes, loaded with shock factor, upheaval and the brand of Westerosi monstrosity we’ve become accustomed to.

“The Old Gods and the New” is a phrase we’ve heard many, many times in Westeros.   The Old Gods were kept by the original, ‘first men’ of Westeros.  The New Gods are the Seven — the Mother, the Father, Warrior, the Crone, the Smith, the Maiden, and the Stranger.

And  still newer gods come from all directions; Melisandre’s Red God, which Jaqen has invoked.   Syrio’s God of Death, to whom we say, not today.   And certainly not least, the Drowned God of the Ironmen, to whom payment was made on Sunday, with Rodrik Cassel’s  head.

Read the rest of this entry »

Harrenhal already seems like it could be the likeliest place in Westeros for a ghost to take up residence.   Arya Stark is basically dead to the world; small wonder she finds herself in a position to be Harrenhal’s newest specter, a girl whose words can now kill.

Sunday was about Game of Thrones’ characters gaining new ground in unexpected places.   Finding new sources of strength where they never imagined them to be.   And naturally, having those new gains define character arcs and plots for the rest of the season.  A setup episode of connective tissue necessary at this season’s midpoint.

Before all that setup could happen, and just as the show was teasing us with the prospect of an alliance between Highgarden and the North, we had to see what became of Stannis and Mel’s love-shadow.   And we did.

Read the rest of this entry »

The first time we see a Free City of Essos, far from the territories subject to the Iron Throne, we learn that the area surrounding its gates is called the ‘Garden of Bones’, so named for all those denied access to Qarth, left to die outside its walls.

More grim still, is that Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones  takes that title for its name as well.   Viewers everywhere seemed to agree, the episode proved this world is becoming almost unbearably dark.   The name ‘garden of bones’ juxtaposes an implied beauty or serenity — life — with the reality of death, the physicality of death; all that remains after life is gone, and Sunday was all about coming to terms with death.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly two weeks ago I posted about a gorgeous mock-up  Roberto Flores  made of a  Game of Thrones  2D fighter. It was the win. Now Flores has returned with more hotness, heeding a request from  Luke Plunkett lover at Kotaku.

Hit the jump to behold.

Read the rest of this entry »

“What is Dead May Never Die” is the pledge of the men of the Iron Islands.   When they undergo this ‘baptism’ by saltwater in their adolescence, they are ‘drowned’ in the waters in homage to the old tradition — Ironmen were literally drowned, then resuscitated, and having suffered that little ‘death’, they style themselves as dead men, unable to be killed on the battlefield.

Theon Greyjoy bathed in saltwaters at the climax of Sunday’s episode of  Game of Thrones, and made the choice to betray the North, and his foster brother, Robb Stark.

Read the rest of this entry »

This Game of Thrones  cosplay is pretty swank, save for the fact that I would much rather be seeing  Viserys rocking the crown that was promised to him.

A long, nine-month wait for the return of Game of Thrones ended with maces and shields smashing together with glorious clamour.  All for the entertainment of a boy-king absolutely drunk with the power of the Iron Throne sitting patiently under his lanky, undeserving rear.   Patiently, in wait, for numerous contenders ready to raze the world for a chance at it.

An opening image is everything in the cinematic art, even for an episode, or better still a season of television.   What does the Hound’s crushing defeat of another soldier tell us about this new season to come?   What tone does this scene set for the year?

Bloody fucking contest.   Orchestrated violence.   Unequal rivals set against one another.   The paramount nature of power?   A king getting whatever he wants, no matter how he laid claim to the crown.

Littlefinger reminded our good Eddard Stark last year that succession hardly mattered, when Ned pushed for Stannis to claim his elder brother’s throne.   After all, Robert took it with Ned’s help by taking it by force from the Mad King.   Right, wrong, whatever it was, it was Robert’s throne, and he knew it, even if he bankrupted the realm, and whored and drank his way to an early grave proving it.

Power!  A lesson not lost on Joffrey, who writers Weiss and Benioff remind us quickly with their opening scene, is enraptured by power and misusing it grossly.   And that he should be justly hated for it.

Read the rest of this entry »

King Robert Baratheon, ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and resident of the Iron Throne of Westeros, is dead.

His son – in name only – reigns as Boy-King, strings tugged by the villainous family he unknowingly owes the entirety of his incestuous bloodline to; Robert’s brothers lay dormant, yet assuredly plotting in city-states half a continent away; his old enemies conspire across a northern sea in a country forgotten by the current, imperiled kingdoms; a young man commands a kingdom at war in the north newly receded from the governance of the Iron Throne; and a new queen rises across a second sea in the east, mother to a rediscovered power that tore Westeros apart a century before.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been an excruciatingly long wait, but Game of Thrones will be back in a week, on April 1. Over the last few months, HBO has been slowly rolling out the goods, with new pics, teasers, and full-fledged trailers–all done for the noble purpose of getting the fans more and more jazzed about the coming winter in Westeros. Now, as the show draws overwhelmingly close, the channel has one last promotional peak for us before our eyes are blinded by the brilliant fantasy panorama. Take a look after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mow down on some delicious new photos from the second season of Game of Thrones.

Delicious.

Read the rest of this entry »