Game of Thrones 2.02 "The Night Lands" 4/8/12 No book spoilers

Week 1 thread.

This is the thread for people who want to discuss the show without outside information that may spoil the story from either the books or other sources. Discussion about the current episodes and all previous episodes of the series requires no spoiler box. Which means that there should be no need for the use of any spoiler boxes in this thread.

If you are looking for discussions where spoilers are acceptable, please visit the season 2 closed spoiler and open spoiler threads.

And please do not argue about the spoiler rules in the thread. If necesary, we have an ATMB thread for that purpose.

Gukamatz has been moderating these threads because he’s more familiar with the source content than the other cafe society mods. This was his note in the OP of the first thread this season:

We left off with the goldcloaks hunting down Robert’s bastards to kill off any potential claimants to the throne. Stannis seems unwilling to compromise or ally with any of the other factions, instead demanding their fealty. Renly has raised a substantial army, and the Starks are trying to come to an agreement with them. Danerys and friends are in bad shape, starving in the Red Waste. Tyrion continues to be purely made of awesome. In the North, the wildlings who aren’t fleeing south are forming an army under a former night watch member. Arya and Robert’s remaining bastard flee north.

Thread stickied for a few days. I expect I’ll take down the stickies on Tuesday.

With regards,
Gukumatz
Game Room & IMHO Moderator
Consulting Game of Thrones Moderator

“You should taste her fish pie!”

For some reason there was no nudity warning before the episode, i was kind of surprised that they might actually do an episode with no sex. Hah, silly me.

That answered the “who ordered the infanticide” question. Also, everyone in Westros is a piece of shit.

I looooved the scene where Tyrion dismisses Janos Slynt.

And then Tyrion realizes that the man he replaces him with would do the same thing, just for money rather than orders.

Interesting that Tyrion is setting up Bron as head of the guards - I wonder if he plans to settle in, long term, and get people he can trust (in so much as you can…) into high positions.

The mutual hatred between Tyrion and Cercei runs deeper than it seemed to at first glance, which should make for some interesting politicking.

Littlefinger is cold. Makes me wonder about the arrangement he has with Ros - he made it sound as if she were an investment rather than an employee, as if he bought her, but she came as a free woman.

Lots of sex in this episode. It’s like they were trying to meet their boobies quota for the entire season.

It was fun seeing Theon Greyjoy get put in his place by his dad. Even the icky brother/sister groping was worth it for the look on his face when he found out who she was.

There was a running theme of gender roles throughout the episode. In the dark ages being a man is awesome and being a woman is awful. So that’s the reason for part of the sex. The rest was just gratuitous, par for the course for GoT.

Well, I’m enjoying Season 2 a lot more that Season 1, but damn if I can figure out who everyone is. And did they change the opening to show more kingdoms?

They change the opening every time there is a new location, like Dragonstone and Pyke.

Melisandra’s monotone is annoying. It doesn’t make her sound mysterious, it makes her sound as if she can’t act.

Arya and Gendry sittin’ in a tree. . … I dunno about them as a couple. Seems too trite for GoT.

Although it was good to see Theion get his comeuppance, I would have liked to smack the smirk off of his sister’s face. BTW, what was her name?

Was it Caster who cracked Jon across the head? And wasn’t it convenient that a baby boy was born on the one night the Nightwatch was crashing Caster’s pad?

Last season I loved Dany, this season I am quite sick of her flat performance. How long will it take for all of them to die of hunger and thirst in the desert? That storyline needs to either pick up or end.

Tyrion and Cersei sure know how to hurt each other, huh? They should replace all of the dying in the desert scenes with scenes of those two drawing psychic blood from each other.

I can’t beleive I’m saying it, but I missed Sansa.

OK, so those were just new this Episode? Are they both one of the 7 kingdoms, or just a “new location”?

Dragonstone was in the last episode, I’m assuming that’s where Stannis is.

Dragonstone was there on the last episode, that’s where Stannis is. They are both new locations in other parts of the seven kingdoms.

Its interesting to note that when a political discussion is going on, the first one to resort to an emotional argument loses.

When Cersi realizes she’s losing in the political battle with Tyrion, she immediately resorts to the “Well, you killed our mom!” argument.

She knows she lost. She’s now more dangerous than ever.

That wasn’t in response to a political point, it was in response to Tyrion going “hey, how does Jaime’s cock taste?”

Still a great show, but I worried that there is just so much to cover now, that the plot is starting to slow. I feel like a lot was going in this episode, but nothing really happened. A couple people picked sides and changed positions, but that was about it. I don’t think we even saw Winterfell or what Robb’s army was up to.

Also, did anyone else let out an audible “Ewww…” when they revealed that woman was Theon’s sister? For some reason, that grossed me out way more than any of the Lannister’s business.

The early bits of the season are for establishing the world, introducing new characters, and setting up the pieces. No doubt the second half of the season will be much more active and busy.

I think the first two episodes of season one were pretty slow too, but it picked right up. I’m not too worried.