GoT Monday! Season 2 ep 1 recap!

It occurred to me over the weekend that my last couple of posts kind of read more like a stream of consciousness rather than an organized analysis of what I was watching. So in order to make it easier for people to follow along, I will include a brief synopsis of each episode before I add my notes. I hope those of you following along are enjoying it so far. Let me know if there's anything else I can add to these posts to make them more fun or easier to understand. Thanks!

Season 2 Premiere: THE NORTH REMEMBERS

Synopsis: Tyrion arrives to save Joffrey's crown from threats old and new; Daenarys searches for allies and water in the Red Waste; Jon Snow and the Night's Watch face the wilderness beyond the Wall; On the island of Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon plots an invasion to claim his late brother's throne, allying himself with the fiery Melisandre. *taken from the info of the episode on the HBOGo app.

Notes:

- Tyrion arrives in King's Landing and immediately the atmosphere changes. Joffrey is put in check, Tommen and Myrcella are very happy to see him, and he officially meets Sansa; whom he treats with honor and respect from the beginning. Hopefully this is the Tyrion she remembers when they're reunited in Season 7.

- I love how Cersei so plainly dislikes Tywin's orders to make Tyrion the Hand of the King in his absence. I know it's because she really does HATE her youngest brother, but also because Tywin and Tyrion are the only 2 people capable of keeping Cersei in check.

- Bran as the Lord of Winterfell is very much like Lyanna Mormont as the Lady of Bear Island. Not much nonsense, honorable but stern, and quick to point out when mofo's try walking back on their vows they took. It's great! George RR Martin gets the idea of a child rulers into our heads quickly. It makes more sense in the books, because when Jon becomes Lord Commander, he's only 15! And that's not even the youngest Lord Commander!

- We get to see a wolf dream which we later find out is Bran warging into his direwolf Summer! Osha calls him out for dreaming again, but Bran argues that he's not dreaming. He knows real quick that something is different about him.

- The comet! The bleeding star! It could be the bleeding star talked about in the prophecy of Azor Ahai or the Prince that was Promised! It's in the sky when Dany emerges from the pyre. Osha tells Bran that she's heard that the Red Star means dragons. Dragons how though? Bran says dragons haven't been around for thousands of years, but then we know that Dany just hatched 3! So, in a way, the Red Star does mean dragons. But did it mean the return of actual dragons, or the return of Taragaryans to power? Arguments for both hold water.

- I love scenes where Jorah is teaching Dany how to be a Queen to her people. She loves him in a way she doesn't recognize until season 6 or 7, but it's definitely there.

- The Night's Watch arrive at Craster's Keep and we get to meet Delores Edd Tollett for the first time. I forgot when we met him for the first time. Whelp, here it is. Also, Gilly's first appearance. Sam is hilarious here. He's so obviously into girls, so much more than anyone else in the Watch, which says a lot to his character. He's a lover, not a fighter. A learner and educator rather than a soldier. I always liked Sam, and seeing these smaller bits of his character makes me like him even more.

- Our introduction to the Stannis gang: Stannis, Davos Seaworth, and (as HBOGo calls her) the fiery Melisandre. She is an intimidating figure. She's introduced as a witch! Seriously, she's burning idols of the 7 (the 7 gods of Westeros, a religion brought over when the Andals invaded. If you don't know the 7 are: The Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Crone, the Smith, the Maiden, and the Stranger.) Stannis' Maester is right to fear her, but clearly does not understand her abilities.

- When we're officially introduced to Davos, we discover that he's a straight shooter right away. It's no wonder he aligns with the Starks later on.

BAD ASS LINE - Melisandre: The night is dark and full of terrors, Old Man, but the fire burns them all away.

She says this after she drinks the poisoned wine the Maester offers her and watches the Maester die by his own poison in front of her.

- Lastly, another scene with Robb and Catelyn. I haven't changed my opinion from before. All of their scenes are pure fluff for the episode. They are merely pawns being used to further the overall plot and get other pieces (characters) in motion, IE Theon and soon Brienne.

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Just one episode for now. Moving on to more of season 2 now. I think the most amount of clues to he future of these characters are revealed in this season. It's argued that season 2 is the most boring, but remember, aside from my search for clues and evidence, we still have the BATTLE OF THE BLACKWATER to look forward to!

Thanks for reading, send me some feedback on the format of these posts. Is the synopsis helpful?