SEASON 3 EPISODE 1
“VALAR DOHAERIS”

The wait is over!  Game of Thrones has returned for another season of battles and betrayals…  Just not in the first episode.  It’s hard to fault Game of Thrones for masterfully balancing so many groups of major characters but I was a little disappointed in Valar Dohaeris.  Much like the first few episodes of Season 2, we spent a lot of time catching up with our favorite characters.

It kind of felt like an hour long ‘previously…  on Game of Thrones‘ montage.  Having said that, this show is overflowing with characters I wanted to see.  I just felt there wasn’t enough ‘Season 3′.

That will change in the coming weeks as the inhabitants of Westeros continue their ruthless campaigns to rule.  As far as choosing a moment, I’m tempted to go with Daenerys’ dragons.  Watching their fishing techniques was pretty fantastic.  As was Jon Snow’s first encounter with a giant.

However, in terms of story, I decided to go with…

TYWIN VS TYRION

“I would let myself be consumed by maggots before mocking the family name and making you heir to Casterly Rock.”

Ouch.

From the moment this scene began, you could feel the tension between father and son.  It’s amazing to see such a powerful character in Season 2 be reduced to nothing by his father with nothing but words.  Tywin really is a hard ass.  I’m sure Tyrion will find a way to get back in the game but it will be much more difficult with his father in King’s Landing.

Some of the best moments of Season 2 came from Tyrion’s strategic and clever mind.  Hopefully, it doesn’t take long for him to pick himself up.

This exchange was easily my favorite moment of Valar Dohaeris.  While it was a slower episode, it served as a reminder of how well they juggle story lines on this show.  I can’t wait for next week as Season 2 is officially wrapped up and Season 3 can begin…  Right?

COUNTDOWN | The best moments from Game of Thrones Season 2

XTRA | Check out this Game of Thrones Interactive Map

SEASON 2 EPISODE 2
“THE NIGHT LANDS”

Click here for Episode 1

This week’s episode was a bit on the slow side focusing more on characters positioning themselves to attack than attacking.  Slower episodes like these in lesser series are usually classified as boring but this is Game of Thrones!  Each group of characters is heading for danger.  They may not have reached it yet but there are most definitely battles in the immediate future.  I’m willing to accept a slower build as long as it doesn’t last as long as it did in The Walking Dead’s second season.  On to this week’s Game of Thrones moment:

The Night Lands was full of interesting conversations full of manipulation tactics and deception.  But which scene rose above the others?

I’ve got to give it to Tyrion two weeks in a row.

“I”M NOT QUESTIONING YOUR HONOR…  I’M DENYING IT’S EXISTENCE”

With that, Tyrion ‘Don’t Call Me Ned Stark’ Lannister banishes Janos from King’s Landing.  Tyrion is a rare character in television.  So many of the heroes we root for on the small screen are oblivious to the schemes happening around them.  Tyrion is completely aware and acts accordingly.  Janos ordered the slaughter of an infant without question not to mention turning on Ned Stark on a whim.  Tyrion isn’t about to let a man like that run the city guard especially as the new Hand of the King.

It doesn’t take a character like Tyrion 4 episodes to call out his sister for sleeping with…  his brother.  He gets it out there immediately.  This is why Tyrion rules King’s Landing. (So to speak)

The Night Lands

The rest of the episode was basically spent with each ‘faction’ gathering allies or preparing to betray them.  It’s hard not to be excited about what lies ahead this season.  With so many people focused on the throne, it’s bound to lead to some incredible moments and I can’t wait to see them.

Specifically to find out exactly what Craster does with his daughter/wife’s…  Sons.

XTRA | Screenwriting & The Game of Thrones Opening

SEASON 2 EPISODE 1
“THE NORTH REMEMBERS”

People who love awesome things around the world are all breathing a collective sigh of relief.   Game of Thrones has returned!

The occasion is so wonderful and so epic that I’ve decided to begin a brand new weekly feature here at The Athletic Nerd:  The Game of Thrones Weekly Moment.

Every Monday (or Tuesday) I’ll look at the single moment that stood out from each episode of the massively anticipated second season.  It begins…  Now.

This week’s moment?

Tyrion arrives at King’s Landing…  And pisses off everyone.

Fresh off an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Peter Dinklage picks up right where he left off.  Tyrion’s presence in King’s Landing is immediately felt as he reveals he has been named the Hand of the King in his father’s absence.  As his crafty dialogue gets under the skin of the King he is simultaneously sympathetic to Sansa given the loss of her father.  It’s a brilliant way to introduce one of the series most beloved characters.

But it didn’t end there.  Tyrion vs Cersei was even better.  Here the writer’s successfully remind us why Tyrion is awesome while summing up key events of season one.  Tyrion has an answer for everything and it’s the truth.  Cersei messed up big time handling Ned Stark and his children and Tyrion is quick to point out that she is now ‘the disappointing child’.

Going forward, I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about Cersei’s love affair with her brother Jaime.  Actually, I can’t wait for him to weigh in on a number of gossip in the South.  His feelings are made pretty clear later on in the episode when he talks about the abundance of liars in the kingdom.

This week’s moment goes to Tyrion Lannister and I have a feeling it won’t be the last this season.

The North Remembers

The rest of the episode was fascinating as both a fan and an aspiring writer.  How these writer’s manage to juggle so many characters and locations so brilliantly is beyond me.  It’s hard enough when it’s original material but this is an adaptation of a massive series of novels.  They even managed to introduce several entirely new characters.

True, the main characters couldn’t be any further apart but I think that’s the genius of this series.  In one scene, we are in the Red Waste with baby dragons and a starving Daenerys Targaryen.  In the next, we’re following John Snow in a winter wasteland.  Everyone has a claim to the throne and I’m so happy we get to watch them all fight for it again.

This was a fantastic return for a series that blew millions away last year.

Welcome back Game of Thrones!

XTRA | Screenwriting & The Game of Thrones Opening