In the months of waiting for the second season of “Game of Thrones” to begin, I doubted the show would be as great as I remembered it. However, the second season premiere exceeded even my lofty expectations. It managed to address all the plotlines equally and move each of them forward in a very satisfying way. At its core, this show is a better version of “The Tudors” if it took place in Middle-earth. So, what’s not to love?
The season finale left off with Joffrey Baratheon as the king of Westeros. If the devil had platinum blond hair and was a preteen, it would be Joffrey. He has managed to grip the kingdom in his tiny preteen hands, and he cannot be controlled by anyone, not even his own family. However firm his grasp, there is a significant amount of opposition to his reign and many other claims to the throne. It was discovered at the end of last season that Joffrey was not in fact the true son of King Robert, but was instead the product of the Queen Cersei’s affair with her brother, Jaime. Joffrey is not aware of this fact, but certain authorities across Westeros have discovered this and sought to put someone else in power.
To summarize this fight for kingship, I will list the people who have claims to the throne of Westeros, other than the current king, Joffrey. First, there is Stannis Baratheon, the brother of the former king, Robert, who we met in this second season premiere. He has teamed up with the priestess, Melisandre, and they and Stannis’ allies have plans to supplant Joffrey. Then there is Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of the king before Robert, who seeks to cross the sea to get home to Westeros. She is thought to be dead by her old kingdom and her return would therefore be a huge shock – not to mention the fact that she is currently the master of the only three dragons known to be alive.
The dark horse in the race for king is the bastard son of Robert, who probably doesn’t even know he has a claim to the throne. Cersei, mother of Joffrey, is currently looking for him in order to have him killed. The honorable mention in this race is Robb Stark, son of the former interim king, who served in between Robert and Joffrey. He is currently waging a war against Joffrey because he wants to separate the north from the rest of the empire and become king of the northern region. He and his mother have captured Jaime Lannister and are holding him ransom in order to get control of the north. His plan is to gain the support of the former King Robert’s youngest brother, Renly, in order to increase his army against Joffrey. If this weren’t confusing enough, there are probably three or four other men who could feasibly fight for the throne as well. I guess the title of the show makes sense.
Meanwhile, during this “game of thrones,” Jon Snow, the bastard son of Ned Stark, is above the northern wall, which protects the kingdom from what lies beyond. He and the other members of the Night Watch are in search of the evil that lies beyond the wall and they are currently stopped at a small village where they are regrouping. For those of you out there who love Jon Snow, this essentially means that he has finally come into contact with women, so who knows? Things could get saucy.
Tune in Sundays at 8 p.m. on HBO for the power struggles, the sexy time and the majestic landscapes.
-Mackenzie Bronk
