Game of Thrones – Season Two (2012/HBO Blu-ray w/DVD Set)
Picture: B/B- Sound: B/B- Extras: A+ Episodes: B+
HBO’s ambitious adaptation of George R.
R. Martin’s epic fantasy series of warring houses continues with Game of
Thrones – The Complete Second Season. This multi-disc, 10-episode saga adapts the
events of Mr. Martin’s second book, A Clash of Kings. With Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark dead,
there’s little left to hold Westeros’ restive factions together. House Stark
and its eldest scion, Robb (Richard Madden) go to war to avenge the death of
his father. Declaring himself King in
the North, Robb Stark makes war on the forces of young King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson)
and House Lannister. Meanwhile, Robb is
betrayed by his longtime friend, Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), and another front
in the war opens.
While the dark magics of the Red
Priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) claim yet another king’s life, her lover
and thrall King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) assaults the Lannisters at
King’s Landing, seat of power in Westeros. While this all may sound sweeping and grand
(and it is), Game of Thrones really excels with the smaller
aspects of Martin’s tale. The struggle
of young Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) to survive first in the countryside, and
then as a prisoner of the very men she hates the most, provides riveting
viewing. True to the book, she recites
the names of those who will die at her hands to avenge her father every night
before she sleeps. Her seemingly more
delicate elder sister Sansa (Sophie Turner) is not so
lucky as a political prisoner of the sociopathic Joffrey, and she suffers torture
and indignity at his hands.
While these and every other performance
sparkle in the show, no one inhabits his character quite like Peter Dinklage. As the dwarfish Tyrion Lannister he owns
Season Two. This conflicted man struggles with his duty to his house and
family, and an inner nobility that makes him vulnerable amongst a nest of
vipers at court. As the Hand of the King
he tries to both reign in Joffrey’s madness and defend King’s Landing from
Stannis’ hordes. While seemingly the opposite of Tyrion, the tall and dashing
Jon Snow (Kit Harington) also struggles with his duty. As a member of Night’s Watch he lives in snowy
exile in the far north, and learns of a grave and gathering threat to all of
Westeros. While Jon Snow freezes in the
north, across the Narrow Sea Princess Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) also
learns terrible truths while seeking the power to reclaim her kingdom. Now with three baby dragons to care for, she
finds no shortage of suitors for her favor, but also learns the dangers of
trusting strangers.
While Season Two covers much of
the essentials of A Clash of Kings, some really important stuff gets
left out. The infamous Red Wedding is left for early in Season 3. Much of Daenerys’ wanderings and struggles are
compacted and re-worked. Robb’s fateful
decision to break his vow to the Freys and marry a woman from a lesser house
gets rewritten with a completely new character. The story of Bran Stark (Isaac
Hempstead-Wright) and Theon’s sack of Winterfell suffers a bit of trimming and
re-working as well. While these changes
will niggle those readers who crave a purer film
version of Mr. Martin’s books, they do not compromise the overall tale or rob
it of its power. HBO and writers/showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
deliver the goods when it comes to pivotal moments, battles, costumes, and
characters. Inspired casting helps a lot here.
Like Dinklage and Tyrion, Gwendoline
Christie becomes Brienne of Tarth, and Iain Glen conveys all of
the tragic nobility needed to play Ser Jorah Mormont. There isn’t a single poor performance in the
lot, and combined with resources and artistry of the creative crew, Thrones delivers
fantasy entertainment like no other series before it.
The 1080p 1.78 X 1 image and DTS-MA 5.1
lossless sound mix are great again on the Blu-ray and passable on the
anamorphically enhanced/Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD versions, though I liked the
first set’s Blu-rays slightly better in playback, but the differences are not
substantial. You can read more about the
Season One at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11482/Game+of+Thrones:+The+Complete+First+S
Ample extras in this massive boxed set
include countless interviews, behind the scenes features, and making-of shorts.
If you don’t currently subscribe to HBO, this boxed set is the perfect way to
experience Season Two of Game of Thrones.
-
Scott Pyle
