So after much waiting, much fanfare, and the possible scare that this was all HBO’s evil evil April Fool’s joke, Game of Thrones, or GOT to the WWWs, launched it second season with an April 1st premier with wonderful rating but a lackluster result.

The episode, entitled The North Remembers, was not by any stretch a bad episode, it was on par with the rest of series, but as a season premier it fell a little flat.  As I have previously mentions a premier is suppose to set the premise for the entire series, give you a hint of what’s to come.  I found that TNR didn’t do that well enough.  I understand that you are trying to make it accurate to the book but a book can do things a TV show cannot.  A book can start slowly, and casually introduce the plot and bombard you with minute details as it rushes to it’s inevitable climax.  A TV show cannot.  A TV show has to shoot for climax and conflict for every episode.

One slight problem I had was the near absence of one of my favorite characters, Jon Snow, and the complete disregard of another, save for a 10 second cameo, Arya Stark.  I know you can’t have everyone in every episode but all those purist out there will remember that Clash of King opens with a prologue, like most books, but the first chapter is about Arya, she opens the book.  This is like remaking Star Wars: A New Hope and forgetting to put Leia in until halfway through.

Praise has to be given to Peter Dinklage.  His portrayal of Tyrion Lannister stole the show.  Assigned now to the Hand of the King, and realizing how screwed up  Joffery, Cersei and the Kingdom are.  His look at surprise at the family loosing Arya was almost worth the Martin-esq wait for season two.

Prais must go to Carice van Houten (hehe Milhouse) as Melisandre of Asshai, the “Red Priestess”.  Her scene was creepy in its fanaticism as she burned the statues of the ‘foreign god” and was well done.

All in all not a bad episode just lacking as a premier.