The North Remembers… to Rock

The purpose of this article is two-fold: 1) to showcase this dude’s awesome metal cover of the Game of Thrones theme, and 2) give Topless Roboteers a chance to talk about the first episode of season two, which aired last night. I’m not doing a review — other than “GUH SO GOOD NEED MORE NOW” — but I have a few thoughts after the jump. And thanks to Hyperkoko for the video tip.

? I thought the episode did a marvelous job of reintroducing a multitude of characters in a multitude of places. Tough for any show, but even tougher for fantasy. I’m still amazed how well it hung together — and was riveting for essentially setting up the season.

? One advantage that TV has over the books: Craster and his home are even more appalling. Bleh.

? I think the Dire Wolf CG effects were fine, but I thought the Dany/dragon scene was pretty rough. I don’t know what Dany was looking at, but it wasn’t her dragon.

? People who are killing it: The guy who plays Robb, and the girl who plays Sansa. Robb is pulling off the man who still has a little bit of the boy in him — watch how he falters just for a few seconds when Catelyn tells him how proud his father would be of him, then forces himself to recover. I think most people give the character of Sansa too hard a time, but she’s a political prisoner in general and the plaything of a sociopath in particular. She’s surviving, and trying to keep Joffrey from committing too much evil while she does. The actress nails the dead look of Sansa’s facade perfectly, I think.

? I’ve heard a few folks complain about the Littlefinger scene, where he not-at-all subtly reveals he knows Cersei’s secret (i.e., that Joffrey is Jaime’s kid), and Cersei basically hands him his ass. The Littlefinger of the book wouldn’t be so overt, and certainly wouldn’t be playing this new, higher stakes game by the old rules, where you could talk shit to people and not immediately have your throat slit. I don’t think that’s what TV Littlefinger was doing — at least in my head — I just think he underestimated how fucking crazy Cersei could be. Not the most Littlefinger-ish thing for him to do, but I buy it.

? The scene of the night for me? Robb introducing Jaime to his Dire Wolf. Holy shit that was badass. Jaime’s bravado just melts. I would have pissed my pants.

? Almost no Arya? What is this, A Dance with Dragons? Zing!