I thought he was referring to the general lack of handholding. Yes, the episode ticked off all of the major characters (sans Renly) and reminded us where they were at the end of the last season, but I can't imagine someone just dropping in on this episode without watching the first season and having a clue about…

The Night's Watch is arguably the only organizational body where honor and duty have any real meaning. They serve a greater good, but doing so often means striking a lot of devil's bargains and laying aside your own sense of personal morality or desire for heroism in pursuit of the "big win."

There was a moment in Season 1 (not in the book) where Cersei chastising Jaime for throwing Bran out the window, and Jaime says that he's willing to kill pretty much everyone in the world to protect what they have. It seems like Cersei is gradually coming to the realization that killing one person (Jon Arryn) to…

I don't usually have a problem seeing familiar actors out of costume, but Sean Bean has become so identified with medieval fantasy roles, that whenever I see a photograph of him at a premiere or something, it's a bit unsettling. Dude should just walk around in a suit of armor all the time. It suits him.

That's interesting, because I felt like Martin's storytelling techniques really clicked into gear in Clash of Kings (haven't read any further). I actually like how some of those plot points were delivered in dialogue, serving as occasions to explore a character's reactions (like Tyrion responding to the baby…

I forgot about him.

It's more subtext than text, but it's definitely there. I remember some moment where Stannis implies that Margaery (sp?) Tyrell probably isn't getting any with Renly as a husband.

That and the editing. The transitions between storylines felt very smooth and intuitive.

AHA! That makes a lot of sense. Because in certain shots (i.e. the close-up as it gets up in Jaime's grill), it looked like a real wolf, but when Robb was in the shot, there was a slightly flat look to it, as if the wolf and Robb weren't occupying the same space.

Uh huh, but the dude who plays Rakharo is HOT.

I can see where you're coming from, but Michelle Fairley's performance has been so convincingly heartbreaking that I can't help but be on board. Catelyn is arguably the most problematic character from a feminist perspective (ok, Cersei might be a tad worse), since she spends most of what I've read so far doing what…

Maybe that's my issue. In Book 2 at least, he seems like he's just there to witness the Stannis storyline. I've never felt like getting invested in HIM as a character.

Yeah, he's threatened to reveal her secret affair with the late Turkish ambassador if she doesn't marry him.

I thought Robb was a non-entity in the books. In the show, I'd totally hit that. I'm loving what the actor is bringing to the role.

I actually thought the build up was very effective. We only get it as a bit of exposition delivered to/by Tyrion in the book, but here we get to see it as an act of desperation.

They FO'd after Drogo died. To quote Ser Jorah, "The Dothraki follow the strong."

I'm an "always read the book first" type (I didn't see Season 1 until a couple of months ago because I was still trying to finish Book 1 and a dissertation at the same time), but I'm perfectly capable of understanding people who don't care to do it that way. To each their own. I think it's awesome that the AVClub is…

When I was watching, I thought it was pretty clear that she ordered it. Her scenes with Littlefinger and Joffrey established her motivation, and Joffrey couldn't possibly know where they all are at this point in the story.

I am only through Book 2, though I've had Book 3 downloaded to my iPad for weeks (just haven't had time to start it). I've been trying to take it somewhat slow and read other stuff in between. I have a feeling that with summer coming, I'm just going shotgun the next three all at once.

Thank you for pointing that out. I didn't remember Cersei and Joffrey's relationship being quite this toxic in Book 2, and I'm not quite sure what to think about it. That one scene where she slaps him, however, goes a long way toward humanizing her. That and the scene she has with Littlefinger establish just how…