Game of Thrones Season 2...TV Series Winner

     Game of Thrones. An epic fantasy bestowed upon us courtesy of the imaginative genius of George R. R. Martin. His series, A Song of Ice and Fire, took us to Kings Landing, Winterfell, The Wall, The Eyrie, Pentos, Vaes Dothrak, Pyke, Harrenhal, and Qarth where he made us care about the Starks, the Baratheons, the Lannisters, the Night's Watch, the Targaryens, the Dothraki, the Greyjoys, and a host of others too numerous to name. Whether we loved the characters or hated them (or loved to hate them), we followed their journeys to places that became as familiar to us as our own stomping grounds and were as eager to learn their fates as we would our friends. And then David Benioff and D.B. Weiss brought those wondrous places and complex characters to life and HBO gave them to us.

     Currently in its second season, Game of Thrones is everything that a true fan of Martin's books could hope for. Except for the gratuitous sex scenes that are a hallmark of HBO and expository conversations that never took place in the books, it is a faithful adaptation in that it mirrors the works that it is meant to represent in a different medium.
     The characters and their places in Westeros and Essos are exactly as Martin wrote them. I had expected to be presented with familiar actors who bore a passing resemblance to my favorite imaginary people and behaved in ways that were merely pale imitations of them. Instead, I was blessed with a gifted ensemble carefully chosen for their uncanny likenesses to the characters they portray and amazing talents that transform them in ways that make believers out of even the most hardhearted cynics.

     My absolute favorite, hands down, is Peter Dinklage who portrays Tyrion Lannister, the only Lannister that possesses a sense of humor or anything that remotely resembles a moral compass. The character on paper often made me smile at his quick witted sarcasm and ability to turn any situation to his favor. The character brought to life by a gifted actor deftly commands every scene, often before uttering a word. And when he speaks, we are immediately rewarded with such acid pronouncements as, when referring to his nephew, "We've had vicious kings and we've had idiot kings, but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a vicious idiot boy king." It's just not possible for me to feel anything but nirvana every time that sharp tongued, self-serving speaker of truths no one else dares to utter opens his often profane mouth and takes someone down a peg or two. A wonderfully entertaining (because it was perfectly executed) example of this is the following exchange (shamelessly hijacked from IMDb).

"Game of Thrones: Garden of Bones (#2.4)" (2012)

Tyrion Lannister: What kind of knight beats a helpless girl? 
Meryn Trant: The kind who serves his king, Imp! 
Bronn: Careful now. We don't want to get blood all over your pretty white cloak. 
Tyrion Lannister: Someone get the girl something to cover herself with. 
[Sandor Clegane gives Sansa his cloak] 
Tyrion Lannister: [to Joffrey] She's to be your queen. Have you no regard for her honor? 
Joffrey Baratheon: I'm punishing her. 
Tyrion Lannister: For what crimes? She's not fighting her brother's battle, you halfwit. 
Joffrey Baratheon: You can't talk to me like that. The king can do as he likes! 
Tyrion Lannister: The mad king did as he like. Has your uncle Jaime ever told you what happened to him? 
Meryn Trant: No one threatens his grace in the presence of the Kingsguard! 
Tyrion Lannister: I'm not threatening the king, Ser, I'm educating my nephew. 
[to Bronn] 
Tyrion Lannister: Bronn, the next time the Ser Meryn speaks, kill him. 
[Back to Ser Meryn] 
Tyrion Lannister: THAT was a threat. See the difference? 



Educating his nephew indeed. And Ser Meryn too just for kicks.

     The rest of the cast should be commended as well. Most notable among them are Maisie Williams (tomboy Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Arya's proper, love struck older sister Sansa) who are perfection in demanding roles, which is impressive as hell considering their ages, fifteen and sixteen respectively, and the fact that (I'm relying on the accuracy of IMDb here) neither of them had any professional acting experience before Game of Thrones. Wow. I'll say it again Ladies. Wow. You should both be very proud of yourselves. And thank you.

     Also a standout is Jack Gleeson who portrays the aforementioned vicious idiot boy king with such ease that one might begin to wonder if there really is an evil heart beating in there somewhere. That is, if one didn't read the kindest things said about the young actor from a variety of sources. Amazing. Thank you.

     I could go on in this same vein, but there are so many rich characters brilliantly portrayed by gifted actors that I couldn't possibly do them all the justice that they deserve. So, with a final thank you to Sean Bean for giving us a Ned Stark that made us weep along with his daughters, Arya and Sansa, when he was executed on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, I will leave it to you to tell us what you think. Did David Benioff and D.B. Weiss get it right? Is Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister the most interesting character in a TV series for the second season in a row? Or is it someone else? You've seen it. It's fair game. Let's talk about it.