TV #29 of 2017:
Game of Thrones, season 2
As mentioned before, we are watching this show for my wife’s first time and my first time since catching it live as it first aired. It’s fun to rediscover the beginnings of everyone’s stories, especially the ones that have changed the most over the years. On balance I think this season is probably even stronger then the first; both are pretty great, but there’s both less exposition now that the world has been fairly well-established and more playing with how plots and characters from the books are interpreted rather than just faithfully executing them (pun very much intended) on-screen.
The biggest book divergences this season are probably throwing Arya and Tywin together and rewriting / expanding Jeyne Westerling into Talisa, and I think the show generally gets stronger the more it leans into some of these unique interpretations of A Song of Ice and Fire. (On the other hand, I haven’t read the books since A Dance with Dragons came out in 2011, so my memory of them hinges largely on fan discussions surrounding the show.) Anyway, Gabby and I are both really enjoying this watch-through, and I’m really looking forward to the next couple seasons, which I think are probably my favorite.
★★★★★
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