Playing the Game: Game of Thrones Season 2

(This review includes spoilers about both seasons)

"I'm not Ned Stark, I understand the way this game is played."

-Tyrion Lannister; Episode 2, Season 2

This quote from Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) to sleazy eunuch Varys (Conleth Hill) during an exchange of subtle threats, in a way, shows us how the second season of Game of Thrones unfolds; in a web of deception, backdoor deals, opportunistic alliances, and machinations. Tyrion is probably the best at it. After what was arguably a linear first season, centered around the character of Ned Stark, it can be said that Tyrion assumes the lead of the show, as he becomes acting Hand of the King and tries, in his own peculiar way, to maintain peace and common sense in the Kingdom.

The plot, however, feels more scattered than in the first one. Whereas in the first season, we were following Stark most of the time, the second season starts and ends branched all throughout Westeros and Essos. The first season started with most of our characters in the same place: Winterfell, and then slowly sent them all on different paths. In the second season, most of the characters begin and end in the same place, with most of the characters separated, which makes the plot feel a bit flat or even stagnant, at least when compared to the first one. This isn't a slight to the show, considering how hard it would've been to top the ballsy conclusion of the first season, but I still felt that the show lacked the "highs" that the first season had.

Some of the plots that the second season follows are:

• The rise to the Iron Throne of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), under the guidance of his mother, Queen Cersei (Lena Headey).
• The threat of aspiring kings Renly (Gethin Anthony) and Stannis (Stephen Dillane), brothers of the late King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). Both brothers start building massive armies while plotting to take over the kingdom from each other.
• Tyrion Lannister takes Stark's place as Hand of the King, at the request of his father, Tywin (Charles Dance), and tries to knock some sense into the king, his nephew, who grows more vicious and cruel every day.
• Stark's older son, Robb (Richard Madden), marches against the armies of the Lannisters, seeking revenge for his father's murder.
• On the other side of the kingdom, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) continues her march towards King's Landing to reclaim the throne that was taken from her father, now with the help of her three baby dragons.

I felt that the subplot of Stannis was one of the least effective. Dillane did a decent job, but I don't think there was much to see there. I actually think that the character of his right-hand, Davos (Liam Cunningham), was more interesting than Stannis himself. On the other hand, kudos to Jack Gleeson for his continuing improvement in the portrayal of Joffrey. It's impressive how far the character has gone from the first season to now, and he has become one of the greatest villains I've seen on TV.

Other plots include the rest of the Starks children: Arya's captivity in Harrenhal, Sansa's enslavement within the kingdom's walls, and Jon Snow's service as part of the Night's Watch. This last subplot, despite feeling detached from the rest, actually plays a very important role in the long run. Like I read in a review on Time, Snow and Co. are "playing the show's long game" as they prepare to face the threat of the mysterious White Walkers. Kit Harrington's performance as Snow is a strong point, because he manages to convey a sense of inner tragedy and maybe some self-loathing within himself, but without overdoing it. I also thought that the interactions between Arya and Tywin Lannister were great and perfectly acted.

With so many plots and so many characters, the lack of a true protagonist could be seen as a drawback to the show. But the writers manage to flesh out the cast so much that even characters that could be thought as minors are given some depth. Characters that could've been seen as just despicable villains (like Cersei or Jaime), are given room to grow and maybe even develop empathy. This is another strong point of the show because there are really no black and white characters.

One of the best examples of this is the character of Theon Grejoy (Alfie Allen). Theon grew up along the Starks after his father was defeated by them in a previous war. Even though he grew with the Starks, Theon still carries the resent of being abandoned by his father and given away as a slave. Despite being well treated by the Starks, the inner conflict inside him arises as he is forced to choose either Robb or his father, while trying to prove himself. Those moments are some of the strongest and most powerful in the show, thanks also to Allen's portrayal. He is so great that you can almost feel how his soul is torn between the two sides. The episodes where he takes Winterfell are some of the best of the season.

But perhaps the best example of the complexity of the characters is with Tyrion. His character is as scheming and deceitful as the rest, but you can't help but root for him. Both the script and Dinklage's performance give the character such a great depth and complexity. He is arguably the smartest guy in the room and knows indeed how to "play the game". But when he forgets about the game in favor of the realm, and chooses to take the lead in the battle against Stannis, he ends up being backstabbed himself. This is the harsh truth about the game, and if it wasn't for his squire, he would've ended dead, like Stark before him. Like Cersei said in the first season, "you either win or die". I have to add that the episode that follows that battle ("Blackwater") was one of the most intense episodes of the show. Great direction, excellent effects and production values.

Overall, the season was really strong, albeit a tad below the first one. Like I said, this isn't a knock at this season, but rather a testament of how great the first one was. The high points here were the battle against Stannis, and perhaps the fall of Winterfell. The acting remained as stellar as in the first one, and the expectations for the third season are there, particularly after the chilling last shot beyond the Wall. As for this season? I'm torn between a solid A or an A-.

(All pictures belong to HBO and its affiliates)

      

Homeland: Four episodes in, what now?

(This review includes spoilers on the first four episodes of the second season)

A lot has happened since Homeland's season 2 premiere. A lot. In four episodes, this show has done what others do in a whole season, which leads me to the titular question. What now? After a pretty good first episode, the show has sped through the next episodes, with a lot of intense moments and unexpected twists. Saul discovering that Brody is a terrorist, and his eventual capture, came as a shock to me, and I'm sure to most viewers. This is not new to the show. The writers did the same during the first season, when they unexpectedly revealed Brody's nature way earlier than most people expected. And still, they managed to deliver a kick-ass season with a gripping finale. So, perhaps we shouldn't worry about where will they head now.

Until now, the show has been one of the best. The second episode, "Beirut is Back", delivered some extremely intense moments as the CIA tries to kill Abu Nazir, and then when Saul and Carrie go to pick up Fatima Ali in the middle of Hezbollah-controled Beirut. And to finish things off, Saul discovers the video where Brody confesses to be a terrorist. Wow. I mean, I was expecting this on maybe episode 4 or 5.

The third episode, "State of Independence", was equally solid, although seeing Brody handling the extraction of The Tailor required a bit of a stretch in believability. I mean, you have a deep-seated terrorist within the highest ranks of the US government, about to become Vice-President, and you send him to do a routine extraction? C'mon! I'm still waiting for them to reveal that there was something else going on that forced them to have Brody do that. But still, the episode had its share of great moments, as we see Carrie's psychological struggles. The scene where she goes back to her apartment and prepares to go out, only to swallow a dozen pills later, was excellent.

Fourth episode in, Saul shows Brody's confession to Estes, who agrees to have a surveillance team on Brody in order to identify his mission and his superiors. As we get to meet the leader of the surveillance team, Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), and see all the logistics put in place for the operation, it seems that the show is preparing for it. At this point, I'm thinking "well, they'll probably milk the whole surveillance plotline for a couple of episodes." Which is why I was baffled when, after meeting with Brody at a hotel bar, Carrie went up to his bedroom and blew the whole mission to him, forcing the CIA to detain him. Again, this is something I was expecting to happen maybe on episode 7? 

I must also add that I'm very pleased with how the show is handling the character of Dana. The performance of Morgan Saylor is so subtle. I love her.

But anyway, as I've said, I'm shocked at how fast the show is moving. I have no idea where are they taking the story now, and what will happen to Brody. Or Carrie, for that matter. After all, she blew an operation that was set to capture one of the most wanted terrorists after just one day of work. The way the writers handled the first season gives me faith that they know what they're doing, but I won't deny the fact that I'm worried they've run out of steam too early. We'll have to keep watching to find out.

(All pictures belong to Showtime and its affiliates)

The Smile: Homeland Season 2 premiere

(Although I tried to refrain from spoilers, the review might include some light ones.)

Homeland debuted its sophomore season last night with an episode titled simply "The Smile". The premiere takes place several months after the first season, which left Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) still alive, loose, and set for political stardom while Carrie Mathison's (Claire Danes) life was in shambles. Carrie had been unable to prove Brody's connection to terrorist Abu Nazir and, after a severe mental breakdown, was institutionalized and set for electroshock therapy. Brody, on the other hand, was persuaded from his terrorist attack against Vice-president Walden (Jamey Sheridan) by his daughter Dana, albeit unknowingly to her. After that, he persuaded his boss Abu Nazir that he could serve his purpose better with his political position.

Season 2 finds both Carrie and Brody in very different positions, but facing similar decisions. Brody is already serving as Congressman and is about to be selected as Walden's running mate for the next election, when he is approached by an ally of Abu Nazir to retrieve some classified information about potential targets in the US. Meanwhile, Carrie is recovering from her breakdown along her sister and father, while working as an English teacher when she is thrown into the loop again to contact one of her former assets in Lebanon that might have information about a future attack. Both characters are reluctant to accept their missions at first. Carrie still holds a grudge against the agency after the way she was treated upon her dismissal, while Brody doesn't want to be complicit in the death of innocent people. Still, both comply when they are presented with a chance to right some wrongs from the past. Brody has the chance to avenge Issa's death, while Carrie has the chance to redeem herself.

The episode was pretty good. It had some worthy moments. Nazir's request of Brody (to snatch a folder from a safe) seemed too simple for his reach, but perhaps it was a way to test him first. Plus, the scene where he does it is pretty tense. A scene I really liked was the one at Dana's school, mostly because I know that a lot of people have the same closed-minded point of view of Dana's schoolmates. The generalizations, the broad blanket statements, talking without really knowing or understanding anything; that's the kind of things that lead to the problems that our society has right now. I also liked her final scene with Brody, and I can already see where this is leading with her. We'll see.

As for Carrie, I liked how we see the anger eating at her once her past colleagues start contacting her. And from the first time Galvez contacts her at her new job, you see that sort of crazy anger in her eyes that we saw in the last episode of the first season. She seems to accept what the CIA asks of her, reluctantly. When she is about to meet her mentor, Saul (Mandy Patinkin), she is chased by a Lebanese policeman. In trying to lose him, she runs through the streets and alleys, and her smile, the one that lends the episode its title, tells so much. In a way, it's the smile that shows how much she wanted this again, but it's also the kind of psychotic smile that reminds us of the Carrie we last saw in the first season. Regarding the performance, it's stellar work. Claire Danes continues the great work she began in last season. I have to admit, I never thought this girl had it in her.

So, to sum it all up, the episode was a pretty good premiere with some great acting and a nice set-up for the season. All of the cast was in top shape, and I can't wait to see what's next. Grade: A-

(All pictures belong to Showtime and its affiliates)