Game of Thrones season two recap/review masterpost

All recap/reviews of season two of Game of Thrones in one handy place.

Episode one - The North Remembers 
And so it's back with a slash (or clash as it were) of swords - Game of Thrones. The opening episode of the second season had a lot to cram in, as we caught up with old friends and enemies, and met new ones. Not a lot happened until right at the very end, but trust me, from someone who's read the book, there is plenty to come in the rest of the series. 

Episode two - The Night Lands

And so on Game of Thrones the night is landing, or is it that our characters are entering the night lands? This episode, The Night Lands, took a turn for the darker, if that was possible, with a beheading, plenty of betrayal and a lot of deceit.

Episode three - What Is Dead May Never Die
How far do you go to keep your family safe? Is blood thicker than water? What is loyalty? And do the dead ever truly die if they can't be forgotten? Those were just some of the questions in What Is Dead May Never Die, and the answers proved rather complicated.

Episode four - Garden of Bones

A birth, numerous deaths, and more deceit than you can shake a sword at - this week's episode of Game of Thrones, named Garden of Bones (after the land around the city of Qarth), was full to the brim with important developments, and we learnt a lot about our characters.

Episode five - The Ghost of Harrenhal

A slightly unusual episode of Game of Thrones this week, but more on that later. In The Ghost of Harrenhal enemies started to come out of the woodwork, and all our characters began moving ever closer, bringing with them the inevitable start of a war that is going to see thousands of casualties.

Episode six - The Old Gods and the New
This week's episode was titled The Old Gods and the New, and referred perhaps to our characters' loyalties - there has been much switching of religions this season (Theon from the Starks' gods to his fathers, Stannis from the old gods to Melisandre's gods). This week though, loyalties are also being switched between characters, and while none of our characters are gods, some of them certainly seem to hold that kind of sway over their subjects - and some don't.

Episode seven - A Man Without Honour

A lot of truths were (finally) admitted this episode, a lot of confessions made. Some deeds were done that cannot be undone, and some left more than a bitter taste in the mouth.

Episode eight - The Prince of Winterfell

Betrayal ran through this week's episode, and two of the main parties finally got off their backsides and actually physically moved closer to battle, rather than just talking about it.

Episode nine - Blackwater

Well, after weeks of waiting Game of Thrones exploded with a bang (literally) as it turned into a fully fledged war film, leaving all trace of innocence and frivolous things behind. While this episode, Blackwater, did my least favourite film and television trick of having scenes in the dark, it really worked, right up until the final moment.