Episode 11 – The North Remembers – New Viewer Recap

Our new viewer recapper We Do Not Sow is back this season with his thoughts on each episode from the perspective of someone who hasn’t read the books. If you also haven’t read the books, or even if you have and want to see how a non-reader reacted to the episode, read on!

Spoiler note: This post is intended for new viewers ONLY (book fans can discuss the show here). We ask all the series veterans to refrain from posting spoilers in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!

We Do Not Sow: Game of Thrones, how I have missed you. I have tried to fill your place with fairy tales and zombies but nothing keeps me on the edge of my seat like you do. I was so excited for season two, I had re-watched season one a few weeks ago, also sat around most of today watching it again while watching writers, actors and bloggers all comment via twitter.

So this was very much of a reaction episode I thought, the last two episodes of season one were just a whirlwind of shocking events, twists and turns. We took a short tour through Westeros and spent a little time with each plot line to see how everyone is reacting to the the death of Ned, Jaime being captured and Robb’s victory in battle.

King Joffrey’s blood lust seems to be growing day by day, and for the prince and now the king, he really does get bitch slapped a lot. Speaking of the king, it almost seems like everyone has their own thought on who should be King of Westeros, of course King Joffery, and Renly is building his army and now Stannis. Across the sea, Daenerys, her followers and her dragons are looking to conquer King’s Landing but they are more concerned with dinner than war at the moment. I think Catelyn said it best, “There is a king in every corner now”.

They definitely picked up where they left off last season and even laid a strong foundation for the rest of season two. We got a glimpse of some hungry dragons, also a grown dire wolf, that I thought for a minute Robb was letting loose on Jaime, even a new location Dragonstone. In Dragonstone we meet some new characters that are aligned with Stannis, I’m not to sure how I feel about them yet, and the red priestess with the flaming adam’s apple??? I am not sure what went on besides her drinking some sort of poison and not feeling a thing. Maybe it’s witchcraft? Since we know there is blood magic in the East, maybe this red priestess dabbles in it as well. I did enjoy Stannis dictating his letter to be sent out, stern but also gave me a laugh or two.

I thought the scenes where they were hunting the bastards out in King’s Landing, really drove the point home how much the Lanisters are worried about their right to the throne. It seems like they will be looking for both Gendry and Arya. I bet they won’t find them too soon but with traveling with a group of outcasts if anyone knows they are looking for those two, they will turn them over in a heartbeat. The intense scene between Cersei, her guards and Littlefinger really caught me off guard, I was assuming they were going to ease back into the show and use this episode to set up the season, which they did, but for a moment I really thought Baelish was a goner. I really don’t care for Baelish so far but I think his character has a few more tricks up his sleeve. He knows how to the play the game well in King’s Landing, and for better or worse he will say anything he needs to to keep himself alive and in good standing.

We got a few scenes above the Wall and I can’t wait till we find Benjen, or the walking dead and now to find the deserter who calls himself the king. I am also looking forward to meeting more Greyjoys, tonight Theon tells Robb if they plan to win they need to invade King’s Landing and to do that they need ships, that his family is in possession of. I hope the Greyjoy family doesn’t let me down, I picked to align myself with their family only on the sigil artwork from HBO alone. Besides the uprising, the family does sound cool and I can’t wait to learn more!

Well now we are back to the waiting game, but at least it’s only a week away. Until then remember: Power is Power, unless you don’t have much power then a little power isn’t power at all, so maybe its with great power comes great responsibility, no thats not it…just Support the Bottom!

• Published on 04/02/2012 at 8:45 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/20/2016 at 6:29 PM CDT