Our Game of Thrones expert, Gingerbot, was kind enough to give us a review of this weeks episode. So here it is:

While I know a very large percentage of the fan base for Game of Thrones on HBO consists of people who have already read the books and know the story well past what we’ve seen so far I know that there are a few who are new to the land of Westeros so I will try and write these reviews with as few spoilers as possible.  But, if you are reading this and haven’t watched the show or know the story yet then you have been warned that something might slip and you should stop now and come back later.

Last week’s premiere episode dove straight into the story and plowed through a lot of characters, cities, and storylines and I was amazed how much ground they managed to cover in just one hour.  Episode 2 however slowed down a bit and gave us a chance to learn more about specific characters and allowed us time to take a breath.  I think the most commented on aspect of the show so far is the nudity and violence which was very abundant last week and only slowed down slightly this time around.  I warned you last time and I can promise you that it will get worse from here on out because after all, as King Robert says, war is coming.

This episode was spent setting up the story more and allowing you to see how these characters interact and where the loyalty lines are drawn.  Much is alluded to and I know there are quite a few surprises in store for those who haven’t read the books.  Those of us that have get the pleasure of waiting to see how these secrets unfold and how the complex story lines are handled.  It actually surprises me the tiny things I notice that vary from the book.  Certain characters are omitted from some scenes so as not to complicate them and I know that they have eliminated people completely and even combined characters to fit the time restraints and parameters of the show which is certainly to be expected when condensing it down to fit on TV.  While I haven’t been able to pick anyone out that this has happened too yet, and it’s certainly too early for it to make much of a difference yet, it worries me that it could be handled poorly and could detract from the story.  But with that only time will tell and these people need to understand the risk they’re taking because this is a very loyal fan base they are catering to and I wouldn’t want to be the one who angered them.

This latest episode, while slower than the last, certainly did not lack story or action by any means and I still remain as impressed as I was last week and cannot wait for the next installment.  The show is doing it justice so far but there is only so much they can cram into 10 episodes.  So if you are enjoying it please go pick up a copy of the book or download it (I checked and you can get it on your Kindle or Nook!) and read the whole story for yourself I promise you’ll love it!