Game of Thrones: Season Two (2012)

Creators: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

 It should be obvious based on the title of the show that Game of Thrones is about the pursuit of power. The first season disqualified those who were too noble and pure to gain power in a harsh and brutal world and defined what type of people won't be taking the throne. The second season takes a step back and looks at why those who want power think that they can have it. Each of the "kings" this season who want to become king of Westeros find their legitimacy coming from different places. Stannis Baratheon finds his legitimacy coming from religious authority. Joffrey has legitimacy because of his supposed royal blood (and this a point of contention in the series). The Khaleesi's legitimacy comes from the fact that years ago her families power was wrongfully taken. Power comes from many places, but only one person can have it.

This season examines all of the rulers who want to be king, and their very different reasons for wanting to do so. By looking at the show through this thematic lens, this season was definitely better than the first one, which spent a lot of time setting up everything. But there is one thing this season didn't have that last season did, and that's a definitive conclusion to the thematic arc (I'm referring to the fate of Ned Stark in season one). The Battle of Blackwater Bay is meant to be the big conclusion to the season, but nothing really happened. It was a visceral battle that was an incredibly impressive episode, but after the battle everything more or less went back to how things were, and the pursuit of power continues just as it was before into the third season. Not only that, but the final scene of this season was pretty much the exact same as the final scene of last season. In terms of plot, not a lot of progress was made this season, though it's definitely possible and probable that this is all leading to a plot-heavy and exciting third season. But I'm not complaining. Because there was still a great deal of impressive writing this season that examined the everything from the power of legitimacy, the power of gender, the power of brutality, to the power of survival.

Grade: B+