David Benioff

Winter is coming, and things will only get worse. At the wall, Jon Snow leaves on a mission without the full support of his men. Ignoring Ser Alliser Thorne’ advice, the Lord Commander follows through with his plan to free Tormund Giantsbane and join him in rescuing the Wildlings north of the Wall. Notice how the camera once again lingers on Ollie in the background, further proving my suspicions that the young boy can’t be trusted. Is mutiny on the horizon?

Game of Thrones Season 5, episode 2, “The House of Black and White,” pushed several storylines forward and made some noteworthy changes from George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. “High Sparrow,” focuses on these changes as Jon Snow struggles with his new leadership within the Night’s Watch; Cersei meets the High Sparrow; Arya grows impatient doing menial tasks in the House of Black and White; and Tyrion searches for more comfortable surroundings on a long trip with Varys.

Game of Thrones, Season 4, Episode 8: “The Mountain and the Viper” Directed by Alex Graves Written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO Let’s begin with Molestown. The opening sequence is bound to be overlooked by the 45 minutes which follows, but the sequence is noteworthy for several …

“Mockingbird” isn’t as well structured as all previous episodes of Season 4, but the episode named after House Baelish’s emblem, marches along with considerably more assurance and smoothness than most anything else found on television. There are several excellent moments here – enough to hold us over for two weeks (Game of Thrones is taking Memorial Day weekend off).

“First of His Name” directly refers to Tommen, as the episode opens at his coronation. It doesn’t take long before we get a new King sitting on the Iron Throne, and judging by the conversation Cersei has with Margery, it doesn’t take long to realize one of the episode’s major themes: In “First of His Name,” the show places a focus on how several characters come to understand and accepting the roles they are required to play. “First Of His Name” brings the fourth season of Game Of Thrones to its midpoint, and leaves viewers questioning just how much power The Lannisters actually hold.

Unlike the disappointing post-Red Wedding episode last year, “Breaker of Chains” is a fluid episode, full of conspiracy, double crossing, and plenty to talk about. In dealing with the direct aftermath of King Joffrey’s untimely death, “Breaker of Chains” focusses heavily on loyalty, with just about everyone questioning who they can trust after an event like The Purple Wedding. The episode does a superb job of acknowledging the big picture, while focusing specifically on moving secondary characters forward emotionally.

“Two Swords” isn’t necessarily the most explosive season opener, but it is smartly bookended around two blades belonging to the Starks, beginning on the death of Ice and ending on the resurrection of Needle; the title, of course, evidently refers to the pair of blades Tywin has forged from Ned Stark’s enormous Valyrian steel sword. Ned Stark’s most prized weapon (and also the sword that took his head), Ice is melted down into two smaller blades, with one of them given to Jaime Lannister, now without his fighting hand. The mythology surrounding Valyrian steel is interesting in itself: it’s nearly indestructible and Ice is an heirloom that has been in the Stark family for four centuries.

The beginning of the year had a wealth of TV riches, a trend that continued through the spring. Here’s part two of Kate Kulzick, Simon Howell, Ricky D, and Randy Dankievitch’s list of 2013’s best TV episodes.