Television Review: The North Remembers (Game of Thrones, S2X01, 2012)

The North Remembers (S02E01)

Airdate: 1 April 2012

Written by: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
Directed by: Alan Taylor

Running Time: 52 minutes

The inaugural season of Game of Thrones was, by almost any measure, a remarkable piece of television. Many would argue—with considerable justification—that it remains the series’ finest hour, a sentiment that can be attributed to its unparalleled fidelity to George R. R. Martin’s dense literary source and, perhaps more importantly, to the sheer novelty of its concept. It arrived unburdened by the crushing weight of expectation and the emerging cult status that would later define the phenomenon. Season two, adapting the 1998 novel A Clash of Kings, thus faced a formidable challenge: to maintain momentum while expanding an already sprawling narrative. The North Remembers, the sophomore season’s opener, commences in a satisfactory manner, deftly re-establishing the chessboard of Westerosi politics. Yet, for all its competence, it cannot quite replicate the electric, world-building shock of the series premiere. It is a workmanlike and efficient episode, but one that already hints at the narrative compromises and diluted focus that would occasionally plague the later seasons.

Bolstered by HBO’s confidence and an increased budget, the episode exhibits a slightly grander scope in its plot, settings, and dramatis personae. Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss perform a commendable juggling act, updating almost every major storyline and packing them into a single hour. The result is a densely woven tapestry that tackled a huge amount of exposition and scene-setting but never wasted a word. This leanness is the episode’s greatest strength; it is a thematically focused instalment that, unlike some of its predecessor’s more scattered instalments, zeroes in on the corrupting nature of power and the vacuum left by Ned Stark’s death.

The action resumes in King’s Landing, where the boy-king Joffrey celebrates his name day with a tournament that is less a contest of skill than a sadistic spectacle of slaughter. In a moment of quiet cunning, Sansa Stark manipulates the monstrous monarch into sparing the life of the drunken knight Ser Dontos Hollard (Tony Way), revealing a survivor’s intelligence beneath her courtly façade. This scene is swiftly followed by the arrival of Tyrion Lannister, who assumes the role of Hand of the King with characteristic wit and immediately begins needling his sister Cersei over the strategic folly of Ned Stark’s execution. Meanwhile, the City Watch, under orders from Joffrey and Cersei, hunts down and murders every male infant suspected of being Robert Baratheon’s bastard—a brutal sequence of infanticide that underscores the episode’s central theme of power exercised without conscience. The sole survivor of this purge, the blacksmith Gendry, is revealed in the final scene to be travelling northwards with the disguised Arya Stark, whose disappearance vexes both Lannisters and Starks alike.

Concurrently, Robb Stark, now the King in the North, attempts to parley with the Lannisters. His terms—full independence for the North and the return of his sisters—are predictably unacceptable, making the continuation of war a near certainty. In a fateful decision, he heeds the counsel of his captive-turned-ally, Theon Greyjoy, and releases him to treat with his father, Balon, on the Iron Islands. This narrative thread, while briefly touched upon, sets in motion one of the season’s most tragic arcs. North of the Wall, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont’s ranging party finds the wildling settlements deserted, save for the holdfast of the repulsive Craster. Robert Pugh’s portrayal of the incestuous patriarch, who lives with his daughters as his wives, is suitably unsettling, serving as both a source of supplies and grim foreshadowing of the horrors beyond the Wall.

Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen’s storyline enters a period of desperate hardship. The mother of dragons possesses her three mythical hatchlings, but they remain small and symbolically potent rather than militarily useful. She, Ser Jorah, and her decimated khalasar are forced to trek through the desolate Red Waste, a plotline that emphasises her vulnerability and the long road ahead.

The most significant new narrative, however, erupts on the island fortress of Dragonstone. Here, Stephen Dillane’s Stannis Baratheon, stern and unyielding, declares himself the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. He is counseled by the pragmatic smuggler-turned-knight, Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), but is increasingly under the sway of the mysterious Red Priestess, Melisandre (Carice van Houten). Their introduction brings a potent new religious dimension to the series, with the cult of the Lord of Light positioned as a disruptive force against the established Faith of the Seven and the old gods of the North. This subplot culminates in the tragic poisoning of the loyal Maester Cressen, a scene that efficiently establishes Melisandre’s otherworldly power and Stannis’s ruthless new path.

Directed by Alan Taylor, The North Remembers is, by its own admission, an episode light on forward plot propulsion. Much of its runtime is devoted to exposition: at Craster’s Keep, we learn of the desertion of Mance Rayder; in Essos, the complexities of the geography are hinted at. While necessary, this occasionally gives the episode a feeling of table-setting.

The introduction of the new Dragonstone characters, however, is handled with superb economy. Dillane’s Stannis is a masterpiece of repressed fury, Cunningham’s Davos provides a much-needed moral compass, and van Houten’s Melisandre simmers with enigmatic menace. The production also benefits immensely from new filming locations in Croatia, particularly Dubrovnik, whose ancient walls and sun-bleached stone provide a perfect, tangible embodiment of King’s Landing, elevating the show’s visual grandeur.

Not every element succeeds. Some scenes feel like pure filler, such as the heavy-handed moment where Cersei threatens Petyr Baelish’s life—a exchange that, while showcasing Lena Headey’s commanding presence, adds little to the narrative. Similarly, a brief scene of the captive Jaime Lannister menaced by a direwolf feels like a gratuitous showcase for the series’ improved CGI capabilities rather than an organic story beat.

Nevertheless, as a season opener, The North Remembers is undeniably a success. Critics praised Tyrion’s development and the compelling new cast. It is a solid, confident piece of television that successfully re-immerses the audience in Martin’s world, managing its enormous cast and multiple threads with impressive dexterity. It may lack the pioneering brilliance of the first season’s premiere, and its pace is more deliberate than thrilling, but it fulfils its primary duty: it remembers the past, sets the stage for the coming clash of kings, and promises a great deal of fire and blood to come.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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