TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Two "The House of Black and White" SPOILER ALERT

Democracy, Dragons and Death

If Game of Thrones has succeeded in doing anything, it has succeeded in making me excited for Mondays, something of which is a rare and certainly outlawed statement to make, but where else can you go for blood-fueled, dragon infested, incest-ridden entertainment on a Monday night? Answers on a postcard please. This week we are treated to "The House of Black and White", and as you can see from the picture above, Arya's back people, and according to the guests on Sky Atlantic's Thronecast last week, that is something we should all be looking forward to with the Starke-ette having arguably the best storyline of the season. Let's see shall we?

With Arya now in Braavos on the hunt for Jaqen H'gar, mercifully killing pigeons as she goes, "The House of Black and White" didn't exactly wet my appetite when it comes to her story-line, although the return of Hagar was a most welcome sight after a season-length absence. Yet, with the storyline being only in its' first stages yet, I am willing to wait the long game. Arguably the most interesting developments took place in Meereen, where not only did Daenerys see the return of her bad-ass dragon Drogon, looking stupendous as always (CGI is seriously getting better and better) but revolt in action between slaves and masters after a hard, yet justified, decision to execute Mossador after taking the law into his own hands. On his way to Meereen still, is Tyrion, locked in the confines of his travelling bus, accompanied by regular groupie Varys, still moaning about the latters' serious drinking problem. Considering Dinklage is the main man when it comes to Game of Thrones, his storyline so far seems to be taking a while to heat up. But like I said before, I am more than happy to wait. 

In King's Landing, Cersei seems to be partaking in a psychic battle with Tyrion regarding who can drink the most, no surprise really after receiving a gift from Dorne, reminding her of how Myrcella is still in their hands and may become the subject of revenge for the death of Oberyn last season. Such a threat however seemingly died at its' feet when Trystan Martell was introduced to us in Dorne, who refuses to carry out such acts of vengeance, despite being pleaded to by Ellaria Sand. Elsewhere in King's Landing, Jamie once again bowed down to the wishes of Cersei and decided to take "diplomatic action", by visiting Dorne in attempt to rescue Myrcella from any potential harm, although not by himself. Yes, Jerome Flynn. That's right, Bronn is back.

Across into the Eyrie, Pod and Brienne finally catch up with Sansa and Littlefinger, and although Stark-ette two, follows in the footsteps of her sister by refusing Brienne's service, she still vows to fight on and adhere to the vow she made to Catelyn in series three. Good for her. Finally, in a time where election looms and the future of the UK government is ambiguous to say the least, it was good fun to witness Jon Snow become Lord Commander, beating off competition from Ser Alliser, with a little help from Maestor Aemon, who smirked like the rest of us when Sam highlighted to the fact that Janos Slynt hid with the women when the fighting was taking place. Tear-jerk moment of the episode came when Jon was given the opportunity to become a fully-formed Stark by Stannis, although that seemingly has become less of an option with Jon as Lord Commander, but for the short time it was up for consideration, it was a nice touch. For a show so famous for ripping out the hearts of its' fans, this weeks' Game of Thrones, was rather pleasant, with Jon getting the chance to lead his brothers' at the wall, Daenarys being reunited with Drogon, and Arya finally catching up with Jaqen H'gar. I'm pretty sure the good times aren't set to last forever mind, so for now, make the most of it. 

Overall Score: 8/10