OH YE-AH! The gang is back! Vinnie and Drama and Daenerys and Littlefinger and Ari and Lloyd and Sansa and Cersei. TURTLE, PULL THE DRAGON AROUND, WE’VE GOT TO GO GET SOME SHIREWEED! I have to say that I was a little disappointed in HBO’s “previously on” recap that kicked off the show. Guys! Make an effort! It has been a hundred years since the last episode and this show is impossible, please help. I’ve watched all of Game of Thrones and I’ve even read all the books (no nerdo) and it would still have been nice to get a mildly comprehensive idea of where we are and what is going on. A new credit sequence doesn’t count either by the way. (I watched last night’s episode with some friends and someone said “Oh, they changed the credit sequence,” and then we were all talking about how we had stumbled over different blogs making such a big deal about the new credit sequence as if it was a whole story and a real thing, and we agreed that the whole story should have just been “Oh, they changed the credit sequence.”) Anyway, though, Game of Thrones is back and it’s so great. At the end of last night’s episode I said, out loud, to no one in particular, “this show is great.” (Incidentally, I also watched the season finale of Banshee this weekend, which I highly recommend. It’s very fun and pulpy and violent and weird. But during the finale of Banshee, which I watched alone, I said out loud to the television during the show: “Banshee is a good show.” Mostly I just think it’s important to tell a show when you think it’s good, to boost its confidence!) So? Guys? Game of Thrones? Tyrion is sad because his papa is mean! Daenerys loves slave nipples! Other stuff! I’ve seen a lot of critical reviews saying that there was too much talking. UH, YEAH, THAT’S CALLED LIFE. There is too much talking, NEW YORK TIMES AND ATLANTIC MONTHLY. I agree. SO WHY DON’T YOU SHUT UP?! There was a lot of talking but I hardly think NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES get to THROW THAT COMPLAINT AROUND. It’s been awhile since I saw the Utne Reader fight a white walker or whatever. Relax. So? Guys? Game of Thrones?