Season One ends with Westeros on the brink of a total war; the powerful Lannister family has laid claim to the Iron Throne. The Puppet King Joffrey (Lannister) has a precarious hold on the Iron Throne supported by his mother Cersei who has helped get him there by intrigue and murder.  The Starks and the remaining Baratheon brothers Renly Bartheon (Lord of Storm’s End) and Stannis Baratheon (Lord of Dragonstone) also individually lay claim to the Iron Throne.  Daenerys Targaryen is yet another powerful individual with a claim to the Kingdom. She has unleashed an ancient power in the South and is marching towards Westeros to reclaim her dynasty. An ancient evil threatens the entire region. It looms north of The Wall and there is nothing to protect the region from the oncoming winter and the darkness in which this unknown supernatural enemy thrives except the Night’s Watch.  Jon Snow (Ned Stark’s bastard son) is one of the Night’s Watch.

Season Two is going to shake things up considerably. You really won’t see what’s coming (provided you haven’t read the books). George R. R. Martin will not disappoint. It’s going to be gripping and full of surprises, intrigue, character twists and unanticipated plot lines. As the Season progresses hold on for one of the most amazing Television Battles ever filmed! Save the date, Sunday night April 1^st on HBO.

A Quick Summary of the Main Characters and Their Relationships:

“Ned” Eddard Stark (Sean Bean)

Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North and Hand of the King, for all his honor and loyalty to truth and justice, met with an untimely end by Season One’s finale. Ned had attempted to take Kings Landing and keep the Lannisters from the throne so he might restore Robert Baratheon’s true heir to the throne. His men were slaughtered and he himself was captured by the traitorous Peytr Baelish “Littlefinger” acting for the Lanisters. Joffrey executed Ned in front of a crowd that included his daughter Sansa who was there by Joffrey’s order. Ayra was secretly there in the crowd. Ned confessed to false crimes in an effort to save his children and though Cersei promised him exile, Joffrey gave the order for his death out of cruelty and spite. Ned gave us one last heroic moment before his death by whispering “balor” to a friend who would kidnap Arya and escort her to safety. Ned was the epitome of noble and honorable action but unfortunately in the Game of Thrones these traits are somewhat of a handicap.

Robb Stark (Richard Madden)

The eldest Stark son has raised an army of bannermen from the North and the Riverlands in effort to save his family. While his mission begins as a grand scale rescue it transforms into a true war when his bannermen name him “King in the North” after Ned Stark’s execution. Robb has won some key battles with the Lannisters and has managed to capture Jaime Lannister. In order to secure passage to Lannister territory Robb has agreed to a political marriage with one of Lord Frey’s many daughters. Unhappy with this situation he is forced to grin and bear it as his war effort takes priority. The finale ends with Robb Stark crossing into Lannister territory with his host. Robb’s direwolf is called Grey Wind.