9 Things You Learn Rewatching Game of Thrones Season 2

source// HBO

Season 1 laid the groundworks for Game Of Thrones. Looking back, it almost feels like a separate prequel to the main event due to the vastly different characters and themes, but there are moments that are just as relevant now as when the show was first aired.

However, once the series progressed into its second run, storylines firmed up, seeds were sewn, and the show really started to resemble the all-conquering behemoth it has become today.

Season 2 was a huge turning point for the show as Joffrey and the Lannisters strengthened their grip, Tywin and Stannis entered the mix, Robb kickstarted his rebellion and Tyrion set fire to Blackwater Bay. And that’s only scratching the surface.

Here are 10 major things you learn after rewatching Game Of Thrones Season 2…

9. Walkers On The March

The lasting memory from Season 2 comes at the very end, with the eye-opening glimpse of White Walker forces sweeping through the cold North. It was a huge moment for TV itself, with the enormous scale of the show slowly starting to be uncovered.

The chieftain looked stunning, and the whole scene was a perfect way to round off a dramatic season South of the Wall. It built on the background threat of the walkers, and was an early sign they had plenty of power behind them.

Everyone speculated that their invasion would come soon into Season 3, but in true Thrones style, the walkers waited. They hung around until Season 5 and unleashed their power on Hardhome. It’s incredible to see that battle set in motion so early on.

8. Westeros Is More Peaceful Now

King’s Landing is more unstable than ever before, the Boltons are ruling in the North, and Stannis has been completely destroyed, but you could certainly argue that the world is a more peaceful place going into Season 6 than it was throughout Season 2.

Back then it was the War of the Five Kings. Joffrey’s reign of tyranny and torture was in full swing, causing ructions throughout the capital. Robb began sweeping through the land leaving bloodied fields in his wake. Stannis mustered his forces for a full-scale siege for the Throne, after Renly was eliminated by Melisandre’s magic.

That’s not even including Balon, with Theon and the Ironborn foolishly taking Winterfell. The world was incredibly unstable back in Season 2, and while it’s arguably just as bleak now, at least it’s not in the process of self-destruction.

7. Stupid Decisions Everywhere

There’s nothing worse than a great TV show faltering by allowing characters to make mind-boggling decisions. Catelyn Stark was a chief perpetrator when it came to making stupid choices that would decide the fate of the war.

Releasing Jaime Lannister, one of the most fearsome swordsmen in the Seven Kingdoms, with a name worth his weight in gold, was a move of sheer stupidity, and Catelyn engineered it all behind Robb’s back.

It’s at this point Robb decides to marry for love rather than a bridge crossing, and we all know that didn’t end well. He rebelled against his mother’s orders following her betrayal, so is there a chance he would’ve heeded her warning had she not gone behind his back?

6. Theon Is A Bad, Bad, Bad Man

The torture of Theon and the subsequent rise of Reek is a grim passage in Thrones history. We’re now at the point of wanting the sub-human Theon to recover from his ordeal, but in Season 2 you’re given a strong reminder of how awful he really was.

Theon arrogantly decided to take Winterfell, a move that would eventually seal his downfall. Included in seizing the castle, Theon botched the cruel beheading of his old mentor Ser Rodrik, he turned down his chance at an unlikely escape route in order to keep Winterfell, and worst of all, he murdered two innocent boys in place of Bran and Rickon.

The next time you see Reek and feel remotely sorry for him, remember what he did to end up in that position.

5. The Arya/Tywin Scene Is Great

It’s not a lingering storyline, nor is it hugely relevant in Season 6, but when you’re re-watching Season 2, you’ll realise just how good Tywin and Arya’s scene really is. It’s tense, it’s natural, and it’s perfectly handled by both actor and actress.

Watching Maisie Williams stand toe-to-toe with Charles Dance in impressive form is simply excellent, and it was a great departure from the books. Often fans complain about the show not being able to encapsulate the entire plot of the source material, but this was one moment where free-styling it really paid off.

It’s a shame that their brief bond didn’t last longer, and we now know that a reunion simply won’t happen following Tywin’s death. It would’ve been great to see them both meet once again with Arya in a greater position of power.

4. Jaqen Meets Arya

Watching Arya in the House of Black and White seems like a very recent storyline, and to an extent it is, but Jaqen’s influence has been bubbling under the surface since the very first season, though his powers became clearer in the second.

His skills as a lethal assassin are demonstrated after he gifts Arya with his services. This is the only time we’ve seen Jaqen in the real world actually eliminating people, with his more recent appearances largely focused in the temple.

It’s important to see Jaqen in action as a Faceless Man, and being able to morph his face was just another mind-bender from the show. With Season 6 looming, fans can only hope his storyline will escalate alongside Arya.

3. Melisandre Is Definitely Powerful

After Melisandre’s swing-and-miss campaign alongside Stannis, it would be easy to write her off, but do so at your peril. Melisandre is extremely powerful, and Season 2 provides all the evidence you need to prove she can produce some incredible moments.

The shadow baby assassin will live in infamy, and it has an enormous bearing on proceedings. It wasn’t chance, nor was it a coincidence. That was exactly what she intended to do.

Her power and confidence has dwindled following the death of Stannis, but you can wager she’ll be returning to her lofty position in Season 6, with at least one very important task to undertake.

2. Renly Baratheon Is A Fool

Why? Why? Why? Renly? WHY? There are many different schools of thought when it comes to the Baratheon boys, but let’s face it, if Renly had only listened to his older brother, the world would be a far more secure place and Lannisters’ heads would adorn the walls of King’s Landing.

Stannis had the cool discipline required to rule, while Renly had the charm and charisma to win allies to his cause. Together they could’ve been a lethal duo. If Renly had only accepted the line of succession, the united Baratheons would’ve conquered the capital, taken the Seven Kingdoms for their own, and the realm would be far better off.

One family feud has proved to be cataclysmic for the entire world, and while the war for the Throne continues to sizzle, the Baratheons could’ve ended it and started planning for the arrival of the White Walker onslaught.

1. Quaithe

Quaithe is one of the most confusing characters in all of Thrones. Who is she? What does she want? Will we ever see her again? There are so many questions surrounding the mysterious masked woman from Daenerys’ Qarth storyline.

Her role is short, but it has sparked countless theories as to her motives and potential re-emergence, with prophecies that she predicted coming true far later in the series. “This man must sail past Old Valyria. All who travel too close to the Doom must have protection.”

Those are her words to Jorah Mormont, and of course, he did have to sail past Old Valyria without ‘protection’ and was subsequently stricken with greyscale. Will we ever see Quaithe again?