2013: A Year in Film

So 2013 is done and I thought I would write a brief summary of the films I saw throughout the year.

New (to me) films watched:                                                          79
2013 (UK release) films watched:                                                  9 (must try harder!)
Films from my 2013 Top 10 Most Anticipated List:                         5

Highest rated 2013 film: Gravity

Highest rated other film: There Will Be Blood

Lowest rated 2013 film: Gangster Squad

Lowest rated other film: Battleship

Honourable mentions: Margin Call, The Place Beyond the Pines

Biggest disappointment: Not managing to see Mud while it was on release.

All 2013 reviews:

10/10
Gravity

9/10
Captain Phillips
Argo
Serpico
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Rear Window
Moneyball

The Dark Knight Rises
The Shawshank Redemption
Lincoln
Looper
There Will Be Blood

8/10
Milk
Silver Linings Playbook
Flight
Star Trek Into Darkness
Bullitt
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Artist
The Place Beyond the Pines
Thirteen Days
Margin Call
Jerry Maguire
The Birds
X-Men: First Class
Bridesmaids
The Avengers
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

7/10
Hobo With A Shotgun
Les Miserables
Dredd
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Contraband
Blue Valentine
J. Edgar
For A Good Time, Call...
Monsters Inc. 
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
World War Z
Robin Hood
The Great Gatsby
Lockout
Men in Black 3
Piranha 3D
The Campaign
Friends With Benefits
The Adventures of Tintin 

6/10
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Pitch Perfect
The Man With the Iron Fists
Gangster Squad
Brake
Defiance
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
The Taking of Pelham 123
Chronicle
Oz the Great and Powerful
The Vow
Limitless
To Catch a Thief
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Ted

5/10
Snow White and the Huntsman
Premium Rush
Wrath of the Titans
10 Years
Ice Age: Continental Drift
The Raven
Immortals
John Carter
Terminator Salvation
The Sitter

4/10
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Cocktail
Battleship

TV: Veep (S2) (9/10)

Why did I watch it?
I really enjoyed the first season of Veep, chiefly because of the show's writing. It's probably my favourite comedy show on TV.

What's it all about?
Armando Ianucci's US comedy returns and follows Vice President Selina Meyer's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) bumbling office career through the corridors of Washington D.C. This time around the Veep clashes with the President's new strategist Kent Davison, upsets Europe and decides whether to run alongside the President for another term.










The Good:

• Jonah (Timothy Simons) and his various entrance catchphrases
• New White House characters, cold cynical Kent and deadpan Ben
• Satirical humour including government shutdown
• Dreyfus is in her element again as Meyer

The Bad:

• Maybe a little too acerbic at times, the more subtle put-downs work better

Favourite line:

'De-pork the visual' - Kent Davison

Stand-out moment: The Helsinki episode

Like the show? Watch: The Thick of It

What my wife would say: Not keen, too crude.

What the world thinks:

Metacritic - 75/100

Twitter -

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series goes to @OfficialJLD, now 4-time Emmy winner. Love that Tony Hale joined her onstage to hold her bag. #Veep
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) September 23, 2013

TV: The Tunnel (S1) (9/10)

Why did I watch it?
I watched this because I read that the Danish series it is based on, The Bridge, was well received. A little shamefully I opted for the British production rather than doing any legwork to watch the original.

What's it all about?
A body is discovered laid across the half-way point of the Channel Tunnel, bringing both UK (Stephen Dillane) and French (Clemence Poesy) detectives together to investigate an anarchistic serial killer working on both sides of the channel.

The Good:

• The Anglo-French clash of cultures and banter between Elise and Karl
• Elise's matter of fact attitude
• Slow build-up, steadily peeling layers off the plot as the crimes continue, similar to The Killing
• The Seven style climactic end to the finale
• The performances of the two leads Dilane and Poesy

The Bad:

• At times, especially towards the end the plot became a little convoluted. I'm thinking of the Peleton angle that didn't seem to be explored in any depth.

Favourite line:

'[To a parent]..It will be alright' - Karl

'We can't say that, we don't have any leads on your daughter's current whereabouts' - Elise

Stand-out moment:
The stand-off between Karl, Elise and TT back at the Channel Tunnel

Like the show? Watch: The Bridge, The Killing

What my wife would say: Watched it. Really doesn't like subtitled bits because she can't play on Candy Crush at the same time.

What the world thinks:

IMDB - 4/5

Twitter -

Wow, #TheTunnel perhaps the best drama I've seen all year, great finale but need to see Karl & Elise working together again
— Kevin F (@dashdotat) December 18, 2013

FILM: Gravity (10/10)

Why did I watch it?
I loved the trailers for this film and I read so much about the technical production decisions Cuarõn and his son made that I couldn't wait to see it. Still it took me some time after it was released.

What's it all about?
Servicing the Hubble telescope, first timer Sandra Bullock and experienced George Clooney are caught in an orbiting storm of debris from a defunct Russian satellite and are cut adrift from their tethers into outer space with only each other for company.










The Good:

• Visually stunning. One of, if not the most impressive looking films made to date. Befits the use of 3D as well. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki deserves an Oscar for his work.
• The film's sound production. The combination of no sound effects to reflect the true out of space nature along with Stephen Price's score is brilliant and it's so bizarre to watch debris smashing everywhere with no sound effects.
• Cuarõn gets a fantastic performance from Sandra Bullock and George Clooney isn't too shabby either as the cocksure astronaut jet packing about.
• Excellent decision to cast Ed Harris as the voice of Houston Mission Control
• The first shot, 15 minutes from opening to the debris collision

The Bad:

• After Bullock spins away following the collision, the shot spins with her for what seems ages with space/Earth/space/Earth and I felt pretty dizzy

The worst time for a fumble in the dark

Favourite line:

'Clear skies with a chance of satellite debris' - Ryan Stone

Stand-out moment:

The initial debris hit and subsequent chaos.

Like the film? Watch: Cast Away

Like the director? Watch: Children of Men

What my wife would say: 'Real good', oh and she cried.

What the world thinks:

Rotten Tomatoes - 97%

Metacritic - 96/100

LAMB Score - 4.71
Twitter -

Joined the hype and saw Gravity today. Bloody fantastic.
— Rich Laverty (@JournoRich) December 4, 2013

TV: Hello Ladies (S1) (7/10)

Why did I watch it?
I'm not always that keen on the Stephen Merchant/Ricky Gervais writing duo, sometimes it grates on me a little, but having just been to L.A. I wanted to at least give the show's first episode a go.

What's it all about?
Stephen Merchant writes and stars as Stuart Pritchard, an awkwardly arrogant and shallow Brit looking for love amongst the models of L.A. Hello Ladies also follows Stuart's lodger, played by Christine Woods, an unsuccessful actress desperately trying to rekindle her career, who shares many of Stuart's personality traits.







The Good:

• The supporting cast, Christine Woods (Jessica), Nate Torrance (Wade), Kevin Weisman (Kives) and Kyle Mooney (Rory)
• The front end of the season was strongest, funny moments and laugh out loud gags as Stuart trips himself up each episode.
• The intro, loved it!

The Bad:

• Slightly unbalanced, it's difficult to like Merchant's character Stuart, he really is a total asshole but the season ends with him making a selfless decision
• Cringing comedy crosses the line on occasions - the episode The Dinner was uncomfortable to watch in places (but I still laughed - shame on me).

Favourite line:

[Planning a party]....'Write that down, drub-step' - Stuart

Stand-out moment:

Painfully three-point turning a limo outside a nightclub queue having just failed to blag his way into.

Like the writing? Watch: The Office, Extras

What my wife would say: Watched it, the cringe factor was too much for her in places

What the world thinks:

Metacritic - 58/100

Twitter -

Also, started watching Hello, Ladies on HBO. It's excellent, dont understand why it didnt catch on.
— Sam Dolnick (@samdolnick) December 2, 2013

FILM: Captain Phillips (9/10)

Why did I watch it?
I liked the look of this film from the moment I caught the first trailer. It looked exciting, intense and a film that could give Tom Hanks a platform for another great performance.

What's it all about?
In 2009 the Maersk Alabama was boarded by Somalian pirates off the coast of East Africa. Captain Phillips recounts the events that took place that day, the ordeal of the ship's crew and of the US rescue mission to save Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks).










The Good:

• Tom Hanks' fantastic performance as Captain Phillips. The level of emotion he displays in the scenes at the end of the film need to be seen to be believed.
• The performance of the Somali actors, in particular Barkhad Abdi as Muse and Faysal Ahmed as Najee.
• Change in dynamic from the crew of the Alabama versus the hijackers to the US Navy versus the hijackers on smaller scale keeps things fresh
• Paul Greengrass' direction keeps the tension up throughout. I loved the decision to instantly stop the music playing of the dramatic chase scenes as the hijackers ladder fixed to the side of the ship.

The Bad:

• There's no denying that the final third played out like an advert for the US Navy. They were awesome! I would be more likely to sign up after seeing that than watching Battleship but if those are the events that transpired then what could the screenwriters do if they wanted to be faithful to the story?

Pirates in a Hollywood film with no guy-liner in sight. Take note Jack Sparrow.

Favourite line:

'I'm the captain now.' - Muse

Stand-out moment:

The pursuit of the Alabama by the pirates' skiff is thrilling to watch and brilliantly directed.

Like the cast? Watch: Castaway, The Green Mile

Like the director? Watch: United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum

What my wife would say: Saw it and she was crying by the end.

What the world thinks:

Rotten Tomatoes - 94%

Metacritic - 83/100

LAMB Score - 4.31/5

Twitter -

Hanks in the last five minutes of Captain Phillips. #whyillnevergiveuptryingtobeabetteractor
— Patrick J Adams (@halfadams) November 14, 2013

FILM: Star Trek Into Darkness (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

I enjoyed J.J Abrams' 2009 reboot of the Star Trek brand and his sequel, and probably last Star Trek film in the director's chair due to being lured over to that other famous sci-fi franchise, was No. 4 on my Most Anticipated Films of 2013 list. 

What's it all about?

Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads his crew on an intergalactic man-hunt to the Klingon world to bring former Starfleet Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) to justice after a devastating terrorist attack on Starfleet Command.

The Good:

• Cumberbatch's standout performance as Harrison.
• Great villain, light years (sorry) better than Eric Bana's Nero in Star Trek
• Abrams' usual style and flare (not of the lens variety)
• Surprisingly emotional bromance between Kirk and Spock

The Bad:

• Plot loses it's way with all the twists to divert attention and ultimately reveal the film's true villain
• Another movie villain gets caught on purpose. Please stop it. Least original plot device now.
• Crew members outside of Kirk, Spock and maybe Bones, underwritten for and their scenes feel of a token nature 

Remember when prison cells were just small rooms with bars and locks?

Favourite line:

'Are you giving me attitude Spock?' - Kirk 
'I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously. To which are you referring?' - Spock

Stand-out moment:

Alicia Eve in her undies, just kidding....Kirk's selfless trip into the reactor as the Enterprise plummets

Like the film? Watch: Star Trek, the 2009 reboot or the original TV shows

Like the director? Watch: Abrams in space again, watch out for the next Star Wars film (2015)

What my wife would say: Geek

What the world thinks:

Rotten Tomatoes - 87%

Metacritic - 72/100

LAMB Score - 3.6/5

Twitter - 'J.J. Abrams delivers the goods once again'

TV: Ray Donovan (S1) (9/10)

Why did I watch it?

Purely based on the intriguing trailers and admittedly more on the 'fixer' to the stars angle that the show was marketed under.

What's it all about?
Working as a shady 'fixer' for a L.A. law firm representing Hollywood's finest, things have been good for Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) after he and his brothers, Terry (Eddie Marsan) and Bunchy (Dash Mihok), left Boston and a scarred past behind them to move out West. Unfortunately for Ray, things all change when his estranged father Mickey (Jon Voight), the source of much of the family's drama, is released early from prison and heads to L.A bringing the FBI in tow. 

Should you watch it?
Ray Donovan is definitely my favourite new show of 2013. Combining Hollywood and the less privileged areas of L.A. alike with a fantastic cast and taking more than a passing inspiration from Tony Soprano's family problems the show ratchets up the drama throughout the twelve episodes and delivers a gripping second half to it's first season.

Boasting the likes of Schreiber, Voight, James Woods and Elliott Gould, the acting is first class. Special mentions for Eddie Marsan, excellent as Terry, the boxing trainer suffering from Parkinsons and Jon Voight, who must be in contention for an award for his portrayal of equally crazed and happy go lucky Donovan patriarch Mickey. Voight attacks the role with relish and doesn't look anything close to his seventy-four years of age as he asks a woman he chats up at a spa 'Do you know how to twerk?'.  

After the second episode it became apparent that the show was going down the family drama path relying on Ray's fixer career as a background narrative and I was unsure about this but the characters on offer are so strong that the show definitely benefits from being a character driven drama and ultimately excels at this.

TV: The Americans (S1) (7/10)

Why did I watch it?
I caught on to the success of this over the pond and decided to give it a go. Also, Justified creator Graham Yost is attached as showrunner, and the bloke knows his stuff.

What's it all about?

Living in Washington at the height of the Cold War, Elizabeth and Phillip are KGB agents posing as the perfect American married couple tasked with gathering intelligence. Things become complicated for the spies when Stan Beerman, an FBI Counter-Intelligence agent, moves in next door.

Should you watch it?
Another brief review here........
Matthew Rhys was tipped by some to earn an Emmy nomination for his role as Soviet spy Phillip Jennings and although he ultimately missed out on making the list, for my money he can't have been too far away. As half of the undercover couple, his performances throughout the debut season, in all manner of dodgy 80's wigs, certainly deserve some credit. I found Keri Russell to be trying to hard in her portrayal of the more resolute and dogged Elizabeth.

As far as the story goes the show starts strongly, 
driven by the stronger episodes, 'Pilot' and 'Gregory' but loses its momentum towards the end when the agent double-crossing becomes a little benign before an excellent finale 'The Colonel' closes the season on a high note.

TV: Revolution (S1) (4/10)

Why did I watch it?

Sold entirely on the premise and the J.J. Abrams connection. When will I learn.... 

What's it all about?

Set in the future 15 years after the world's power mysteriously turns off, anarchy reigns and the United States of America has fractured into various republics and nations. The story follows teenage girl Charlie Matheson, a blackout survivor and her Uncle Miles, the former General of the ruthless Monroe Republic, located in Philadelphia, as they search for her brother, taken hostage by General Monroe and discover more about the origins of the blackout.

Should you watch it?

Sounds good right? Wrong.

Revolution is bad, really bad at times. The show suffers from the curse of its connections to Lost. The writers deliver some episodes of absolute dross, usually in the form of contrived tangents and side-quests to the character's main objectives, only to finish most episodes with some form of tiny reveal of the show's grand story, which the writers seemingly make up week by week.

Just turn the lights back on PLEASE

The swashbuckling sword fighting nature of the show's early episodes give way to episodes loaded with some of the lamest, most repetitive gun fights ever, punctuated with characters of frustrating stupidity and tediousness. The main character Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) is an annoyingly righteous, not to mention stupid, teenage girl in the Hunger Game mould, who repeatedly clashes with her self-serving, stylised bad guy Uncle as many times as she has to be rescued by him after more poor judgement. The writers clearly tried to make Miles (Billy Burke) the show's anti-hero, a womanising, boozing killer wrecked by his past indiscretions and the show would have been better if they would have stuck to their guns but they all too often give in because he's one of the good guys.

Revolution's single shining light (no pun intended) is Giancarlo Esposito's turn as Captain Tom Neville, easily the show's best character. That is all.   

The similarities to Flashforward and Lost are all too obvious. The score, the flashbacks (actually more enjoyable than the present day action), the mysterious world changing event, the 'hatch' 'tower' are all borrowed with varying degrees of mediocrity.

At times watching Revolution I wished that the world's power would blackout to save me, I'll be skipping season two despite the slightly intriguing set-up in the finale. Another interesting concept from the J.J. Abrams stable (see Alcatraz) fails to live up to it's potential.

TV: Banshee (S1) (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

Banshee first came on to my radar when I was reading about True Blood and Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball's next project. I then totally forgot about it until the trailers began running on TV and it looked worth a watch.

What's it all about?

The show revolves around a former diamond thief, released after a 15 year stint, who travels to the small township of Banshee to track down his former partner and lover. Upon his arrival, the town's incoming sheriff, Lucas Hood, is killed in a quiet bar and the convict assumes the dead man's identity, becoming the town's new sheriff.

Should you watch it?

Banshee is a gritty, ultra-violent, ultra-sexy, truly adult TV show that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the debut season of. 

Executive produced by True Blood's Alan Ball, Banshee features a diverse and interesting cast of characters, from Russian crime lord to rebellious Amish young woman, colliding in the small town setting. Main character Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) grows into his role as the show's anti-hero with his balls to the wall hard approach to sheriff duties that shocks and impresses his colleagues in equal measures. Ulrich Thomsen steals most scenes as the sly, menacing and vile local crime lord Kai Proctor, frustrated that the new sheriff doesn't want to serve his interests as predecessors have done.

One of the Banshee's strengths is it's brutally fantastic fight scenes. Not afraid to skimp on violence, the choreography is amazing and comfortably beats most movie punch-ups. Hood's fights with a visiting cage fighter and Albino prison beast are probably some of the best fights I've seen produced.


The season's ending was disappointingly predictable but I still enjoyed the story, script and characters hugely and the trailer for season two shows that there is still plenty of drama ahead in Banshee.

Not for the reserved, but a great start for one of the toughest shows on TV.

TV: Mad Men (S6) (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

One of my favourites. Must watch TV.

What's it all about?

Season 6 (of 7) revolves around Don's steady descent towards self-destruction and the damage it causes to his relationship with wife Megan, daughter Sally and his company. Another merger is on the cards for SCDP and new character Bob Benson causes a whole heap of questions.

Should you watch it?
Another consistent season, from one of TVs landmark shows for quality. Well written, directed and acted once more. However, despite keeping up with its own level of excellence, this was not my favourite season of Mad Men. Themes are revisited, a new mistress for Don, another drug-fuelled episode, trips to the West Coast, Pete loses a parent and the season doesn't feel quite as fresh as others have.

As always the show manages to amuse me greatly, with some smartly written exchanges between Harry and Pete, Pete and Bob, Roger and Bob and Pete and anyone else to be fair. Despite not featuring as prominently this season, Pete came unstuck and appears to be following Don's footsteps, only in a more amusing fashion.

Circumstances conspire to give Don a new bull to butt horns with in the form of Ted Chaough. His arrival brings an influx of characters that provides the writers an injection of new dynamics to play with that might have been needed as at times the main cast have started to become slightly predictable.

Despite featuring the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and MLK and the backdrop of riots in New York, season six was not as dark as the previous season, there was too much humour for that, but the show remains a complex, dark beast straddled by many unhappy characters and anti-heroes. For me the season culminated on the up as Don found a sense of terribly mis-placed honesty, following a moody descent into unhappiness that saw him lose his mojo at home and most shockingly at the office, that may just have been the end of the Draper dynasty at SCDP.

The beginning of the end?

Only one more season to go. How much will set in California? 

FILM: Gangster Squad (6/10)

Why did I watch it?

I was really looking forward to this film being released. It was a one of my top three most anticipated films of 2013. Reading quite a few of James Ellroy's books has made me a fan of the 1950's crime era in Los Angeles so this film looked right up my street, not to mention the stellar cast. 

What's it all about?

The year is 1949 and gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has Los Angeles under his control. The LAPD authorise Sarge O'Mara (Josh Brolin) to recruit an unofficial unit, known as the Gangster Squad, charged with driving Cohen out of town by bringing down his criminal activities by any means necessary.

Should you watch it?
There is no doubting that director Ruben  Fleischer produced a stylish film, or perhaps the word flashy is actually more fitting, but to use a line as clichéd as the film itself, it's all style over substance.

I would like to see the original story behind the unit just to see how many of the unit's members were of the writers own making. The unit is literally an identi-kit of clichéd characters, the war veteran, the ladies man, the black dude, the nerdy one with the family, the old-should-be retired one. With the exception of Brolin and Gosling's characters, and Penn's over the top scene chewing Mickey Cohen, the rest of the film's big names are wasted on flimsy two dimensional roles. But hey, the slow-motion gun fire and car chase looks great though right? 

The film's production was not trouble free, what with the re-writing of a pivotal scene following the Aurora cinema tragedy but I really can't imagine that this missing scene could have saved Gangster Squad from being any other than an average crime flick.

Gangster Squad guy #1, Gangster Squad guy
#2, Gangster Squad guy #3.......

The main problem with Gangster Squad is it's competition. This story has been told before, think of L.A. Confidential (1950's LAPD) or The Untouchables (police unit against Al Capone), and both times the storytelling was superior.

Considering how good the film could have been with the cast and story at hand, Gangster Squad is a disappointingly average film but it's still probably worth checking out as one of 2013's biggest releases.

TV: The Good Wife (S4) (7/10)

Why did I watch it?

The Good Wife is one of the most unappreciated shows on TV.

What's it all about?

Julianna Marguiles plays Alicia Florrick, a Chicago defence lawyer who returned to work after her husband, the state attorney, was jailed following a sex and corruption scandal.

The plot of season four revolves around Peter's run for governor, Lockhart & Gardner's financial stewardship, the arrival of Kalinda's estranged husband and the distribution of new partnerships to some of the company associates.

Should you watch it?

With another 22 episodes, this time around I thought that the season lost it's direction mid-way through and I really started to wonder if the story is approaching it's natural conclusion. Peter's governor election campaign was similar to season two's campaign to take back his state's attorney seat. It was also mentioned this season that Eli has visions of leading Peter to state senator next. The drama of a political campaign has been played out well by The Good Wife through two seasons out of four now and it's time to focus on something else. Also, the Will and Alicia romance was only ever temporarily concluded in season three and it felt like re-treading old ground at times this season. The other major storyline of the season was Calinda's husband Nick arriving from her mysterious past. His thinly veiled hostility and desire to aggressively insert himself into Calinda's life was interesting to begin with, especially as Calinda's past has been a subject of interest, but it got old very quickly and brought a chunk of the season down.

Despite all the above, and maybe I'm being harsh because of the high regard I hold the show in,  the show still features excellent guest stars (Nathan Lane, Michael J Fox and Christina Ricci) and the episodes Battle of the Proxies, Red Team/Blue Team and the finale What's In The Box made brilliant viewing. Special mention also to the writing of the character David Lee (Zach Grenier), who gets some fantastically cruel and sarcastic lines as usual. The season ended on a big cliffhanger with huge consequences for the show's central storyline and I look forward to the show's return.

Overall, some stagnation and repetitive story lines made for weaker moments in comparison with previous seasons but The Good Wife remains a solild TV show a cut above the norm.

TV: Game of Thrones (S3) (9/10)

Why did I watch it?
Simple, I love this show. I decided to watch Season 2 and 3 before returning to George R.R. Martin's books and picking up A Clash of Kings of which the second and third seasons contain elements of.

What's it all about?

Unless you have been living under a rock, or in deepest Qarth perhaps, you should have heard of HBO's TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Well it's that, and Season Three just finished with a bang.

At the end of season two, we saw Robb Stark defy his mother, the growing power of Daenerys' infant dragons, Winterfell fall and most excitingly the White Walkers on the move North of The Wall.

Without giving much away, season three sees the continuation of war fought between the Starks and their bannermen and the Lannisters, Daenerys dragons continue to grow as she begins assembling an army overseas, Jon falls in with Mance Rayder's wildlings north of The Wall and the political scheming at Kings Landing continues as Tywin Lannister arrives as the new Hand of the King.

Should you watch it?
At times I felt that season three was the show's slowest yet. For me too many of the characters, I can think of Arya, Sam, Jaime and Brann off the top of my head, were sharing journeys of a similar nature and although the plot only visited them occasionally, there didn't seem to be much diversity between the story lines and episodes could be filled with people on the move, never seeming to make much progress towards their goals.

Catelyn wasn't impressed with the colour scheme at
the Red Wedding

On the other hand, all the above is what makes Game of Thrones such a great show. The plot moves along at its own speed, steadily moving the massive cast of characters along in their respective story arcs. The slow and deliberate story telling is such a contrast to many TV shows , where writers seem to rush plots at the expense of character development. That is not to say that Game of Thrones is not capable of turning up the excitement levels. I think this season has contained the biggest shocks of the show so far and considering what happened at the end of season one, that is saying something.  

This leads me on to the episode The Rains of Castamere, also known as The Red Wedding. I'm keen not to give anything way so it is difficult to comment on but for me this episode underlines the greatness of the show. A colossal event in terms of characters and story line that you just would not see in any other show. Imagine Tony Soprano's family being wiped out in the middle of an episode in the middle of a season. Totally unheard of. The scenes in particular were brilliantly produced as well and any silly doubts I had over the show were instantly erased by this episode.

"but I don't want to go to bed Granddad"

Elsewhere, Tywin demonstrates he is the only Lannister able to lay the law down to Joffrey. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this in the future, Joffrey seems genuinely afraid of his grandfather. Tywin's arrival shakes things up at Joffrey's court and things change for Tyrion, Sansa and Littlefinger and even Cersei seems unable to avoid her father's plans to strengthen the family.

The season comes to a close with the fate of one major character unconfirmed and I can't wait for the fallout from the Red Wedding to filter across Westeros. The next season of Game of Thrones cannot return soon enough.