Kaka

An episode where nothing important happens in the first 40 minutes and only the ending is quite alright. A touching scene with Brienne, Jon Snow finally waking up, and a mysterious ending accompanied by the magically captivating visuals of the ice palace.

The third episode is a little longer than usual, but balanced in terms of pacing, sticking to the strong theme of the previous episode and, as expected, continuing to develop the paranoia surrounding the murder of the king. Daenerys puts on a one woman show again towards the end, conquering another monstrous city in a subtle and confident manner.

The fourth season heats up quite fast. The second episode delivers another key twist, again during a wedding. Moreover, it seems there’s an even more generous budget, as we get some of the first panoramic shots of the entire Kings Landing, which has been an exceptional rarity in the relatively intimate spirit of the show so far, so let's hope for even better times. It will be very interesting to see what happens next in the capital, and so far this season has featured almost no "Mother of Dragons" and Northerners.

The fourth season has a very lukewarm start. It briefly introduces all the main characters with a slight distance in time. The only action sequence is the one with the Hound and Arya at the end (brilliantly shot), and it begins exactly where the previous season left off. Everything about Stannis and Greyjoy has been completely missing so far – perhaps slightly surprisingly – on the other hand more opportunities are being given to the Lannisters, who don't disappoint. And it should also be noted that there may be an interesting character transformation in Jamie, whom the unique Brienne may have opened his eyes to after all.

The third season plays out the spectacular stories of the main characters, which will very likely intersect a few seasons down the road. It is extensive in plot and takes individual nations, kings (and their relations) and territories very broadly. It has certain advantages and disadvantages. It is certainly the most ambitious season to date in terms of the scope of locations and the number of characters, but unfortunately some of the middle episodes can't escape the impression of constant jumping between 20 stories that always move just a millimetre forward in 50 minutes, sometimes really literally because of the 2-3 minutes when this or that is on screen, and as a result it feels quite static and disjointed at times. Towards the end, of course, the story picks up momentum, culminating in the famous scene in the ninth episode, which is probably the most shocking so far since the death of Ned Stark. There is an interesting resurgence across the sea, where Daenerys quite sophisticatedly conquers every town she comes to, whether through her dragons or her charisma. If the next series delivers everything that s being dished out on the table, it will be a pummeling.

Everything about Stannis is confusing and strange, and will probably crystalise in future episodes. Kings Landing is ruled by the über badass Charles Dance who is truly terrific as Tywin Lannister. Sansa and Arya are also developing interestingly. The plot around John Snow is not entirely convincing, but the farewell scene is quite impressive. The last episode kind of reveals the cards for the coming ones, where it looks like it won't be a fight between kings or nations, but a fight between the living, the undead and dragons.

It's hardly a coincidence, but the creators are wrapping up the third season in a similar concept to the second, with the ninth episode delivering a bombastic climax. In the previous season it was Stannis vs the Lannisters, here it is a wedding. The whole scene is breathtakingly shot and brutally uncompromising. Certainly one of the best episodes of the series, with a single scene completely drowning out the rest of the episode.

This episode is not very narrative, but it's well-paced, with an impressive wedding and a chilling finale that gives a subtle clue as to what style the story from the North will take next. Another fantastic scene with Daenerys, the longer she takes to cross the sea, the bigger the pummeling will be.

An exotic insert with a bear and an interesting alliance between Jamie and Brienne. Otherwise, it’s basically about nothing. If it weren't for the characters we like and dislike, root for and hate, it would be boring as hell. The middle of the third season is the weakest so far.

An utterly pointless episode that, apart from the action-packed wall-climbing passage, doesn't really move any part of the story anywhere. It’s short, so you don’t have time to get bored, but a similar concept in a feature film would be unwatchable.