When Hannibal was first shown I did not have access to SKY and let it fall by the wayside stored in that memory bank that gets rekindled when a show enters Netflix's roster.Now though with NowTV I have started to watch the series from the beginning. 

My interest was piqued by reading The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series which I have reviewed (here). The imagery combined with the way the cast and crew talked about the series captured my imagination and led me back to the TV show.

As far as opening s go this is a bit of a shocker, as we see Will Graham played by Hugh Dancy overlooking the scene of a quite brutal murder. The scene shows him as an awkward onlooker with a rather amazing talent to see the scene before it happens.This kind of visualisation is the key to understanding this first episode as it gives us a window into Graham's mind. Hugh Dancy does a great job of seeming ill adjusted to both his role as a criminal profiler and as a social animal. This helps to give Graham an issue that needs fixing, enter via the needs of Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) one Dr Hannibal played by the slightly disturbing Mads Mikkelson. 

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

When it comes to adverts in television we in the UK are rather spoilt. When watching American shows some people fail to realise each fade to black transition is actually created for an ad break. Sky have been getting quite a few negative comments about the way it broadcasts the show and today they made quite a striking change to their programming. The show only had one advert break, this occurred pretty much half way in the episode and consisted of around 6 ads. It was a great move and it was received rather well when announced. I think we have to realise big budget shows mean more income is needed to create them. But any move like this is greatly appreciated as long as we can keep the quality of the programming.

The wordsmiths were out in force this episode as we got to see some of the masters of diplomacy tackling each other in Kings Landing. The genesis for these interactions was the crowning of Prince Tommen. The new king "Long may he reign" seems a lot nicer a character than his elder brother but we really have not seen really speak his mind.
Cersei finally has overcome her shock at the depth of Joffrey and dives into her new life's work which seems to be the destruction of Tyrion. This is only after she tries to play Margaery and bring her into her fold, whether this is successful or not remains to be seen but I'm sure the Queen of Thorns is on her way back home with a smile on her face.

On the other side of the narrow sea Dany is getting the chance to win the land of her birth thanks to the Second Sons. Their capture of the Meereen navy gives the Mother of Dragons the opportunity to set sail for Westeros. Instead however she decides finds out that there is a difference between capturing a city and ruling it. This echoes the conversations between Ned Stark and King Robert from season one. Robert was a proven warrior but as we now know was not the greatest peacetime leader. His decisions helped to end the life of his friend and the current predicament the 7 Kingdoms now find themselves in. Daenerys decides to put her people first and right the lands she holds before embarking on a new conquest, This feels like the right moral choice but I worry if it is the right strategic one. We will have to wait and see as the series unfolds.

On the flip side of morality we get Little Finger. This man is a genius, he should be up there with the names of Da Vinci Darwin and the like. It turns out he really is responsible for the War of the Five Kings, this felt like a great move by the writers as most shows would have a "previously on" section. Instead we got a brief but well crafted bit of exposition. It may have felt like it was not needed for some but I think it helped veteran and casual watcher alike. Where Little Finger is all craft his new bride is just crazy her interactions appear to be the ramblings of a jealous women but she has real power and that is a dangerous mixture.

Elsewhere we get some really great moments from Breanne and Podric on their journey to the wall. But at the top of the world Jon Snow and Bran are almost within touching distance at Crastors keep. The assault on the Nights Watch deserters is brutal but two confrontations really stand out. Hodor versus Locke and Rast versus Ghost. Brans Warging abilities have taken a leap as he is able to control the big yet gentle man, but the power he displays in killing the Bolton's Assassin is truly amazing. We get to see what a neck dislocation truly looks like and it is a disturbing thought that one man can possess that much power.

The most intriguing relationship in the whole of the show at the moment is that of the Hound and the Wolf pup. It is a truly great moment where during Arya's prayer the Hound wakes up and questions her about it. She says it's okay as she only has one name left, when she utters the words "and the hound" the look on the big man's face is priceless. It shows the fearlessness of the Stark girl but later in the episode things take an even bigger leap towards a brutal conclusion as Arya is teased to the point where she tries to drive needle in Clegane's gut only for his armour to defeat her. His look is one of shock but at this point Arya knows that completing her prayer will be harder than she thought.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The ending of tonight's episode caused more than a few raised eyebrows among book readers. The taking of the Babies by the White Walkers has been established but what is done with them has never been revealed in the books.
This is mainly due to the way A Song of Ice and Fire is crafted, the story is told from a POV perspective meaning some of the story is told off page. With no witnesses to the Walkers actions we never knew until tonight what happens to the children who are taken.
Although this may may seem like a small point this change cements certain aspects of the coming story while breaking others. 
For me there is now a divide between the Show and the Book, they are both headed for the same destination but look like they will taking different paths to get there. This is the genius of the show and I'm very happy to be going along for the ride.

Grey Worm opens up tonight's episode in his bid to learn the common tongue with the help of the translator Missandei. Their relationship seems to be growing but to what end? It is however his entry into Meereen that really puts the captain of the Unsullied into the spotlight. His infiltration into the city is the spark for a slave revolt and in typical fashion a very quick siege is ended off screen. We are spared the brutality of the revolt but we do get to see justice being paid on the masters by Daenerys. I can see a problem for the Mother of Dragons as she is beginning to put her desire for justice in-front of her humanity. To be a leader you need to know when to fight and when to make peace. So far Dany has not yet reached this point but something tells me though that an awakening can not be far away.

The next meeting between Sansa and Little finger is perhaps one of the most revealing conversations in the whole of the Game of Thrones lore. It is however also one of the most infuriating. Together with Margaery's chat with the lady Olena the audience is spoon fed the way the Purple wedding played out. It is one thing to treat the audience with contempt but both Sansa and Margarey are shown to be pretty naive and this makes them both appear weaker. However of the two the Lady of High Garden has the most to lose, she has shown herself to be a great player in the Game of Thrones but comes off as something of a naive girl on the realisation that the Queen of Thorns was in fact Joffreys killer.

Later in the episode though she takes the lead from her Grandmother and seduces the young King Tommen. It may seem a little creepy with the older lady seducing a young boy but it works. You can see form the young man's face he is enthralled with the beauty that is within his grasp. It seems that everyone is desperate to win the King to their side, all except Cersei. With the death of Joffrey all she seems concerned with is taking revenge on her younger brother. The trouble is once she comes round to he senses she may find that the Game has moved on and left her behind.  

In a series filled with disturbing images tonight was the first time that I actually felt really moved by a scene. Watching a newborn baby left in the snow naked except for a fur was harrowing television. I'm not sure if it was because I knew what was coming or because it was a defenceless child left in the wild to freeze.
The leaving of the baby is just one of the vile acts of the mutineers at Crastor's keep, from rape to torture it seems once a villain always a villain. But is justice coming in the form of a party from the wall headed by Snow?
Jon though has a problem that he does not yet understand in the form of Locke. A soldier of the Bolton's he has been tasked with disposing of Lord Snow and now he seems to have the perfect opportunity to fulfil his duty.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The relationship between Jamie and Cersei Lannister is as unhealthy as it can be, however tonight brought about a new low for their relationship. After being asked to kill his brother Tyrion by Cersei, Jamie holds her for the first time since his return to the capital. what happens next is a leap away from the same scene that was created by GRRM in the book. After a refusal from Cersei Jamie forces himself upon her. This is has all the hallmarks of a rape as Cersei throughout the scene is heard to say this is not right.
The odd thing about the whole situation is as viewers this was so unexpected. Jamie has already shown his cruelty by pushing Brann out of a window but it seemed he had become a better man over the seasons. This was probably the lowest point of the show in terms of finding out what people are really made of, but as time goes on we get to see the other side of a good many characters.

The opening of the show was very strong as it focused on the death mask of Joffrey, his bloodied eyes where a sight to turn most stomach's. From there we are wrapped up with the fleeing of Sansa from the prison that is Kings landing. The elder of the Stark girls has had a torrid time but with the death of Joffrey she is now free or is she?
Her saviour was not a gallant Knight instead it was the arch schemer Little finger. Lord Petyr Baelish as he has been known since helping to dispatch Sansa's father plays the game better than most and even has a surprise for Sir Duntos in the shape of a Crossbow Quarrel. His reasoning is sound but with a man that calculating would you feel safe?

I have enjoyed Rory McCann's portrayal of the hound he has the mix of anger and loathing down to a tee. In this episode we get to see a new side of his acting. The Hounds behaviour almost borders on desperation as he steals the farmers gold and tries to justify it to Arya. This maybe because all ha has been through but to me it feels like a man who has lost his place in the world. Sandor Clegane was always a soldier now he has no one to fight for, this means he has no orders as well. Is this new found desire to join the Second Sons really just a way for him to find a new life filled with orders so he can excuse the life he leads or is it more than that?

Daenerys has finally reached the largest of the slave cities of Essos, in the last two as she reminds us she has freed their slaves. However this is Meereen and the masters here are not about to open the gates to Dany and her Unsullied. The young Queen though seems to have the measure of the rulers of this city as she first uses her champion to dispatch the one sent out by the city and then puts her name and agenda into the minds of every slave in the city. Both of these scenarios show the way our Mother of Dragons is becoming something of a master tactician her use of slave chains as an offensive weapon shows her way of working the masses, 

However it's the way she plays Daario Naharis that really shows her growth as a leader. After giving legitimate reasons to excuse the other three would be champions she accepts Daario's claim to fight for her. This may be because she has a crush on him but I think it is more she wants to see if he really fight. To say his victory was a huge success is putting it mildly, we are finally getting to see the swagger of the character. 
Dany now has the measure of the men around her and from here can hopefully use each to the best of their abilities of course this is yet to be seen but for now she seems in control of the world around her.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The show's title as always has quite a few connotations within the narrative. The opening focuses on Ned Stark's blade aptly named Ice. It is a Greatsword made of the strongest metal known Valyrian steel. This was the sword Ned Stark used to behead the deserter from the nights watch in episode one. It is also the sword that Ilyn Payne used to take Ned's head on the Great Sept of Baelor. What we did not see is that Payne had taken the sword for himself and has been using it in his role as the Kings justice. It always seemed odd situation that a executioner would inherit a sword of such value but now the Lions of Lannister have a sword worthy of the richest family in Westeros, well actually two swords.

Of course Ice is one end of the Sword scale and at the other end is needle. A blade fit for a little lady with a thin blade and a pointy end. Arya Stark is a more a waterdancer now than a lady but her reunion with the blade sets up an epic finale to the show. However it's her relationship and chats with the Hound (Sandor Clegane) that are one of the highlights of the show at the moment. Both have lost everything and are together for what seems like mutual need, but there is something bigger going on. The fight that Arya shows seems to give the Hound joy, he may chastise her but there always is always a smirk while he is talking. Their fight in the inn is one of the most brutal and Arya's takedown of Poliver is chilling to say the least.