The Kingsroad

Season 1, Episode 2, Aired

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8.6
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King Robert and his entourage head south with Ned Stark and his daughters Sansa and Arya. While on the road, Arya gets into trouble with prince Joffrey, which leaves Ned with a difficult decision to make. Meanwhile, Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister head off to the Wall in the north, the former to join the Night's Watch and the latter for curiosity. In Essos, Daenerys is learning what it means to be married to a Dothraki warlord. In Winterfell, Bran Stark is fighting for his life after his fall.

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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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  • The Kingsroad

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By AJLane-TCP, Apr 10, 2012
    The Good:
    -"Death is so final, whereas life...is full of possibilities."
    -Lady Catelyn defends Bran. The maternal instinct is clearly very strong within her.
    -The confrontation between Arya, Sansa, and Joffrey. The little Prince's true colors are shown and the stark (pun intended) differences between the two girls are revealed.
    The Bad:
    -It still feels like stories are being set up until the end of the episode. The fight with the girls and Catelyn's dagger dance are both gripping moments, but otherwise much of "The Kingsroad" feels like establishment.moreless

  • Joffrey must die.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By ZaleIsBackAgain, Nov 29, 2011

    When I first watched this episode, which was before I read the books, I was lost. The first episode threw in some minor details of the Nights Watch and Daenerys Targeryan, and the second episode does the opposite; at least in the opening half hour. It concentrates the larger share of screen time to Jon Snow; the bastard child of Ned Stark shunned by his step mother Catelyn. This scene was effective; you would think with all the kindness that Catelyn has shown beforehand, she would have the heart to find it in her to overlook a mistake her husband has made seventeen years ago. And yet that has not happened; she still holds resentment to the situation and to Jon Snow. The episode did a great job of developing Jon's character; as I have been told as a storyteller, ambitious characters who show a want for something are what hooks readers and writers alike, and here we are shown a Jon Snow that has a strong desire to join the Nights Watch. And to throw ruffles into the stream, the sarcastic Tyrion Lannister exposes Jon Snow to the "honorable" brotherhood he may have mistakenly joined. Even prior to reading the books, I've always enjoyed the character of Jon Snow more than any of the Starks.On the flip side, the poor exiled Princess is forced to give up her womanhood to a beastly man that doesn't share her language. Though her tune suddenly changes by acquiring the help of her servants in the art of love. There isn't much story that can be derived on the land past the sea as of yet, I'd say that Daenerys' actress does a good job as anyone at appearing of not enjoying sex.
    The main issue, with Ned Stark and her two daughters, didn't pick up until the inn with the kings road where Joffrey firmly establishes himself as the antagonist of the show, not just through his actions that occur with the Butcher Boy's kid and brandished lies to his mother, but by his impudent little wretched face. Though without a convincing acting job, that hatred for a fictional character could never be born. Reading the books I could say that I hate Joffrey more in the show than in its source material. And although naturally some important details are lost from the conversion from book to TV that happen in the dialogue in the head of the characters, this episode was more emotional with the deaths of Lady and Mycah. Although the character development with Jon Snow and Daenerys Targreyan opened the episode up well, the first half felt slow and confusing with the episode spreading its minutes thin amongst a large cast of characters. Nonetheless it finishes strong and seeds everyone's thirst to see the vagina that is Joffrey die a horrible death.

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  • The Kingsroad

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Jun 03, 2011
    The Kingsroad was a really superb episode of Game of Thrones. I enjoyed watching this very entertaining episode very much. I like how each of the Stark children had a Dire Wolf. It was sad to see what happend to Lady in place of her sibling. Though I have never read the books I really enjoyed the drama, intrigue, charachter and plot development. This series is really in depth and has a lot of detail and a unique quality which makes it stand out. It was great to see how the various story lines are progressing. I look forward to watching the next episode of Game of Thrones!!!!!!!moreless

  • The Fall

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Neksmater, Jun 03, 2011
    As Bran lies in bed following his fall thanks to the hands of Jaime Lannister and Cersei as Eddard heads to King's Landing with the King and learns of the threat of the Targaryan's across the sea. Daenerys learns a trick or two to please her new husband in bed and to not be a subjective slave to him. Sansa's loyalty may come into jeopardy when an incident involving her crush Prince Jeoffrey, Arya a wolf and another boy begs her to make a choice regarding her sister or her love interest that really captures the teenage phase of a teenager. Jon Snow travels to Castle Black in hopes of becoming part of the Night's Watch and learns that the role may not be as prestigious as he previously thought it. This episode was predominantly about travelling and the characters finding their own paths. Extra thing, good on Catherine Stark for fighting like hell to stay alive, it takes guts to clench a knife like that for so long in defense of one's own life. This is shaping up to be an interesting series, and as the King said: a war is approaching but the fighting parties and the terrain of the event are as yet unknown.moreless

  • For those of you who haven't read the original books, I just want to let you know that you should stick with it, because you are in for a great ride!moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Kyrei, Jun 03, 2011
    For those of you who haven't read the original books, it must indeed be daunting to keep track of who is related to whom and what all is going on, but please believe me, as someone who has read the books, more than once, this is a heartwarmingly faithful adaptation of a very, very complex tale.

    At several moments in "The Kingsroad" I actually called out "Yes! Exactly!" as certain key scenes came across the screen: the assassin and the direwolf, the prince and the butcher's boy, the conversation with the dwarf on the way to the wall, the conversation between the two old friends, and the new bride coming into her own. All of it important to the tale, and all of it just how I pictured it. (Although personally I would have switched the actors playing Jon Snow and Robb Stark, but that is just me.)

    If you like this series, do yourself a favour and read the books. Unlike those who discovered Lord of the Rings in a visual form before the written one, you won't be disappointed or wondering why certain scenes from the movies (that never occurred in the books) weren't in the books. This is as true to the original as it could be.

    Kudos to George R. R. Martin for seeing his beautiful work come alive in such an honest and uplifting manner. I can barely wait for the next episode, and believe me when you know what is coming, the anticipation is sooooo much better!moreless
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  • NOTES (3)

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    • Filming the episode with the dogs proved difficult as Sean Bean has reported. In his scene with Lady, the animal was too scared to remain still. They had to keep rehearsing the scene until the dog felt comfortable, making the scene's shooting take three hours instead of the few minutes it should have taken.

    • The old blacksmith, played by Boyd Rankin, who hands Needle to Jon Snow in the courtyard is actually a member of the blacksmith team under the show's weapon's master Tommy Dunne. The smith who made Needle is named Mikken in episode three.

    • Original International Air Dates
      Australia      : Sunday, July 17, 2011 on Showcase
      Austria      : Wednesday, November 9, 2011 on TNT Serie
      Belgium      : Friday, September 9, 2011 on Telenet Prime Series
      Canada      : Sunday, April 24, 2011 on HBO Canada
      Cyprus: Sunday, January 29, 2012 on NovaCinema
      Denmark      : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 on Canal+ Series / Canal+ Film HD
      Finland      : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 on Canal+ Series / Canal+ Film HD
      Fox Life Baltic in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania: Thursday, September 15, 2011
      Fox Life Russia in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan: Thursday, September 15, 2011
      France: Sunday, June 12, 2011 on Orange Cinéma Séries
      Germany      : Wednesday, November 9, 2011 on TNT Serie
      Greece: Sunday, January 29, 2012 on NovaCinema
      HBO Asia in Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam: Sunday, August 28, 2011
      HBO Central Europe in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia: Monday, April 25, 2011
      HBO Latin America       in Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela: Sunday, May 15, 2011
      HBO South Asia       in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, and Pakistan: Sunday, August 28, 2011
      Iceland: Sunday, August 28, 2011 on Stöð 2
      Israel: Thursday, April 28, 2011 on Yes
      Italy: Friday, November 11, 2011 on Sky Cinema 1
      Netherlands: Monday, February 20, 2012 on HBO Nederland
      New Zealand: Monday, October 31, 2011 on Soho
      Norway: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 on Canal+ Series / Canal+ Film HD
      Orbit Showtime Network in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Western Sahara: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 on OSN First / OSN First HD
      Portugal: Monday, October 17, 2011 on SyFy
      Republic of Ireland: Monday, April 25, 2011 on Sky Atlantic / Sky Atlantic HD
      South Africa: Monday, October 3, 2011 on M-Net Series / M-Net HD
      Spain: Monday, May 16, 2011 on Canal+ Spain
      Sweden      : Wednesday, May 11, 2011 on Canal+ Series / Canal+ Film HD
      Switzerland: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 on TNT Serie
      Turkey: Sunday, September 25, 2011 on CNBC-e
      United Kingdom: Monday, April 25, 2011 on Sky Atlantic / Sky Atlantic HD
      US Armed Forces: Saturday, April 30, 2011 on American Forces Network

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