“All Men Must Die” is the tagline for a treacherous Spring because tonight the first episode of “Game Of Thrones” Season Four hits the airwaves if you are a subscriber to HBO. Check out the ominous poster.
For those not in the loop just yet, I’ll let the “Game Of Thrones” Wikipedia entry line out some of the details “Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. Filmed in a Belfast studio and on location elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Malta, Scotland, Croatia, Iceland and Morocco, it premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011. The series, set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos at the end of a decade-long summer, interweaves several plot lines. The first follows the members of several noble houses in a civil war for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the rising threat of the impending winter and the mythical creatures of the North; the third chronicles the attempts of the exiled last scion of the realm’s deposed dynasty to reclaim the throne. Through its morally ambiguous characters, the series explores the issues of social hierarchy, religion, loyalty, corruption, civil war, crime, and punishment. It is the most recent big-budget work to have contributed to the popularity of the fantasy genre in mainstream media.
I’ve been enjoying the series since the beginning and will admit that at first I found myself a little “uninterested” but the developments that happened across the second season and into its exciting third now find me hooked. I’ll not put any spoilers into the post but will recommend that if you seek to get into it that you try and start from the very beginning. Too much has happened and I feel that starting now will find you a little bit lost. The cast is expansive but I’ve copied in the roster in the event that someone who’s acting you love is a part of the show. Check it out.
Main Cast:
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
Kit Harington as Jon Snow
Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont
Aidan Gillen as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth
Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon
Carice van Houten as Melisandre
Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell
Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Brandon “Bran” Stark
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon
John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
Joe Dempsie as Gendry
Rose Leslie as Ygritte
Jerome Flynn as Bronn
Conleth Hill as Varys
Sibel Kekilli as Shae
Rory McCann as Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
Guest Cast:
“Beyond The Wall”
Ciarán Hinds as Mance Rayder
Yuri Kolokolnikov as Styr
Mark Stanley as Grenn
Luke Barnes as Rast
Burn Gorman as Karl
Thomas Sangster as Jojen Reed
Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
Kristian Nairn as Hodor
Struan Rodger as the Three-Eyed Raven
Octavia Alexandru as the Child of the Forest
“In The North”
Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane
Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt
Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne
Hannah Murray as Gilly
Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Snow
Josef Altin as Pypar
Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
“In the Riverlands”
Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton
Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion
Clive Russell as Brynden Tully
Elizabeth Webster as Fat Walda Frey
Andy Beckwith as Rorge
Noah Taylor as Locke
“In King’s Landing”
Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Mace Tyrell
Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell
Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
Anton Lesser as Qyburn
Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell
Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon
Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant
Tony Way as Dontos Hollard
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Gregor Clegane, “The Mountain”
“In the Vale”
Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn
Paola Dionisotti as Anya Waynwood
Rupert Vansittart as Yohn Royce
“In Slaver’s Bay”
Ian McElhinney as Ser Barristan Selmy
Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq
“At Dragonstone”
Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse Baratheon
Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon
The Official Show Wiki entry is below but be wary of checking it the day after an episode if you are waiting to watch on the DVR. I would also suggest staying off your Facebook feed in the event that you have those friends who spoil a show the second it ends. Trust me I have seen friendships end over “The Walking Dead” spoilers so why should this be any different.
Official Show Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones
The first three seasons are all available in boxed set collections. I’ve embedded links that will lead you to them on Amazon.com below:
Also to help you get excited a little more about the show, here is the opening theme to the show as being performed by Break Of Reality. They do a terrific job.