Perhaps the best thing about this series is how you can never know just what's coming next. After the shocking end to the first season (about which I won't go into detail, for those who have yet to see it), it's hard to imagine how the series could top it. But the plot twists and turns, as we learn this season, are only just beginning.

The season premiere opens on a scene of brutal strength and violence (though followers of the books know that it's mere child's play in George R.R. Martin's Westeros). The cruel, sadistic nature of Prince Joffrey is particularly expounded upon throughout the season. Ofttimes, the villainous character in a show will garner support and sympathy from a select number of viewers, but thanks to the writing and superb acting by Jack Gleeson, the entire audience is just dying to get their chance to slap the evil prince.

On that note, it has to be said that this show would not be what it is without its incredible cast. A particularly special find is the sheer amount of talent in its child actors. Sophie Turner, for example, plays Sansa with grace and sensitivity, effortlessly bringing the character from the naive, sometimes bratty, girl she was in season one to a matured, tragic woman in season 2. In addition, Maisie Williams hits the nail on the head with her portrayal of Arya. While in the previous season, Arya could simply be written off as the token tomboy character, she gains new, sometimes disturbing, depth when she and her two new companions, Gendry (Joe Dempsie) and Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey), are captured. From endearing banter to murderous glares, Williams has it all.

While die-hard book fans may be disappointed with some of the changes from page to screen, the series still manages to impress. Admittedly, the dialog is a bit touch-and-go at times. At some points it seems to lag, while at others it's as melodramatic as a soap opera (e.g., "Where are my dragons?!"). However, overall, these things are only a minor annoyance- and mainly just to fans of the book series.

Whether you've read the books or not, however, the show is a sheer pleasure to watch. The budget seems almost limitless as the locations are more remote and more stunning, the costumes are more real and immersive, and the special effects are, quite simply, art. It's impossible to simply watch this series; with every episode, you become more and more invested in the characters and their stories.

For those who have yet to see this season and are waiting until the discs come out, be prepared to set aside a good 10-hour block of your time. Because once you start, you won't be able to tear yourself away.

Who ever HBO gets to design their Season Box set of this show is awesome. Like the previous set of Season 1 we get the episode guide/Disc Menu guide and all the content on one side with a giant map of Westeros on the other that was taken from the books only with color and full size map and not 2-3 pages of different maps. So kuddos.

The next improvement is with the menus themselves on the discs. Season 1 you go to the extras or the episode menu and it would show the full season list of the show for each episode but obviously you can't access all these episodes on a single disc, even on a Blu Ray disc. Same with extras. What I didn't like from before was never any real clue as to what specific disc held what extras. I had to drag out the menu guide and look at each disc to see which ones had commentary, what extras were on what.

Now, you go into the menu and each extra is given a disc number to tell us the viewer where that specific extra is. Love it when it makes navigation more easy to understand. I'm not saying I'm too lazy to do all that, if push comes to shove I'll do all that to see what is where, but it's nice when the people making the menus put in these nice little touches.

Now I haven't watched all the episodes yet, I'm only about half way to 3/4 of the way through but so far the show is still just as fantastic as when I saw it air on TV.

I also am happily surprised at the large number of commentary tracks added on compared to Season 1. There are even multiple tracks for some episodes. One is director/writer/crew commentary (mostly David Benioff and D. B. Weiss) and the other is the cast commentary. And of course George R.R. Martin himself gets his own commentary track for Blackwater, the episode he wrote himself. Which is another reason why I love this show over other book adapted TV shows or even films is this show actually allowed the author himself to contribute in some meaningful way to the show. He doesn't have complete authority over the show but the show creators respect his input. And again, he got it in his contract to be allowed to write an episode per season.

Once again too, Peter Dinklage steals the show again with Maisie Williams a close second for actors who really know how to play these characters to the sheer limit.

Now I got to wait for Season 3 to come out. I'm not gonna say what will happen (I've read and own the books) but I've a feeling its gonna be even bigger and more awesome then before and this show has gotten pretty big and awesome already.

Reviewing this set feels like a repeat of season one, in that it is another excellent release from HBO. They really know how to release a quality blu-ray set, from the handsome packaging down to the special features on the discs themselves. Here's what you get -

- All 12 episodes, each with commentary
- Special features further exploring the world of Westeros
- Digital copies of both the episodes and the special features

As usual the episodes look beautiful on blu ray. The color, depth, texture, and contrast visible in virtually any given scene are downright stunning. This is the hallmark of HBO blu ray releases, and I'm glad to see that the blu ray transfer for GoT season 2 is as amazing as it was for season 1. The audio is also top notch whether it's quiet moments being shared or the raucous din of combat.

The special features are pretty decent too. The standout for me is the commentaries. Each episode gets a commentary track but each track is different. Some tracks feature writers/showrunners Benioff and Weiss which makes for a very technical, also very interesting, and information heavy commentary. But then other commentaries feature the actors which are probably my favorite. For example one commentary features the actors playing the Stark daughters, which is hilarious! while another features the actors playing the Greyjoy children. This variation keeps the commentaries from growing stale, is often hilarious, and feels much more intimate - like you're getting to know the people who make the show - than traditional commentaries. If you're like me you'll find yourself re-watching the episodes then re-watching them again just to hear all of the commentaries.

As to the other special features they're also quite nice if you're interested in exploring the rest of Westeros. If you haven't ready the books, and I can't blame you if you haven't, these are probably going to be incredibly useful. Locations, characters, families, and histories are provided for different locales throughout Westeros and Essos. These special features are by no means comprehensive, but they go a long way to helping you understand more about this world, e.g. what is the significance of "The Rains of Castamere" when Bron sings it before the "Battle of Blackwater", what does that say about the Lannisters? Tywin? etc. Good stuff.

Lastly you get some digital copies. I'm not a fan of digital copies as I'd rather simply not watch something as opposed to watching it on a mobile device, but for those of you who dig them this is a nice bonus. I am glad that HBO seems to be including these on all of their releases now, and it's nice to have the option of downloading them in HD or SD. So there's that.

In a nutshell the Game of Thrones season 2 blu-rays are the best way to watch and enjoy season 2. I would recommend this set to anyone. Period. Seriously it's great go buy it.

or be prepared to lose your head!! There is absolutely nothing like THE GAME OF THRONES on TV or in the theaters. Here is one amazing show that will immediately grab the attention of most people. Wicked teenage King Joffrey shows no mercy to friends and enemies alike and there is danger in the kingdom as several pretenders have a more legitimate claim to the thrown than Joffrey.

Joffrey is the son of the deceased king of Baratheon clan but he is 100% Lannister though his mother and his biological father. Yes, we learn in Season One that the good Queen's children have all been fathered by her brother. We've learned soon enough that GAME OF THRONES is also a game of sexual misconduct - as if the political intrigue is not fascinating enough.

Season 2 does not disappoint anyone who was hooked on Season One. The drama and suspense continues. GAME OF THRONES is not hesitant to shock or surprise us. We lost a lead character in Season One so expect more in Season 2. No one is safe and no one will find mercy. This is a time of fear and violence in Westeros. No one is safe and no one can be trusted. It is a chore trying to keep all the characters in mind and to remember who they are in the scheme of life..who is related to whom and who betrayed a trusted friend..no to mention who is having an affair with a secret lover.

Peter Dinklage is a stand-out in Season Two. Tyrion Lannster, "The half-man," as he often refers to himself, finds love and courage in Season 2. Tyrion is a dwarf who is barely tolerated by his Lannister father and siblings, yet he, alone, has a semblance of decency and humanity in his heart. The self-proclaimed coward finds the courage to fight for the Lannister Dynasty despite the evil and treachery of his nephew King Joffrey and his sister the Queen. Tyrion is redeemened in an absolutely amazing sea battle that is a keystone of Season Two. Tyrion's brilliance helps save the kingdom but praise will not come his way.

GAME OF THRONES is amazing on so many levels. The diverse and beautiful scenery and real. The snowy wastelands scenes were filmed in Iceland and were not computer generated. The amazing crew is beyond brilliant and stunning. Again, the hard part of GAMES OF THRONES is keeping track of everyone. The blu-ray does have a drop down menu to give you information on the characters throughout the episodes. I found it confusing and distracting and hard to read from a distance. I felt the blu-ray had some flaws in its menu and presentation but GAME OF THRONES is brilliant and I am waiting for Season 3.

There are plenty shows that I love and are completely brilliant, and I can't say I spend all my time around GOT. However, GOT is the best show I have ever seen. The level of quality this show maintains is spectacular.

The writing and story: Inspired by George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice series," GOT revolves around a very creative and captivating world. I have yet to read the series, so I can't speak directly for its staying true to the series. Although, from what I have heard, it stays true. I also know that the author is active in the show and has even written some of the episodes. My point being, its a creative bombshell of a show. But beyond creativity, the writing, the dialog itself is fantastic. The most disappointing thing a great creative show can do is have poor dialog. It needs to be compelling yet realistic, and this show does not fail at either. Creativity and good dialogue, that is one of the most important characteristic to a great show.

And of course the acting: For a creative and well written script to be successfully it needs good casting and talented actors and actresses. The cast is fantastic. There are some known faces and some unknown. However, even the smallest of parts do their characters justice. And there are those that excel even more than most.

Lastly, a show has to be visually stimulating. A good show needs good special effects and directing. GOT is filmed in various locations in Europe; I don't know exactly where. The locations engulf you into the world of GOT, and leave you begging for more.

Now this is the second season, so I suppose I should talk about how has progressed. I thought it was just as good as the first season. In fact, I thought it was better, but that is mostly because I like the direction it is going becoming more magical. Of course its more than that. Its the politics mixed with a creative world of wonder that never ceases to amaze.

Oh, and a quick word about the packaging. Naturally, the amazon packaging was efficient enough. The Blu-ray package is beautiful. The cardboard cover has an image of the iconic golden crown. It evens includes a level of texture to the embroidery of the crown, which is nice touch. I also think the image is a better representation of what the show is about than that of the first season. Of course that's just my opinion.

SPOILER-SKIP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FIRST SEASON--The first season showed Eddard Stark. He was a major character, but I figured being represented on the cover made him pretty damn important therefore safe. Well, imagine my denial and shock upon his death. Of course, that just speaks to the shows compelling writing.

Anyways, the crown shows the main conflict that this show revolves around.

Now, as for the rest of the packaging, it was clean and seemed to be secure. The Blu-ray cardboard case did have a line along the spine like it was folded before it had even been opened. It was caused by the pocket where slips of info were stored which caused it to deform. It wasn't major but noticeable. Still not worth more than half a star on a 5 star scale.

I also want to add how great a value this is. With a DVD, digital, and Ultraviolet copies in addition to the Blu-ray. At $30, its even cheaper than the DVD copy. it

And here is a TIP to amazon buyers:
when you go to the website to get the digital copy, select amazon. It will then produce a code (different from slip provided) to which you go to Amazon and redeem it. Upon redemption, it does not give you the copy, it gives you the money value credit--the value of the HD Copy season. It can only be applied to GOT2, so go ahead and redeem it by just clicking the one click button. Now, Go back to the site that you got the Amazon code with and backspace back a few sites and select the iTunes option. It will send you to iTunes and prompt you for the code which is the one on the original slip of paper. At which point it will process the entire digital season in HD.