Saturday, December 22, 2012

2012 ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS: NO. 22

BLACKWATER
Maybe it’s because it airs so early in the year, but only one episode of Game of Thrones Season Two really stuck with me in the same way that so many episodes of Season One did. That episode is ‘Blackwater’, and it represents a direction in television I’m very excited about: an epic one. I’m a fan of small legal dramas and character comedies as much as the next guy, but there’s something about the sheer scale of ‘Blackwater’ that is completely thrilling. 

It’s an episode filled with memorable moments both great and small, from Peter Dinklage's amazing, rousing speech to his troops as Tyrion Lannister to Lena Headey's frightening, complicated performance as Cersei. Also, a whole heap of boats explode in a miasma of emerald fire.

Most importantly, it's a truly great episode of television, one that makes every misstep the show may or may not have made in the past insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In the grand tradition of Game of Thrones, there’s always something much, much bigger yet to arrive, and that’s the really exciting part.

Honourable Mention: The Good Wife boasts one of the best casts in television, and the Season Three mid-season finale allows all of them to do their best work. It’s a fantastic culmination of all the plots leading up to it, allows series stalwart Josh Charles (always fantastic, never rewarded) to do his best work and is hilarious and thrilling in equal measure. Awesome, awesome episode.

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