I first started reading the Game of Thrones novels in ninth grade. I read the opening twenty pages of A Game of Thrones, but didn’t go any further; I can’t recall why, perhaps some sort of mandatory reading got in the way. I do remember telling myself I’d go back to it, especially after the prologue, the prologue that gave us creatures of ice called the Others, creatures that I found to be the stuff of nightmares. I returned to the books six months later, when I was in tenth grade and my interest in the Others only grew, especially since Martin kept them off screen, but hyped them up through tales told by other characters like Old Nan.

I’m not happy.

The difference between the show and the novels aren’t many considering how hard it is to adapt Martin’s books into a television show and I’ve been completely fine with the changes the show has so far made. In general, I don’t mind adaptation changes because books and television/film are different mediums so of course there will be differences (there needs to be a whole article on how people complaining about films or TV making adaptation changes is ridiculous).

Sherlock Holmes has never been unfashionable.

Like a good tuxedo, the classic detective has always been en vogue. Sure, it may seem like he’s recently come back into fashion but the truth is that wily and abrasive detective has never left the limelight of pop culture.

I talked last season about Game of Thrones’ dislike for weddings, not to mention my own dislike for the rather narcissistic event, but damn, does this show hate weddings or what? I knew Joffrey’s death was coming since I read the books, but my enjoyment wasn’t hindered because every time he took a sip from his cup I expected him to start choking. We really need to get a count going of how many people have died at weddings on this show.

When you tune in to watch Monday Night Raw, what are you watching? As World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship show, Raw frequently pulls in viewers numbering in the millions in the USA, and tens of millions worldwide (according to Nielsen Ratings).  So the program is clearly popular.  But what is actually being watched?  A television show?  A filmed stage production?

I believe when we last met around the ol’ throne we were lamenting the loss of the Stark army along with Robb and Catelyn. The tears are not yet gone in the premiere and it’s a smart move as the slaughter that occurred near the end of season three has given the show a new level of preeminence. Game of Thrones rubs it right in our faces with a pre-credits sequence of Tywin Lannister melting down Eddard Stark’s sword and creating two new ones out of it. In a story filled with misery, Tywin is one of the few that seems at least somewhat content. Joffrey, too, but how much of a person is he?