'Game of Thrones' recap: The son also rises

 
I'm increasingly convinced that Littlefinger, Varys and Tyrion are the true triumvirate of power in Westeros, quietly pulling the strings behind the scenes while all the men in crowns are busy hitting each other with mallets by proxy. From their vantage point, watching Cersei and Joffrey rule the Seven Kingdoms must be like watching particularly stupid children kick down sandcastles. Last week, Littlefinger advised the Queen Regent that "knowledge is power," which she countered by threatening to kill him for no reason. There's Cersei Lannister in a nutshell: arrogant, inflexible and far too pleased with the use of power for its own sake. Does anyone really wonder where Joffrey gets it from?

In yet another genius stroke of domestic policy, the City Watch has been marching up and down the streets of King's Landing on Joffrey's orders and murdering King Robert's bastard babies in broad daylight. After all, why achieve your goals through subtle means when a wildly unpopular display of brutal force is also possible?

As an exercise in contrast, Varys and Tyrion conduct a master class in veiled threats after the eunuch pays a visit to Tyrion's prostitute Shae, trading quips and barbs in an ostensibly jovial conversation where nearly every word they say is an obvious lie or misdirection. Before leaving, Tyrion pauses by the door to inform Varys that a new challenger has appeared, and he is no Ned Stark: "I understand the way this game is played."

INTERACTIVE: Who's who in 'Game of Thrones' Season 2

Thank god one Lannister does. Tyrion responds to Babymurdergate by sitting down to dinner with Janos Slynt, the Cersei-appointed City Watch commander who carried out the orders, and informing him of his exciting new career in the Night's Watch, which begins immediately and lasts forever. As the guards drag him away, Slynt declares that they shall hear what Joffrey has to say about this. "No, we shan't," replies Tyrion, and puts him on a ship to Castle Black in the dead of night. And that's how you do it, folks.

‘Fringe’ recap: Lincoln vs. Lincoln

If you told me we were going to get an episode of "Fringe" with barely any Walter, I would have called you crazy. Walter Bishop is "Fringe." He is the origin of the rift between the two universes, the cause of most of the crazy science they have to clean up. He’s the heart of the show, supplying the majority of emotion and by far the largest chunk of humor. Yet in "Everything in Its Right Place," Walter only gets two scenes, bookending the episode, and you know what? I barely noticed. This week was all Lincoln Lee.

At the beginning of the season, Seth Gabel moved up from a special guest start to "Fringe" cast member, and Lincoln got promoted to a full-fledged agent of Fringe Division. But it hasn’t been the best year for him. He lost his partner to a shape-shifting super soldier. Then he got promoted to Fringe Division and got to flirt with the beautiful and skilled Olivia Dunham. But as soon as he seemed to be making a connection, a guy who wasn’t supposed to exist appears out of thin air and woos her away. Talk about unlucky.

So now, Olivia, Peter, and Walter have bonded into a nice little family, Lincoln feels lost and out of place. They notice Gene the cow is depressed but don’t pick up the same cues from Lincoln. No wonder he needs a vacation. And what better place than an alternate dimension.

'Game of Thrones' season 2 recap: Now with more Joffrey slapping

HBO's epic fantasy series is finally back after a successful first season and a handful of awards, including a well-deserved Emmy and Golden Globe win for Peter Dinklage, who continues to steal absolutely every scene with his deft and occasionally heartbreaking portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. At times, "Game of Thrones" has been a brutal show to watch, so I'll start off with at least one piece of good news up front: Joffrey gets slapped across the face in this episode. Really hard. So hard you can actually hear it echo in the throne room!

It's a rare, shining moment of joy in an episode where nearly everyone is half-broken and hanging on by the skin of their teeth, and things seem likely to get far worse before they get better. The once-united Seven Kingdoms have fractured into numerous factions, and teeter on the brink of all-out civil war thanks to the untimely deaths of King Robert and Ned Stark and the growing number of would-be lieges who have forged their own crowns.

Robb Stark has declared himself King in the North after the death of his father at the hands of child-monster King Joffrey, the 13-year-old sociopath currently sitting on the Iron Throne like a kid burning ants with the world's largest magnifying glass. Joffrey is a character who has grown so loathsome that it's occasionally difficult to get through his scenes without taking a break to watch that immensely satisfying fan video where Tyrion slaps him on loop for ten minutes, which I highly recommend.

INTERACTIVE: Who's who in 'Game of Thrones' Season 2

King Robert's brothers, Stannis and Renly, are both laying claim to Joffrey's throne after hearing the totally gross truth about his parentage, each demanding the fealty of the other and gathering their respective power bases. For Stannis, this means aligning himself with a foreign fire deity called the Lord of Light and burning his old gods in effigy on a beach, while simultanously sending ravens to every corner of Westeros with the news that Joffrey is a product of incest. If Ned Stark had done the latter he'd probably be alive right now, but if there's anything we learn from watching "Game of Thrones," it's that being honorable and ethical means you will probably die screaming.

‘Fringe’ recap: the 60% solution

On Thursday, I got the opportunity to speak with “Fringe” show-runners J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, the two guys charged with managing all the different universes and timelines we tune in to every Friday night to watch. One thing Wyman said really rang true to me. “We write the show for our fans. We get a tremendous amount of pleasure having the audience recognizing what we’re doing. It’s like playing with a very tight group of friends that can appreciate every little nuance that the casual viewer might not always pick up.”

“Fringe” might not be for everybody. How many viewers want to watch an episode over and over until they spot one bald guy in the background? Would everybody notice the alternate universe had comic books featuring the Red Lantern and Red Arrow? Even the heavy emphasis on science in the “Fringe” version of science fiction might put some off. That’s fine. Those who watch “Fringe” are a certain, special circle of nerd-dom, but don’t worry, those who make “Fringe” are from that circle as well, and they know how to give you just what you want.

'Fringe' Friday: Show runners J.H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner talk Season 4

I might not be the best person to interview the cast and crew of “Fringe.” I’m sure many fans would love for me to grill anyone I get access to for details about where the show is going or what to expect next, but I’m not a fan of spoilers myself. Even to the point where I try to keep myself away from the previews of next week’s episodes (though I almost always fail on that attempt).

When I have had the pleasure of speaking to a John Noble, Anna Torv or Josh Jackson, the conversation always seems to shift to a joint admiration for the depth of the characters and themes of the show. Much of that depth comes from the work of “Fringe” show runners Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman. I was lucky enough to get a few minutes of their time to chat about Season 4, Wyman’s directorial debut, and what we have to look forward to in the upcoming episodes of “Fringe.”

Season 4 was a bold risk, switching to an alternate timeline and almost reinventing your characters. Was there any concern taking that chance?

Pinkner: There wasn’t concern from us. There was absolutely concern from both Fox and Warner Bros. Their job, understandably, is to make sure everything stays the same and familiar. And it is our job, on a show that is built as a narrative – as opposed to a hospital show or police procedural – to constantly change. We were very excited about this idea that Peter disappears and the consequences of the sacrifice he made to save this world and the woman he loves. We were really confident that we had a thorough story worked out this season about how he comes back and the consequences of him coming back.

You also have to think about the ‘Fringe’ fans, who seem to be a little more sci-fi savvy than the average television viewer.

Wyman: That was a big concern. We’ve always sort of gone with our gut. We have a solid plan of where we’re going each season before we even begin. We just knew it was right for us. We’re always trying to re-contextualize or see different sides of our characters. It reflects the themes we’re talking about all the time. What impact do you have on people. What impact others have on you. What turns have your life taken. How can you change your life? Different versions of our characters that have different choices is really interesting to us. It reinforces that theme.

I’ve had the opportunity to talk to John and Anna a few times in the past. I always comment on how “Fringe” must be a thrill ride for the actors.

 

Creative Minds: ‘Game of Thrones’ costume designer Michele Clapton

Michele Clapton is the Emmy-nominated costume designer for HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which on April 1 returns for a second season. She talks about the challenges of outfitting a sprawling cast in garb that hints at a fantastical history while remaining fresh.

What is your research process for “Game of Thrones”?

We’ve all read the books and we look at it to a point, but sometimes a written description of a costume doesn’t necessarily translate well to the screen. Since it’s such a complicated story, the looks had to enable the viewer to know where they are, who these people are and who they represent.

We made all the costumes for [characters from] the North from skins. For research, we looked at the Inuits and at Tibetan tribes — we try and look at peoples in different times in history to see how they would have dressed in that environment. ...

I also looked at Lascaux cave paintings in France — they have these wonderful animal paintings. We decided that every time they killed an animal, the hunters would have to paint an animal onto their costume. The better the hunter, the more covered in these drawings he would be, which I think visually is really strong. We’re always looking for ways to show who the leader is.

PHOTOS: The costumes of 'Game of Thrones'

It’s so exciting because we can almost go anywhere as long as it makes sense. If they live on a windy, rocky island, like the Greyjoys do, then they dress accordingly: They have costumes made of heavy, densely woven cloth that are waxed and painted with fish oil to help keep out the wind. Everything has a reason for being there.

“Game of Thrones” tells such an intricate story with so many characters. How do you use the costumes to help guide the viewer?

Where a character comes from is indicated through the color and cut of the costume. When we first see Sansa [Sophie Turner], she wears things in a Stark way — very well, but they are slightly clumsy and the cloth is rather homespun. As she comes to King’s Landing, her progression is influenced by Cersei [Lena Headey] and her costumes shift. After Cersei does the awful thing of sanctioning the death of Ned Stark [Sansa’s father], Sansa is stuck — you can see her frozen in time. She’s looking like someone who has just killed her father. And then we will see her progression as she slowly withdraws from the look.

It’s also interesting to look at Littlefinger’s [Aidan Gillen] journey — he started off very much as a courtier, he was always very organized with his little chain and his notebook, and then suddenly he actually stopped wearing the mantle. He had just little glimpses of turquoise beneath his costume and the slit was cut slightly higher. ... Slowly you realize he ran brothels. His costumes, just slowly, became a little richer.

‘Fringe’ recap: the Smell of Love

It’s been a few weeks since Peter went into the mindscape of the Observer to watch the big bang and chat about nature of reality. Peter learned the origins of our bald watchmen and that September is going against his fellow monthly doppelgangers in the hope of correcting the mistake he made by distracting Walternate while he was coming up with a cure for the strange disease that attacked Peter as a child. Understandably, "Fringe" gave us some time to process it, but now it's back to delve into the greatest scientific mystery: love. 

When we last left off, the new timeline version of Olivia was overwhelmed by memories from the original Olivia. Walter believed these memories were caused by Peter’s presence, magnified by the Cortexifan the shape shifters were slipping Olivia. At first, Peter was all for it, happy to have at least part of his Olivia back, but Walter warned him it was wrong and told Peter to stay away. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about trying to regain a lost loved one, it’s Walter.

'Walking Dead' finale: Who is Michonne?

AMC's "The Walking Dead" closed out its second season in spectacularly bloody and fiery fashion on Sunday night. Several characters met their demise and shocking revelations were made. But the thing that has a lot of people buzzing is the introduction of a mysterious, hooded character wielding a katana and leading two zombies around on chains. Just who is this mystery woman?

Longtime readers of Robert Kirkman's comic know that this woman is Michonne, and when the series returns for its third season, she'll soon have a whole new crowd of admirers.

Actress and playwright Danai Gurira has been cast as the no-nonsense character who will join another major character from the comics, the villainous Governor (played by David Morrissey), for the show's third season.

Anticipation for Michonne's introduction on the TV series has been huge. In fact "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard put together a six-page mini-comic for the April issue of Playboy detailing the character's origins.

She first appeared in "The Walking Dead" Issue 19 back in 2005 doing the same thing TV viewers saw her doing on Sunday -- leading armless zombies on chains and dispatching other zombies with her Katana blades.

Those who want to discover Michonne on their own can stop reading now, but for those who can't wait for the next season, here are some essential facts about the character (at least the comic book version of her).

'Walking Dead' recap: Death comes to the farm

Well, we were promised a bloodbath, and that's what we got Sunday night in the season finale of "The Walking Dead" — which saw a herd of walkers descend on Hershel's farm, sending Rick and the others running for their lives. Miraculously, the major players made it out, but what awaits them now is hardly a respite — what with Rick channeling his inner Shane and the appearance of a villain known as the Governor looming on the horizon.

It's a conversation about Shane that those walkers first interrupt, Carl asking his father what transpired between the men that could have culminated in Shane's death (and brief reanimation). Before Rick can give the boy a straight answer, they're fleeing from the zombies into the barn, which they promptly burn down, Rick hoping to incinerate the monsters in the fire. At the farmhouse, Hershel is firing a shotgun at the walkers — his aim is remarkable — determined to protect his property from the invaders. Lori panics when she can't find Carl, and it's up to Carol to try to persuade her to leave without her child, which she eventually does.

Andrea and Glenn do try their best to stop the walkers' advance, firing with considerable accuracy from the passenger sides of separate moving cars. Maggie's driving Glenn, and when they become surrounded, she has to decide to flee for safety, not knowing if her father and Beth are alive or dead. Hershel and Beth each do make it out alive, Hershel with Rick and Carl and Beth with Lori and T-Dog. Daryl rescues Carol when she's surrounded, meaning that only Andrea is left behind. Fortunately, she's resourceful enough to grab a bag of guns and head out into the night, determined to survive.

FULL COVERAGE: 'Walking Dead'

The others eventually meet up back at the highway, overjoyed to see one another and grieving for loved ones lost (including Otis' wife). They make a plan to head out in a caravan in hopes of finding a new shelter, but when Rick's truck runs low on gas, they pull over and decide to make camp. It's then that Rick finally tells Lori what happened between Shane and him in the field. She doesn't react well — she stares at her husband in shock and horror and stalks off without saying a word.

Rick makes a similar confession to the others around the campfire, as they squabble over exactly whether they should be staying out in the open. "I killed my best friend for you people," Rick says, before informing them that their little group is no longer a democracy and he is the only one in charge. Nor is that his only pronouncement — he finally reveals that long-held secret Jenner whispered to him back at the CDC. Everyone is infected, they are all carriers of the zombie virus, or whatever it is exactly.

As the Grimes and their larger extended family of survivors grapple with their fate, an exhausted Andrea is just about to fall to the walkers chasing her through the woods when out of nowhere a mysterious hooded figure leading two chained zombies appears. Thanks to the swift use of a well-placed blade, Andrea is safe, though we never see the face of her rescuer — but fans of "The Walking Dead" comic book would recognize Michonne anywhere. Expect her to be a fixture next season (and here's hoping that the show's writers will opt to revise one key element in the character's storyline for her TV incarnation).

For those of you who'd like to go to the source to discuss Sunday's episode and suss out what's ahead for Season 3, "Walking Dead" showrunner Glen Mazzara (@glenmazzara) will host a special 30-minute Q&A on Twitter beginning at 7 p.m. Pacific time Monday. To participate, sign into Twitter and then insert hashtag #walkingdeadchat. When asking a question, make sure to use the hashtag #walkingdeadchat, so Mazarra will be sure to see it.

But don't let that stop you from leaving your thoughts on the episode below. Did you love the finale? How do you think Season 2 measured up?

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—Gina McIntyre

Photo: Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), left, Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies), Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) and T-Dog (Robert 'IronE' Singleton) in Sunday's season finale of "The Walking Dead." Credit: Gene Page / AMC.

'Desperate Housewives' and 'Walking Dead': Fans react to deaths

Spoiler warning: This post contains important plot points from Sunday night's "Desperate Housewives" and "The Walking Dead."

The Grim Reaper was working in prime time on Sunday when two major characters on two different series met their untimely ends. On "Desperate Housewives," the nice guy plumber, Mike Delfino (James Denton) was shot to death; on "The Walking Dead," Shane the unstable deputy (Jon Bernthal) got killed twice (once as a human, once as a zombie).

Neither death was totally unexpected. Word of Mike's death came late last week when executive producer George Perkins was forced to reveal the plot development while on the witness stand during the trial between former "Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan and series creator Marc Cherry. And fans of "The Walking Dead" comic books have known that Shane has been on borrowed time for quite awhile.

But knowing death is coming does little to blunt the effect when it actually arrives. And fans mourned openly online in the hours after the deeds were done.

Despite the fact that "Housewives" is ending forever in just a few weeks, fans were totally unforgiving of the decision to off Delfino, who has been with the show since the beginning.

"So they killed Delfino on Desperate Housewives.The goodlooking plumber with the heart of gold a 9-yr old kid.I officially hate the show now," Chachi Chatters said.

Seana wrote, "Dear writers of Desperate Housewives: of all the people you could have killed off, you pick Mike Delfino? Not impressed. At all. #badcall."

ChirpTeam wrote, "Cannot believe Mike Delfino was the one to die... honestly, don't the writers KNOW THAT HE IS ONE OF THE MOST LOVED CHARACTERS?"

And fan Bernadette T. Reed seemed to take it all extremely personally when she tweeted, "Mike Delfino dead on his front porch with a huge bullet in his chest ! Terrible! I am in shock all day now! everyone will KNOW this horror!"

Meanwhile, death is a regular occurance on "The Walking Dead" (there was another character death last week) and fans seem to be taking Shane's offing in bloodthirstier stride.

Fan "Dorian Gray" started with a request: "Dear Walking Dead writers: After a successful run taking out Dale and Shane I ask for the hat trick next. Get rid of the bald woman, please."

Brunswick wrote, "So they kill off Dale last week, I get it, but now you kill off Shane? The mom and the wife are still alive? Lame."

But heel though he may be, Shane does have at least one fan. Jocelyn Sandoval tweeted, "Last night was the worst- my baby Shane died... walking dead broke my heart </3"

"Walking Dead" showrunner Glenn Mazzara was on twitter himself last night, adding: "SO many tweets from mind-blown #thewalkingdead fans. Wish I could answer them all but I need to avoid spoilers for our fans worldwide."

In prime time there are only two constants: death and ratings.

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 Photo: James Denton, left, Jon Bernthal. Credits: Associated Press / AMC

'Walking Dead' recap: Last men standing

Remember that final showdown between Rick and Shane that's been brewing for a few episodes now? Well, it finally happened in Sunday night's episode of "The Walking Dead," "Better Angels," and if you haven't watched yet, this would be your cue to stop reading right now.

Faithful fans of Robert Kirkman's comic had a good idea that Shane would end up on the losing side of that fight, of course, but watching the standoff between the one-time partners unfold in a barren field under the light of the moon still made for one of the series' most memorable, most compelling scenes, which is really a testament to the talent of actors Andrew Lincoln and Jon Bernthal.

Both have delivered smartly nuanced performances week in and week out, the simmering tension between their characters erupting in bursts of violence before, but nothing like this: an all-out faceoff that seems to end with Rick stabbing his former friend to save his own life but, in fact, culminates with Carl shooting Shane in the head to save his father after Shane has come back as a walker. Which is really a lot to process.

'The Walking Dead' recap: The end of reason, and...

The end of Dale.

In Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead," titled "Judge, Jury, Executioner," we said goodbye to another of Rick's band of survivors, and Dale will be missed. Especially since he was evidently the only one in this group with enough compassion to speak out against torturing and murdering a guy just because he might  cause some harm.

That guy, of course, is Randall, who at the opening of the episode, is being tortured by Daryl. This brutality is necessary, Shane and some of the others posit, because the young man has information about the band of 30 or so folks in the area with whom he had been travelling who could possibly turn up at the farm looking for a haven. Should that happen, a war could break out over the property, and Rick and the others could very well lose that battle and end up dead or worse.

All of this just further convinces Shane, who's whispering in Rick's ear, that the man is a threat -- he could easily escape and bring his gang to Hershel's since he knows the location of the farm. One might argue that before being tortured, this person would have no real incentive to rat out the group. After being tortured, however...

Rick spends a great deal of time deliberating over the man's fate, asking Lori about whether she'd support him, figuring out the best way to dispatch Randall, even fashioning a noose. Dale, on the other hand, attempts to convince the others that murdering this man would forever alter them, that the civilized world they had known only a short time ago would be forever lost to them. Hershel abstains from the discussion, choosing instead to pass along a family heirloom to Glenn.

Dale manages to win over Andrea, but it turns out that her vote isn't enough to sway Rick. Even Carl is convinced that his dad needs to kill Randall -- it's the only way to ensure their safety.

During all the various discussions about the morality of murdering an innocent man, Carl sets off on his own, wandering off and finding a zombie in the woods. He pelts the walker with rocks and ponders shooting it with a gun he pilfered, that is, until the creature breaks loose of the muddy ground where it was stuck and comes after him. Carl escapes and heads home -- then turns up in the barn just when his father's about to pull the trigger of his gun and shoot Randall in the head. It's only Carl's presence, and the fact that he wanted to watch the shooting, that convinces Rick to stand down and reconsider his decision.

Dale's already set off, though. He's heading away from the farm when he encounters the walker Carl found and is pretty much disemboweled in short order. It's left to Daryl to shoot the man to end his suffering, which is profoundly too bad. Without Dale to raise all those nagging concerns about doing what's right, zombie apocalypse or no zombie apocalypse, I fear for the future of this walker-infested world.

What did you think? Please leave your comments below.

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-- Gina McIntyre

Photo: Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale in "The Walking Dead" Credit: AMC