Game of Thrones,’ Season 2, Episode 1

• Courtesy of HBO
• A DANCE WITH DRAGONS: Dany (Emilia Clarke) and friend

“I was born in a place like this. Then I fell on hard times,” remarks one of the Night’s Watch upon seeing a squalid, ramshackle homestead Beyond the Wall. I love that line, and its wry delivery, partly as an example for what HBO’s “Game of Thrones” brings to its source material, George R.R. Martin’s novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Under creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the show’s dialogue and performances frequently prove grounded and understated, lending some credibility to the far-flung Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

The deadpan remark also suggests that no matter how bad things look, they can always get worse, which could be the series’ theme. “Game of Thrones” new season will roughly follow Martin’s second book, A Clash of Kings, and the two volumes have a relationship comparable to the frying pan and the fire. The analogy doesn’t hold up for the rest of the series, though, unless there are more levels worse than “the fire.”

Season Two’s crackling first episode begins with a celebration for King Joffrey’s name day. Instead of ice cream and balloon animals, the festivities involve knights brutalizing each other. A comical mismatch involves an armored killer and a bumbling drunk who shows up late, wearing a chest plate that could’ve been made from a Captain America Halloween costume - it’s like a contemporary cosplayer/ “Thrones” fan was transported back to real medieval times. Joffrey orders his men to pour a lethal amount of wine down the poor sap’s throat, but Sansa Stark intercedes. Knowing the risks of countermanding the tyrannical little jerk, Sansa carefully suggests that Sir Drinks-a-lot should be made Joffrey’s fool, a fate worse than death.

Tyrion strolls up, in fine fettle - after all, Peter Dinklage has top billing now that Sean Bean’s gone. He cheerfully greets the younger Lannister kids, needles Joffrey for avoiding the field of battle and gives condolences to Sansa on her father’s death. “I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey,” Sansa says robotically, knowing how to keep herself alive. Tyrion’s next stop is to take over the Small Council as Hand of the King (i.e., prime minister). He scolds Cersei for allowing Joffrey to kill Ned and exacerbate the civil war. “Must be hard for you - to be the disappointing child.”