Game Of Thrones Recap - Season 4 - Episode 1 - "Two Swords"

Welcome to TPG's Game Time aka my recaps for "Game of Thrones." Since I last published a recap I've gotten more serious with my writing so recaps (and other thoughts) will be published here on www.timgoessling.com. Be sure to check out my other published works in the "articles" section and also subscribe to my weekly newsletter "The Survival Guide."

Direwolf Badassery: -10. I'm starting to wonder if counting these points is still valid considering the unfortunate events of last season. We have Ghost, Nymeria, Summer, and Shaggydog out there but a direwolf gets burned in the first minute of the show so that's a big loss of points!

#JoffreySwag : 28 Points! 10 points for the statue. 5 bonus points for the pose. 3 points for his fly gold clothes (swag!) and an additional 10 points for all his zingers. 

1. The season opens with the image of a sword and many times did swords play key roles in tonight's episode. The Stark's sword was melted down, Jaime's abilities were questioned, Arya got his sword back, and Prince Oberyn Martell commented on best use of a sword inside. The message here folks is that swords will be used this season and blood will be spilled (perhaps more than usual).

2. Some new cities on the map. I spotted Dreadfort and Mereen and the return of Winterfell. Did I miss any?

3. Just when you think Jaime's redemption story and journey to being a hero is going to continue strong this season with him standing up to his father he has go get all bitsy creeping on his sister. WTF Bro?

4. Pretty sneaky for HBO to hit you with the brothel scene complete with lots of naked female flesh only to switch it with some potential man on man action. I'm sure many a Bro of Thrones fan was confused by that moment!

5. Oberyn Martell is going to be a beast this season. Calling it now- it's going to be a real showdown for resident badass between him and BG aka Badass Ginger aka Tormund the Wilding. Jon Snow is now too emo to be considered.

6. Shae is the most annoying character on the show. Why is she still around? Weak sauce.

7. A surefire way to introduce a group of bad guys is to make them cannibals and such is the case for the Thenn. A group more wild than the wildlings! Dayuum!

8. I loved how well written this episode was. The dialogue cracked like the flames of a beach bonfire party with Melisandre. The scene with Jamie and Cersei re-connecting and the Hound's "Wire" reference (A man's gotta have a code") standoff were almost Tarantino like in their verbal firepower. Also props to blind man Maester Aemon on the Night's Watch for squeezing in a zinger about how he learned to spot liars.

9. This episode was full of darkness: almost to a point where it seemed the writers were trying to point out that this is "Game of Thrones" and they're not not holding back. Multiple references to rape, crucified kids, violent descriptions of horrible acts, and brutal deaths. Maybe I've just gone soft while the show's been off the air. 

10. So Arya finally gets her first real kill on her list - Polliver - a barely important Lannister soldier. She also got her sword back! She is on her way master assassin but I hope she doesn't lose her humanity on the way.

11. No sign of Bran,Hodor or my main man Stannis and his blazing hot broad. Since both of their stories are the most magic heavy I actually missed them a lot and can't wait to check in.

That's it for the first week, feels great to have the show back on the air, the waiting is always the hardest part and we made it! Happy to have the show back and sharing these recaps with you. Please share them and spread the word!

-TPG

American Identity Through The Eyes of Captain America

How do we define American? Are we defined by the food that we eat, our national holidays, and the sports and music that we enjoy? Does our government, outlined in our much heralded constitution make us who we are? Or, is our American identity not rooted in our shared heritage and traditions but on how we live our lives on a daily basis? These are the questions that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" addresses in a way that is both entertaining, funny, and unexpectedly moving.

I initially went into the film as a fan boy. I think "The Avengers" is pretty much a masterpiece of large scale storytelling and can easily tell you every movie of Marvel's "phase" based storytelling. That being said "Captain American: The Winter Soldier" has stuck with me in ways beyond nerd obsession. It struck me a brilliant metaphor to raging battle about how we define our cultural identity. The first brilliant clue that the movie will be about this comes not from our hero literally running through the symbolic monuments of our history in Washington D.C. but from the convenient checklist that he keeps of important "American" cultural and political forces that he needs to catch up on.

How do you feel about this list? Do you think it defines what it means to be an American? What would you add or remove from this list? One thing that is missing (definitely on purpose) are the attacks of September 11th and the never ending war on terror that we live with now. This doesn't make the list because this war and all that comes with it is the central issue of the film. The core of the film's story is how Captain stands in the tug of war between lean between "freedom" and "fear" as it pertains to protecting the country in the name of "order." When Captain America learns about a wide-reaching intelligence gathering and "defensive" program he memorably says "you hold a gun on everyone's head and call it protection."

This is a bold line (amongst many) that are clearly directed at the current NSA data-mining program and our continued war on terror. Earlier I asked if our government and constitution define us as Americans and the film presents the terrifying question that if it does, what does it mean if our government is diseased and corrupt? Captain America's choice in the film is to fight directly against the government which he believes has lost its way. The film may be a "super-hero" film but its really a super-revolutionary film. Is Edward Snowden our modern day Captain America? They both were born and raised here and pursued a career in intelligence. Like many whistleblowers or people who expose Governmental wrongdoing, both are labeled "traitor" by their bosses when do they so. The film is brave enough to explicitly draw a connection between standing up for your country's ideals even the when cost may be severe. Pretty intense and thought provoking than your stand blockbuster-fare.

It is not all doom, gloom, and paranoia because the film's true political message is that the strength in America lies not in our military power but in the friendships we make and how we treat our neighbors. I'm not talking about socialism. I'm talking about connecting with one another on an real and emotionally true level. Throughout the film Captain America is defined by his loyalty not to his country but to his friends, both old and new. At first, he jokes about having no personal connections or friends and ,in a painful scene with his old lover, he's reminded of what he once had and doesn't have now. Over the course of the story he learns the value of true friendship after his faith in government betrays him.

His relationship with the antagonist,The Winter Soldier is a driving core of the film and the ending choice the two make shows just how powerful a friendship can be. Throughout the film Captain American and Black Widow become true partners not because of their mission but because of their shared grief and past. The Falcon expresses grief at losing friends in war and leads a group of veterans who are looking for a connection in a brutal world. We're only as strong as the people we trust and cherish, a theme echoed in a memorable showdown in a mission control room later in the film.

It's a shame that many people will immediately write off the film as being a "super-hero" film and not see for the bold political warning story it is. The only other film that comes close to examining our current war on terror was "The Dark Knight" but that was before our current NSA reality and that film was focused on anarchy than repression. "Captain America: The Winter Soldiers" is a masterwork that works well as a surface layer blockbuster, but truly excels in what it says about our current political policies and just how much we're defined by our friendships. We may have different definitions of what it means to be American, but I think we all know that sometimes we all need the help of our people, whether they're super-heroes or not.