Inevitably I watch this series through a filter, or several - I can't help but compare it to the books, and to the extent that it sticks to that source material, to anticipate the twists and turns of the tv version...it makes for a less immersive experience than the books themselves, or, I suspect, the tv series for anyone coming to it without that familiarity. But having said that, this second season maintains the high standards of the first, and, particularly over its second half, stretches its legs a bit, departing further from the events of the books, and doing so effectively, mostly in ways that seem designed to heighten tension or to draw the smaller number of characters and threads together more satisfactorily in the different medium.
(season 1 & again)
(season 1 & again)
