Game of Thrones: Season Two

Game of Thrones: Season Two, 2012. Various factions plot to gain political control over a fantasy world.

Created by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, based on books by George R. R. Martin. Directed by Alan Taylor (4 episodes), David Petrarca (2), David Nutter (2), Alik Sakharov (1) & Neil Marshall (1). Written by Benioff (6 episodes), Weiss (6), Vanessa Taylor (2), Bryan Cogman (1) & Martin (1). Starring Peter Dinklage & Lena Headey.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 4/4 (Great). It took several episodes of being frustrated by the flatness of characters (especially Robb Stark) before it became clear that the people in the center of the action are not in fact the main characters.
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). I don't know if I'm the only person watching this show that hasn't read the books, but I find it to be impossible to always know what's going on with every sub-plot. Often when I ask my wife (who has read the books up to this point) why something is happening, or who someone is, the answer is something that wasn't even in the show. But apart from that, it's very engrossing, albeit in a sometimes (deliberately) uncomfortable way.
Objective Rating (Average): 2.8/4 (Good)