Agreed! Or the moment Tyrion outs the snitch by telling Littlefinger, Varys, and Pycelle all different potential husbands for Myrcella. The editing was perfect
It really was. Watching Tyrion playing the game so well, Bronn adding comic relief along with the antics of Cersei, Varys and Littlefinger culminating with the Battle of the Blackwater was just so fantastic.
i dont think id call it outsmarting varys. def littlefinger and pycelle, but varys was unimpressed with Tyrions proposition. to be fair, offering myrcella to Theon Greyjoy was tyrions weakest bait
@@mechistarvily5078 to be fair. In the books it's show later how tyrion didnt have that much control as he thinked XD. Litle finger and Varys we're manipulating him all the time xd
The battle of the blackwater will always be my favorite episode. I love the Hound finally turning on Joffrey especially straight to his face and Joffrey can do nothing to stop him, podrick saving tyrion, the whole explosion, Tyrion's speech, etc... It's just filled to the brim with amazing moments
S2 is my favorite because it’s one of the few seasons where I at times rooted for every faction. I came to respect Stannis, and hated Joffrey, but Stannis winning would mean an end to Tyrion, and Tywin’s scenes made him quickly into a GOAT character, and I was also of course rooting for Robb, but as much as I hated Theon’s actions, I could see how desperately he just wanted to accepted by his his family and people. No matter who won every fight, I was still going to lose in some way, and that made the show so incredibly compelling. Later seasons began to shift ‘good’ people to one side and ‘bad’ to another more so than before.
War of the Five Kings really felt like a 'historical' war. Good and bad on both sides, and ultimately its always the common people who suffer the most.
That’s a really good way to put it. In Seasons 1, 3, and 4 we really have no reason to root for the Lannisters. But in S2, Tyrion (whom of course we all love) is so embroiled in the Lannister cause that we have no choice but to root for them a little bit.
@@CatastrophicDisease Exactly! Plus it's very obvious that Stannis would never compromise with Robb, but might have been too skilled for Robb to beat. For the North to win independence, Stannis had to lose, or so the audience feels in S2.
@@LuxLoser I feel if Stannis did win Blackwater, he’d use Sansa as a bargaining chip. I know for a fact, Book Stannis would return Sansa without a second thought but since Show Stannis is more villainous, then he’d temporarily use her as a hostage.
One thing that is really good about season 2 but also thenhole show in general up to season 7 is the costum design. You really get a feeling of which house or group a character belongs based on their costume and also it really looked like medival attire. Compare that to season 7 and 8 where everyone wears black lether and looks the same like in a biker gang and not in an medival setting.
Even in Season 2 the costume designs were mediocre at best, and for the most part not how any of these characters look in the book-like Tywin wears a fucking cloth of gold cape that can only be supported by a big Lioness necklace/loads of characters have idiotically badass armor yet virtually no featured characters wear armor (or they wear incomplete sets with no helms) /the color palette is always muted as fuck and black for the most part, you'd think 85% of all the House's/Lord's/Knight's of Westeros were all in the Night's Watch...
@@CommanderLongJohn still better than season 7/8. In season 2 it can be argued that they didnt have the budget to give everyone armour. In season 7 they not oly chose to not give people armour, the also chose to scrap the costume from before.
The scenes between Arya and Tywin are pure acting gold, I like to think that some ot the remarks Tywin gives to Arya about her brilliance are actually Charles Dance genuinely appreciating Maisie Williams' work.
I preferred ASOS more, and season 4, but the slow descent into the seige of Kings Landing, and also Daenerys experiencing the magic and wonder of Qarth, were both superbly done in the books, in ways that couldnt quite be captured on screen, even given as good as S2 was.
@@unratutox1543 I agree 100% By leaving that scene out dumb and dumber really missed an opportunity with Tyrion's character. They could have made him more like book Tyrion instead of what we got.
The thing that is really a pitty about the earlier seasons is that we never actually saw a single battle between the starks and lannisters, the main conflict in the early part of George's saga. They changed a lot of Robb to make him more understandable to casual modern audiences, those changes made sense but they are inferior to their book counter part, though .... to give credit to the producers, they actually showed more from Robb then we see in the books, since Cat went south for most of the book, we only see reports from Robb's campaign in the west, but in the series they actually showed some of the planning, camp, pre and post battle, which is pretty cool. Even George said that if he could change something, he would probably have made Robb a full POV character. Though he also admit it that by doing that, he would lose the "element of surprise" that we as readers get when Robb comes back to Riverrun and has to inform his mother and the Freys that he betrayed his vows. But man, imagine if Robb was indeed a POV character, it would make his death even more impactful. He is my favorite character in the books and Richard Madden made a perfect job portraying him, I just wished they have made him redhead like in the books and made him use the famous Iron Crown from the tradition of the previous Kings of the North.
For your robb stark criticism, I'd like to note that the seemingly no obstacles plot he's having is set up for the great twist of the red wedding, which made it much more chocking because we always thought everything is going to be well with his plot.
Disagree, showing the obstacles would be better. The books go into detail about the battles he wins, and lulls you into a false sense of security because of how great of a leader/strategist he is. By not showing the obstacles he overcomes in the show, it takes away from the idea that Robb is a great commander because we rarely ever see what makes him that.
I mean it was pretty obvious when he chose a lowborn instead of a key political marriage that it was gonna bite him in the ass. I just didnt think it would end so soon after that.
@@aleemizcool3654 agree with you completely, by no obstacles i meant him being so good a commander that it seemed that way, not that his plot has been a road carpeted with roses. I guess bad wording
@@LucarinaD20 dude, were we watching the same show? Stephen Dillane is an amazing minimalist actor, he conveys so much in so little, especially given that he had no idea what the show was about yet gave an amazing performance anyway. Stannis is supposed to be grim, sullen and introverted, you can't expect him to be as expressive and outspoken as Tyrion for example
@@jackbale5846 true, they are terrible without books, they needed to invent most of story and they cant ... they knew just few major things like dany going crazy and arya killing night king, rest was heavily improvised... still cant understand how can s1-s4 become s7 8...
Season 2 shows us the scale of the war so perfectly. Episodes like 4, 5 and 6 all open with a major battle or event that shows the consequences across Westeros. In Episode 4, Robb wins a victory in the westerlands that makes life hard for Sansa in Kings Landing due to Joffrey's rage. In Epispde 5, Renly Baratheon is assassinated which shatters the Tyrell-Baratheon alliance, giving Stannis power on land and sea. Episode 6 opens with Theon taking Winterfell, which leaves Robb conflicted whether he carries on his campaign in the west or defends his home and has later consequences which ultimately results in the red wedding. Season 2 shows the horror and scale of war better than Seasons 7 & 8 ever could. Finally, Tyrion is easily the best character this season, unlike Ned Stark as hand of the king, he isn't afraid to play dirty and bends the rules in his familys favour. He has the power and is enjoying every second of it!
Actually, I consider this to be one of the faster paced Seasons. The chaotic events happen back to back and it feels like everything is moving, something I feel only Season 4 achieved. Seasons 3, 5, & 6, were so slow and have so many pacing issues and filler while Seasons 7&8 are so fast paced, most of the events are rushed and don't have any real consequences.
The main characters Jon and Dany's plotlines moving slowly and at a similar pace makes a lot of sense, gives us the clue that they'll stay along for longer and maybe sooner or later interviene
"Ah, season 2, back when passionate showrunners thoughtfully adapted-" "They weren't passionate showrunners. David and Dan never loved GoT, we never loved them." "A harmless courtesy, your grace." "A lie, take it out." "... the boys season 8 and 7, and the girl season 6, being born of incest between the writers and arrogance-" "Make it 'the distinguished writers.' Whatever else they are, they still wrote some good dialogue."
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I liked Dani’s storyline in Qarth. Qarth was very mysterious and you felt that sense of it being “too good to be true” the whole time so I was always wondering what was going to pop off. I just didn’t like that there was no payoff with Quaithe.
I don’t know if someone else mentioned it but another great thing about the battle of the black water is who’s fighting. We all hate the Lannisters, besides Tyrion. We want to see Joffrey disposed. So we might want to cheer on Stannis. But if Stannis wins Tyrion would most likely die, and we don’t want that to happen. So we then might want to cheer for Tyrion, but if he wins Joffrey remains as king. I enjoy this, both sides have benefits for the audience to cheer on and it makes us very invested in the results.
The build up to the massive wildfire explosion had me on the edge of my seat. The drums, the empty ship, the wildfire gushing out, the epic shot of Bronn firing the arrow. And then an absolute banger of an explosion with fantastic audio design. Loved it.
Finally it’s here. While S2 is my least favorite of the first 4 seasons, it’s still first 4 seasons, it’s still phenomenal. This season had Tyrion at his peak with the hand of the king storyline culminating in the epic battle of blackwater (still my favorite battle), we got those amazing scenes with Arya and Tywin in Harrenhall, Theon’s storyline and character is so compelling and powerful to watch, S2 was just so consistent in terms of acting, writing and dialogue (aside from maybe Daenerys. It wasn’t terrible but probably my least favorite in the first 4 seasons)
The underwhelming Daenerys storyline in Qarth (especially after her great story in season 1) why I also think it’s the least strong of the first 4. It’s still terrific though. 1/4 3 2 6 5 7 8
Rewatching the series over the past couple weeks season 2 has definitely been one of my favorites. It really sets everyone up for their eventual falls in the later seasons
in the battle of the blackwater, when half of Stannis's fleet gets blown up and he still decides to land and even knowing thousands will die before even getting to shore, that sent chills down my spine, the sheer determination to win even if he is the only man still standing at the end and his entire army is dead
Imagine the story if robb had actually listened to roose.. They'd have swept over the land and taken the throne just in time for stannis and renly to finish squabbling over who the king will be, job done. Robb, like ned is incredibly foolish with the whole honour and honesty policy, this omelette required a few to many cracks for either of them to handle.
If Robb listened to Roose, he'd be no better than Tywin and would be committing what we in the 21st call "war crimes". He'd only add fuel to the fire and create more enemies than he did in cannon. And Robb didn't attack King's Landing because Tywin had more men and moving against him directly was suicide, so attack his undefended home turf to force him into a battle of Robb's choosing was the best move if not for Edmure.
Nah, plus Stannis would have killed him since he was trying to be a king. If there wasn't a Magic Ghost monster Rob doesn't fail, him and Remly team up and crush them in that same battle. Ghost monster that was only used once the whole show changed everything.
I am really happy I am not the only one that appreciates how beautiful the Regal Ancestor Spirit song from Elden ring is. As soon as I noticed you used it I got goosebumps.. definitely one of my favorites videogames songs ever
Supercut I'm a huge fan of your videos. They are some of the funniest videos I've seen on UA-cam. I used to watch you a LOT during lunch breaks at work. I quit that job by the way so I can become self-employed cause you know you got to have that sigma male grindset. Keep up the amazing work man :D
im so sad how it ended, it really hurts. This season and season one are the most rewachable tv out there. It cemented my love for what fantasy can achieve, and it was destroyed by wanting to jump ship. I mean, I understand not wanting to remain on a same project forever, but come on, we all have been on dead end jobs, just to support ourselves. It is incomprehensible how you would like to leave a high paying job and a passion project to just gobble up more of them, and ruin your reputation on the process.
Season 2 is an example of where everything is working together perfectly. Acting, filmography, and most importantly writing all fitting in perfect stride.
Tywin, the one character I wish would have made it to the end. Seeing him go from being all powerful, to then seeing dragons/white walkers and realizing how pointless everything he stood for was compared to what was actually going on combined with how fucking amazing Charles Dance is as an actor would have probably made the later seasons A LOT better on it's own.
I loves GOT season the first episode but what declared it as the best show in T.V history for me was Tyrion's speech in season 4 being the only scene I repeated several times and couldn't get over the fact that how good a show can keep getting.
Watched GoT for the first time in the last year (bit late to the party ik). Im always surprised to hear people say S2 was their fav although it's obviously exceptional. Like many, my fav part of the show is all the manoeuvring but I felt S1 did this while also being more interesting and shocking. Personally I think S3 is by far the best and not just due to big moments but performances, story etc overall. Dany has her most dull season of the first 4 in S2 and I think that meant the pacing dragged a bit whenever it cut to her plotline
One scene that was really good is the scene where Bronn lectures tyrion and varys about war. Bronn best scene in mu opinion, he fully owns 2 of the smartest characters in the show.
I think a very underrated part of season 2 is the constant reminder of the horns being blown by the nights watch to indicate what they are being warned about, and near the end for a moment you have forgotten somewhat about it. As you hear them you are already programmed to expect either returning brothers or wildlings, and with the second blow of the horn it is confirmed, they are fighting wildlings much like the one characters exclaims... and then the horn blows a third time, and dread seems to fill your heart with realization of what that might mean... and then that brilliant reveal of the dead approaching through the storm... one of the best endings to a season by far
Honestly, favorite part of the video was the tiny nod to The Hurt Locker...not a knock, I loved it all, but that's literally my favorite war movie so I had to mention it
I loved a lot of changes since it made it interesting and stayed true to the feel of the book the general plot. Not bored by a page for page 100% accurate depiction.
as usual, another absolute banger. and idk what it is but i love your voice and just hearing u talk abt something you're invested in always brings me joy
You worded everything I felt intuitively watching the show so well! I too was indeed so hyped for what was to come by the sheer wit (wildfire), intricate storylines and great visuals. It's a shame that they couldn't deliver anymore after season 5.
Dang, I forget how different Tyrion's season 2 story is from the books. But... it still really works! As for Jon and Dany... Qhorin Halfhand's plans and actions make no sense, there's definitely further revelations to come there. Qarth is the same: there's a bazillion factions in the books, and its not clear how much power each of them holds, nor why no one just killed Dany and took her dragons. But I guess this is the trouble with adapting an unfinished book series.
3:05 Considering that I continued watching through all these Seasons because I wanted to see full grown dragons breathing fire and white-walkers invading the south, I didn't mind the action.
Theon Greyjoy as a leading character, like he's supposed to be. Before the show became completely lowest common denominator and they started attributing screen time based solely on how hot/"funny"/Arya the characters were. Thanks for this video! As much as people hype 3 and 4 (sometimes 1) as the best seasons, season 2 was my favourite. It was the one where I transitioned from merely loving the show to being _obsessed_ with it, something I've never felt for any other story before or since. It's what turned me onto the books, then it grew even more. Obviously seasons 5, 6, 7 and 8 took that joy and replaced it with hatred as early as 5/6, numbness/indifference by 7, then none-stop laughter on 8 (maybe it was all worth it after all?).
There's so much more in dialogue type scenes that could have been explored with Cersei being Queen, Dany eventually becoming evil and destroying everything, and The Night King and the undead. Instead, all that potential was squandered and undercooked.
i really think that the early seasons of GOT shine in the dialogue only scenes. i know everyone brings it up, but the cersei/robert scene in S1 is one of, if not THE, best in that season and the show on the whole.
Do you know what else makes Season 2 so great? Dumb and Dumber actually showed some writing skills during this season. The Arya-Tywin plotline did not happen in the books. The Xaro-Pyat conspiracy also did not happen in the books. Dumb and Dumber actually made their existing material better. Oh how the mighty have fallen come Season 5.
tyrion vs cersei dialouge S 1-4 was 10/10 character insight. Both actors were delivering lines with duch authenticency that i'd forget for a second that its acting. .example - the scene where tyrion says something like " nothing like a late blooming philosopher" to cersei. Cersei responds with " you were always funny , i give you that". Its simple,yet given their relationship dynamic, its an amazing cersei moment. And i always hated her, except in that scene.
I so sorely missed these dialogues in later seasons. It was absolutely something the show did to differentiate itself from the books, especially the Varys and Littlefinger scenes or various Tywin scenes.
So, here's my problem with the Arya/Tywin storyline. I agree with everything you said, the chemistry is great, it's entertaining. But in the end, the tension is cheap, and Tywin acts way out of character. He figures out, pretty quickly, that she's a highborn Northerner. He also knew Ned and Lyanna Stark, both of whom Arya is supposed to resemble closely. But, even if he didn't recognize her and put together that she was the missing Stark child, which he would have, I just can't believe that he wouldn't apprehend and try to ransom a nobleman's child from the North. The fact that he never cottons onto her and tries to take advantage of the situation, makes all the tension building up over the course of that storyline just meaningless.
Fair point and I have no doubts that had he realised it was Aya he would have ransomed her. However he’s disappointed in all 3 of his children and as mentioned almost has a father daughter relationship with her. Tywin is impressed by her and therefore doesn’t.
I think he considers her a lot more like Jeyne Poole (Sansa's friend from Winterfell at the start) who does have a noble name and lives in a castle but is still a "servant" in the hierarchy. Nobody would ransom Jeyne alone unless they were very desperate for a small reward and he is a Lannister, he could use an intelligent servant (who knows which side is going to win) more than any pittance her family might pay. He is still under the impression that Arya is in Lannister hands in the capital, also when did he meet Lyanna Stark?
Yeah bro I think he still thought Arya was with her sister Sansa in Kings Landing, at this point in the story. He had not much reason to be suspicious of her, plus he was too busy planning how to win the war, not care much about prisoner ransoming members of low-level minor noble houses
I've just finished Book 2 and its stranger how different it is from Season 2. The characters I like in the show I dont like in the books and vice versa.
For me, season 2 has a massive amount of individually awesome scenes. But something is awkward about it. S1 had the pressure to carry the weight to prove the show could be more than 1 season. S3 was the show hitting its stride, Leaving S2 waddling about, unsure of its pacing, but full of potential. “Oh we’re a show now, um, what do we do?”
@@BloodIncantationTab S2 has some odd pacing. S1 had left lines for S2, but S2 had to establish lines for S3, S4 etc, it had to lay out the firmament for deviating from the book in a way which doesn’t take away from the quality. S1 has a distinct feel for it, same with S3 and 4, S2 has a mix, like it doesn’t know exactly what it wants or needs to be, it’s not “bad” I’m saying, it’s like witnessing growing pains.
@@flamingmuffin666 S2 did a lot right though, but aside from the battle of blackwater, season did not have much in the way of climaxes. It was very much about the journey. Even S1 had more climaxes to plotlines (Ned’s death, Drogo’s death leading to birth of dragons, Northern Lords deciding to secede from 7 kingdoms and name Robb King in the North, etc, Tyrion’s trial by combat in the Vale, etc). What S2 did have was a lot of great storytelling in every episode and so many great plotlines: *Awesome introduction to new characters like Stannis, Ser Davos, Melisandre, Brienne, Balon and Yara. *War of the 5 Kings *Arya escaping King’s Landing with Yoren, then being taken as a prisoner to Harrenhal and being cupbearer to Lord Tywin, then escaping Harrenhal with Gendry, Hot Pie and Lommy thanks to the help of Jaqen Hagar. *The best King’s Landing plotlines in whole series, culminating in the brilliant Battle of Blackwater Bay *Theon returning home to the Iron Islands, then sacking Winterfell.
Stannis' menace is perfectly summarised by Varys: "There's nothing as terrifying as a truly just man". Everyone in King's Landing court knows Stannis will scour the place clean if he wins, having learned from Robert's mistakes. He openly says it at one point. If such an uncompromising vision of justice were to prevail, the entirety of the nobility of King's Landing would probably lose their heads since they're all guilty to some degree.
Series 2 is superb. Some of the best television I have ever seen. Great characters and their development, the story is character-driven, not plot-driven. Just superb. Interestingly (or not), Series 8 finale was on earlier today. I thought, "Oh, I'll watch it." I turned it off after 15 mins as I didn't give a sh!t about any of the characters any more, and it just annoyed me.
@Vernir-de4yv False. He is an interesting character, showing the duality of being so harsh and tied to duty. You're only saying that because he doesn't have a good character arc after Season 2.
I like the point you make about not tiring of dialogue scenes. In the later seasons, every time I saw a dialogue seen I'd perk up. Sansa and Jon reuniting was a highlight of season 6, and even though the dialogue was objectively worse than older seasons, it was just nice to get back to some interesting dialogue options. I can't remember a single scene from season 7 or 8 that had any interesting dialogue
I always love it if there are more than 2 sides, more than black and white and GoT deliveres a ton of those unique persons and motivations. Yet the greatest battle of the whole series was blackwater imo. Because I sat in front of the screen just watching, yet watching without knowing who will win the battle until the Tyrell forces arrived. And seeing something uncertain and unpredictable in television is insanely rare and made this battle that perfect
Season's 2 Kings landing storyline was prolly the best storyline in the entire show
Agreed that scene where Tyrion exiles Janos slynt is one of my favourite scenes it’s just so funny
Agreed! Or the moment Tyrion outs the snitch by telling Littlefinger, Varys, and Pycelle all different potential husbands for Myrcella. The editing was perfect
It really was. Watching Tyrion playing the game so well, Bronn adding comic relief along with the antics of Cersei, Varys and Littlefinger culminating with the Battle of the Blackwater was just so fantastic.
Same for the books^^
Yeah you got to know all the players and now the most schemious are all locked up in a powder keg of a city :)
just the scene where Tyrion outsmarted Varys, Littlefinger and Pycelle by itself makes season 2 better then seasons 5,6,7,8 combined
i dont think id call it outsmarting varys. def littlefinger and pycelle, but varys was unimpressed with Tyrions proposition. to be fair, offering myrcella to Theon Greyjoy was tyrions weakest bait
@@ShadeStormXD yeah I agree with you it wasn't really outsmarting but at least he tried :D
Season 5 he was still with us, but starting in 6, he started going so downhill.
Nah, varys knew from the start
@@mechistarvily5078 to be fair. In the books it's show later how tyrion didnt have that much control as he thinked XD. Litle finger and Varys we're manipulating him all the time xd
Fun fact: what definitely made blackwater the best episode of season 2 was probably the fact that it was written by George R.R. Martin himself
George R.R. would never left the series.
@@x_.suzaku._x he’s left the books
Stannis Baratheon at his most consistent and not all over the place in later Seasons.
Imagine this show with directors that are good at writing and that don't hate the character. A dream.
@@perseusveil9376 A good dream that I have all the time
Season 5 stannis was great
@@barkley8285 Up until the last two episodes where his character was assassinated
Man. If directors didn't hate stannis...
The battle of the blackwater will always be my favorite episode. I love the Hound finally turning on Joffrey especially straight to his face and Joffrey can do nothing to stop him, podrick saving tyrion, the whole explosion, Tyrion's speech, etc... It's just filled to the brim with amazing moments
And don't forget Cercei ready to poison her son rather then getting him killed by the enemy. Always gives me the chills.
Also stannis climbing the walls and leading from the frontline
Stannis annoyed me not wearing a helmet lol
@@jackj9816 yeah true, especially when the dude right next to him gets clobbered by a rock
@@kevincatal8869 that’s also why commanders don’t go first
S2 is my favorite because it’s one of the few seasons where I at times rooted for every faction. I came to respect Stannis, and hated Joffrey, but Stannis winning would mean an end to Tyrion, and Tywin’s scenes made him quickly into a GOAT character, and I was also of course rooting for Robb, but as much as I hated Theon’s actions, I could see how desperately he just wanted to accepted by his his family and people. No matter who won every fight, I was still going to lose in some way, and that made the show so incredibly compelling. Later seasons began to shift ‘good’ people to one side and ‘bad’ to another more so than before.
War of the Five Kings really felt like a 'historical' war. Good and bad on both sides, and ultimately its always the common people who suffer the most.
That’s a really good way to put it. In Seasons 1, 3, and 4 we really have no reason to root for the Lannisters. But in S2, Tyrion (whom of course we all love) is so embroiled in the Lannister cause that we have no choice but to root for them a little bit.
@@CatastrophicDisease Exactly! Plus it's very obvious that Stannis would never compromise with Robb, but might have been too skilled for Robb to beat. For the North to win independence, Stannis had to lose, or so the audience feels in S2.
Imagine if they made the Night King a compelling character. :o
@@LuxLoser I feel if Stannis did win Blackwater, he’d use Sansa as a bargaining chip. I know for a fact, Book Stannis would return Sansa without a second thought but since Show Stannis is more villainous, then he’d temporarily use her as a hostage.
One thing that is really good about season 2 but also thenhole show in general up to season 7 is the costum design. You really get a feeling of which house or group a character belongs based on their costume and also it really looked like medival attire. Compare that to season 7 and 8 where everyone wears black lether and looks the same like in a biker gang and not in an medival setting.
100% agree! They put so much effort in all the details. The only thing that comes close in the later seasons is Danny's braids and Sansa's outfits.
@@marsmellow_5958 nah i think sansas outfits were the same problem. But i agree with the hair.
Even in Season 2 the costume designs were mediocre at best, and for the most part not how any of these characters look in the book-like Tywin wears a fucking cloth of gold cape that can only be supported by a big Lioness necklace/loads of characters have idiotically badass armor yet virtually no featured characters wear armor (or they wear incomplete sets with no helms) /the color palette is always muted as fuck and black for the most part, you'd think 85% of all the House's/Lord's/Knight's of Westeros were all in the Night's Watch...
@@CommanderLongJohn still better than season 7/8. In season 2 it can be argued that they didnt have the budget to give everyone armour. In season 7 they not oly chose to not give people armour, the also chose to scrap the costume from before.
I think season 4 had the best constumes
The scenes between Arya and Tywin are pure acting gold, I like to think that some ot the remarks Tywin gives to Arya about her brilliance are actually Charles Dance genuinely appreciating Maisie Williams' work.
lol yeah ok sure
Probably the best change from books to show.
glazing too much
Season 2 was by far my favorite season. the acting, writing and everything else. It also helps that ACOK was my favorite book may also help
I preferred ASOS more, and season 4, but the slow descent into the seige of Kings Landing, and also Daenerys experiencing the magic and wonder of Qarth, were both superbly done in the books, in ways that couldnt quite be captured on screen, even given as good as S2 was.
@@mandotherapper2586 season 4 could have been amazing but leaving out the Tysha confession really left a bad aftertaste for me.
@@unratutox1543 I agree 100% By leaving that scene out dumb and dumber really missed an opportunity with Tyrion's character. They could have made him more like book Tyrion instead of what we got.
The content of ACOK was really good but I just can’t forget how many typos there were in that book, it’s quite distracting
@@mandotherapper2586 CV uo
Blackwater is a masterpiece. Tywin's "we have won" gave me chills, brilliant...
Such a brilliant actor
@@lorddaquanofhouserastafari4177 portrayed him perfectly
Charles Dance is a genius
The thing that is really a pitty about the earlier seasons is that we never actually saw a single battle between the starks and lannisters, the main conflict in the early part of George's saga.
They changed a lot of Robb to make him more understandable to casual modern audiences, those changes made sense but they are inferior to their book counter part, though .... to give credit to the producers, they actually showed more from Robb then we see in the books, since Cat went south for most of the book, we only see reports from Robb's campaign in the west, but in the series they actually showed some of the planning, camp, pre and post battle, which is pretty cool. Even George said that if he could change something, he would probably have made Robb a full POV character.
Though he also admit it that by doing that, he would lose the "element of surprise" that we as readers get when Robb comes back to Riverrun and has to inform his mother and the Freys that he betrayed his vows. But man, imagine if Robb was indeed a POV character, it would make his death even more impactful.
He is my favorite character in the books and Richard Madden made a perfect job portraying him, I just wished they have made him redhead like in the books and made him use the famous Iron Crown from the tradition of the previous Kings of the North.
I would love to read a POV Robb chapter
@@Nathan-yn3jo the red wedding would be even worse
George has said he regrets not giving Robb his own pov chapters.
I wonder if the lack of Stark/Lannister battles on screen was down to budget issue
@@andrewlowden322 it was
For your robb stark criticism, I'd like to note that the seemingly no obstacles plot he's having is set up for the great twist of the red wedding, which made it much more chocking because we always thought everything is going to be well with his plot.
Disagree, showing the obstacles would be better. The books go into detail about the battles he wins, and lulls you into a false sense of security because of how great of a leader/strategist he is. By not showing the obstacles he overcomes in the show, it takes away from the idea that Robb is a great commander because we rarely ever see what makes him that.
I mean it was pretty obvious when he chose a lowborn instead of a key political marriage that it was gonna bite him in the ass. I just didnt think it would end so soon after that.
@@aleemizcool3654 agree with you completely, by no obstacles i meant him being so good a commander that it seemed that way, not that his plot has been a road carpeted with roses. I guess bad wording
Season 2 is just great because of the Goddamn Mannis.
No need of a boring speech but a : "Come with me and take this city"
Thousands
"The dwarf has played his little trick. He can only play it once."
yeah, too bad the actor has less personality than a wooden door
@@LucarinaD20 dude, were we watching the same show? Stephen Dillane is an amazing minimalist actor, he conveys so much in so little, especially given that he had no idea what the show was about yet gave an amazing performance anyway. Stannis is supposed to be grim, sullen and introverted, you can't expect him to be as expressive and outspoken as Tyrion for example
Hey bro! Remeber me? The Arab Ramsay ENJOYER 😈
Yeah s2 is just incredible. Back when the show used to have good writers and fire dialogue. The peak of GOT.
it's the same writers, only that in those times they could still write storylines based on the books.
@@jackbale5846 true, they are terrible without books, they needed to invent most of story and they cant ... they knew just few major things like dany going crazy and arya killing night king, rest was heavily improvised... still cant understand how can s1-s4 become s7 8...
@@NostalgicMem0ries these lazy producers were clearly not as half as clever as GRRM, at least theyr'e not involved with the prequel.
D and D were good at writing dialogues but poor at writing stories
@@no_one8224 "Because I have balls, and you don't."
Season 2 shows us the scale of the war so perfectly. Episodes like 4, 5 and 6 all open with a major battle or event that shows the consequences across Westeros.
In Episode 4, Robb wins a victory in the westerlands that makes life hard for Sansa in Kings Landing due to Joffrey's rage.
In Epispde 5, Renly Baratheon is assassinated which shatters the Tyrell-Baratheon alliance, giving Stannis power on land and sea.
Episode 6 opens with Theon taking Winterfell, which leaves Robb conflicted whether he carries on his campaign in the west or defends his home and has later consequences which ultimately results in the red wedding.
Season 2 shows the horror and scale of war better than Seasons 7 & 8 ever could.
Finally, Tyrion is easily the best character this season, unlike Ned Stark as hand of the king, he isn't afraid to play dirty and bends the rules in his familys favour. He has the power and is enjoying every second of it!
I love season 2. But a lot of people do not like the slow pace. People want explosions which is pretty sad. Because this season is amazing.
This season had the best explosion though
Never heard a single person say that.
Who on earth doesn't prefer s1-4 over the later seasons tho....😬😬
Actually, I consider this to be one of the faster paced Seasons. The chaotic events happen back to back and it feels like everything is moving, something I feel only Season 4 achieved. Seasons 3, 5, & 6, were so slow and have so many pacing issues and filler while Seasons 7&8 are so fast paced, most of the events are rushed and don't have any real consequences.
Are these people real or have you just imagined them? Do you know one single person who prefers the later seasons over season 2
Ygritte and Jon were a really good pairing…never a dull moment in their story
Such a good pairing that they got married in real life.
The main characters Jon and Dany's plotlines moving slowly and at a similar pace makes a lot of sense, gives us the clue that they'll stay along for longer and maybe sooner or later interviene
The scenes with Arya and Tywin are my absolute favorite throughout the whole show!
Season 2 is so underrated. I rewatch GoT every now and then and I always forget how good this season is.
Killed the vid bro as well!
"Ah, season 2, back when passionate showrunners thoughtfully adapted-"
"They weren't passionate showrunners. David and Dan never loved GoT, we never loved them."
"A harmless courtesy, your grace."
"A lie, take it out."
"... the boys season 8 and 7, and the girl season 6, being born of incest between the writers and arrogance-"
"Make it 'the distinguished writers.' Whatever else they are, they still wrote some good dialogue."
Don't forget to throw Season 5 in there as well
Amazing comment😂
What are you quoting?
@@radhiadeedou8286 Stannis from Season 2x1
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I liked Dani’s storyline in Qarth. Qarth was very mysterious and you felt that sense of it being “too good to be true” the whole time so I was always wondering what was going to pop off. I just didn’t like that there was no payoff with Quaithe.
Back when every episode was a delight.
Man I remember the hype for season 2 and the battle of black water.. good times!
I don’t know if someone else mentioned it but another great thing about the battle of the black water is who’s fighting. We all hate the Lannisters, besides Tyrion. We want to see Joffrey disposed. So we might want to cheer on Stannis. But if Stannis wins Tyrion would most likely die, and we don’t want that to happen. So we then might want to cheer for Tyrion, but if he wins Joffrey remains as king. I enjoy this, both sides have benefits for the audience to cheer on and it makes us very invested in the results.
The build up to the massive wildfire explosion had me on the edge of my seat. The drums, the empty ship, the wildfire gushing out, the epic shot of Bronn firing the arrow. And then an absolute banger of an explosion with fantastic audio design. Loved it.
Finally it’s here. While S2 is my least favorite of the first 4 seasons, it’s still first 4 seasons, it’s still phenomenal. This season had Tyrion at his peak with the hand of the king storyline culminating in the epic battle of blackwater (still my favorite battle), we got those amazing scenes with Arya and Tywin in Harrenhall, Theon’s storyline and character is so compelling and powerful to watch, S2 was just so consistent in terms of acting, writing and dialogue (aside from maybe Daenerys. It wasn’t terrible but probably my least favorite in the first 4 seasons)
The underwhelming Daenerys storyline in Qarth (especially after her great story in season 1) why I also think it’s the least strong of the first 4.
It’s still terrific though.
1/4
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Rewatching the series over the past couple weeks season 2 has definitely been one of my favorites. It really sets everyone up for their eventual falls in the later seasons
in the battle of the blackwater, when half of Stannis's fleet gets blown up and he still decides to land and even knowing thousands will die before even getting to shore, that sent chills down my spine, the sheer determination to win even if he is the only man still standing at the end and his entire army is dead
Imagine the story if robb had actually listened to roose..
They'd have swept over the land and taken the throne just in time for stannis and renly to finish squabbling over who the king will be, job done.
Robb, like ned is incredibly foolish with the whole honour and honesty policy, this omelette required a few to many cracks for either of them to handle.
If Robb listened to Roose, he'd be no better than Tywin and would be committing what we in the 21st call "war crimes". He'd only add fuel to the fire and create more enemies than he did in cannon. And Robb didn't attack King's Landing because Tywin had more men and moving against him directly was suicide, so attack his undefended home turf to force him into a battle of Robb's choosing was the best move if not for Edmure.
Nah, plus Stannis would have killed him since he was trying to be a king.
If there wasn't a Magic Ghost monster Rob doesn't fail, him and Remly team up and crush them in that same battle. Ghost monster that was only used once the whole show changed everything.
@@mrhumble2937 If Robb wasn't King In The North, an alliance would seem likely.
Good choice of music in the beginning of the voice makes me want George to write a book for elden ring history but that would take forever
Season 2 is a season where the more I return to it, the more I like it, just rewatxhed got recently and it's now my 2nd favourite season after 4
I am really happy I am not the only one that appreciates how beautiful the Regal Ancestor Spirit song from Elden ring is. As soon as I noticed you used it I got goosebumps.. definitely one of my favorites videogames songs ever
I love that you’re using the regal ancestor spirit’s ost!
Brother, just you using the Ancestral Spirits soundtrack made me happier than anything. Im glad this theme is getting recognition
Fantastic video as always! Absolutely love the Elden Ring and Skyrim music in the background, all my favourite things all together!
Gotta appreciate the Elden Ring OST playing in the background
Supercut I'm a huge fan of your videos. They are some of the funniest videos I've seen on UA-cam. I used to watch you a LOT during lunch breaks at work. I quit that job by the way so I can become self-employed cause you know you got to have that sigma male grindset. Keep up the amazing work man :D
OMG I got a like from Supercuts......just made my day :D
im so sad how it ended, it really hurts. This season and season one are the most rewachable tv out there. It cemented my love for what fantasy can achieve, and it was destroyed by wanting to jump ship. I mean, I understand not wanting to remain on a same project forever, but come on, we all have been on dead end jobs, just to support ourselves. It is incomprehensible how you would like to leave a high paying job and a passion project to just gobble up more of them, and ruin your reputation on the process.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit music was a great choice. Good job on the vid
Season 2 is an example of where everything is working together perfectly. Acting, filmography, and most importantly writing all fitting in perfect stride.
Season 2 is got to be one of my fav seasons and it feels like tyrion is our protagonist through the whole season
Season 2 is the most underrated season…especially when it’s not rated number one
Arya and Tywins scenes were always some of my favorites. idk why, but the actors especially tywin are so talented.
Tywin, the one character I wish would have made it to the end. Seeing him go from being all powerful, to then seeing dragons/white walkers and realizing how pointless everything he stood for was compared to what was actually going on combined with how fucking amazing Charles Dance is as an actor would have probably made the later seasons A LOT better on it's own.
I loves GOT season the first episode but what declared it as the best show in T.V history for me was Tyrion's speech in season 4 being the only scene I repeated several times and couldn't get over the fact that how good a show can keep getting.
Watched GoT for the first time in the last year (bit late to the party ik). Im always surprised to hear people say S2 was their fav although it's obviously exceptional. Like many, my fav part of the show is all the manoeuvring but I felt S1 did this while also being more interesting and shocking. Personally I think S3 is by far the best and not just due to big moments but performances, story etc overall. Dany has her most dull season of the first 4 in S2 and I think that meant the pacing dragged a bit whenever it cut to her plotline
Yeah most of Dany's stuff is unwatchable
Don't go past S5, just pretend it got cancelled. It is way better that way
Daenerys has very few chapters in ACOK, so they made a lot of filler scenes.
As much fun as these are the music instantly sent me back to the Witcher video games. I’m almost certain that’s what it’s from
It’s is, just read the description. Thought I was losing my mind
One scene that was really good is the scene where Bronn lectures tyrion and varys about war. Bronn best scene in mu opinion, he fully owns 2 of the smartest characters in the show.
I think a very underrated part of season 2 is the constant reminder of the horns being blown by the nights watch to indicate what they are being warned about, and near the end for a moment you have forgotten somewhat about it. As you hear them you are already programmed to expect either returning brothers or wildlings, and with the second blow of the horn it is confirmed, they are fighting wildlings much like the one characters exclaims... and then the horn blows a third time, and dread seems to fill your heart with realization of what that might mean... and then that brilliant reveal of the dead approaching through the storm... one of the best endings to a season by far
I love the Witcher 3 soundtrack in the background so much. It fits really well.
I wish I could do what this guy did and re-watched the series but I couldn't stomach it knowing where it ends
The Battle of the Blackwater episode is my favorite episode, alongside The Watchers on the Wall.
The battle of Blacke water is my favorite battle in the show
And the best one
I think the battle at the wall is slightly better
My opinion:
Battle on the wall
Blackwater
Hardhome
Battle of the bastards
Battle of Winterfell
@@Edmures_rampant_manhood god list the long night is the worst
@@vito7828 I forgot it was even called that😅
Finally someone said it. Maybe the best season along with Tywin's plots and Stannis plans in S3 that gives you this vibe of "Game of thrones"
Honestly, favorite part of the video was the tiny nod to The Hurt Locker...not a knock, I loved it all, but that's literally my favorite war movie so I had to mention it
I loved a lot of changes since it made it interesting and stayed true to the feel of the book the general plot. Not bored by a page for page 100% accurate depiction.
Great vid as always. Can't wait for your season 3 analysis.
I really gotta watch the battle of blackwater episode again, shit was so goddamn good.
as usual, another absolute banger. and idk what it is but i love your voice and just hearing u talk abt something you're invested in always brings me joy
As a HUGE Sopranos fan, I cannot deny that the first 4 seasons of GoTs is the best ever. Nothing else comes close.
I'd have to disagree. The first 4 seasons are incredible, but not the best ever 😉
@@letmetellyalilstory9122 you are delirious season 1-4 is some of the best storytelling and dialogue in tv shows history
@@lorddaquanofhouserastafari4177 Yep, some of the best. But not the best ever 😉
It's GOT s1-s4, and Breaking bad S3-S5 for me.
@@letmetellyalilstory9122 still way better than this new show so far
You worded everything I felt intuitively watching the show so well! I too was indeed so hyped for what was to come by the sheer wit (wildfire), intricate storylines and great visuals. It's a shame that they couldn't deliver anymore after season 5.
Beautifully done, SCD ❤️ Makes me actually want to watch the Blackwater Bay episode again. Man. Tyrion and Cersei were on fire this season
Dang, I forget how different Tyrion's season 2 story is from the books. But... it still really works! As for Jon and Dany... Qhorin Halfhand's plans and actions make no sense, there's definitely further revelations to come there. Qarth is the same: there's a bazillion factions in the books, and its not clear how much power each of them holds, nor why no one just killed Dany and took her dragons. But I guess this is the trouble with adapting an unfinished book series.
I appreciate the Ancestor Spirit theme in the background, such a lovely composition
3:05 Considering that I continued watching through all these Seasons because I wanted to see full grown dragons breathing fire and white-walkers invading the south, I didn't mind the action.
S2 is awesome, building to maybe my favourite episode.
GODS, THE WRITING WAS STRONG THEN.
Theon Greyjoy as a leading character, like he's supposed to be. Before the show became completely lowest common denominator and they started attributing screen time based solely on how hot/"funny"/Arya the characters were.
Thanks for this video! As much as people hype 3 and 4 (sometimes 1) as the best seasons, season 2 was my favourite. It was the one where I transitioned from merely loving the show to being _obsessed_ with it, something I've never felt for any other story before or since. It's what turned me onto the books, then it grew even more.
Obviously seasons 5, 6, 7 and 8 took that joy and replaced it with hatred as early as 5/6, numbness/indifference by 7, then none-stop laughter on 8 (maybe it was all worth it after all?).
There's so much more in dialogue type scenes that could have been explored with Cersei being Queen, Dany eventually becoming evil and destroying everything, and The Night King and the undead. Instead, all that potential was squandered and undercooked.
i really think that the early seasons of GOT shine in the dialogue only scenes. i know everyone brings it up, but the cersei/robert scene in S1 is one of, if not THE, best in that season and the show on the whole.
Do you know what else makes Season 2 so great? Dumb and Dumber actually showed some writing skills during this season. The Arya-Tywin plotline did not happen in the books. The Xaro-Pyat conspiracy also did not happen in the books. Dumb and Dumber actually made their existing material better. Oh how the mighty have fallen come Season 5.
"Halfman! Halfman!" - Soldiers at the Battle of the Blackwater
I literally JUST finished rewatching Season 2 yesterday. LMAO!
tyrion vs cersei dialouge S 1-4 was 10/10 character insight. Both actors were delivering lines with duch authenticency that i'd forget for a second that its acting. .example - the scene where tyrion says something like " nothing like a late blooming philosopher" to cersei. Cersei responds with " you were always funny , i give you that". Its simple,yet given their relationship dynamic, its an amazing cersei moment. And i always hated her, except in that scene.
Oh wow, Elden Ring’s Regal Ancestor Spirit’s OST fits so well with Game of Thrones content. Such a great song.
Ooooh that’s why it sounds really familiar
I love the Regal Ancestor Spirit music in the background!
I so sorely missed these dialogues in later seasons.
It was absolutely something the show did to differentiate itself from the books, especially the Varys and Littlefinger scenes or various Tywin scenes.
So, here's my problem with the Arya/Tywin storyline. I agree with everything you said, the chemistry is great, it's entertaining. But in the end, the tension is cheap, and Tywin acts way out of character. He figures out, pretty quickly, that she's a highborn Northerner. He also knew Ned and Lyanna Stark, both of whom Arya is supposed to resemble closely. But, even if he didn't recognize her and put together that she was the missing Stark child, which he would have, I just can't believe that he wouldn't apprehend and try to ransom a nobleman's child from the North. The fact that he never cottons onto her and tries to take advantage of the situation, makes all the tension building up over the course of that storyline just meaningless.
Fair point and I have no doubts that had he realised it was Aya he would have ransomed her. However he’s disappointed in all 3 of his children and as mentioned almost has a father daughter relationship with her. Tywin is impressed by her and therefore doesn’t.
I think he considers her a lot more like Jeyne Poole (Sansa's friend from Winterfell at the start) who does have a noble name and lives in a castle but is still a "servant" in the hierarchy. Nobody would ransom Jeyne alone unless they were very desperate for a small reward and he is a Lannister, he could use an intelligent servant (who knows which side is going to win) more than any pittance her family might pay. He is still under the impression that Arya is in Lannister hands in the capital, also when did he meet Lyanna Stark?
Yeah bro I think he still thought Arya was with her sister Sansa in Kings Landing, at this point in the story. He had not much reason to be suspicious of her, plus he was too busy planning how to win the war, not care much about prisoner ransoming members of low-level minor noble houses
nice use of the Elden Ring song in the beginning 👍
Season 2 was my favorite season, and I look back on the entire period of my life very fondly. It felt like there was so much still ahead.
The Thumbnail is a 100/10
Thomas theme along with the destruction of King’s Landing almost made me spill my coffee.
Thank you for not forgetting there are 6 OG seasons (or 5-4 to some) before that last mess
there only 4 seasons of GOT imo
I've just finished Book 2 and its stranger how different it is from Season 2. The characters I like in the show I dont like in the books and vice versa.
I love that you used Skyrim music during the last part of the video
For me, season 2 has a massive amount of individually awesome scenes. But something is awkward about it.
S1 had the pressure to carry the weight to prove the show could be more than 1 season.
S3 was the show hitting its stride,
Leaving S2 waddling about, unsure of its pacing, but full of potential.
“Oh we’re a show now, um, what do we do?”
bad take. Elaborate
@@BloodIncantationTab S2 has some odd pacing.
S1 had left lines for S2, but S2 had to establish lines for S3, S4 etc, it had to lay out the firmament for deviating from the book in a way which doesn’t take away from the quality.
S1 has a distinct feel for it, same with S3 and 4, S2 has a mix, like it doesn’t know exactly what it wants or needs to be, it’s not “bad” I’m saying, it’s like witnessing growing pains.
@@flamingmuffin666 S2 did a lot right though, but aside from the battle of blackwater, season did not have much in the way of climaxes. It was very much about the journey. Even S1 had more climaxes to plotlines (Ned’s death, Drogo’s death leading to birth of dragons, Northern Lords deciding to secede from 7 kingdoms and name Robb King in the North, etc, Tyrion’s trial by combat in the Vale, etc).
What S2 did have was a lot of great storytelling in every episode and so many great plotlines:
*Awesome introduction to new characters like Stannis, Ser Davos, Melisandre, Brienne, Balon and Yara.
*War of the 5 Kings
*Arya escaping King’s Landing with Yoren, then being taken as a prisoner to Harrenhal and being cupbearer to Lord Tywin, then escaping Harrenhal with Gendry, Hot Pie and Lommy thanks to the help of Jaqen Hagar.
*The best King’s Landing plotlines in whole series, culminating in the brilliant Battle of Blackwater Bay
*Theon returning home to the Iron Islands, then sacking Winterfell.
everyone leans and looks away when the wildfire explodes in stannis´ fleet... except the pyromancer he looks like christmas came early
I’ve been looking forward to this...
Stannis' menace is perfectly summarised by Varys: "There's nothing as terrifying as a truly just man". Everyone in King's Landing court knows Stannis will scour the place clean if he wins, having learned from Robert's mistakes. He openly says it at one point. If such an uncompromising vision of justice were to prevail, the entirety of the nobility of King's Landing would probably lose their heads since they're all guilty to some degree.
Witcher 3 music always appropriate!
Series 2 is superb. Some of the best television I have ever seen. Great characters and their development, the story is character-driven, not plot-driven. Just superb.
Interestingly (or not), Series 8 finale was on earlier today. I thought, "Oh, I'll watch it." I turned it off after 15 mins as I didn't give a sh!t about any of the characters any more, and it just annoyed me.
Haven't watched this yet but my personal opinion is simply because of Stannis the Mannis. Let's see what the video says
He should’ve been King over everyone else
@@gfilmer7150 he literally burnt his own daughter to death, man
@Vernir-de4yv False. He is an interesting character, showing the duality of being so harsh and tied to duty. You're only saying that because he doesn't have a good character arc after Season 2.
brother's used the Witcher 3 music. Perfect choice! Cheers mate
The Witcher/Elden Ring music really makes this video
I honestly prefer the book version, Clash of Kings, over this season
This story was way more terrifying the book
But I still think season 2 is amazing
I mean... imo the books are always going to be preferred no matter how good the seasons are.
I like the point you make about not tiring of dialogue scenes. In the later seasons, every time I saw a dialogue seen I'd perk up. Sansa and Jon reuniting was a highlight of season 6, and even though the dialogue was objectively worse than older seasons, it was just nice to get back to some interesting dialogue options. I can't remember a single scene from season 7 or 8 that had any interesting dialogue
Tyrion and Cersei’s scene at the end of s7 was one of the few
Love the use of regal ancestor spirit in this video, its by far the best track in elden ring
One reason this season is one of my favorite is the Hound and Sansa growth. Wish the show continue the growth of that relationship
My favourite part about all of GoT is Arya and Tywins conversations etc. Its golden.
I always love it if there are more than 2 sides, more than black and white and GoT deliveres a ton of those unique persons and motivations. Yet the greatest battle of the whole series was blackwater imo. Because I sat in front of the screen just watching, yet watching without knowing who will win the battle until the Tyrell forces arrived. And seeing something uncertain and unpredictable in television is insanely rare and made this battle that perfect