Let The Game Begin

There should be dancing in the streets because season five of Game Of Thrones starts today. (Silicon Valley and Veep too--appetizers or dessert, depending on what order you watch.) Now where did we leave off?

Arya is traveling overseas to Braavos to learn new skills, while the Hound is dead (or dying, or who knows?). Are Brienne and Pod are still heading toward the Eyrie, where Sansa lives, or have they turned around?  Littlefinger seems to have big plans for Sansa, but we'll see where that goes.

Daenerys runs Meereen, or should we say is bogged down there, while her dragons are chained.  As I've complained more than once, she knows there are plenty who want her dead, so why is she being a sitting duck when she could make her move on Westeros?  Okay, the dragons could grow a bit, but as this season starts shouldn't they about be ready?  Meanwhile, Ser Jorah has been banished--will he try to get back in her good graces, wage war against her, or just sulk?

The awful Boltons seem ready to make their move, whatever that is, and Theon is their slave.

Lot's of activity at the Wall.  Jon Snow is in charge, and while he was making peace, Stannis and Davos swept in to defeat Mance.  Melisandre is there, and she seems to see something in Jon--will it be goodbye, Stannis?  On top of that, the White Walkers are threatening to attack (as they have been from the first scene in the show--come on, already)--and they could be the biggest threat of all to the Seven Kingdoms. Beyond the Wall you've got Bran, who can't walk, but will soon learn to fly.  What will that mean?

Tyrion, after (I'm pretty sure) killing his father, has escaped King's Landing with the help of traveling buddy Varys.  Don't know where he's going, but you know he'll be central to the story. His erstwhile champion Oberyn Martell was killed, so there will certainly be repercussions in Dorne.

Meanwhile, the Game of Thrones continues in King's Landing itself.  Cersei from House Lannister and Margaery from House Tyrell are fighting to control the boy-king Tommen Baratheon.  There may be more fallout from that than anything else.  Jaime seems to be sitting on the sidelines, but no doubt he'll soon have his own adventure.

Maybe best of all, I hear the show is getting further and further away from the books, so it'll be tougher for all those obnoxious fans to give out spoilers.