Game of Thrones recap: 'Valar Dohaeris'

HBO's extraordinarily dense, critically acclaimed fantasy series returns with a stellar third season premiere

(Image credit: HBO)

In the middle of "Valar Dohaeris," tonight's season three premiere of HBO's Game of Thrones, Tywin Lannister tells his son Tyrion that only "jugglers and singers require applause." The characters on Game of Thrones may not require praise, but based on tonight's stellar premiere, the applause for Game of Thrones will only get louder.

In budget, content, and scope, Game of Thrones is a series that couldn't have existed a decade ago, and its success was far from guaranteed when it premiered on HBO in April 2011. But Game of Thrones enters its third season with all the confidence and swagger — not to mention the gold — of a Lannister.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.