[Televisionary]

After a six-year wait, George R.R. Martin’s "A Dance With Dragons" finally hits bookstores next week. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "George R.R. Martin’s Triumphant Return," in which I review "A Dance With Dragons," the fifth installment and the latest in Martin’s bestselling "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, on which HBO's Game of Thrones is based. "A Dance With Dragons" will hit bookshelves on Tuesday.

There is a price for everything. Whether it's a spell to resurrect the dead or a new screen door (plus a microwave, to boot), there are strings attached to every bargain, no matter how slight or how severe. Whether or not that toll is immediately clear remains to be seen, but what is inexorable is that the collector will come courting eventually, whether it's for your blood or your soul. This week's fantastic installment of True Blood ("You Smell Like Dinner"), written by Brian Buckner; directed by Scott Winant, presented the residents of Bon Temps with some new bargains thrown into their already overwrought status quo. After last week's lackluster season opener, this week's episode represented a seismic leap forward in terms of quality. No B-grade sci-fi shenanigans here, but rather a taut (and at times quite funny) installment that depicted Sookie integrating back into her old life, only to find that things--including her best friend Tara and her ch

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of sick of faeries, and it's only the first episode of the season... In my advance review, I was extremely upfront about my feelings about the handling of the faerie court and the opening sequence of the first episode of Season Four of True Blood ("She's Not There"), written by Alexander Woo and directed by Michael Lehmann, which depicted just what happened to Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) after she disappeared into the light at the end of last season. What we encounter is a seemingly, well, fairy tale kingdom where human-faerie hybrids snack on light fruits and hang out interminably by a lush fountain courtyard. Alas, nothing is as it seems and all that glitters is not gold... the tranquility that the tableau presents is once more a false front, a shiny facade concealing the waste and desolation of the faerie realm, which looks rather like the dusty canyons near Calabasas. What follows is a B-movie chase as faeries

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of sick of faeries, and it's only the first episode of the season... In my advance review, I was extremely upfront about my feelings about the handling of the faerie court and the opening sequence of the first episode of Season Four of True Blood ("She's Not There"), written by Alexander Woo and directed by Michael Lehmann, which depicted just what happened to Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) after she disappeared into the light at the end of last season. What we encounter is a seemingly, well, fairy tale kingdom where human-faerie hybrids snack on light fruits and hang out interminably by a lush fountain courtyard. Alas, nothing is as it seems and all that glitters is not gold... the tranquility that the tableau presents is once more a false front, a shiny facade concealing the waste and desolation of the faerie realm, which looks rather like the dusty canyons near Calabasas. What follows is a B-movie chase as faeries

We're heading back to Bon Temps at long last, as Season Four of HBO's libidinous and deliciously addictive vampire drama True Blood kicks off this weekend. When we last caught up with Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and the other denizens of the sleepy Louisiana town turned supernatural hot spot, she had vanished into the light with her faerie godmother after learning that her vampire paramour, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) had perhaps not been quite so honest about the circumstances surrounding their first meeting. In true, er, True Blood fashion, multiple characters were either placed into jeopardy or decided to flee Bon Temps altogether in the third season ender, which closed a creatively uneven season that overflowed with vampire kings, werewolves, drug-induced nightmare visions, and creepy baby dolls. With Season Four, showrunner Alan Ball has the opportunity to right the cart a bit, introducing an overarching storyline that involves witchcraft and some devious spirit

True Blood withdrawal getting you down? Fret not, fangbangers. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled "Inside True Blood 's Fourth Season, " in which I sit down with executive producer/showrunner Alan Ball about the fourth season of the HBO vampire drama at his Hollywood office to get some details on what's to come this season. If that weren't enough True Blood -related deliciousness for you, you can also check out "Nine Things to Know About Season 4 of True Blood ," in which Ball teases what's to come for Sookie, Eric, Pam, Tara, Jessica and Hoyt, the faeries, the witches, and more. And there might be a hint or two about what's to come in Season Five as well... Season Four of True Blood begins this Sunday evening at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

When all we have in life is stripped away from us, what do we have left? What is life worth then? These questions hover over the breathtaking finale of HBO's Game of Thrones ("Fire and Blood"), written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor, which depicts transformative moments in the lives of several characters, who must come to terms with not only palpable grief but also the realization that a brutal new status quo is upon them. It's a somber throughline that links the separate story threads of Daenerys, Arya, Sansa, and Catelyn, each of whom suffers a grievous loss and who must find their inner strength to face the day again. For a series that engendered some criticism at its outset from critics and viewers about its depiction of women, particularly the lead female characters at its center, it's a remarkable turning point. Each of these women has suffered at the hands of their enemies, losing the men in their lives, until they must st

Just a heads up that I'll be conducting a live chat over at The Daily Beast on Monday at 11 am PT/ 2 pm ET time to discuss the season finale of HBO's Game of Thrones ("Fire and Blood"), airing Sunday evening. Join me and other television critics--including AOLtv's Maureen Ryan, Time 's James Poniewozik, and Cultural Learnings' Myles McNutt--and Game of Thrones experts (such as the brains behind Westeros.org and Winter is Coming.Net) and fans, as we discuss the end of the groundbreaking first season and the various twists and turns therein. You can enter your email address below for a reminder ahead of time as we move closer to the live event. <p><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=b4ba98ee43" >Live Chat: Game of Thrones Season Finale</a></p> The season finale of Game of Thrones airs this Sun

Fly, fly away, little bird. Just like that, the stakes of George R.R. Martin's world became even higher, the pain even more intense, and the searing sense of loss all the more unbearable. These are cruel times that the Starks and their enemies find themselves. The quality of mercy, as we know, is not strained... but there are often greater reasons to restrain oneself from enacting punishment upon others. Sometimes the open hand is the wiser council than the keen edge of a blade. The cost of life--and the folly of youthful, headstrong kings--is keenly felt in the latest episode of HBO's Game of Thrones ("Baelor"), written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor, which depicts one of the most shocking moments within the first season of the adaptation. For those of us who have read the novels, it didn't come as a surprise, but I will say that I was watching this with my wife--who has remained wholly unspoiled about any plot developments wi

While HBO hasn't shied away from abundant sex in the Game of Thrones books (even amping it up), the presence of rape within George R.R. Martin's novels has been nearly eliminated. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled " Game of Thrones ' Sexual Politics," in which I examine why sex and violence, but not sexual violence, has played out on the show—and why some viewers and critics are angry. Do you agree with the assessment? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate, but remember: keep it fair.

"When you look at me, do you see a hero?" - Varys William Shakespeare's Portia said it best in The Merchant of Venice : "The quality of mercy is not strained/It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." That is, mercy can't be forced; it's either a natural inclination or it isn't. Do you lean towards the pointy end of the sword or the open palm of mercy? Do you enact vengeance or forgiveness? Do you tread meekly or engage your enemy? In this week's episode of Game of Thrones ("The Pointy End"), written by George R.R. Martin and directed by Daniel Minahan, the notion of mercy hovered over the action as viewers saw multiple characters grapple with the questions above. Daenerys attempts to stop her bloodriders from taking their spoils of war when they encounter the sheep people, preventing the women of the tribe from being "honored" by the Dothraki on the ground. Robb chooses to free a Lannister scout rather than redden his blad

We’re starting our summer at a bit of a disadvantage: there is no new season of Mad Men to look forward to this year, as we’ll have to wait until March 2012 to find out what happens to Don Draper and the other staffers at Draper Cooper Sterling Pryce. It’s enough to put a damper on anyone’s television-viewing this summer, but there are still some bright points amid a series of repeats and burn-offs like NBC’s Love Bites . (Seriously, avoid that one like you would the plague.) Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled "Summer 2011 TV Preview: 15 Reasons to Watch TV This Summer," in which I round up what’s new and noteworthy on the telly in the coming months, from True Blood and Torchwood: Miracle Day to British period drama The Hour and the return of Damages and Breaking Bad . All in all, 15 reasons to come in from the warmth of the summer evening and sit down on the couch for a few hours. What are you most excited about heading to the small scree

"I did warn you not to trust me." - Littlefinger The world of George R.R. Martin's novels depicts the internal landscape as much as it does the external and epic; the plots of "A Game of Thrones" and the subsequent books in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel series balances on a knife's edge between grand battles and stirring soliloquies enacted by the chapters' viewpoint narrator. In a television show, we're denied the ability to enter into the characters' minds, to slip away behind the eyes and see the truths that they keep hidden from everyone but themselves, to hear the words that they whisper as they fall asleep, to see the lies that they tell others. Instead, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have had to create ways of sharing information without it seeming obtrusive; the medium largely demands scenes of action rather than long drawn-out moments of inaction. And in this week's episode of Game of Thrones ("You Win

"He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon." - Daenerys More than halfway through the season of HBO's Game of Thrones , we've come to what was arguably my favorite episode of the run so far (though, now that I've seen Episode Seven, I think I've changed my mind), which reveals several secrets lurking in the background of the series ("the seed is strong") and begins to move the players into place for the climactic gamesmanship ahead. On this week's episode of Game of Thrones ("A Golden Crown"), written by Jane Espenson, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss and directed by Daniel Minahan, it's an installment that revolves around changes both great and small, about the way the scales can fall from our eyes and we can see the truth that has been standing in front of us for so long. For Ned, it's a realization of just why Jon Arryn died, of the terrible secret he had gleaned from the book of royal lineages, and just what this could mean