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  ===Critical response===
  Several media outlets reviewed the season's first four episodes before they were broadcast, and rendered almost uniformly positive verdicts. The season holds a Metacritic score of 90 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 96% approval rating from 37 critics with an average rating of 8.82 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Game of Thrones'' follows up a strong debut with an even better second season, combining elegant storytelling and vivid characters to create a rich fantasy world."
  ''Entertainment Weekly'' rated the new season "A-" and praised the "vivid, vital, and just plain fun" storytelling. In the reviewer's opinion, the greatly enlarged cast did not feel like bloat and the show remained accessible to those who had not read the novel. ''The Huffington Post'' called the start of the second season "far more elegant and engaging" than that of the first, and appreciated the show's maturation, increased assurance and momentum as well as the visually improved settings and the new actors' performance.  ''Newsday''s review gave it an "A+", calling it the "best show on television" and warranting the preparation required by viewers.
  ''The Hollywood Reporter'' also wrote that ''Game of Thrones'' made a "strong case for being one of TV's best series". Impressed that the series continued to improve in quality as it breathed life into its vast web of interconnected storylines, the reviewer considered that, unlike other genre shows, ''Game of Thrones'' had gravitas such that it should not be considered dramatically inferior to shows like ''Mad Men'' or ''Breaking Bad''. ''HitFix''s Alan Sepinwall gave the new, "bigger and better" season an "A", praising its increased confidence and smoothness despite its even greater use of "sexposition". New to the series, the ''Chicago Sun-Times''s reviewer found the season premiere "engrossing" and praised the "top-notch" acting, writing, sets and storytelling. The ''New York Times'' was the only major publication to publish a mixed review. It criticized the lack of complexity in the characters apart from Dinklage's, the confusing multitude of characters and the meandering plot.