The new season of HBO’s fantasy saga Game of Thrones continues in the UK next week on Sky Atlantic with the second episode, The Night Lands.

Airing at 9pm on Mondays, the new ten-part season will be shown less than 24 hours after it airs in the US.

After last week’s confident opening caught us up with the whole cast, The Night Lands focuses in on a few groups in more detail. While Tyrion begins to assert his authority in King’s Landing, Arya and her friends in the Night’s Watch run into trouble en route to The Wall; Theon Greyjoy returns to the home Ned Stark snatched him from ten years ago; and Davos attempts to recruit a colourful new ally to Stannis’ cause.

The focus on fewer characters helps us better acquaint ourselves with new ones, and adds further depth to established ones, while allowing the richness of the confident story-telling to really shine through.

To whet your appetite, here are ten teasing lines of dialogue from the episode …

» “The storms come and go. The big fish eat the little fish. And I keep on paddling.”

» “I can’t steal her. She’s a person, not a goat!”

» “It’s a hard place, the Iron Islands. Always has been. It’s cold and it’s wet… They say hard places breed hard men. And hard men rule the world.”

» “I hate bad investments. I really do. They haunt me.”

» “I am not questioning your honour. I am denying its existence!”

» “How can someone so small be such a huge pain in my arse?”

» “She’s commanded men. She’s killed men! She knows who she is.”

» “I will take my crown. For that is who I am. That is who we have always been.”

» “What is the world coming to, when smugglers must vouch for the honour of kings?”

» “You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead.”

> Buy the Season 1 boxset on Amazon.

Are you looking forward to the episode? Let us know below…