"Game of Thrones" fans are in for more of what made the first season such a huge hit: blood, boobs and betrayal. The second season, which started last night (see recap) on HBO, began where the season one finale left off.

Brittle Daenerys Targaryen and her freshly hatched dragons are on a march through the Red Waste, with men and horses dropping like flies in the desert heat. Little blonde bastard Joffrey is the newly minted King of Westeros, and continues his bloody reign with jousts to the death, forcing his (unhappily) betrothed Sansa Stark to watch. Tyrion Lannister is Joffrey's new hand, which provides an array of hilarious back-and-forths given his known dislike for his nephew, son of his twin brother and sister, Cersei and Jamie. Cersei is dealing with her new position as mother of the queen, which has rendered her even more useless than her wife of the king role last season. Beyond the wall, pretty boy Jon Snow is learning to grapple with the Wildlings, and back in Winterfell, Bran Stark is the new lord now that brother Robb is off at war and his father is dead. Arya Stark is conspicuously missing until the end of the first episode, a nod to the angst her absence is providing her family, who believe Cersei responsible. 

And if that isn't enough, season two adds even more new faces to the mix, including old King Robert's brother, Stannis (Stephen Dillane), who believes himself the rightful heir to the throne. We also meet Melisandre (Carice van Houten), the sexy redheaded sorceress who persuades Stannis to continue his warpath, seducing him in the process. We even get a brief tease of fan favorite Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), who will make a bigger statement when the Renly Baratheon story comes to the forefront (it's absent in these first two episodes).

Things are just as gory as ever; the first episode ends with a particularly brutal montage that's sure to get the internet talking. But, like season one, the stakes are just as high and the plot keeps hurdling forward with nary a second to breathe. It's the same statement-making television that made the first season so shocking and fun. Fans, it's time to buckle up. With the war at full tilt and even more heads in the gamble for the iron throne, season two promises a ride through Westeros with no happy endings in sight.