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Is 'Game of Thrones' becoming too complicated?

The second season of "Game of Thrones" has been on the air for three episodes so far, and while we loved the season premiere and raved about it a few weeks back, something has been happening over the course of the next two segments that has us a little worried.

Is the show becoming too overburdened with characters and plotlines?

We know, of course, that "Game of Thrones" is based on George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy cycle, "A Song of Ice and Fire," and that Season 2 is drawn from the second book, "A Clash of Kings." We haven't read the books, but we understand that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are staying relatively faithful, while occasionally even adding characters (like brothel worker Ros) or giving smaller characters more to do.

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This week, on Episode 3, we met new characters such as Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), to add to the clutch of unfamiliar new faces that came our way the week before. There are also the multiple would-be kings vying for the Iron Throne, and all the men and women attached to them.

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There were instances in episodes 2 and 3 where we stopped and said, "Now, who is this again?" For someone just enjoying the show without being a diehard acolyte of the books, that really shouldn't happen. We don't think we're particularly slow; we love complex story lines as much as anyone. And we're aware that only three episodes in, the story is just beginning to coalesce.

Related: 'Game of Thrones' Season 2 Power Players

The main issue, we think, is that so far, Season 2 lacks a real central protagonist. Ned Stark (Sean Bean) was clearly that person in the first set of shows: Nearly all the events of the story were driven by him or spun back to him somehow. With Stark gone, no one has stepped forward to fill that void.

Tyrion, while a wonderful character played to brilliant perfection by Peter Dinklage, is not that person even if Dinklage himself is top-billed. Neither is Robb Stark (Richard Madden), nor Dany Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), neither of whom even appear in Episode 3 despite being central to the story up until now (Jaime Lannister is off this week and next week as well).

We found ourselves with a curious lack of concern for the events of Episode 3 (titled "What Is Dead May Never Die") and less interest in the characters and their interaction (Tyrion was the exception). That doesn't mean we're giving up on the show -- it's only one episode that really made us feel that way. But we hope that as the story comes together, the show perhaps becomes a bit more streamlined, the way that Season 1 felt even with all its characters and subplots.

More: HBO Renews 'Game of Thrones'

On a related note, HBO announced last week that it had renewed "Game of Thrones" for a third season -- no surprise there, of course. What is interesting is that the third book, "A Storm of Swords," is huge (973 pages in hardcover, more than 1,200 in paperback), which will make its adaptation difficult. Benioff and Weiss have already discussed breaking it up into two seasons, which seems like the smartest route to take and one which may ease the narrative congestion.

There is also a lot of death in "Storm," and for viewers of the show who have not read the books, some of the characters who bite the dust may be shocking surprises. It's another challenge for the viewers of a show that is already challenging on so many fronts. And, even with our concerns this past week, we say that as a compliment!

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