Tonight on HBO GAME OF THRONES returns with the premiere of it’s third season.  If you’re like us then you’re just waiting for the new season and all the usual amazingness. Season 1 and 2 of GoT were wonderful and HBO better not let us down.

Before tonight’s show here is where some of our favorite character were at the end of season 2.  Ned Stark’s daughter Arya and her friends Gendry and Hot Pie escaped Harrenhal and began walking towards her brother Robb’s forces in the Riverlands.  Bran was headed for the Wall.  Brienne of Tarth has Jamie Lannister and she is headed to King’s Landing to trade for Sansa and Arya.  Daenerys Targaryen (Danys) is looking for a boat to sail to the Westeros.  Joffrey Baratheon has gotten rid of Sansa and is now looking to marry Margaery Tyrel.  Jon Snow is pretending to be a traitor so he can get close to the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder.  Stannis lost at Blackwater and has gone to Dragonstone.  Theon Greyjoy was in a spot of trouble.  Tyrion Lannister was hurt in the battle and is scarred and put aside by his family again.  Tywin Lannister is the hero of Blackwater and removes his son Tyrion as the Hand of The King.  If you missed last season’s season 2 finale, we have a full and detailed recap here for you!

In the new season the Lannisters hold total power over King’s Landing after defeating Stannis Baratheon’s forces.   Stannis has retreated to Dragonstone. Robb Stark, King in the North, still controls much of the South as well, and has yet to lose a battle.  Meanwhile Daenerys Targaryen is reunited with her three dragons and is  searching for ships and allies to take her home and allies to conquer it.

On tonight’s show Jon Snow is brought before Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, while the Night’s Watch survivors retreat south. In King’s Landing, Tyrion asks for his reward.  Littlefinger offers Sansa a way out. Cersei hosts a dinner for the royal family. Daenerys sails into Slaver’s Bay.

It looks like Joffrey Baratheon is going to be as evil as ever this season.  Jack Gleeson who plays the character said, “I think he’s as evil as he ever was but he’s channeling it through a different means. There’s a different dynamic – he’s trying to impress Margaery with his evil deeds and he’s still rebelling against his mother.”
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What is there to say about Merle Dixon on "The Walking Dead"?

Michael Rooker's performance emerged so fully formed that even though we saw the character for barely more than one episode in Season 1, fans constantly demanded to know when he would return. When he turned up in Daryl's fever dream in Season 2, it was the first time Rooker and Norman Reedus shared the screen as brothers. And it wasn't until this season that we really got to spend more time with Merle, see the Dixon brothers interact as actual people and discover what kind of guy truly lied beneath the gruff exterior.

I think most fans would admit that even though Merle was a racist, sexist, socially backward, borderline-homicidal maniac, that he was also kind of lovable. Most of us want to believe that redemption is possible. That even when someone makes mistakes they can see the error of their ways. And Merle was the ultimate symbol of that belief on "The Walking Dead." He was the Governor's toadie, he tried to kill Michonne and Glenn, he turned over Maggie to the Governor knowing she'd be in danger, and he killed -- we learned tonight -- 16 people (or "16 men" as he put it, perhaps meaningfully) while taking out the Governor's "garbage."

And yet we wanted Merle to live. To be a better man. To find peace with his brother. But Merle was forever destined to be an outsider, and that's why he had to die.

"This Sorrowful Life" was another remarkable episode in what has been an extremely strong season overall for "The Walking Dead." It was the best installment since "Clear," and it may not be a coincidence that both were written by Season 4 showrunner Scott Gimple. Current showrunner Glen Mazzara clearly knew Gimple had the goods to trust him with major episodes like this, and both Gimple and director Greg Nicotero (also elevated to executive producer for next season) brought their A-game.

There wasn't an ounce of fat in the hour. The episode opened with Rick attempting to sell Daryl and Hershel on his misguided belief he could turn Michonne over to the Governor and just kept rolling from there. Merle told Rick he could never go through with it. Carol questioned Merle about whether or not he was really a part of the group. Merle sees he can't completely control Daryl with Rick around. Merle takes it on himself to deliver Michonne ... only to ultimately realize that he's not up to it either and gathers some walkers for a one-man attack on Woodbury.

walking-dead-michael-rooker-merle-dixon-zombie-tyler-chase-ben-this-sorrowful-life-amc.jpgHe may have even succeeded in his plan of taking out the Governor if stupid Ben hadn't gotten in the way of the bullet. And because of that single moment of bad timing, the Governor -- that horrible lucky bastard -- came out on top yet again. He gave Merle a beating, bit off two fingers, shot him and left him to turn.

Everything built to that final anguished moment of Daryl finding walker-Merle feeding on stupid dead Ben and being forced to do the horrible thing we saw Andrea do back in Season 1: kill a sibling-turned-walker. But it wasn't the heartbreakingly fast ending Andrea gave Amy. Daryl's mercy killing was full of pain, grief, anger, frustration, rage. (And Norman Reedus' ability to communicate every single emotion churning inside of Daryl was astonishing to behold. This was a exceptionally well-acted episode all around but Reedus and Rooker deserve the highest kudos.)

The Dixon brothers were never able to work through their issues, and now Merle is dead. Daryl still has family, but he no longer has blood.
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MIAMI FINAL PREVIEW

• The Sony Open Tennis final on Sunday features No. 2 seed Andy Murray of Great Britain and No. 3 seed David Ferrer of Spain. Murray is looking to win his second title here (2009) and move to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, while Ferrer is looking to become the first Spaniard to win the title in tournament history (since 1985). He will improve to No. 4 in the rankings (from No. 5).

• World No. 3 Murray brings a 6-5 career head-to-head against World No. 5 Ferrer, including 5-1 on hard courts .Ferrer’s lone hard court win came at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. This is the second time they have met in a final. On Oct. 16, 2011 Murray defeated the Spaniard 75 64 to win his last (and eighth career) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.

• Ferrer, who turns 31 on Tuesday, is trying to become the first Spaniard to win the Sony Open Tennis title. He is the fourth different Spaniard to reach the final and he comes in with an ATP World Tour match wins-high 25-4 record and two titles in three finals. He captured his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title last November in Paris (d. Janowicz) to improve to 1-3 in ATP Masters 1000 finals. He is playing here for the 11th straight year with a 25-10 record and his previous best result was the semi-finals in 2005 (l. to Nadal) and ‘06 (l. to Federer). Ferrer is 18-52 career vs. Top 5 opponents and he is looking for his first win over a Top 5 in a final (0-12). He won only one set in those finals, against No. 2 Nadal in ‘08 Barcelona (has lost 20 sets in a row). He is 1-25 in sets.

• Murray is looking to become the seventh player to win multiple titles here and move to No. 2 and overtake Federer in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Last year’s Sony Open runner-up and ’09 winnner is appearing in his 40th career ATP World Tour final (25-14 mark) and 12th ATP Masters 1000 final (8-3). Murray has a career record of 36-39 vs. Top 5 and 10-11 in finals, 6-3 in ATP Masters 1000 finals. He lost to No. 2 Djokovic at ‘12 Shanghai and No. 1 Djokovic here last year, and No. 1 Nadal at ‘09 Indian Wells.

FINALS HISTORY –
Ferrer Appearing in his 37th career ATP World Tour final………….20-16 in finals (2-1 in 2013)
 Appearing in his 5th career ATP Masters 1000 final………...1-3 in finals
Murray Appearing in his 40th career ATP World Tour level final……25-14 in finals (1-1 in 2013)
 Appearing in his 12th career ATP Masters 1000 final.........…8-3 in finals

WHAT’S AT STAKE –
Winner: $ 719,160 and 1000 Emirates ATP Ranking points
Runner-up: $ 350,970 and 600 Emirates ATP Ranking points
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