Let me start off by saying that there are no bad actors on this show (I used to think someone was, but they upped their game and have moved out of that qualification). I don’t even think any of the 'lead actors’ could qualify as ordinary. Let’s just say the actors in this tier are not ‘impressive’, yet are still quite good. This is HBO, after all.
Since these are not actually bad actors, don't expect long rants and huge write-ups for quite a while. Write-ups will get more meaty once we reach the top 10 or so of each category.
15. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)
This would have surprised me one year ago, in light of Clarke’s solid performance during the first season. Some of it is to be attributed to the material, of course – her character progression grows a bit stale during the second season, but I think she could have done more with the character.
The main problem with her, I feel, might come exactly from what made her Season 1 performance so strong: the transformation from submissive bride to dragon queen. She had a lot of range to play with last season, and as such tempered her acting a bit. Now, she’s hamming and cheesing through scenes, or instead letting supporting characters do the work for her. It’s not entirely out of character, mind you – but while it was awesome during S1 EP10, it’s growing a bit stale here. She should tone things down a bit while working on the little nuances and the screen presence; this season was all about her suffering setbacks and realizing she won’t win her crown that easily – which is where a more low-key performance would sometimes be appropriate. That said, though, she’s still quite good. Just not on the level of the other actors.
Best scene: The scene with Drogo in the tent, in last night's episode. Honourable mention to the first ‘Dracarys’ scene where she’s training her dragons. Basically, any time she’s not hamming it up, she’s doing fine.
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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore