Your TV analysis for the week of May 31, 2015.

“DO YOU THINK I WANT TO BE IN THIS F****** MINECRAFT PIECE OF S***?”

Welcome to The Breakdown. This week we have short snippets of some great and downright stellar television. We have what is arguably the best episode of Game of Thrones to date in the form of “Hardhome” (come at me Snow/crow/bro). Additionally, we have the premiere of Halt and Catch Fire and the penultimate episode of iZombie—which we are absolutely loving. We have more from HBO and a delicious treat at the bottom. Before we break it down, feel free to let us know if you want to see more shows broken down. Now, let’s break it down.

Additional breakdowns by Michael Spring and Max Mielecki

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Note: The following breakdowns go into detail about their episodes. SPOILER ALERT!

Game of Thrones: “Hardhome”

by Michael Spring

This episode was already in line for a very high score, but those final twenty minutes meant there was only one score I could give it. Daenerys meeting Tyrion and Sansa finding out that Bran and Rickon were alive are massive moments, but they all pale in comparison to the absolute carnage at Hardhome. Jon has now seen the most demoralizing event he could possibly have seen, and has to return to Castle Black with a few thousand wildlings and tales of the White Walkers overwhelming victory. I don’t even know how you’d begin to pick yourself up after witnessing all of that, but considering that the Walkers may not be too far behind, Jon’s going to have to do something quickly.

100/100 – STELLAR

Halt and Catch Fire: “SETI”

by Montel Allen

“SETI” hit the ground running with Cameron and Donna, and simultaneously hit the ground wandering with Joe and Gordon. The former, though, made this premiere worth watching, while the latter ended the episode with more hope than doubt. Jon Bosworth is out and looks to be the leader that Mutiny needs, and if that’s the case, the Mutiny storyline has the potential to be the arc to watch in this season of Halt and Catch Fire. Joe remained reserved, but I feel the bull is about to show its horns in the coming episodes. Gordon remains the human equivalent of a damp towel, but hey, he’s sitting on Walter White money now and Donna is his wife. And by that logic, his story should be elevated to some degree. I do have a feeling that all of our players are going to end up in the same place, though, with room for a Joe/Cameron romance to be rekindled.

80/100 – Great

Silicon Valley: “White Hat/Black Hat”

by Max Mielecki

Silicon Valley hit a boiling point this week, as their “bake off” with Endframe was complicated by an ever-present (and ever obnoxious) Russ Hanneman. While the setup was fine, it was the aftermath of Pied Piper’s showdown—including Richard’s passive-aggressive hacker meetings and his heart-to-heart with Russell—that proved to provide the most laughs and pathos, as the team saw the consequences of their actions in past episodes and charted a course for the future. While some of Richard’s actions feel a little out of place for the character, “White Hat/Black Hat” made up for it by moving everything forward in that awesomely crass, Silicon Valley kind of way.

85/100 – Great

Veep: “B/ill”

by Montel Allen

Veep gave us a goofy plot this time around, and it was effective in the laugh department. The gold in this show is usually mined from the writing and all of its well-timed glory, but having a sick Selina provide some physical humor was a delight. The main goal of “B/ill” was to kill President Meyer’s Families First bill. Dan and Amy got in on the action for the sake of money and thrill, respectively. The fact that Jonah and Richard were chosen to promote the bill given that those in charge knew they would fail was a sad, genius and hilarious bundle. The Bill did fail, which was a victory, but now the President and her crew are all wrapped in a scandal. Let’s hope for a funny look at dramatic events next week. Also, let’s not forget: “For a moment, Gary was the most powerful person in the world.”

88/100 – Great

iZombie: “Dead Rat, Live Rat, Brown Rat, White Rat”

by Michael Spring

One episode remaining and iZombie is perfectly primed to end its first season with a bang. Peyton knows Liv’s secret and has hightailed it out of there, while Major knows half of the story and now finds himself in a seriously tricky situation. I’m really excited by the prospect of a new villain popping up in the form of this week’s other murderer, but I’m not sure if they’ll have time to really fit that in along with everything else. With her brother and Major now in Blaine’s clutches, it looks like Liv is set for another zombie showdown.

90/100 – Superb

Hannibal: “Antipasto”

by Michael Spring

Hannibal returned with a surprising episode that cruelly left us still hanging on to find out the fates of Will, Alana and Jack. There aren’t many other shows out there that would even try a risky move like that, but Hannibal doesn’t seem to play by normal TV rules. The central pairing of Hannibal and Bedelia carried the episode admirably, with strong performances from all involved. While Hannibal’s Italian adventure is good enough on its own, next week should definitely begin to fill us in on more of the aftermath of that bloodbath in Hannibal’s house that so chillingly closed out Season 2.

90/100 – Superb

Did you enjoy the return of ‘Hannibal’? Was that the best ‘Game of Thrones’ episode to date? Tweet us @YouNerded.

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That’s it for this week. Be sure to return every Saturday for your weekly TV breakdown.