Tonight on Game of Thrones (4/24)

I'm currently on page 530 of George R.R. Martin's novel A Game of Thrones, and man, if the TV series continues to be faithful to the book, it's going to be one crazy, heartbreaking television event.

We'll be getting a glimpse of the heartbreak that's to come tonight, with the second episode of the series, titled "The Kingsroad." Here's the official HBO press release for the episode:

Episode 1.02: “The Kingsroad”

Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: April 24 (11:00 p.m.), 26 (11:00 p.m.), 27 (10:00 p.m.) and 30 (9:45 p.m.), and May 4 (9:00 p.m.) and 7 (2:30 p.m.) HBO2 playdates: April 25 (9:00 p.m.), 28 (8:00 p.m.) and 29 (midnight)

Bran’s fate remains in doubt. Having agreed to become the King’s Hand, Ned leaves Westeros with daughters Sansa and Arya, while Catelyn stays behind to tend to Bran. Jon Snow heads north to join the brotherhood of the Night’s Watch. Tyrion decides to forego the trip south with his family, instead joining Jon in the entourage heading to the Wall. Viserys bides his time in hopes of winning back the throne, while Daenerys focuses her attention on learning how to please her new husband, Drogo.

Written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; directed by Tim Van Patten.

The episode is much less expository than the premiere, "Winter is Coming," and instead focuses on how the happy Stark family we met in the first episode is going to be split up. The most gripping story centers around Ned's daughters, Sansa and Arya, who are put in a bad position by the irredeemably evil Prince Joffrey. The ending of this conflict will undoubtedly be the final blow against the Lannisters (save Tyrion) for most of the audience.

Still not sure who all these people are? Stay tuned to TVOvermind -- we'll help you dig through the show's complex mythology and make sense of it all.