Yeah - that's a great elaboration of my point.
I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the TV series, and as I said, I haven't read the books. What I really liked in season one was the unsparing tragedy (Eddard Stark getting killed, for example), because it broke from the "good always triumphs" epic formula, and slashed wide open the possibilities for where the story could go. That, and the diversity of characters - Varys the eunuch, Tyrion the little guy, women in positions of power (Cersei, Daenaerys), a gay character, etc..
Season 2 is a bit of a let down from that as Tyrion's anti-heroness (anti-heroism?) has become a bit :wink-wink: and the female characters seem more sexualized, a little cliché; with the exception of the awesome female warrior Brienne who wins the fight with Loras.
Since my biggest fantasy is dashed - Renly breaking through as a gay epic hero - my hopes for the series are:
a) Cersei stays ruthless and conniving.
b) Tyrion gets thrown back in a jam so he's not floating above everyone with his moral superiority.
c) Daenaerys comes back with her dragons and whoops everyone's ass.