Continuing with our body-parts metaphor, is our attention supposed to transfer to Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), the bile duct of the show, who had dear old Ned’s head lopped off and now sits on the throne? How about to Ned’s widow, Lady Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), the appendix, present but not particularly necessary?

Ned’s assorted children are floating around and might turn into something important — lungs, kidneys, even a heart — but it’s hard to tell, because so many plotlines have been set in motion that in any given week none of these offspring get enough screen time to evolve into the kind of layered character who can sustain a series. The same is true of the heart-eating Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), who lost her husband in Season 1 but gained some baby dragons. She may be the most interesting figure still standing, but, at least early in the new season, her scenes are few and far between.

In the opening credits, top billing now goes by default to Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, younger brother of Cersei and Jaime, the incestuous twins who spawned Joffrey. Mr. Dinklage won the supporting actor Emmy for his work in Season 1, though his role was relatively minor. He has more to do in Season 2; Tyrion is just about the only character developing any complexity. Maybe even a glimmer of a conscience.

Everyone else is busy preparing for war, though against whom seems to be almost random, as if enemies and allies were assigned by throwing darts at a wall chart. “Another king?” Cersei (Lena Headey) says in the season’s second episode, referring to one of those who are gathering armies and staking a claim to the throne. “How many is that now? Five? I’ve lost count.”

You aren’t the only one, Your Majesty. And for every claimant, there are relatives, mentors, aides, lovers. The character board for the series on HBO’s Web site has 49 head shots on it. Thinking of jumping into the new season without having seen the first? Don’t even try; your brain doesn’t have that many neurons.