The Lion and The Rose

Last sunday’s episode of Game of thrones was huge. And everyone is talking about it, so I thought I’d review it. For those of you who still haven’t got the chance to see it, please save this link and come back once you’ve seen it. There will be MAJOR SPOILERS. This first post will be a review for viewers of the show who hasn’t read the books. And later I’ll post a review for readers.

With that said, let’s start this party!

We start this episode in the woods. With what seems to be  a “human” hunt. And so, we are reintroduced to the character of Ramsay Snow. He is one sick bastard, all readers know that. And I particularly like how they show that in only that scene (not that the show didn’t show it before, after all, he did cut off Theon’s dick). The difference, for me, is that up until now, whenever we saw the Bastard of Bolton, he was torturing Theon. Which was cruel, but after all, Theon had invaded the north and killed the Stark children, so there was a reason. Here, instead, we see him hunting down a defenseless girl: she is bare footed, almost naked and unarmed. And Ramsey and this Myranda are hunting her down with dogs and arrows. That is sick. And to top that, it is all presented as a game: Ramsay talks to the girl like it’s a game.

The actor that plays Ramsay Snow does a fantastic job. He really seems to be having a genuine good time. He really seems to enjoy every second of his cruelty. And that is what makes this character as disgusting as it is.

This scene also introduces Reek. He is the man that used to be Theon Greyjoy. He is the result of all the torturing that we saw in season 3. And he really has become a lackey of sorts, closest to Ramsay’s “bitches” than to a human being.

After that, we cut to King’s Landing with a joke. The last shot of the scene with the bastard is a close up of Theon. And from that, we cut to a shot of Podrick serving sausages to Tyrion. I have no idea if it was an intended wink to the audience regarding Theon getting his dick cut off or if it was just coincidence. But knowing the little I know about making movies, I would bet my hand that it is intentional. 

This scene is a rather simple one. But quite touching. It’s Tyrion and Jaime eating together. Jaime spills some wine because he can’t grab anything with his gold hand and this leads to Tyrion suggesting that he should train with his other hand. And so he offers Bronn to spar with Jaime until he gets good enough. As I said, it is a rather simple scene, but it’s really nice to see the dynamics between the two brothers, who surprisingly get along perfectly. 

And so, the next scene is Bronn training with Jaime. There’s a detail in this scene that I particularly like. Jamie is considered the best swordsman in Westeros (or at least until his hand was cut), and he is used to be treated as such. Which explains why he seems offended that Bronn treats him the way he does. Bronn treats him as if he is a rookie. Because that is what he’s been reduced to: he can’t fight anymore, so he is a rookie. It’s not a great scene, but definitely has great character moments. 

Next we are introduced to the Dreadfort, the seat of House Bolton. Roose Bolton has just returned with his wife, Fat Walda, and he is greeted by his bastard. Bolton immediately asks him to bring Theon Greyjoy. And he gets really pissed when he sees him. Because he really was a valuable hostage, and now he is worth nothing. Let’s not forget that part of the north is still invaded by the ironborn. But what I personally think that is the best of this scene are the dynamics established between Roose Bolton and his Bastard son. First of all, they are really interesting dynamics, with Bolton reminding Ramsay all the time that he is just a bastard, and Ramsay trying to stand his ground. It’s radically different to the other father-bastard relationship that we have been shown (Nedd and Jon), and it is interesting and may have a continuity. The other interesting thing is that Roose Bolton tells Locke to go and find the Stark children (Bran and Rickon), which really sort of reveals one of the storylines of this season, at least that’s my guess.

Then there’s the “shave” scene. I must say that I was honestly disturbed by it. Even more than with the hunt scene. I can’t explain exactly why, but seeing Theon like that, like just a puppet, was more painful that I would have expected (especially because he is not exactly my favorite character). And his reaction to the Red Wedding was also very interesting.

This is followed by a brief conversation between Varys and Tyrion, where the spider tells Tyrion to get rid of Shae, because Cersei knows about her and it is only a matter of time before Tywin knows. Tyrion asks Varys to lie for him but he refuses. I like that scene because of that last part. I really enjoy Varys as a character and the fact that he refuses to lie actually is very revealing. He knows why they keep him in the council. He knows what would happen if he got involved in helping Tyrion, but despite that he still goes and warns him, which would be bad for him if they caught him. That’s why he refuses to lie. He is already doing a lot by warning him. 

The scene that follows is great. I have nothing bad to say about it. All I can say is that it is great. The scene depicts the breakfast wedding with Joffrey and the presentation of the wedding gifts. Mace Tyrell, Margery’s father, who is introduced in this episode, gives him a huge wedding cup, all studded with gems, and we see Joffrey playing the role of the regal King, who is kind and respects everyone. That is always fun, no matter what, because we, the audience and the characters know how he really is, and seeing him try so hard to play that role, it’s just hilarious. But the best comes when Tyrion presents his gift: a book about the lives of four Targaryen Kings. Joffrey’s face when he sees it is priceless. He really wants to lash out at his uncle, but knows that he has to play the wise and kind king. But for a whole second, you really expect him to lash out. That is why when he finally answers, his kindness is actually comical. But of course, he can only be a good person for so long. So when Tywin presents him Widow’s Wail (the valyrian steel sword reforged from Ice) he stands up almost like a kid on Christmas and starts chopping the book to pieces. Jack Gleeson’s delivery and performance is awesome. How he switches from kind king to mad idiotic king is just so enjoyable to watch. I really think that he is given much less credit than he deserves. His character is not an easy role to perform. Because he is not a cunning and smart sort of baddie. He is a teenager with clear psychopathic tendencies, who actually gets a hard on by being cruel. That’s the only way I can describe it. He gets excited by cruelty. I think that it is the only thing that excites him. And that is left blatantly clear later on in this episode.

This is followed by my least favorite scene in the episode. It’s not that it’s a bad scene, because it’s not. It’s just that I really don’t like Shae. In this scene Tyrion has to lie to her to get her away from King’s Landing and safe from his family. And of course, she doesn’t want to leave, so he has to tell her that he doesn’t love her and that she’s just a whore. Which does the trick. And that’s all I have to say: it’s a well done scene, but I really don’t like Shae.

Then we go back to Dragonstone for the first time this season. We see Melissandre burning Axel Florent and another two guys. We are also reintroduced to Selyse Baratheon, Stannis’ wife, who we hadn’t seen since season 2. This scene actually describes very well both Stannis and his wife. For those who haven’t read the book; Selyse Baratheon is a Florent by birth and Ser Axel Florent (the guy they burn) is his brother. So we see a woman who is capable of burning her own brother for her faith, and be happy about. She seems genuinely happy for him. She even says some bullshit about his soul having joined the Lord of Light and how great that is. She truly believes it. Stannis, instead, is a man who does what he must (in this case, burning his brother in law) but who doesn’t take any pleasure from it. He looks really uncomfortable.

This difference is cemented in the next scene: where we see Stannis, Selyse and Melissandre having supper and discussing their daughter. Selyse thinks she is a sinner and that’s the reason she has her faced marked. Stannis, instead, insists that she is just a little girl and forbids Selyse to punish her. Instead, they sent Melissandre to speak to her. And so, the next scene goes as follows: Melissandre goes to visit the princess and speak about the burnings and the Lord of light. This scene, actually, only serves for furthering my fear of Melissandre. She’s so capable of looking kind and wise but at the same time she is terribly cruel and enjoys burning people. It’s actually rather creepy.

From there, we go to the Bran story line. We find him and his friends already north of the Wall, starving and half lost. We are told that Bran is spending more time in Summer’s skin (let’s not forget that he is a warg) and Jojeen warns him that if he does that, he is going to forget who he really is. And that is not good, obviously. Then, whilst marching north, they come across a heart tree (the Gods of the North) and Bran asks them to halt. He is brought by Hodor to the tree and when he lays a hand on it, he is shown a series of images, some belong to the past, and some to the future. He has visions of his father, but also of a dragon shadow in Kings Landing. And he is told to look for the three-eyed raven beneath a certain tree in the north. And so, they finally know what they are looking for.

This scene also serves to cement the idea that Bran isn’t imagining the three-eyed raven. He is actually being contacted by someone. And that is important. On top of that, we see another aspect of Bran’s power: he can slip into Summer (his direwolf), he can slip into Hodor, and now, he can slip into the heart tree.

After that we finally go back to Kings Landing for the much expected wedding. This wedding is huge. Nothing compared to the Red wedding. It’s packed with people and everyone’s trying to look their best. And Margery’s costume design is great. I bow to whomever created. It’s gorgeous and matches the character perfectly. I’s a white-silver gown and the tail is filled with sewn roses and the bodice is held by the thorns that intertwine. It’s great. And the same goes to the hairstyling. Her hair is just huge. They’ve made this incredibly tall style with all her curls flowing. What I think it’s really smart about this design is that is beautiful but also shows the ambition of this character. She needs to be the queen, and she needs to be seen as beautiful. So all those elements are perfectly combined in the design of her wedding outfit.

And Joffrey actually looks marvelous too. He is like a peacock; all dressed in gold, with the richest of materials. It’s also great. They actually make a splendid couple; visually I mean.

But what I like the most about the wedding is the kiss. Joffrey is such a dick. He is trying to play the charming hero, but instead comes off as a bloated idiot. My second favorite thing is Sansa. I know a lot of people don’t like her, but let me explain. I love the fact that she genuinely looks bumped because of this wedding. Margery is taking the place that was meant to be hers. I don’t think that she resents not marrying Joffrey, no. I think that she resents not being the queen. This was her chance, and Margery took it. 

And from now until the end of this episode, we remain in Kings Landing. Which is not usual in a Game of thrones episode, but it’s worth it. Following the wedding, we enter the feast., and everything gets even better.

First we see another tête à tête between Lord Tywin and Lady Olena Tyrell. These are always enjoyable. I wish there could be more of them, because they are perfect. I especially like the moment when Olena tells her son, Lord Mace, to shut up and don’t interrupt. Let’s not forget that Mace Tyrell is the Lord of High Garden, not Olena. And yet, she treats her son as if he is still a babe. It’s a perfectly scripted scene, and it’s perfectly acted.

Then we pass to Tyrion, who is really upset about Shae, and Bronn has to tell him to move on. It’s really brief, but it’s topped with a great joke. He is walking to his table and Oberyn and Ellaria are walking up to him and greet him. He turns around only to find out that they weren’t greeting him, but instead they were talking to a half naked contortionist. 

This feast it’s extravagant, it’s opulent and completely over the top, that’s why it’s so great. There’s jugglers, singers, lots of food…

We have a brief exchange between Lady Olena and Sansa, where Olena actually gives her condolences for her brother’s death and invites her to visit Highgarden. I love how she remarks the fact that only a monster would kill a man at his wedding, especially because of the way this episode ends.

Then’s the cameo of Sigur Ros as singers, performing “The Rains of Castamere”. The best part though is seeing Joffrey making a jackass out of himself when he throws a handful of coins at them so they will leave. Then Margery announces that the leftover of the feast will be given to the poor, in an attempt to make his husband look better. It’s funny how she always does that. She is married to a madman, but she is always doing this gestures to the common folk, trying to win them for him, and instead, only succeeding in making her look better in comparison to him. Maybe that’s what she really wants, who knows?

I particularly like the exchange between Ser Loras and Ser Jaime regarding Cersei. It’s nice, because in the show, Loras hasn’t really been given much time to develop, and this scene does that. Jaime confronts him about marrying Cersei and tells him that he would never manage that. Ser Loras, instead of bulking out, answers back and tells him that neither will he. That’s a really low blow; because he is both telling him that he knows about the incest and he is also reminding him his bows as a man of the Kingsguard. And it’s funny. We are shown that he has guts, and that being gay is not all that defines him just because that’s the only thing we know about him.

Then Cersei confronts Brienne about her being in love with Jaime. That’s a nice scene, because it is true. Brienne loves Jaime. But the fun thing is when Cersei realizes it is true. It’s brief, it’s cute and it makes Cersei uncomfortable, what else could we ask for?

One of my favorite moments though, is when Cersei tells Pycelle to give the leftovers to the palace dogs. By contradicting Margery, she is trying to hold the little power she still has. As Oberyn points out later; Joffrey’s wedding marks an end to her regency, and therefore she loses her power as Regent Queen. It’s a necessary moment to show, because to Cersei,  power is everything. And now she is losing it. The best though, is how satisfied she seems afterwards. 

But the best is the confrontation between Tywin, Cersei and Oberyn and Ellaria. It’s great. There are so many cultural insults thrown back and forth. And the best is that they are said with the best of manners by both sides. I particularly like when Oberyn remarks that Cersei is now the ex-Queen Regent.

This is followed by Joffrey making an idiot of himself again and being cruel and offensive to everyone. He brings forward five dwarves to represent the War of the Five Kings. Why is it offensive? Well, first of all, it’s offensive to the Tyrells because the dwarf that plays Renly appears mounting a dummy with a blond wig, clearly meaning Loras. It’s offensive to Sansa Stark, because they reenact how Robb lost his head, and then, the dwarf playing Joffrey fucks his head. And on top of that, it’s offensive to Tyrion because they are dwarves. It’s really interesting to see how happy Cersei looks when she sees that the Tyrell’s are getting pissed. And is it me, or even Tywin smiled? It’s like they like knowing they can make them look bad. On the other hand, Margery looks really pissed about the whole affair, which is also interesting, because she is presented to us as a mild mannered girl. She doesn’t look mild mannered right now. It seems as if she could strangle Joffrey and Cersei at the moment. The same goes for Lady Olena.

And then Joffrey orders Tyrion to participate in the fight, but he declines. Instead, he says that Joffrey should fight, and show everyone his courage in battle (which is a clear reference to his cowardice during the battle of the Blackwater). Joffrey, of course, gets pissed, and pours a cup of wine onto Tyrion’s head. Margery, of course, tries to be the good queen and stop Joffrey by distracting him. But Joffrey is dead set on torturing Tyrion and orders him to be his cupbearer. I love how Tyrion responds to each offense with the utmost courtesy and how that pisses Joffrey even more.

The only one who actually seems to be enjoying this is Cersei, which actually corroborates what a huge bitch she is. Even Margery looks uncomfortable, and Mace Tyrell won’t even look.

Then Joffrey insists that Tyrion should kneel, which he doesn’t, but Joffrey keeps insisting. And Margery tries agains to distract him by pointing out that they are bringing out the pie. It’s actually funny how she changes from being uncomfortable to overly happy when they bring out the pie. And so, Joffrey proceeds to cut the pie.  Margery keeps trying to distract by feeding him his wedding pie. But Joffrey, being the little cruel idiot that he is, keeps asking Tyrion to serve him the wine.

And what comes next, is probably the best 5 minutes of tv shows’ history. Joffrey starts to have trouble swallowing, and before anyone knows, he’s choking to death. He throws himself to the floor, trying to breath and Cersei rushes towards him trying to help. Everything is chaos. Until he finally dies in Cersei’s arms amidst blood and vomit. And then…. Cersei accuses Tyron of murdering the King and gets him arrested. Life is really unfair to the poor man.

Joffrey’s death is probably the most satisfying moment of the show up to this point. He was so loathsome, that everybody wanted him dead. And now, he’s finally dead. But at the same time, the scene was terribly disturbing. For that, I want to give a huge thumbs up to the show. They did an incredible job at bringing out the humanity of the moment. He might have been a douchebag, but he is still someone who is painfully chocking to death. It is painful to see; how he starts bleeding through his nose as his skin turns a disgusting shade of blue-green. They even went for the bloodshot eyes. It’s not pretty. And I like that. Death should never be pretty, even when you are killing one of the most hated characters of the show. But it goes beyond that; Joffrey’s humanity isn’t the only one that is brought out. Cersei’s too. She might be a horrible person, but she is, after all, a mother watching her son die in her arms. And that’s what I most liked about this episode: how able it was to deliver the most desired death in the “Game of thrones” universe and yet make you feel bad about it.

And that’s it with this second episode of the fourth season. All in all it was a great episode and deserves more than one viewing. We finally get to see Joffrey die and to top it, we are left with a tone of questions? Who killed Joffrey? How? Will Tyrion get out of this one?

What do you think? Let me know!