So the big episode has finally happened – seems odd to say when there have already been some big episodes thus far in the 3 seasons. It was the scene that show creators David Benioff and D.B Weiss said inspired them to adapt George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic into a TV show. I can’t blame them, most book readers say it was the most impactful chapter in any of the five books thus far. Robb was never a perspective character, and I didn’t particularly like Cat very much, but after I read the chapter I had to put down the book for a while to ponder, “What the fuck just happened?”
The obvious impact this has is that the North is ostensibly no longer a threat to the Lannisters. But for me the biggest thing was that the Stark kids no longer have any parents. Since near the beginning, mostly because of Bran, I’ve been longing for the moment of the Stark kids – Bran, Arya, Sansa and what the hell let’s throw in Rickon – getting reconnected with their mother, but now that seems very unlikely – I say mostly because of Bran because when he woke up from his coma his father was in King’s Landing soon to be beheaded and his mother was off trying to find Bran’s almost killer, so after his trauma he woke up with the two most comforting people in his life away from him. I still look forward to all the Stark kids at least getting their reunion, assuming Martin doesn’t feel the need to kill off any more, but I feel it won’t be as impactful as a child’s reunion with their mother.
On the violence of The Red Wedding: I didn’t think they went too far. Some people saying the stabbing of Talisa was overboard, but I personally think the stabbings in the stomach was just to remind any dense watchers that there were four important people dying (Ned Jr. who would have been Robb’s heir to Winterfell), and also the killing of the unborn baby makes us, or at least me, hate the Lannisters more (Tyrion aside, and although I know everybody now loves Jamie, admittedly his pairing with Brienne is nothing short of charming, and he had nothing to do with the Red Wedding, I still want Jaime to pay more for what he did to Bran, and I hope that payment comes in the form of Bran wargging into Hodor and beating the shit out of Jamie just short of the point of death, perhaps he loses the use of his legs, or maybe just one since he’s lost a hand already, and then Brienne carries him on her back off to Tarth where they live happily ever after, should such a thing exist in Westeros).
Obviously the lesser part of the episode was the stuff with Jon, Ygritte and Bran, but I really loved this part in the book, and I prefer the way it went down with Jon and Ygritte in the show, even though it makes Jon look like a total asshole for leaving Ygritte behind, especially because the wildlings kill whoever they want and Ygritte made it pretty clear she was siding with Jon so I really don’t see why they wouldn’t decide to kill her too, even though I know they won’t in the show. I want to know how people feel about Jon and Ygritte’s romance. I love it in the show and I loved it in the book – I nearly cried from joy, and sadness from not experiencing moments similar to that of which I’m about to mention in my real life, at the Jon and Ygritte cave scene, and not because oath swearing Jon was getting some good luck kissed by fire sex, but because I felt Ygritte did really want to run off with him. But maybe it’s just because I watched the first two seasons before I read the books and I am absolutely super attracted to Rose Leslie? Who knows?
I hope it doesn’t get lost on people that Bran just saved Jon’s life through Summer (Bran’s Direwolf). It’s hard for the show to get Bran’s story across, and this was a big moment they had to take advantage of if they were going to save Bran from completely being written off by the fans of the show. I think for the most part they got it right. He wargged into Summer and killed some Wildings, he accidentally wargged into Hodor and Jojen informed everyone that no one else can do that meaning Bran is extra special, and Bran even made the smart choice, almost as if he knew the Red Wedding was coming (Oh my God, Bran’s working for the Lannisters!!!), and decided to separate himself from Rickon, since were Robb to die (Oh my God he did die!!!) Bran and Rickon would be the last Stark men of Winterfell. It sucks that Bran’s biggest episode thus far, or at least the episode he’s seemed most competent in, was the same episode we had a game (of thrones…hehehe, I’m lame) changing massacre, but hopefully at least a few people took notice of Bran and will be more interested in his storyline, especially since now that Jon is back on the south side of the wall, and Sam and Gilly (who get few moments but I find them charming) are nearing the wall ostensibly taking the secret path Sam knows about to get back on the safer side of the wall, so if Bran, Jojen and Meera do get over the wall they’ll be our only eyes to seeing what’s going on in the land of the White Walkers.
The Dany stuff was nice. I liked getting to see Jorah, Grey Worm and Daario fight. And we got to see Jorah realize that Dany has taken some kind of liking to Daario, whether it’s emotionally based or she just wants a nice piece of that Second Sons booty we’re yet to know, so we’ve got a nice little cast of characters over there with Dany, Jorah, Daario, Grey Worm and Barristan Selmy and I’m interested to see the take the show does with the characters relationships.
Just to end things, big props to The Hound and his love of Pigs feet, ‘cause had he not made that stop to dine on some swine (a bit trite?) he and Ayra might have arrived to The Twins early and Ayra might have been in that room for the massacre, and if the fans got this upset over Robb, Cat and Talisa, imagine the reaction if we lost the beloved Ayra Stark. Twitter would have no choice but to implode into itself, while David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and George R.R. Martin would immediately have to enroll in the Witness Protection Program.
CloserToClarity 