sexton said:

I didn't have time to watch the episode on Sunday night and planned to watch it on Monday evening instead. But on Monday morning when I went to the NY Daily News website for my general news, one of the main headlines on the homepage was "GAME OF THRONES MASSACRE" and a photo of Robb Stark and his wife among other cast members underneath. I immediately closed the browser window, but it was too late. I had seen enough to get an idea of what had happened so when I watched the episode later, I sort of knew what was coming.

The last episode either watch it that night or open and listen to nothing until you do because you know if there is a surprise the world is going to explode.

I rarely if ever finish a television show feeling truly haunted. But last night's Game of Thrones episode really haunted me. While "Baelor" (S1 Ep. 9) remains, to me, the greatest episode of the series, the last 10 minutes of "Rains of Castlemere" were gut wrenching.

I do not read the books, but the feeling of dread set in the moment they entered Frey's hall. Some questions/comments:

- How Catelyn not think this could be an ambush? Didn't Robb understand that Frey was ruthless and could easily sell out?

- Bolton's parting comments to Jaime in "Bear and Maiden Fair" were a clear clue he'd turn coat. I didn't trust him from that moment on.

- As EW's recap pointed out . . . NOW we have an idea of what letters Tywin Lannister was sending out.

- Has there even been a more tragic, star-crossed family in TV history than House Stark?

- When the band cued the music up, it didn't dawn on me until after the show why Catelyn registered utter horror. I thought about Cersei schooling her daughter/sis-in-law to be on the true meaning of "The Rains of Castlemere." NO DOUBT the Tyrells should get the message.

- That was a heartbreaking last 5 minutes of television, beautifully acted and tragic on every level.

- The Hound's words were prophetic. So close, so far away.

- Grey Worm most definitely gets down for his.

- The season finale will be EPIC if only to see how the characters register the Red Wedding.

*Arya's descent into darkness * Sansa now completely helpless (at least Robb and Catelyn gave her some hope) * How will Jon Snow react? * The Tyrells' reaction will be interesting, knowing they are next.

- All that being said . . . it seems that the war has left Westeros completely oblivious to the Khalessi - White Walker - Wildling threats. What now, that House Stark is now left in ashes?


I said I had faith that GOT would come through. Man did it ever. The brilliance of the show is in the words of the Boy: "don't think this has a happy ending."

[Edited 6/4/13 14:02pm]

morningsong said:

lazycrockett said:

So how many Direwolves are left?

4. Arya's and Jon's are wandering around somewhere.

I think Arya's was killed in S1?

So 3.

namepeace said:

morningsong said:

lazycrockett said: 4. Arya's and Jon's are wandering around somewhere.

I think Arya's was killed in S1?

So 3.

Sansa's wolf is killed in S1. But Arya only chases her wolf off because

she is scared they will kill her (Nymeria iirc) too. She's still out there,

so is Ghost, Shaggy Dog and Summer.

So:

Alive: Shaggy Dog (Rickon), Ghost (Jon), Nymeria (Arya), Summer (Bran)

Dead: Lady (Sansa) and Grey Wind (Robb)

all i can say about the season finale next week is that if they stay true to the books

something major is still about to happen. so unless you can watch it the minute it's

on tv, you better make sure you don't get anywhere near the internet until you've

had a chance to sit down and catch up

.

having said that, i was watching this week's episode knowing what was going to go

down, and yet it still shocked me. the whole stabbing of the stomach. wtf?! that was

just brutal brutal ewwww.

.

but i did sort of like it too

.

robb was never one of my favorite characters anyway so i didn't really mind even

when he died in the books. the series, it was a bit more painfull to see him go since

he was good eyecandy

^Amen spoilers are flying everywhere. I was reading a review on a site where spoilers arent allowed and some got thru before they were deleted. Im not that mad that I know but I'm not liking what the author does.

It was gruesome I'll give you that but as I stated ealier in this thread these 3 characters didn't do anything this season but make one blunder after the other so I wasn't surprised.

Was that the Lannister's song that tipped Catelyn off, or was it one of the other songs they've played throughout the series?

namepeace said:

I rarely if ever finish a television show feeling truly haunted. But last night's Game of Thrones episode really haunted me. While "Baelor" (S1 Ep. 9) remains, to me, the greatest episode of the series, the last 10 minutes of "Rains of Castlemere" were gut wrenching.

I do not read the books, but the feeling of dread set in the moment they entered Frey's hall. Some questions/comments:

- How Catelyn not think this could be an ambush? Didn't Robb understand that Frey was ruthless and could easily sell out?

- Bolton's parting comments to Jaime in "Bear and Maiden Fair" were a clear clue he'd turn coat. I didn't trust him from that moment on.

- As EW's recap pointed out . . . NOW we have an idea of what letters Tywin Lannister was sending out.

- Has there even been a more tragic, star-crossed family in TV history than House Stark?

- When the band cued the music up, it didn't dawn on me until after the show why Catelyn registered utter horror. I thought about Cersei schooling her daughter/sis-in-law to be on the true meaning of "The Rains of Castlemere." NO DOUBT the Tyrells should get the message.

- That was a heartbreaking last 5 minutes of television, beautifully acted and tragic on every level.

- The Hound's words were prophetic. So close, so far away.

- Grey Worm most definitely gets down for his.

- The season finale will be EPIC if only to see how the characters register the Red Wedding.

*Arya's descent into darkness * Sansa now completely helpless (at least Robb and Catelyn gave her some hope) * How will Jon Snow react? * The Tyrells' reaction will be interesting, knowing they are next.

- All that being said . . . it seems that the war has left Westeros completely oblivious to the Khalessi - White Walker - Wildling threats. What now, that House Stark is now left in ashes?


I said I had faith that GOT would come through. Man did it ever. The brilliance of the show is in the words of the Boy: "don't think this has a happy ending."

[Edited 6/4/13 14:02pm]

I love your reviews

^It was the Lannister's song that was the tip off. From what Im gathering as just a tv viewer was that the Starks felt that the wedding was safe because of some Westeroo tradition of not harming your guests in your own hall. It's a major no no. Also from what I've gathered is this which is called The Red Wedding by GoT book fans is based on a historical event in Scotland called The Black Dinner.

Also it seems all the Starks attending are dead, from what I've read.

So I guess the bridegroom is dead too. How sad, so the house of Tulley is technically gone, except the the crazy sister. All this and the folks don't even believe in the white walkers anymore so they are just acting all kinds of fools and not watching their backdoor.

lazycrockett said:

^It was the Lannister's song that was the tip off. From what Im gathering as just a tv viewer was that the Starks felt that the wedding was safe because of some Westeroo tradition of not harming your guests in your own hall. It's a major no no. Also from what I've gathered is this which is called The Red Wedding by GoT book fans is based on a historical event in Scotland called The Black Dinner.

Also it seems all the Starks attending are dead, from what I've read.

true. once you've offered a guest salt and bread and he has eaten from it,

that is basically a guarantee that no harm will come to them as long as the

guests are under your roof.

the salt and bread is mentioned often in the books as people visit others

whom they might not trust all that much. it puts minds at ease and most

people seem to abide by it. well, most

I think this is the first time the viewers ever saw bread and salt, and it wasnt even mentioned in the scene.

I have a quick question for the ones who have read the books, is there a time jump or is each book pick up where the one before ends?

lazycrockett said:

I think this is the first time the viewers ever saw bread and salt, and it wasnt even mentioned in the scene.

I was wondering what it was everyone was eating before the wedding.

IstenSzek said:

lazycrockett said:

I have a quick question for the ones who have read the books, is there a time jump or is each book pick up where the one before ends?

books I, II and III pretty much run as one continuing story.

..

then book IV follows one half of the characters and book V follows the other half of them,

until about 3/4 of book V, which is when all the storylines come together again and move

forward from that point.

.

i believe the writer did it this way because book IV would have been even more massive

than the previous books already were, so he just split it geographically. but all of the

characters are always on the same timeline. we just don't see some of them for a while

before they pop up again in the next book.

morningsong said:

IstenSzek said:

Sansa's wolf is killed in S1. But Arya only chases her wolf off because

she is scared they will kill her (Nymeria iirc) too. She's still out there,

so is Ghost, Shaggy Dog and Summer.

So:

Alive: Shaggy Dog (Rickon), Ghost (Jon), Nymeria (Arya), Summer (Bran)

Dead: Lady (Sansa) and Grey Wind (Robb)

So the wolves in a sense represent the spirit of the children, I'm guessing. Arya and Jon are the most unconventional and stubborn.

good observation. i guess i never really thought of it like that before, but it makes a lot of sense

missfee said:

I love your reviews

And I was looking for your post on this ep as well!

I know we've said this before, but the beauty of this show is that decisions have consequences.

Those made by "heroes" or "villains," if either truly exist on this show. They may not play out for a long time, but they do play out.

AND . . . for the audience. You choose a side, at any point, you live or die with that decision too. Whether it's Drogo, Ned, Jaime, Robb, Talisa, Theon or Catelyn. Or more to come.

[Edited 6/5/13 9:37am]

[Edited 6/5/13 9:37am]

namepeace said:

Tokyo89 said:

namepeace said:

I know we've said this before, but the beauty of this show is that decisions have consequences.

Those made by "heroes" or "villains," if either truly exist on this show. They may not play out for a long time, but they do play out.

AND . . . for the audience. You choose a side, at any point, you live or die with that decision too. Whether it's Drogo, Ned, Jaime, Robb, Talisa, Theon or Catelyn. Or more to come.

Amen

that's the beauty of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. with the exception of a very,

very few, there are no real bad characters on the show. they all have motivations and real

well thought out back stories and family settings. although we may not agree with them or

their decisions, we can understand why they reason the way they do and why they make a

choice and act on it in a certain way.

compared to, say, Lord of the Rings, it's a lot more complex in the emotions departments

and the complexities of family and politics. and like in 'real life' shit happens and people die

and lose on both sides, no matter how much you may love them or want them to succeed.

IstenSzek said:

namepeace said:

I think Arya's was killed in S1?

So 3.

Sansa's wolf is killed in S1. But Arya only chases her wolf off because

she is scared they will kill her (Nymeria iirc) too. She's still out there,

so is Ghost, Shaggy Dog and Summer.

So:

Alive: Shaggy Dog (Rickon), Ghost (Jon), Nymeria (Arya), Summer (Bran)

Dead: Lady (Sansa) and Grey Wind (Robb)

Thanks for clearing that up!

IstenSzek said:

Tokyo89 said:

namepeace said: Amen

that's the beauty of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. with the exception of a very,

very few, there are no real bad characters on the show. they all have motivations and real

well thought out back stories and family settings. although we may not agree with them or

their decisions, we can understand why they reason the way they do and why they make a

choice and act on it in a certain way.

You're right. Just a few examples.

* Ned Stark, who probably killed countless people in rebelling against the Mad King, introduced himself to the audience by beheading a Night's Watchman, the only person at that point who knew the truth.

* Jaime Lannister, who murdered the Mad King and nearly murdered Bran Stark, actually revealed (or claimed) he killed the Mad King to stop him from burning up King's Landing and everyone in it.

*Robb Stark betrayed his oath to Frey, who gave his support to him in rebellion.

*Catelyn Stark tried to kill Tyrion Lannister and singlehandedly alienated Jon Snow, violating her oath to the Old/New Gods in the process.

compared to, say, Lord of the Rings, it's a lot more complex in the emotions departments

and the complexities of family and politics. and like in 'real life' shit happens and people die

and lose on both sides, no matter how much you may love them or want them to succeed.

It's LOTR meets The Godfather.

[Edited 6/5/13 11:14am]

namepeace said:

IstenSzek said:

that's the beauty of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. with the exception of a very,

very few, there are no real bad characters on the show. they all have motivations and real

well thought out back stories and family settings. although we may not agree with them or

their decisions, we can understand why they reason the way they do and why they make a

choice and act on it in a certain way.

You're right. Just a few examples.

* Ned Stark, who probably killed countless people in rebelling against the Mad King, introduced himself to the audience by beheading a Night's Watchman, the only person at that point who knew the truth.

* Jaime Lannister, who murdered the Mad King and nearly murdered Bran Stark, actually revealed (or claimed) he killed the Mad King to stop him from burning up King's Landing and everyone in it.

*Robb Stark betrayed his oath to Frey, who gave his support to him in rebellion.

*Catelyn Stark tried to kill Tyrion Lannister and singlehandedly alienated Jon Snow, violating her oath to the Old/New Gods in the process.

compared to, say, Lord of the Rings, it's a lot more complex in the emotions departments

and the complexities of family and politics. and like in 'real life' shit happens and people die

and lose on both sides, no matter how much you may love them or want them to succeed.

(((((It's LOTR meets The Godfather.)))))

[Edited 6/5/13 11:14am]

I never really watched the Soprano's but I wondering is GoT equal to the tension of the Soprano's.

morningsong said:

I never really watched the Soprano's but I wondering is GoT equal to the tension of the Soprano's.

GoT and The Sopranos share the same sense of the sudden and the absurd, and inevitable consequences. GoT like The Godfather plays out like Greek tragedy.

The Red Wedding is really not much different than Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, or Greek tragedies.

GoT has even more tension than The Sopranos. The Sopranos twists the mob genre. GoT has been destroying TV conventions.

[Edited 6/6/13 7:17am]

It didn't take long for these t-shirts to be made:

I want one!!!!

Just to see the cross-eyed looks I'd get. "She looks so normal"

morningsong said:

It did have a sense of poetry to it.

It did; that's what made it so powerful and hard to watch.