In an interview awhile back, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jamie Lannister, said he was proud to be a Lannister and not a Stark.  He said the Starks were all you ever heard about, because everyone loved them.  From Game of Thrones ' inception, the Starks were ready as our main protagonists.  There were and are many houses and families in Westeros, and occasionally dragons, just the Starks were bastions of loyalty and honour, and they are a family we spend the most time with.  Even when they were dissever, we withal followed all of their exploits -- Ned, Catelyn, Robb, Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon each had distinct stories and arcs and important roles to play.  That was one reason Ned's death in the first flavor striking so hard.  If this show tin can kill off a main protagonist, is anyone prophylactic?  In the last iii seasons the answer has been a resounding no.  Still, Season Three has lulled u.s. into a sense of self-approbation, which was ripped out from under us in "The Rains of Castamere."  Striking the spring for more on why George R. R. Martin doesn't want you to be happy.

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Show watchers who haven't read the books, congratulations: you at present know our pain about TRW, a.k.a. The Red Wedding, a.k.a. the reason for your tears this evening.  1 thing I've always admired about the Song of Ice and Burn down fandom is that most people don't want to ruin the big moments for those who haven't read the books, and it's for moments like these.

The Red Wedding has been foreshadowed for awhile, primarily this season, most tellingly when Arya looked apprehensively at the horizon towards the Twins, domicile of House Frey.  The Hound says she is broken-hearted because the closer she gets to seeing her family again, the more afraid she is that it won't happen.  She has a right to fear it.  The Starks were splintered apart in Season I and have never been able to discover each other over again.  Some other vicious scene with this theme happened elsewhere in the episode, when Bran and Rickon were just on the other side of a stone wall from Jon.  What might their lives had been like, and his, had they been able to find each other then?  Instead, they passed like ships in the night, heading in opposite directions.

I've tried to not compare the books and the testify also much this season, because equally has been mentioned many times, this twelvemonth the bear witness really started doing its own affair.  But I have to commend the series mightily on this episode from a book reader's perspective.  Many of the scenes were exactly every bit described in the books (and this i wasn't written by Martin), and the emotional impact of the Red Hymeneals (even with the addition of Talisa) was just as gut-wrenching as in the book.  The Frey's betrayal and assassination of Robb might have been guessed by some, but Roose Bolton's office in it was probably a surprise.  In the books, this is Catelyn's POV chapter, and her expressing her horror over the proceedings was played masterfully by Michelle Fairley in the episode, especially in that last double-throat-slitting scene.  The silence over the credits said it all.  In that location was nothing left to say.

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Dany was the soul non-Stark to populate the episode's narratives.  In that location were no Lannisters this calendar week, no Theon, and no other distractions (Sansa was as well left out, but her story is likewise tied in with the Lannisters at present to be solely Stark-based).  The sacking of Yunkai lost almost all impact confronting the Blood-red Nuptials, and while it was an important movement for the finale, information technology felt out of place.  This was the Stark'southward hour, and they deserved every infinitesimal of information technology.

The Starks are the all-time representation of what makes the Song of Ice and Burn down series so different from other fantasy novels.  The good guys do not win.  The Starks, our de facto protagonists, are tortured throughout.  It'south a subversion of heroes and happiness, 2 things Westeros severely lacks, and while it has its own merits, it's likewise unrelentingly bleak.

Last flavor's penultimate episode -- traditionally the one where, in HBO's truncated seasons, is the nearly powerful -- saw the Boxing of Blackwater, one of the series' all-time episodes and a game changer when Tywin was able to ward off Stannis' armies.  But Blackwater lacked the emotional impact of Ned'south death or the Red Nuptials, and it signaled non only the stop of Robb'southward march south and his designs are King in the North, or anywhere, but too his life.  "The Rains of Castamere  is a warning, both in its original vocal form and as this episode proved: no one is prophylactic.  And Wintertime is Coming.

Episode Rating: A

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Musings and Miscellanea:

-- Sigh.  The King in the N. [raises a weary glass].  Fuck the Freys.

-- It was a big moment for Robb to acknowledge his mother was right and asking for her communication to outset the episode.  Belated, merely glad it was included.

-- I don't think information technology was made very clear for non-book readers, merely it is the custom in Westeros that when you have eaten in someone's home you are and then "sheltered" in that location and protected from harm.  The Stark party is shown eating at the very showtime, which merely goes to farther highlight what complete hypocritical dicks the Freys are.  They are the ultimate trailer trash of Westeros.

-- In one of the episode'south few funny moments, I loved the parade of homely Frey girls and Walder forgetting one of their names (and saying Edmure could accept the twins, why not?  What did he care?)  Besides, Edmure's delight at his surprisingly beautiful bride.

-- Walder talking about Talisa'south "business firm tits and tight fit" … lawwwd.

-- It was also important to note that the music was too loud at the festivities to alarm anyone outside of danger, and that the troops had been given aplenty beverage to continue them preoccupied.  In the name of the Seven, I hate anybody correct at present.

-- Stabbing Talisa in the stomach was pretty cruel, as was Robb'southward final look at his dead wife.  I dear Richard Madden and will be awfully sorry to meet him gone, simply I thought he did a fantastic task with his death scene.  I may or may non be crying again a piddling bit right at present.

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-- Cat's death too …

-- WHYYYYYYY

-- The scenes between Arya and the Hound were bully this calendar week.  Very squeamish parallel too between Arya disarming the Hound not to kill the quondam man (even though she knocks him out, also) and Jon convincing, for a time, the Wildlings not to kill the equus caballus breeder.  Arya's interactions with the Hound were kind of early on Jaime and Brienne-like, minus the sexual tension of course.

-- Sam, what were you lot even doing in this episode.  I actually forgot all about his scene until just now when reviewing my notes.  Simply like every episode this season, his was the random scene this calendar week that should have been excluded.

-- Jon abandoning Ygritte was a dick move.  Also, glad to run across Summertime and Shaggydog there … merely where the hell was Ghost??? Would take been helpful.  We oasis't seen him in weeks.

-- Speaking of which, R.I.P. Grey Current of air.

-- Another nice parallel besides with Bran warging with Hodor as Orell was warging with the eagle (which attacked Jon, showing that Orell was not totally dead … I think … or something).  We learned as well that Bran has special warg abilities.  But I hated that he has separated from Rickon.  More splintering …

-- That was definitely the virtually that Rickon has ever spoken on the show, combined and times three.

-- Osha's face when Bran and Rickon were talking most Wildlings … hilarious.

--  "Dead rats don't squeak" - the Hound

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