I am going to jump into the “Frey” (pun intended) and take a “stab” at this week’s Game of Thrones Recap. Quite contrary to the events in season 3, epsiode 9’s “Red Wedding”, Jack Cashman, the regular author of this column, and his wife are celebrating the addition of life to their (and the TMR) family. Congrats, Jack!
I’m sure by now, you’ve heard plenty about this week’s episode of Game of Thrones, or at least the reactions to it. If not, go back under your rock and stop reading here, there are spoilers ahead.
We were not treated to any of the Lannister clan on-screen in episode 29, only the results of their plotting and counter-plotting. Even though we did see a few scenes featuring some key chess moves in the separate story threads of Daenerys, Jon Snow and Bran Stark, with all of them gaining increasing advantage, the main events all surrounded the wedding… and so will the rest of this recap.
The day has arrived that Edmure Tully had been complaining about for several episodes, his promised marriage to one of Walder Frey’s (hideous) daughters. Before the ceremonies could proceed, though, Robb Stark was asked to apologize to all of Frey’s daughters for not following through with his oath to marry one of them. Once said and done, it was time for a wedding.
Edmure, as well as the audience, was put to ease as his future bride was revealed to be a stunning beauty, despite the homely lineup we saw during Robb’s apology. The vows were exchanged, the two were wed, and Edmure suddenly stopped complaining. After some feasting and drinking, the two were whisked away by half the crowd in attendance for the bedding ceremony.
As soon as the “bedding” crowd left the hall, the doors were locked behind them and it didn’t take long to realize the ceremony was just a divide and conquer mechanism to achieve the ulterior motive… the slaughter and elimination of House Stark.
The scheme was successful.
Robb Stark… dead! Catelyn Stark… dead! Niedermeyer… dead! (Forget it, I’m rolling). Robb’s direwolf, Greywind, didn’t even survive the carnage. The slaughter was so complete that it appears that the only casualty on the Lannister/Frey side was Walder’s innocent young wife having her throat slit at the hand of Catelyn, moments before she suffered the same fate.
One can only imagine that Edmure and the other half of the wedding crowd suffered a similar demise on the other side of the barred door of the banquet hall thus leaving the Stark legacy in the hands of two girls, two young boys, one whom is crippled, and a bastard who has his own problems with the wildlings. The war between the Lannisters and the Starks appears to be all but over.
The episode’s end credits rolled to silence… stunned silence.
Game of Thrones Red Wedding Reactions:
…and then the outrage began. Outrage of the viewing audience, that is, who immediately took to the internet and social networks to voice their reactions and displeasure with the episode and the annihilation of the “home team” Starks, which included the multiple stabbings in the belly of Robb’s pregnant wife.
At first the chain of events seemed like a real bummer, but then the power of the episode, and the Game of Thrones series as a whole, set in. This was great stuff! Even the viewers who read the books and were arrogantly smirking at the rest of us, knowing exactly what was going to take place, were shocked by the power of the episode and the license that was taken with the scene.
For those of you still complaining… get over it.
There is only one more episode left in season 3 of Game of Thrones, it will be hard to top the last one.
