We all wanted King Joffrey dead, nay we needed him dead. But talk about a brutal way to go!
Did anyone expect this to happen so soon into Season 4? Maybe readers of the books did, but you guys don’t count. As much I love a good book, I dare not pick up George R.R. Martin’s manifesto because I don’t want to spoil the television show! How many times have you heard someone say that? Seriously, though, each and every week is an expedition into a dangerous, exciting land that is unspoiled to me because I haven’t read a single page of one of the novels!
Episode 3, “The Lion & The Rose”, or more affectionately known as “The Purple Wedding” was met with much anticipation after last seasons blood bath, we all still cringe at, “The Red Wedding.” But would ‘GOT’ really do it again, make a huge spectacle out of an already enormous setting? Yah damn right they did! Because this is ‘GOT,’ you have got to expect the unexpected. The entire episode felt like one giant lead up to something remarkable.
From the very beginning as the two hounds chased that defenseless girl through the woods, a sense of inevitable catastrophe took shape. From that very moment it was a sprint to the finish line.
You see, even Theon Greyjoy showed signs of a heart when he found out his ex-best friend (Robb Stark) had a dagger stuck through his heart by his captor’s father. Man, I would have loved to see Theon slice the throat of the Bastard Bolton! I still think “Reek” is bating Ramsay and his father, Roose.
He has to possess even one redeeming quality, right? Giving up the fact that he never killed the two youngest Stark children will certainly lead to another major plot development involving Reek, I mean Theon.
Bran and Hodor made their first appearance of the season. HODOR!! Bran soon finds out where he and his gang will head to next, albeit via a message from a tree with a face. Does the shadow of the dragon flying high over Kings Landing illude to the destination?
What’s with Oberyn? Yeah, he’s a “switch-hitter”, but what I’m really interested in is when he will enact his own revenge! He has clearly come to Kings Landing for more than Joffrey’s wedding; he made that clear in episode 1. But after his verbal confrontation with Tywin and Cersei, you know the preverbal shit is about to hit the fan.
You could sense Tywin knew exactly what Oberryn meant when he referred to “cultural differences.” I love the severity, yet misdirection of threats that were thrown around by the trio.
Then there is Tyrian, everyone’s favorite Lannister. He has truly tormented the entire wedding reception; made a fool over and over again. It didn’t take a Detective to figure out one way or another; someone wasn’t leaving this episode breathing. With having just shunned his true love, Shay (for her own safety), Tyrian does all he can to keep his composure, throw some proverbial jabs, and even manages to console his wife, Sansa, all at the same time.
This led us to the latest WOW moment for ‘Game Of Thrones.’ Margaery calls for the pie to quell the bickering between her husband and his uncle. Joffrey slices the pie with his Valyrian steel sword, given to him by his grandfather as a wedding present. If you watch closely after the doves fly out, there is an insert shot of the inside of the cake. A dead dove falls out of the cake, as other perished ones lye around it.
Poison?! Has to be, right? As Joffrey begins to choke, he calls for his uncle to bring him wine, which Tyrian does. Joffrey begins to spill out of control. Lady Olenna screams out for someone to help the King. Jamie runs for his son… nephew, as Joffrey hits the ground. Cersei and Jamie surround the boy as he turns a multitude of colors; blood and vomit spews till Joffrey gasps his last few breaths of life.
Of course, the little incest driven, prick wielding psychopathic child manages to point towards Tyrian before he finally passes. This sends his mother into a horrific cry for the guards to arrest her brother, the murderer! Too bad he didn’t do it, lady.
Hours after conclusion of episode 2, the Internet went ablaze with whodunits. The most popular theory is that it was the doing of The Queen of Thornes. If you remember from episode 1, Ser Dotos, now the King’s jester gives Sansa a necklace that once belonged to his mother. She wears it to the wedding; and if you pay close attention, while Olenna is talking to Sansa on how she must come visit her homeland, Olenna skillfully plucks a jewel from the necklace. Why’d she do that?
If indeed the old bag is the murderer, then how will anyone ever suspect? And how did the jewel get in the pie? But how does a jewel kill someone anyway? Of course Olenna has her reasons to see Joffrey dead; to protect her kingdom, her granddaughter, her grandson (Loras, and his upcoming marriage to Cersei), revenge for Joffrey’s mistreatment of Sansa.
And if the jewel did in fact cause the death, then it makes sense when Ser Dontos stealthily whisks Sansa away in the midst of chaos. Is too Lord Varys involved? He has a running connection to all advantageous parties.
But this wasn’t how I wanted the inbred to die! Sure he suffered. But at the hands of poison! Yes, King Richard died because a bore struck him, and Renly died by the hands of a ghost-spirit. But for the evilest character in all of Westeros, something far worse should have befallen the King. I for one wanted it to be at the hands of Jon Snow.
Sure Snow has plenty more Lannister’s and Frey’s to slay for the deaths of his brother, father, and direwolves. But revenge at the hands of a Stark, albeit a half Stark, sure would have been sweet.
Alas, we have at least two more seasons in the series to tie up all the loose ends. I just hope Jon Snow gets his before he meets his maker. After all, it’s only a matter of time before my favorite character dies too.