Game of Thrones - The Red Wedding

I pulled the bandaid as my friend at work so told me to do. The Rains of Castamere (the Lannister song Cersei tells Margaery about in the previous episode, serving as foreshadowing) playing, Catelyn processing it all before checking Roose Bolton to truly make sure, seeing the chainmail underneath his coat, and the hall door closed shut so no one could get in or out. The archers and swordmen in position, the Stark forces either outside drunk among tents or at the dinner tables gobbling up the Frey wedding meal prepared. Robb thought this idea would secure him Casterly Rock, and upon the advice of his mother (the mother who released Jaime to Brienne to head for King’s Landing in some supposed bright idea that her daughters would be given to her in return) set out to apologize to Walder Frey for marrying another, instead of adhering to the promised oath to wed one of his daughters.

The formalities of this wedding were to advance the ruse, secure the trust of Robb, dig at his wife for being much more lovely and “curvy” than his daughters (and granddaughters), set up the wedding so that he could indeed gain a Tully into his family (through the marriage of his one beautiful daughter), and eliminate a serious foe to the Lannisters. As another friend of mine pointed out: who is better to align with, a kid at 17 who has made one mistake after another (Jaime’s release by his mother, beheading Lord Karstark, marrying another woman from Volantis instead of agreeing to the oath promised in exchange of access through the bridge of The Twins, losing men at Harrenhal after Edmure’s blunder…) or the Lannisters who offer wealth and lands? The North is now up for grabs…the son of Ned Stark and the wife, his Lady Catelyn, are not an issue. And the unborn son that might have avenged Robb Stark’s death (arrows from the archers and Roose’s Marc Antony dagger in the torso, securing the regards of the Lannisters, seen to that) puddles blood from the wound gaping from Talisa’s belly as she fades to black on the floor. No revenge for Ned, despite the opening of the episode indicating they were setting their very sights on that.

As Cat first learned of her beloved’s beheading, leaning up against a tree, feeling the agony and despair, locating her angered son beating his sword into another tree, both focused on the task at hand, trusted families more concerned with who could benefit them the most. Robb and Cat were not what the Freys or Boltons considered beneficial. With many believing Rickon and Bran burned alive by Theon Greyjoy (his parlaying they aren’t dead to the torturer gives the Boltons perhaps extra targets to annihilate), Jon off at the Night’s Watch, and Sansa married to Tyrion, few Starks were left to concern the Lannisters any longer. Tywin Lannister felt Robb breathing down his neck and developed quite a masterplan that successfully kept quite a foe from every reaching the Iron Throne. But there are still Starks alive. Not who we thought could best Tywin…which brings its own irony.

The Hound locating an old man with a cart’s wheel needing repair gives him the chance for passage into the Twins. Arya with him, they depart for the Twins in the hopes of a reunion. But much like King’s Landing, as Ned’s head came off with Arya pulled away before she could see it, The Hound does the favor this time, clunking her on the head and dragging her away. Clegane also understood that she should not see a father, mother, and brother perish. But Arya has darkness in her and when she tells Clegane that she’ll put a blade in his eye all the way through, The Hound realized she was serious. Arya doesn’t forget those that wronged her anymore than her mother and brother did. In Westeros, revenge isn’t always assured. Sometimes betrayal and deceit make sure revenge isn’t met.

It is called the Red Wedding for a reason, that’s for sure. Slit throats, oozing stomachs, an army and its leaders executed in quick succession and fashion; the ceremony bled red.

Richard Madden’s face as his Robb held his dying wife in his arms and watched his unborn child die is hard to forget as is an incredible, Emmy-deserved performance from Fairley, whose Catelyn eyes everything with her expression of “oh, no” written and told until she lets out this final primal scream that is silenced with one final dagger across her throat. Will Walder Frey and Roose Bolton pay for their treachery? Frey sure didn’t care that Cat would kill his wife…how many has he already had? The scene where he can’t even remember one granddaughter’s name because he had so many children/grandchildren speaks to that.