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Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones’ “The Rains of Castamere”

By and | June 3rd, 2013
Posted in Reviews | 29 Comments

Do not go further if you haven’t watched this episode. DO NOT GO FURTHER.

You have been warned.

1. WHAT THE WHAT?!

Before the season, I was reading an article in Entertainment Weekly about this one moment in the first part of season three that will basically blow everyone’s minds. I’ve got a pretty good guess that this episode had that moment, where the Freys turned on the Starks after effectively a show wedding, leading to the death of Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, Robb’s pregnant wife Talisa, and Robb’s dire wolf amongst others. It was literally one of the most violent and shocking scenes I’ve seen in any medium ever, especially with Talisa being stabbed to death in her pregnant belly. It was a heartwrenching, mind blowing sequence that the perpetually put upon Arya basically had to watch. I’m sure it will be considered upsetting and overdone by many people (especially with the violence towards Talisa), but holy shit, that is how you do it.

That was an end. That was a conclusion. For the third straight season, the second to last episode featured the most shocking moment(s). As a non book reader, my mind wonders, “where do we go from here?”

2. Stark Misdirection

I know some people probably felt like this was always Robb’s game to win, but I wasn’t one of them. If it’s going to be a Stark who ends this whole thing, my money has been and always will be on Arya – until she dies in a horrible way in season 4 episode 9, of course – as she’s the heart and soul of the Stark family in my mind. The fact that she’s now found herself in the care of The Hound, a guy who is for all intents and purposes a monster with a heart of gold, only lays credence to the fact she has the potential to develop a power base in the future if she can ever get over her hate. Arya’s life took a much darker turn in this episode, as if I thought that was previously possible, and it will be interesting to see what she lives for going forward. Revenge will most certainly be at the top of that list – against Lord Bolton, against Walder Frey, against Joffrey – but where she goes from here I very much feel will define the story going forward.

3. On the less bloody front

If you told me that Jorah, Daario Naharis and Grey Worm going to take out Yunkai was going to somehow not be the most bloody part of the episode, I’d say you were lying. But this episode didn’t just underline the fall of the House Stark, but the further rise of the once great House Targaryen. Dany continues to consolidate power, and with Yunkai and its slaves now in her command, she’s that much closer from being ready to make her presence felt in Westeros. She’s on her way, and the events of this season have pushed her closer to being the dominant power of the story.

4. Jon Snow Rides Off

In the weakest part of the episode, Jon Snow officially turned on his Wildling buddies, including Ygritte, as he killed a few Wildlings and then straight up rolled post fearsome bird attack. With Ygritte under attack, this woman he had feelings for, he just straight up rolls. It was a weird moment that was jarring for me as a viewer, given that they had developed their relationship pretty well. Not only that, but Jon had to have seen the Dire Wolves that were his brothers during the battle. He had to have known they were close. So strange, that just makes me wonder, “Hodor?”

5. You book readers are crazy

Seriously, this season has been half a book? I know I’ve complained that some episodes didn’t have much happening, but they have definitely had as much as the previous seasons. This season so far, without what assuredly will be a showstopping finale, has had some absolutely insane moments and an array of new characters introduced. But it’s HALF the third book. Mindblowing. This was an excellent episode that stayed focused on some key storylines and even managed to overlap some of them together, just in time for some major turns. I can’t wait to see where we go, and we have one more episode after this before a long break. Keep on keepin’ on.

Continued below

Final Verdict: 8.5

We have five more thoughts on last night’s Game of Thrones — however, in a change from every other week, tonight’s section will be 100% spoiler-free from the books. If you’ve just watched the show then you know what there is to talk about, and I won’t go any further from that. Promise.

Solidarity.

So, without further ado,

6. It’s Still Hard the Second Time

I imagine this is 99.9% of Game of Thrones/”A Song of Ice and Fire” fans right now.

7. George RR Martin Sends His Regards

A lot of people say this, but George RR Martin is clearly a wicked, evil man. “How could he do this?!” fans cry. “Robb was supposed to win!”

And to that I say:

Which is basically a summary of the entire series in one gif. Sad trombone.

8. And If You Like That, You Should Try The Books

I know, I say this all the time — but honestly? Like all things, the book is better. The show is amazing, don’t get me wrong! I teared up when Catelyn screamed, my heart was bumping and thumping as hard as it ever has while watching the show. And, sure, granted, a certain sense of knowing came from having read the books, but when that door shut and the band started playing “Rains of Castomere,” my heart sunk. An intelligent viewer probably could tell something was amiss, too; we’re at the 9th episode and typically the 9th episode features the biggest moments.

But you know where there isn’t a 9th episode? The books. And you know how many horrors are left to behold? So many. Though this, arguably, is the worst.

(Assuming, that is, that they don’t actually show what the Freys do next. We only read about it from other people… but we also only read about what happens to Theon.)

So, what I’d say is: if you really loved tonight’s episode and haven’t read the books, pick them up and read them all before season 4. You won’t believe what else happens. This scene, like so many others, are hidden so perfectly in the details that you’ll never see them coming, and when other things start burning and crashing down you won’t know what to do with yourself.

You see a scene like that on a show here you’re a fly on the wall, but imagine if you’re reading it from Catelyn’s perspective. Imagine you’re in a front row seat as you wonder why the band is so awful only to learn the horrific truth, as you watch your son die, as you threaten the life of an innocent as a last ditch effort to save his life. Imagine that you are part of the scene, as opposed to a casual observer watching the drama unfold on your television set. That’s the power of the book (let alone books in general).

The show is amazing and a near-perfect translation of the source material, and this episode hit all the right notes to make that scene powerful and terrible. The book is still always better, though. (Plus, if you read the books, you won’t have to wait a year for season four and other big horrible things that are coming.)

9. But Now We’ll Never Know The Truth of Talisa

I posted it here before, but there was an ongoing theory that Talisa, Robb’s wife, was a Lannister spy. (Go look up “The Lannister Honeypot” on YouTube.) The basic summation is that Talisa, being not the character from the book that Robb married (Jeyne Westerling), is a spy for the Lannisters in his camp who is working with Roose Bolton for the betrayal that was the Red Wedding. Whether she actually was a spy is irrelevant now, though, because for Walder Frey that sort of thing matters very little. Don’t break your oaths.

But now you know why Tywin was writing letters. So was Talisa actually writing to her mother, or was she actually a Lannister spy? I suppose it matters very little now, but I am curious to know what she was writing in the last episode. David Peterson, the man who invented Dothraki and High Valyrian for the show, has assured fans it isn’t gibberish; how long until the truth is finally revealed?

10. It Gets Better

Not by much, but it will. Just wait until next week. There’s still one more wedding after all.


//TAGS | Game of Thrones

Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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