Game of Thrones - The Lion and the Rose (Episode 2 Season 4) [TV Review]

Welcome back to Westeros, in this, the second weekly review of HBO's hit show Game of Thrones. This week was a wonderful happy joyous episode. If you saw it, I can only assume that you too shared in the warm feelings and happy tidings brought about by the Purple Wedding.

Are you as excited as she is?

Ok... you may be asking, the Purple Wedding? Really? Why such an odd title. The Red Wedding was obvious... but the Purple? Well, read on and you will see.

Of course there are SPOILERS AHEAD, I full well expect you to have watched the episode before reading. So, be warned.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Again, the show does not get a full five stars. I have to be utterly wowed for a five star rating. This does get a bump from four to four and a half, mainly because of the previously mentioned Purple Wedding.

The Lannister brothers share dinner... and an understanding.

 Again, as I've mentioned before, I read the books. But only once. Most of the important facts and characters are retained, but not all. And I fully expect many changes as things have to be changed from print to TV / movie media.

The Bastard of Bolton, Ramsay Snow.

This weeks episode, The Lion and the Rose, was actually written by George R. R. Martin himself. I feel he wanted a direct hand in this oh so important episode. It's the only one of the season he wrote, but there was a solid reason. The title of course refers to the two house sigils, the Lion of House Lannister and the Rose of House Tyrell.

Who is this actually? I do not remember her from the books.

The story covers most of the events in occuring in Westeros, save the Riverlands and the events at the Wall. We spent time in the North at the DreadFort with the Boltons, time in King's Landing (lots of time actually), time at Dragonstone with Stannis Baratheon, and some time beyond the Wall with Bran Stark.

At the Dreadfort we are first greeted with a scene of savagery. Ramsay Snow, Reek, and some woman, are chasing another woman through the woods. They shoot her in the leg with an arrow, corner her with dogs, and then... let the dogs eat her. Quite the gruesome start to the epsilon. But it is a strong book end. This episode is framed in death.

Reek will shave master... master wants a shave.

After the 'hunt,' Ramsay meets with his father Roose Bolton, and shows off his well trained follower, Reek, who is little more than the broken remains of Theon Greyjoy. Roose is not happy, until news of the Stark boys is revealed by Reek. They are not dead, he faked killing them. That changes things for Roose. I thought an event like this happened much much much later... like book five.

Davos is not thrilled by what he sees.

In King's Landing, Tyrion and Jamie come to an agreement. Jamie will train in using the sword with his left hand (since the right hand is gone) under Bronn, Tyrion's sell sword bodyguard.

On Dragonstone, Melisandre has several people burned alive as offerings to the Lord of Light. This includes the Queen's brother, Ser Axel Florent. Then there is a breif discussion between Melisandre and Shireen, the daughter of Stannis. 

Beyond the wall, Bran Stark is become too familiar with being a Warg, a skin walker. Then his merry band comes upon a Heart Tree. Bran touches it and recieves a prophetic vision... he now knows where they must go. They must travel further north. 

All that is nice... but it is really just set up for the big event in King's Landing.

He has no idea what you are supposed to do with a book.

We're going to the Sept, and we're going to get married.

First and foremost, Varys reveals to Tyrion that Cersei knows about Shae. Cirsei will undoubtedly inform Tywin of Tyrion's prostitute, and Tywin has treatened to hang the next prostitute Tyrion brought to the capital. The rsulting fight between Shae and Tyrion was probably the most cliche thing in Game of Thrones, so... meh. I suppose her character was so stubborn that nothing else would do, but still... that might have been the episodes low point. Where is Tyrion's awesomeness this season?

The comes the presentation of gifts to the King before his wedding. Tyrion gives Joffery a massive book covering four important Kings, a book that every king should read. Joffery is unimpressed. Until his grandfather, Tywin, presents to him a newly forged Valyrian steel sword (the second blade made from Ice). To test the sword Joffery hacks up the book Tyrion gave him. Now he's happy.

A wedding ceremony occurs.
Westeros has a new Queen. 

The King and new Queen.

Ok. All that is fine. I expected that much in the second episode.

What I did not expect was what came next. Well, I expected it, but I was not expecting it until the 3rd or fourth episode of the season. I knew it was not going to be the big finale. I knew that there was so much that depended upon the following events...

Joffery (blurred), Tywin, Cersie, and Tomin... bloody lions.

The wedding is followed by the Wedding Party.

Here we see some very important events occur. First, The Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna of House Tyrell 'fixes' Sansa's Amethysts necklace, the one Sansa received in the last episode from Ser Dontos. I'll leave that there... you should have caught what going on, but if you did not, I'm hoping you'll go back and catch it.

Joffery points at Tyrion. Important this is.

Then Joffery proceeds to embarrass Tyrion. He brings out an entourage of dwarves to re-enact the battles of Westeros, each dwarf representing one of the kings. Joffery needles at Tyrion to join the farce. When Tyrion declines, he forces him to be his cupbearer... and continues to insult and needle his uncle.

The King is Dead. No tears here.

Upon eating some of the pie, Joffery demands that his uncle bring him his wine. Tyrion walks all the way around the Lannister table, over to the Tyrell table and fetches Joffery's cup. The king drink the wine and mocks Tyrion more. 

King Joffery begins to cough. The cough gets worse. He is choking. He is dying. He grows a purplish-grey, blood comes from his nose and nasty thick mucus leaks from his mouth. As he dies in his mother's lap, and his father's arms, he points at Tyrion. His dying act is to condemn his uncle. 

The King is dead!

I did not expect that this early.
I expected it in episode three... maybe four.
There was no Daenerys bit this time... no John Snow either.
They were not what this episode was about.

Also... it earked me that the episode was six minutes short. I'm used to Game of Thrones lasting nearly the full sixty minutes. It was barely 54 minutes with credits. There were some other changes as well... I did not see a female dwarf. I don't remember if Shae actually boarded a boat in the books... I've said before that I do not rememeber every detail, but I tend to remember the important ones. Like... who the heck was with Ramsay Snow at the begining of the episode? Who was this Myranda? She is not in the books. Ramsay has a group of men with him when he 'hunts,' not his servant women / bed warmers. It is a change from the books... I'm always on the look out for them, when I can remember them.

I can't wait until next week. What wonderful, disturbingly dark, tale will be told in Game of Thorns episode three, "Breaker of Chains." Ok, I can tell you it will be about Daenerys.

Oh yes, I promised to explain the Purple Wedding bit.
I'm not huge up on the fan community... but my guess is that is has to do with the fact that Amethysts are purple. Not so much the purple-greying of Joffery's face (since in the books, I do beleive they say he turns red), instead it is all about the stone.

Also, I want to take my hat off and congratulate Jack Gleeson, the actor who brought Joffery Baratheon to life. To create a character so universally despised, to step into a role of a character who is universally despised, could not have been an easy feat. He pulled the part off exceptionally well, he made us believe in the monster. He did an excellent job. You gave us the focus for our hatred, our anger. You brought a villain to life in an exceptional way. Thank you!  
 

Read my past reviews for Game of Thrones:
Season 4:
- Episode 1: Two Swords.