Summary: Roose arrives in Winterfell, which Ramsay has occupied. Theon completely obeys Ramsay now. Roose is upset that Theon is so mutilated since Roose had hoped to use Theon as a hostage. Varys informs Tyrion that Shae has been discovered. Tyrion forces her to leave by pretending he doesn't want her anymore. Shae leaves. At Joffrey's wedding, tensions rise between many of the guests. Joffrey continues to be an asshole. Tyrion subtly insults Joffrey, so Joffrey takes it upon himself to terrorize Tyrion to everyone's displeasure. Margaery tries to direct attention elsewhere but it doesn't work. Joffrey drinks wine but suddenly starts choking and eventually dies. Cersei has her guard arrest Tyrion as the prime suspect.
The Good: This was a fantastic episode with so much executed well. This episode delivered way past my expectations, and was one of the best episodes of the show with ease. The wedding was a masterclass in tension. After the red wedding, this wedding had me on the edge of my seat, as I was expecting something crazy to happen at any second. I thought perhaps something would happen to Tyrion, Oberyn may cause some major trouble, or something else which is just as crazy. I was scared all the way through, and by the end, that crazy event happened, and it still managed to shock and impress me on a huge level (see: Best Moment). Joffrey was awful in this episode, and I say that in the best possible way. He was such a sociopathic prick in this episode and was horrendous to just about everyone. From his rude dismissal of the talented singers to him slicing up Tyrion's book with his new sword, he managed to offend just about everyone. The midgets demonstrating the War of Five Kings is pretty good because it's so tasteless and yet Joffrey finds it to be the funniest thing ever. Seeing him laughing so hard as everyone else sits uncomfortably was terrific storytelling, and even Margaery seemed to be miserable in this episode as she couldn't even rein Joffrey in and prevent him from harassing Tyrion. But by making Joffrey worse than ever made the final scene a thing of beauty to anyone watching this show. I don't think I've ever been so elated after watching a character die, but I couldn't stop smiling during that final scene as Joffrey finally got what was coming to him as he died a painful death at his own wedding. Furthermore, the scene works on an even bigger level as Joffrey's death has thrown the show into chaos and it seems that the dynamic of the show will be changing drastically, and all of this has happened just three episodes after the red wedding, an event just as massive as this one. It's great to see the plot taking such daring and satisfying moves, and it makes for some terrific pay-off for all of us who have gone through the patient pace that this show operates at. Joffrey's death has propelled the story in an extremely interesting direction. Now there is a tempting mystery of who killed him, and the best part is that I don't know the answer. It seems like everyone in the Seven Kingdoms wants Joffrey's head on a spike, so pretty much every character barring Cersei and Jaime seem likely to be responsible for his death. Could it have actually been Tyrion? Sansa? Margaery? Tywin? Oberyn? Melisandre? Dontos? Varys? Littlefinger? Olenna? All of these characters do have legitimate reasons to kill Joffrey, and it should be excited to see who is actually responsible. But for now Tyrion is taking the fall for Joffrey's death, and I think that is a great idea for a story as Tyrion is the character we sympathize most with, so it should be compelling to see him try to get out of this pickle. The other scenes at the wedding were very good as well and I thought there were some terrific character moments. Cersei is on her final day with power so she is appropriately glum, but she also decides to prey on the weak to try to assert dominance somehow by threatening Pycelle and Brienne and also screwing over Tyrion by telling Tywin about Shae. Loras and Jaime sparring about Cersei was great too and I loved some of the dialogue they shared. I also loved seeing Loras and Oberyn making eyes at each other, a lovely little bit of character. The other major storyline in this episode was Tyrion being forced to get rid of Shae so she isn't killed. Their scene together was really sad and powerful as Tyrion has to lie through his teeth to make Shae hate him just so she can escape King's Landing alive. The scene is so tragic and it's genuinely heartbreaking seeing Shae cry and Tyrion being forced to keep his cold demeanor. I liked Roose and Ramsay's scenes too. It was good to get an idea of what their relationship is as both of them are key villains in the story now. I like that Ramsay's sadism doesn't exactly impress Roose, as Roose is just angry that Theon has been defiled and is no longer useful as a hostage. I also appreciate that Ramsay was smart enough to try to use Theon to make a deal with the Greyjoys but simply didn't value an agreement as much as Roose did. It's a good contrast between the two characters. As an aside, it was good to see Theon react to Robb's death as it was both heartbreaking and painful to see him lose all hope and continue to serve Ramsay. There were a few other scenes which I liked. Jaime training his left hand with Bronn was fun, and I really like the idea behind that pairing. I hope we get to see them together again. I was also very happy to learn more about Selyse and her relationship with Shireen compared to how Stannis deals with her. The Bad: Nothing was bad. This was a consistent episode. The Unknown: Who was the woman that Ramsay was torturing early in the episode? Was she anyone significant, or just somebody random to entertain Ramsay? What was Bran's vision about? It seemed much more significant than his previous visions. What awaits him when he goes north? Does Brienne actually love Jaime? I don't think so, but it is possible. Who killed Joffrey then? Clearly Dontos played a role in this, but I don't think he was the killer. Who did it then? This question will likely drive the next few episodes. Also, I can't stop thinking about Melisandre's blood magic now. Robb and Joffrey have already been killed. Is Balon next? Did Melisandre actually cause this? Or is it just dumb coincidence? What would have happened if Gendry was actually burned? Best Moment: Joffrey's death was nothing short of incredible. Not only was it an emotionally satisfying moment, but it genuinely shocked me and opens up the story to a ton of new possibilities which really excite me. This is a great way to shake up the show, and has me really excited to see what season 4 has in store for us. Character of the Episode: Joffrey. He's a jerk, but this was his send-off episode. I would also like to take a moment and mention how good Jack Gleeson played the character. A terrific performance. Conclusion: This was an outstanding episode. This is how to shock your audience and make unexpectedly huge changes to a story without losing the emotional focus and character development. This episode was executed perfectly and is one of "Game of Thrones" best episodes so far. Score: 80
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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