SPOILER ALERT: There are indeed spoilers for people who haven’t watched this episode yet, so read at your own caution if you haven’t caught up.
It’s called “Game of Thrones,” but perhaps “Musical Thrones” would be more accurate — or just “Deadly Weddings.”
HBO
Thank you “GoT,” for promptly answering my question from last week by checking up on Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow (the Bolton bastard who captured and tortured Theon last season). From the moment it was announced that Iwan Rheon would be joining the cast of “GoT,” I knew he was going to be a perfect fit. He’s an excellent actor with a superb creep factor after being the outcast weirdo, Simon Bellamy, in “Misfits” for three seasons. But while he was just eerie in a cute sort of way in “Misfits,” Rheon makes my skin crawl as the twisted Bolton bastard in “GoT.” He hunted a girl in the woods for making his bedwarmer, Myranda, jealous of her pretty looks and let his dogs maul her — with glee! Not to mention what he did to poor Theon last season.
HBO
Speaking of poor Theon, now he has a gimp, is called Reek and is too whipped to even think of killing Ramsay. Oh, Theon and your poor life choices! It’s really agonizing to watch. It’s so easy to see where he went wrong. The look on his face when Roose Bolton informed him of Robb Stark’s death, just as he was shaving Ramsay’s face with a razor, was heartbreaking. That, my friends, was the look of a severely broken man giving up the ghost of his former self. He clearly felt the pain and devastation. But instead of exacting the just revenge he should have, he didn’t. Why? Because he’s not Theon anymore. His name is Reek and Reek lives to serve Ramsay Snow. Roose Bolton has it right — he’s Ramsay’s creature now.
Meanwhile, Bran is having visions and steadily making his way to the Wall. Issac Hempstead-Wright, the actor, nailed that feral man look as he munched down on what little food they had. They might have called Robb “the Young Wolf” but I would venture to say that Bran is more wolf than Robb ever was. To see Bran return to Winterfell as the Lord would be interesting. It’s a toss-up over where Bran’s storyline is going to lead him, though.
HBO
Those visions were very curious and they’re taking him farther away from the drama. Who is calling Bran to go beyond the Wall? Or what is it? From the Lord of Light taking burnt sacrificesto some unknown voice calling to Bran, these magics at work in “GoT” are all enigmas. It’s not difficult to get the sense that these squabbles over the Iron Throne are petty in the grand scheme of things. “Winter” and “Night” (that’s dark and full of terrors) seem much more alarming.
The pink elephant in the room, however, is the wedding we have all been waiting for. Joffrey and Margery finally tied the knot in this episode, in what can only be called true “Game of Thrones” fashion. How, you may ask? Someone died is how. Someone we weren’t really fond of (unless you’re into sadism?). It was painful to watch him harass Tyrion the whole time. And it’s pretty clear that Tyrion can’t do much to protect Sansa as his wife if he can barely protect himself from his own family. So, huzzah! King Joffrey is dead — at last. If you’re wondering if this has anything to do with the actor, Jack Gleeson, not wanting to act anymore, it doesn’t. This is the only connection I will draw to the books since I have not read them, but I did research whether or not Joffrey’s death was written to release Gleeson from the show. It wasn’t. His death was in the books.
Boom. Justice served in a chalice. But, whodunit? I’m eager to find out who was responsible for this wonderful event so I can give them a hug.
