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Posted April 16, 2014 by Yuri Mangahas in Movies/TV
 
 

GAME OF THRONES Review: ‘The Lion And The Rose’ – Hail The King!

Previously On Game Of Thrones:

At King’s Landing, Tywin oversees the reforging of Ned Stark’s prized blade Ice into two separate swords(Oathkeeper and Widow’s Wail). Elsewhere, Tyrion meets the prince of Dorne, Oberyn Martell, and Jaime tries to deal with the repercussions of his absence from the capital. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen begins marching to Meereen, with the intention of liberating it like what he did with the other two slave cities. Finally, Jon Snow reveals to the Night’s Watch the plans of the Wildlings, and intends to rally them to war.

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Whenever a wedding happens in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, something terrible happens. More often than not, the ordeal ends with death, or worse, tragedy. That tradition occurs again, this time, in the form of the much awaited Royal Wedding of Joffrey Baratheon and Margery Tyrell(dubbed by the showrunners as the ‘Purple Wedding’).

And yes, our dear readers:

The King of Westeros, Joffrey Baratheon, first of his name, has fallen. But what does his death show us? And how significant would it be to the story, now that only two kings are left battling for the Iron Throne? Turns out, very. More on that in a bit.

Let’s do a quick recap of the events that has transpired in this episode, shall we?

In Dreadfort, Ramsay Snow welcomes back his father, Roose Bolton, and discusses his plans to attack Coat Mailin and retake it from the Ironborn by using Theon Greyjoy(now known as ‘Reek’) as a key instrument. Meanwhile, Bran Stark, Hodor, Jojen and Meera Reed continue their journey far North. There, the party discovers a Heart Tree, where Bran communes with, resulting in him deducing their fated destination. On the other hand, the entire King’s Landing prepare for the royal wedding, with diff. events happening in conjunction with it: Tyrion coercing Shae to leave the capital, Oberyn Martell meeting with the Lannisters, and Jaime confronting Loras Tyrell. The Royal Wedding soon takes place. However, it ends not as quite as everyone expects.

Now, going back to the question I’ve laid above: What does his death show us? Simple: No one is safe in Westeros.

If the first three seasons proved that there’s no safe spot for the honorable and just in the Seven Kingdoms, this episode affirms that even the corrupt and the amoral cannot be assured of survival. As such, this exemplifies George RR Martin’s ability to break the usual trope of the Hero Story and twist it into something we have never read before. With Robb and Ned Stark gone, and Joffrey following their fates, this will surely elevate things up a notch. Who is the real hero in this story? Is he just and brave as the norm depicts, or otherwise? That, we’ll find out soon.

His death will also bring immediate repercussions to the continuing plot. Now that only two kings remain, a power struggle is likely to ensue. Loyalties will be tested, and the status quo will shift once more. As to what extent will be revealed in the next chapters.

Now that I’ve pointed those things, let’s discuss the technicalities of this episode, shall we?

I liked the fact that they pulled out materials from other books in order to highlight the other characters. Like for example, Bran’s sideplot was from A Clash of Kings, whereas Ramsay and Reek’s act is from A Dance With Dragons. These segments fit in with the plot nicely, pushing the ship for future events to come. The script is just so, spot on, giving out impact in the same manner as the season’s pilot. May I also say that Joffrey shone brightly in this episode. His actor Jack Gleeson showed every bit of the Baratheon King’s character, and why we hated the kid. That’s talent you should watch out.

The Lion And The Rose will be undoubtedly become one of the best Game of Thrones episodes in my book. Surely, it brings the escalation needed to keep the story moving.

10 Golden Goblets out of 10!

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Catch us next week as we review the next episode ‘Breaker of Chains.’ For now, enjoy its teaser! Watch it here!


Yuri Mangahas

 
Yuri is magnanimously juggling between two managerial jobs: A technical manager position for an advertising/copy-writing company, and an associate editorial position for a fashion and lifestyle magazine. Nevertheless, he still finds time taking photos and seeking for geek nirvana.