Game of Thrones Series Blog – The Rains of Castamere

As is tradition in Game of Thrones, it is the penultimate episode of the season that brings with it a myriad of destruction. Season one had ‘Baelor’, and the shock execution of Ned Stark. Season two gave us ‘Blackwater’ and the battle that killed a multitude of soldiers and almost cost Tyrion his life. And now, for season three, we have ‘The Rains of Castamere’, and a catastrophic event affectionately referred to as the ‘Red Wedding’.

But there’ll be plenty of time to discuss that devastating tale later. After all, it’s not just Arya who’s finding herself within reach of her family again. We finally get a decent chunk of Bran and Rickon’s storyline, and we find out that Bran is more than just a Warg. Wildlings descend on their hiding place, but Hodor’s fear of thunder threatens to give them away. Bran finds that he is able to take control of Hodor to calm him down, and then controls Summer, seeing Jon Snow on the battlefield. He makes the heartbreaking decision to leave Rickon with Osha, and head north with Jojen and Meera. Art Parkinson, who plays Rickon, gives a great performance for one so young.

Daenerys’ fate lies in the hands of Daario, who persuades her that he can sneak into Yunkai with two of her men, opening up the front gates for her army. I know I say this every time, but Emilia Clarke is a phenomenal actress. When discussing the plans for the raid, she is powerful, ruthless and a fearless leader. However, as she turns to Grey Worm for advice, her voice is soft and calm, and her face is kind. I felt like that scene really captured the essence of Dany – when it comes to war, she takes no prisoners. When it comes to her soldiers, however, she has endless empathy and patience. It also appears that Grey Worm has good instincts, as his trust in Daario pays off. Despite the plan encountering a few hitches along the way, the city of Yunkai falls and is now under Daenerys’ control. You go girl.

For those of you who haven’t read the books, I would imagine that the first hints of suspicion started to creep in at the moment when Lord Edmure pulled back the veil to reveal his beautiful wife. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, Walder Frey doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would give one of his most beautiful daughters to a man who fights for the side that betrayed him. Still though, the ceremony goes well, and the reception is a fabulous party with plenty of dancing, drinking and eating. It’s not until the bedding is over that the atmosphere starts to darken. As the giant hall doors are pushed shut, the band start up the sombre ballad, The Rains of Castamere.

The most painful part of the Red Wedding has to be the fact that Arya keeps inching ever closer to home, just to have it torn away. She gets to the gates on the back of the Hound’s stolen wagon, before jumping off and sneaking inside the Twins whilst he’s trying to play the ‘pig farmer’ act. The scenes at the end are brilliantly shot, as each time the tension ramps up another notch inside the hall, we cut back to Arya, trying to find her way in, looking happier than she’s looked in a long time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. George R. R. Martin is a master of using happiness as a way to make the despair even more poignant.

Talisa is the first victim, stabbed by one of Lord Frey’s men. This is what sets off the chain reaction. Bolts are fired from crossbows, swords are drawn, daggers brandished. All the while, Lord Walder sits there, drinking, surveying the chaos before him. The cinematics of the massacre are fantastic, as there is such a vast contrast between Lord Walder Frey and his calm, calculated position, and the madness taking place on the floor. It’s just another reminder of how important the battles off the field are in the game of thrones.

Arya only realises that something is wrong when the battle moves outside, and Walder’s men begin to kill the Stark’s bannermen in the tents. Maisie is, as we know, brilliant at playing the brave girl that Arya normally is, but she is able to turn on the fear, shock and disbelief at a drop of a hat. The Hound saves yet another Stark girl, and carries her off before anyone realises who she is.

Catelyn’s scene at the end of the hysteria is utterly devastating, as she begs that her son be allowed to go free in return for her life. Robb, kneeling over the corpse of his wife, manages to stagger to his feet in an attempt to follow his mother’s advice for the first time. In as hideous a twist as the first Stark death, Robb is killed. Catelyn slits the throat of Walder’s wife, before meeting the same fate herself.

If ‘The Rains of Castamere’ taught us anything, it’s that no one is safe in Westeros. As the penultimate episodes have shown a pattern of loss, the final episodes of seasons one and two both brought something back that people thought was gone. In ‘Fire and Blood’, Daenerys rose from the flames with her newborn dragons, hundreds of years after the supposed final dragon had died. ‘Valar Morghulis’ saw the march of the White Walkers, as they returned after sleeping for centuries. Will season 3 follow the same pattern? The final episode is called ‘Mhysa’, meaning ‘mother’ in High Valyrian, which doesn’t give much away. However, the acts of the Freys and the loss of the Northern army will throw Westeros into a tailspin. Tune in next week to watch the fallout, and see how season 3 will conclude.