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Thoughts about The Red Wedding...SPOILERS!


barrychenault

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I think the show only watchers either a) have been spoiled/spoiled themselves already because its all over every social networking site (I have a YouTube fanvideo up with the couples from the show and there are so many spoilers in my comments I had to warn in the description!) or B.) will be completely and utterly devasted. Let's be honest - Robb Stark has been played up as the 'hero' for the last two seasons. Due to them adding so many scenes since they adored Richard Madden (as did the fans) there are so many people invested in wanting him to be king, wanting him to win, and wanting the Starks to be reunited. Plus there are scores of Richard Madden fans who will be devasted.

I spoiled myself before I read the books (after Season 2) yet the writing still killed me. And then I bawled my eyes out over Arya being outside(I hadn't spoiled myself on that) You know Maisie Williams will kill that scene. The Red Wedding is probably the most unique thing I've read in fiction. True - you knew that GRRM would kill off heroes after he killed Ned Stark but that sort of have needed to happen to kick off the war of five kings, throw his family into turmoil and spread them all over the Seven Kingdoms and set the north against the south. Robb and Cat dying was totally a shock because Robb didn't have to die. GRRM could have gone so many places with the story and him be kept alive. His death was completely out of the blue because it didn't happen in battle. If he had died in battle, I think people would have been upset but the emotional impact of his death happening at a wedding and being betrayed by his own men (Bolton) and the fact Tywin worked with the Freys and Bolton to make it happen was shocking.

Now, this being said, I don't know if the wedding will have the SAME effect on the TV viewers because he married Talisa before finding out about Bran/Rickon. That and the fact Cat let Jaime go before finding out were the two changes the show made that I thought was a huge mistake. Instead of being driven by grief, both of them appear reckless and Robb appeared rebellious by marrying her instead of honorable. I'm not one of the people who gets lividly upset about the changes with Talisa vs. Jeyne but I do think that if they had just had a scene where Robb and Cat found out about Bran and Rickon before those two acted - it would have made both characters more sympathetic instead of careless.

There are people on Tumblr who are speculating that Talisa is actually a Lannister spy and there is a YouTube video with clips showing the reasoning. While I don't buy it completely, its got some valid points.

Personally I dread seeing it and know I'll need a box of kleenex for the show. And maybe a few days off work for bereavement.

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One thing that I will regret big time is the fact that the main characters won't all be there. They didn't include Smalljon or Dacey in the casting. Greatjon won't be on this season. I think that a lot of the northern bannermen that I liked not being there and not being murdered is sad. Reading the books I cried when Smalljon threw a table over Robb to save him and then Dacey got killed. Sad that it won't be in the show and those two characters weren't included at all. They could have had a few less whores in Petyr's whorehouses and included the cool Northmen!

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I expected something bad to happen, but never on that scale. The part with Grey Wind sensing the betrayal on the bridge definetly made wonder if the shit was about to hit the fan, and Walder stinks of treachery. Just an FYI, the total body count was: Robb, Cat, Dacey Mormont, Wendel Manderly, Smalljon Umber, Robin Flint, Owen Norrey, Lucas Blackwood, Raynald Westerling, Donnel Locke, and Grey Wind. of Robb's bannermen, only Patrek Mallister, Greatjon and Edmure survived (plus Jason Mallister, Maege Mormont and Galbart Glover who weren't there)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Unfortunately, I was spoiled by my friend that Robb would die sometime in the third book. However, she didn't tell me how that would happen. Which made it worse, actually.

As I read through the first third of the book, I definitely picked up some signs that something big is going to happen. And it did, eventually in the most messed up way possible. I was legitimately depressed after reading the chapter. It's always hard for me when something happens to The Starks, they suffered immensely. One of the most gut-wrenching moments was the end of the chapter and the part where they want to slit Cat's throat (No, don't, don't cut my hair, Ned loves my hair). Jesus Christ that was the end for me. I couldn't help myself but tear up. Also when I found out what they did to them afterwards, I was really pissed off.

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I'm about three quarters of the way through Blood and Gold now. I've loved this book, and it's definitely my favourite so far.

I had managed to not get spoiled thankfully, and the Red Wedding totally hit me. Brilliantly tense too. And what become of the bodies after their deaths? Wow. GRRM you brutal, evil, but brilliant man! :bowdown:

First post by the way. Hello! Couldn't find a 'new members' thread or section anywhere like on other forums so this was certainly the first place I'd look!

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Couple of years since I read it but I remeber I had no inkling anything bad was going to happen, I felt quite excited as I thought Arya was finally going to meet up with her mother and Rob. I also felt annoyed at Martin regulalry referring to the musicians playing badly and I kept thinking what on earth is he going on about. Then .....

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Oh, oh I knew something was coming. I knew Walder Frey was a punk and Robb marrying Jeyne was a big FU to Walder. There was no way he was getting away with it. There was also the relationship between Grey Wind and Robb. Robb comes back from marrying Jeyne and leaves Grey Wind outside, and Grey Wind doesn't like one of the Walders. During the wedding everyone was getting drunk having a good time and I was thinking about how they are totally off guard. I sensed something coming, but what happened...oh god that was horrible and I had to re-read it a few times, denying it.

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I'm about three quarters of the way through Blood and Gold now. I've loved this book, and it's definitely my favourite so far.

I had managed to not get spoiled thankfully, and the Red Wedding totally hit me. Brilliantly tense too. And what become of the bodies after their deaths? Wow. GRRM you brutal, evil, but brilliant man! :bowdown:

First post by the way. Hello! Couldn't find a 'new members' thread or section anywhere like on other forums so this was certainly the first place I'd look!

Welcome to the forum buddy :)

More formal introductions are here but don't feel that you have to :P

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had no idea what was about to happen until that chapter. This was long ago, before the show and I was the only person I knew reading these books at the time. I was devastated, I cried and re-read it over and over again....I think it took me like two-three days to continue reading....which is a long time as most of you might know.

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  • 3 weeks later...

before reading this chapter, I had heard reference to a red wedding involving robb, but i did not want to believe that robb would be killed, let alone cat. But when I began to read it there was wording walder frey used that made me worry about what was going to happen at the wedding. Walder is talking to robb and he says something like "and red will flow". obviously he was somewhat talking about wine, but it seemed too close to a massacre reference to me.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think there were warnings- Theon's dream, Grey Wind's growling, Catelyn's foreboading. But don't worry Bran mentions an old story that Old Nan told him the god's were displeased with the Rat Cook because he killed a guest in his house. I'm guessing this is a huge hint because Walder killed his guests.

I'm sure Bran dreamt it too but can't remember, have my own question about that I could just be confused

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  • 2 years later...

Absolutely, It was expertly written to really crank up the suspense and the sense of foreboding I had was actually quite uncomfortable. I wanted to scream at them ' No! Something bad is going to happen!'. It made me angry as well that Robb continued to disregard Grey Wind's warning signals. So, I was expecting something to put a spanner in the works (maybe them taken as hostages, or Catelyn to be killed) but definately not the carnage that ensued especially after Robb's marriage to Jeyne, I felt that there would have been more of a story there. Also, a question, I know that Grey Wind was obviously caught as they put his head on Robb's body but is it told in the book how he is killed? I don't remember, I wish he had lived (more than Robb!).

He was killed by several men with crossbows as I recall.  I felt his death even more than Robb's - he had the wit to know something bad was coming, Robb ignored him, he still stuck with Robb and look at what happened. I'm even madder with Robb for getting him into this situation -  I suppose it's like Robb getting House Stark into this losing situation by making poor choices.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 2 months later...

I knew it was going to happen but oh my god, it was so awful. I never expected a chapter to be so amazing. I mean, I had learned to love Catelyn's chapters since ACOK, but I found my enjoyment in them through her complexity and her inner monologue. The Red Wedding just came at you so suddenly, when you finish it you just sit there and stare at the "red and cold", and just wonder if you actually just read something like that. It was unreal, everything about it. The part where Catelyn goes crazy and kills Jinglebell and rips her face open is easily one of the best pages George has ever produced. Ned loves my hair. I'm crying again, oh god.

And Arya's presence makes it worse, I don't need to explain why.

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  • 1 month later...

I read GoT when it first came out.

I don't watch the show, but I understand Robb married a woman not of the novels.

I was uneasy when the direwolf was locked up.  When the music and drums became loud enough to bother Catelyn, I began to fear.

 

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