[Book Spoiler] As A Book Reader...

[MuchandMore]

This is one of the very few episodes since season one that was actually good. The ONLY reason I watch the show is to cling to feeble hope that D&D pull their heads out of their asses, and actually follow the STORY instead of rewriting it for no reason.

I cannot believe that knowing what was going to happen did not ruin watching this episode at all. Clearly....whatever her name is.....the queen in the norths death was WAY over the top. And Roose Boltons reactions in the episode weren't all that convincing. The rest was excellent. Just like the rest of you, when Cat looks at the musicians playing the ROC, I got chills.

I can't help but hum the Rains everywhere I go. I want to make the instrumental from the end of one of the ealier episodes my ringtone.

And am I the only one who is incredibly annoyed that D&D put Dhario in the Second Sons, and not the Storm Crows? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Tyrian join the SS in ADWD? After Brown Ben betrays Danny? How the hell are they gonna fix that in the show? Have Dhario betray Danny instead?

Forgive my spelling of names.....Roy reads them to me, so I don't see them in print

[Cas Stark]

This is one of the very few episodes since season one that was actually good. The ONLY reason I watch the show is to cling to feeble hope that D&D pull their heads out of their asses, and actually follow the STORY instead of rewriting it for no reason.

I cannot believe that knowing what was going to happen did not ruin watching this episode at all. Clearly....whatever her name is.....the queen in the norths death was WAY over the top. And Roose Boltons reactions in the episode weren't all that convincing. The rest was excellent. Just like the rest of you, when Cat looks at the musicians playing the ROC, I got chills.

I can't help but hum the Rains everywhere I go. I want to make the instrumental from the end of one of the ealier episodes my ringtone.

And am I the only one who is incredibly annoyed that D&D put Dhario in the Second Sons, and not the Storm Crows? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Tyrian join the SS in ADWD? After Brown Ben betrays Danny? How the hell are they gonna fix that in the show? Have Dhario betray Danny instead?

Forgive my spelling of names.....Roy reads them to me, so I don't see them in print

I agree. I have by my count two good episodes and two okay episodes and the rest are full of random crackpot inventions by D&D, with a few good segments thrown in, I continue to watch because their casting is still really good, though not as good as it was in 1 & 2, and because its still GOT, but after this season my expectations are now fairly low.

Danys story has veered now into Tarantino ninja warrior territory in terms of realism, so I don't even bother with those details anymore, just watching those segments for the spectacle of it.

[Fragile Bird]

I think D & D did not do the entire episode on the RW only, like Blackwater, because it would have been even more of an emotional overload that it already was.

After I read the scene in the book, I thought about what an evil shit Frey was. But he was even more evil a character, something I did not think possible, in this episode. The humiliation of Talisa, whether or not you liked her, the looks and leers, the arrogance, the utter dishonesty going on, but worst of all, using the phrase he needed to give his daughter a wedding gift the signal to whatever son it was to stab Talisa in the belly literally made me feel nauseous. That has got to go down as one of the most powerful murder scenes ever shown on tv.

I commented in the spoiler thread on the episode as it was ending that the silence over the credits was so powerful. It reminded me of coming to the end of the chapter in the book, and the silence I felt in my heart.

[teemo]

Honestly, I probably would have felt at least a little affected by Talisa's death if they took out all of the baby talk and kissing and shit literally minutes before she was stabbed. Too on the nose.

I commented in the spoiler thread on the episode as it was ending that the silence over the credits was so powerful. It reminded me of coming to the end of the chapter in the book, and the silence I felt in my heart.

The silence was a great choice. Just like the end of the chapter in ASOS, Cat's story came to a silent and haunting end.

[Raksha the Demon]

Talisa really affected me to, it was just so violent. Absolutely perfect for the scene, hats off to the person who thought of that.

Also, the final shot of Grey Wind closing his eyes. So sad.

I thought Grey Wind out-acted Robb in terms of emotion and pathos in a death scene...Hated to see the wolf killed, not to mention a gazillion Stark retainers, and Catelyn; all because Robb was an idiot and Frey a slimeball and Bolton a traitor.

The North will Remember!

I just hope that one day I'll be able to read or watch on TV a scene of Nymeria tearing out Walder Frey's throat. That would be nice.

[Lady Arwen]

Grey Wind whimpering sadly just before his eyes closed wrecked me.

I was hoping for at least a howl or two being audible from the feast to let Catelyn know that Grey Wind was agitated before the slaughter started (you know, to add to the sense of impending doom), and/or some shots of Grey Wind mauling a few Freys before he gets killed. Poor pup. :frown5:

[The Lord of Cinder]

Some call them the "Unsullied". Works, I suppose.

Guess we should start calling book readers "wizards".

[mankytoes]

Yeah, I hated her right up until the end and wasn't moved by her death and thought the huge focus on her pregnancy smacked of a cheesy soap opera. Okay I get it, they're in luv, and having a baby, ooh, ah.

I also thought Robb wanting to passionately kiss his wife at a wedding designed to mend the rift created because he married her was really stupid...but then TV Robb was kinda stupid that way.

It isn't like they gave the story a huge amount of screen time. It's a realistic story, kings do care about wives and children. 2D characters who fight all the time would be dull.

Yeah, it was like he found his pregnant wife talking about naming his unborn baby after his dead father somehow emotional.

[Bambi]

Guess we should start calling book readers "wizards".

I think book readers should be the unsullied and non-book readers should be second sons :D

[starki]

I may be a reader but personally I was nervous the whole episode, the Rains of Castamere playing and superb acting from Catelyn, the begging and screams were heart-wrenching (absolutely did NOT expect the belly/baby stabbing). The only thing I maybe missed was Catelyn clawing her face and going insane in the end.

I stood out of my chair when the stabbing began and was teary-eyed in the end.

[Antonious Stark]

Talisa's death hit me the hardest, like I literally gasped and shouted when she was stabbed. I mean of course I knew Cat and Robb were going to die, and for some strange reason I had a tiny shred of hope Talisa would've escaped with the Blackfish. The whole Jeyne being pregnant and escaping Riverrun theory went completely down the drain... *sigh* :(

[Winter In My Heart]

Talisa's death hit me the hardest, like I literally gasped and shouted when she was stabbed. I mean of course I knew Cat and Robb were going to die, and for some strange reason I had a tiny shred of hope Talisa would've escaped with the Blackfish. The whole Jeyne being pregnant and escaping Riverrun theory went completely down the drain... *sigh* :(

I'm not surprised. The minute we heard she was pregnant I figured she was as good as dead. Good riddance to a horrible character. I could have done without the belly stabbing though. Slitting her throat or stabbed in the heart would have been better and made me feel not as sick from watching that. I literally cringed and turned my head away the first time watching it even though I hated her character.

[Masamune]

Honestly, I probably would have felt at least a little affected by Talisa's death if they took out all of the baby talk and kissing and shit literally minutes before she was stabbed. Too on the nose.

Exactly. All the "Little Ned" tripe was such shameless emotional manipulation. When it came to the RW, D&D decided to hang their hat entirely on RobbxTalisa, even if it meant demoting Catelyn to extra for much of S3 and scrapping all the supporting Stark bannermen. Worked for most sheeple, I guess, but I haven't been invested in Robb or his cookie-cutter romance since it first started.

[Warrior Queen]

I love the way Cat looked when she heard the Rains of Castamere. She immediately knew something was really wrong. Michelle did a great job with the facial expression.

The Talissa stabbing was cruel and very graphic. I was kinda prepared for it tho because someone on the forum predicted it (not that I believed it then) so it didn't come as a total shock.

I think they did a great job with the red wedding! The only thing I kinda missed was the whole Arya axe in the head. In the book I seriously considered she might be dead as well (i went through the book to see if she had any more chapters, only to be relieved she did). It would be kinda nice if the TV-show only viewers thought Arya was dead as well and to find out next week- to their relieve- that she is alive.

[Zman1863]

It wasn't easy to watch, but I see the belly stab as a good creative choice. I found it completely consistent with what the Frey's would have done had a pregnant wife of Robb been present. The RW was a golden opportunity for D&D to get rid of Talissa and tie up a loose end. They might as well have done it in a way to bring fresh horror to the event for book readers.

Exactly. All the "Little Ned" tripe was such shameless emotional manipulation. When it came to the RW, D&D decided to hang their hat entirely on RobbxTalisa, even if it meant demoting Catelyn to extra for much of S3 and scrapping all the supporting Stark bannermen. Worked for most sheeple, I guess, but I haven't been invested in Robb or his cookie-cutter romance since it first started.

I've never been satisfied with how they portrayed Robb's marriage or his storyline in general, but I think most of the blame goes to having an aged up character. If Robb lost the war when he married "her", whichever one you pick, D&D lost any chance of a truly effective portrayal of Robb the minute they chose to make Robb a fully grown man. His book story wouldn't have translated with an older character. Their solution was never elegant, but I didn't really have problem with the end game. At least its over.

[mitzi's hiss]

Guess we should start calling book readers "wizards".

I love this idea! I find myself resenting Samwell and Gilly for taking up precious minutes on the show that could be spent on characters I like better...... but I would totally forgive them both if "wizard" really took off as a synonym for book reader.

[Aerys Blackfyre]

.... but I would totally forgive them both if "wizard" really took off as a synonym for book reader.

so let's make it official!

non-readers = Unsullied

readers = wizards

I love the way Cat looked when she heard the Rains of Castamere. She immediately knew something was really wrong.

too bad Robb didn't! you're at your uncle's wedding, they start playing your worst enemy's song, and you don't even notice that... I would at least be really pissed off! and didn't his maester teach him what this song is about?

[Prince of Dragonstone]

I think Talisa's death during the Red Wedding justified her existence in the story. I didn't care for her much, but then again, I didn't really care for Jeyne Westerling either and wished GRRM thought of a better character for Robb to have fallen so head over heels for that he would risk everything to be with.

Anyway, the payoff resulted in having that brutal pregnancy stabbing because it just added to overall horror of the massacre, IMO. I thought the whole thing was brilliant but I just wish the producers could have spent a little more time establishing Robb's bannermen so the audience could understand just how detrimental the massacre was. Half of the noble lords of the North and the Riverlands were extinguished in one fell swoop.

[Spotted Cat]

talisa being pregnant could have ruined the whole story line...

and the rains of castamere , fitting.

[gmavridis]

when the rains of castamere started playing, i started shaking

Me too...

Also the silent end credits were emotionally strong