Looking Forward Ep. 30 and the What Ifs

Oz of Thrones:  A man has emerged from the cold, dark room.  The Bon Bons have been consumed, and the pack of smokes, smoked.  The healing has begun.  (Who am I kidding…. I have been at work all damn week like most of you).  While I was present in body at the office, my mind was elsewhere, especially Monday and Tuesday.  The feeling was if I had actually lost a family member, even though Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa were far from my favorite characters on the show.  I bore a heavy heart nonetheless.  And to all the wonderful WiC readers who will forever only hold the banner of Team Stark, your pain most likely still resonates worse than my own.  And for that, I wish you a speedy recovery.

But we must move on.  We must rise from the flame and ash and hope for better days.  A man must not dwell in the past, but look to the future.  Before we venture there, I want to share a few final thoughts on the Rains of Castamere…..

(As a courtesy, allow me to apologize for the length.  Last week’s Looking Forward was a bit short.  This one is a bit long.  For those of you in a hurry, here are the cliffsnotes…. Oz emerges.  Oz asks “what if”.  Oz rants. Oz tells what will make him happy and asks what will make you happy.  The End.)

Proceed with caution.

After reviewing and contemplating the epicness of what will forever be referred to as the Red Wedding, a man has come to some astounding conclusions (insert joke here).  Many great authors, GoT experts, book-readers, and otherwise nonchalant show viewers have written countless pieces on the traumatic events from Sunday night.   I’ve read numerous articles, listened to parody songs, viewed comics, and watched numerous show reactions. We have all been subjected to glorious reviews, epic whining, rants, tears, complaints, rage, and almost every type of emotion that you can imagine.

Through it all, a few moments of clarity have struck me since Wednesday.  So, please brace yourselves for these groundbreaking revelations that have encompassed my mind since viewing (and painfully re-viewing) Episode 29.  Are you ready, because this is deep shit…….

1. I do not like Walder Frey.

Profound, huh?  Actually, it didn’t take the RW for me to dislike Lord Frey.  The first time we ever witnessed the guy on screen, he was rubbing on the backside of a girl that couldn’t have been more than 14 years old.  If there is one thing I dislike more than English peas (something about the texture and the mush inside of them), it is dirty old men who prey on young girls.  Visions of Craster dance through my head.  I guess if he was still alive and their paths had ever crossed, Walder and Craster would have had a lot in common.  But fortune was on our side in terms of the demise of Craster, thanks to the infamous bad drug deal at the Keep.  Could we be so lucky if the same thing happened to Walder?  So…..

2. The What Ifs.

What if after the Red Wedding, Bolton and Company have some type of a falling-out and Roose sent his regards to Walder from the Lannisters?  Better yet, what if Boy is indeed Roose’s bastard and somehow we could get Walder strapped to the Big X?  Ah…. Flayed Frey.  That would make me happy.

What if Robb hadn’t married Talisa?  Would it have mattered since Tywin could be the mastermind of the entire event?

What if Robb had spared Karstark? He likely would not have been seeking help from the Freys.  But would it have mattered since Bolton was seemingly in bed with the Lannisters anyway?

I could “what if” you all day.  The fact is that Robb was likely doomed from the moment he married Talisa, and he was arguably doomed before that.  Edmure’s wedding was the opportunity.  And the Red Wedding will likely go down as one of the most memorable moments in television.  The GoT world has blown up.  It has been mentioned on every major television network in one way or another over the past few days.  The popularity of the show is about to reach a new height in which none of us likely ever envisioned.  As a fan of the show, how could you ask for more?

But, leave it to some “experts” to do so.  Here is one more “what if”, and this one just gripes me to no end…..

3. What if D&D had not shown the stabbing of Talisa’s belly?  Would it have produced the same traumatic effect if the graphicness was not there and the implied stabbing of the belly is all we were shown?

Please understand, I don’t want to reopen this can of worms.  If you want to discuss this more, then please do it here.  I just want to say that this is a Game of Chaos is a Ladder, NOT a Game of Chutes and Ladders.  It’s not for everyone.  Only big kids can play here.  I don’t mean to offend or isolate anyone, but if you are looking for happy endings with Blow Pops and unicorns, then this is probably not the show for you.

On the other hand, if you really want to see some gratuitous sex and violence, then please allow me to recommend these:

Spartacus:  As a symptom of GoT withdrawal before the beginning of Season 3, I made it through an episode and a half of this show during a free Starz weekend.  Now, I mean no disrespect to the show or the people that love it, but it is simply not for me.  Through the 1.5 episodes, there was more of that “gratuitous” stuff than an entire Season of GoT.  I have seen no one slamming Spartacus for being too gratuitous, but it has not reached a mainstream level like GoT has reached.

Isn’t it funny how that works?  A show gets popular because of what it is doing on-screen and the buzz that surrounds it.  More people start watching.  In the process, I assume a few new viewers are offended by what is shown and believe that since they were offended and the show is becoming more popular, it must change to accommodate them.  Note to D&D, Mr. Cogman, and others who are involved….. Please continue to do what you are doing.  Do not bow to the pressure of popularity.  You are in the process of creating a show that will be passed along for generations.  Keep it up.

Back to gratuitous Spartacus.  It may not be fair to judge a show based on 1.5 episodes.  I am only testifying to what I witnessed.  But I can speak about this next one with no doubts whatsoever.  You want gratuitous?  Here it is…..

Caligula (1979):  A full-length feature film featuring some great actors including Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole, and Helen Mirren.  If you don’t know the story of this bad dude, I would recommend you read about it instead of renting this.  But if the curiosity is killing you, understand that this film is as repulsive as it is shocking.  Oh, and it contains full-blown porn.  That is gratuitous.  You have been warned.

I don’t know about you, but I would get along just fine if I didn’t hear the word “gratuitous” for a long time.  So let’s move on.

4. Looking Forward Ep. 30:  Would it be too much to ask for an uplifting ending to the Season?  Probably.

The Ozzette Wish:  My lovely bride hopes that at least one Stark child will find safety somewhere.  Maybe Rickon makes it to the Umbers with no problems along the way.  Or maybe Bran finds Jon Snow and they are reunited.  Or maybe Arya finds a safe place with the Hound, or even meets up with one of her brothers.  Any of these would be a nice ending to a tragic season for the Stark’s.

Will Jaime make it to King’s Landing?  As much as I dislike the Lannisters right now, I do hope that Jaime makes it back and has more of an involvement in the future of the realm for next season.  My only concern is what will become of Brienne, and if Jaime will fight to protect her from the Lannister wrath.  He better.

Is Bolton a power player now?  I would think so.  As bad as I hate what he did to the Starks, I like the character and I hope there is more James Bond Bolton in the future.  In the re-viewing of Ep. 29, it became obvious that Bolton makes a point to tell Cat what is coming before it all went down.  When he laid his arm down close to Cat, looked at her, glanced down at his arm, and she pulls the coat back to see the chainmail, he beats Frey to the punch of what is coming.  This was an awesome add-in to what would have already been an epic scene, and a point of interest that Ozzette and I have discussed the whole week.  Well done.  Bolton is a badass.

Will Dany get on a ship, or find another slave city to free?  Or neither?  From the preview, it looks like Dany and the Jedis are not out of the Yunkai woods yet.  But I did see dragons, and dragons are good.  I wonder if the very end of this episode will feature Dany and the three dragons, much like the end of season 1 did.  Only this time, she is surrounded by an army.  That would be quite symbolic of how far she has come.

Are Joffrey and Tywin going to lock horns?  I have been expecting a power struggle between the two for some time, as Tywin seems to be running the joint and Joffrey doesn’t appreciate being told what to do.  This may be saved for next season, but I believe it is coming.  Don’t mess with Paw Paw.

Hodor? What is Hodor looking down into on the previews?  And who is Meera Reed about to slash?

Lemon Cakes:  I wouldn’t mind hearing a couple of Queen of Thrones quotes before the season concludes.  And a Varys or Littlefinger citing wouldn’t hurt my feelings either, although Littlefinger seems highly unlikely.  But whenever the show wants to give me some Lysa Arryn, I am ready.  Breast feeding boys, unite!

Gendry:  Any chance he gets away?  I guess it is doubtful.  But what will the Red Woman do to him next?

And finally…

The Brotherhood Without Banners:  Where have these guys been?  Last we heard they were going after some Lannister men when Arya got away only to swept up by the Hound.  I am curious to see what their reaction is to the Red Wedding, and if they will take up the cause of the Starks.  Optimism.  Spread it.

What are you guys hoping to learn on our final episode?  What would you like to see before we have to wait another ten months?  Hit me up in the comments…. A man will be lurking there off and on all weekend.  BUT NO SPOILERS PLEASE!  Do the spoilery over in the Ep. 30 preview later, with tags and such.  I thank you in advance. 

By the way….. Final Forward?  When WinterPhil and I got together, our agreement was that I provided the Newbie Recaps on Mondays.  I felt compelled and asked Phil if it was ok if I did an extra post so the Unsullied would have a place to discuss over the weekends leading up to the next episode.  To my surprise, many of the Sullied on the site loved the Looking Forwards which was flattering to say the least.  I realize my writing style is not for everyone, but a lot of you have embraced me and made your feelings known.  For this, a man is quite grateful.

So, if this happens to be it, I want to sincerely thank you for putting up with my casual style, weird antics, and prediction humor this season.  I have had a blast, and the interaction with you guys (the best readers in the world) on WiC has made this season something I will never forget.

At the very least, I will see you all Monday for the final Newbie Recap of Season 3!  Have a great weekend, and may there be peace in your realm. -Oz

• Published on 06/07/2013 at 2:29 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:01 PM CDT