Unsullied Recap, Game of Thrones Episode 402 – The Lion and The Rose

Spoiler note: The discussion in this post is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show here). We ask all the series veterans to refrain from posting spoilers in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand or afterwards, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!

Oz of Thrones:  The inevitable has occurred.  And as obvious as it was that Joff had it coming, it still doesn’t take away from the shock that the King is dead and someone poisoned him.

To add shock to the event itself is that it occurred in the second episode of the season.  This epic series never ceases to amaze me in that we, the viewers, were just treated to what any other show would consider season finale material.

The King is gone.  Tyrion’s future looks brutal.  A curtain call is already in order.  And the damn season just got started…

Before we get deep into the demise of King Crossbow, let’s recap and review what I thought was an overall outstanding episode.

Ramsay and Tansy:  We open up with the return of Ramsay with Reek and one of his girlfriends from Season 3 (Myranda) hunting down a poor girl named Tansy.  I assume this scene was simply to remind and reinforce to viewers how sick and sadistic Ramsay Snow is (just in case we had forgotten).  If you are into seeking positives, at least Theon has finally been freed from the big “X”.

Later, we get the Dreadfort and the season premiere of Roose. The long awaited meeting of he and his bastard son went about as expected, but was tense as hell nonetheless.  As an added bonus, Locke is present and we get to see Fat Walda!  Apparently, Locke and Ramsay are tight and share many commonalities (primarily, the joys of removing body parts of varying people of importance).

I think the most interesting aspect of their meeting was the importance of acceptance that Ramsay desires from his father.  Roose gives him another shot at proving himself a “Bolton” by giving him the task of securing Moat Cailin.  In the process of showing dear old dad how well he had trained his new pet, Ramsay has Reek admit to Roose that Bran and Rickon are still alive.  In response, Roose sends Locke to the Wall to find Jon Snow, which is intriguing to say the least.  While I am concerned about the remaining Stark boys, I am glad to see that Locke will be around a while.  All hail Noah Taylor.

Good to finally see Jaime and Tyrion getting some screen time together (especially since future scenes between the two may not be so pleasant due to upcoming events).  Tyrion sets up Jaime with Bronn for sword training with his left hand, which was somewhat a relief after seeing the two going at it in the previews and believing they may have been trying to kill each other.

The Spider makes his debut of the season and warns Tyrion that his affairs with Shae are known by Cersei and most likely, Tywin.  This leads to a dramatic scene between Shae and Tyrion and the subsequent slap to Bronn.  I’m not sure why Tyrion couldn’t just tell her that they had been discovered and she was likely going to be hanged if she stayed, but we are lead to believe that she escapes KL unharmed although I am not convinced.

The Lord of Light was apparently in need of a few more sacrifices including the brother of Selyse.  The Stannis scowl has returned along with disapproving Davos and Red Velvet meeting with Shireen.  Out of the entire episode, these scenes were the only ones that I failed to see the point in other than the continuing need for sacrifices of infidels by the Lord of Light.

Oh, and Stannis doesn’t like fish.  But grilled seagull is tasty.

Bran is awoken by the first “Hodor” of the season after warging in Summer for hours.  I like the fact that they had Jojen and Meera explain the importance of not warging too long and the dangers of losing reality by doing so.  Bran then finds a Weirwood Tree and sees a series of visions and a voice that says, “Look for me beneath the tree.  North.”  Bran then states that he knows where they have to go.

And I still don’t know.        

Breaking Down the Murder

Keep in mind that this is not and is not meant to be a full analysis of the events or the motives that led to the poisoning of Joffrey.  Myself and many other Unsullieds will surely mull it over in the days and weeks to come.  This is merely a recap and my initial thoughts.  However, there were a few occurrences that caught my attention.

Please keep in mind that we are Unsullied and while we may be WAY off course, myself and the army are merely going by what we see depicted on the show.  PLEASE do not spoil or mention anything book related in this post.  I have likely missed many clues.  However, I did discuss the events with other Unsullieds last night and the sentiment from all of them is this:

Cersei is most likely responsible.

I preface this portion with the fact that I am not completely sold that it was the mother of madness.  However, there are a lot of signs that point to Drunk Cersei.  Individually, they may not amount to much.  But the flags are definitely there.

The preview showed a clip of her calling Margaery the little bitch from Highgarden.  Cersei is obviously jealous that she would no longer be the Queen or the Queen regent.

Throughout the celebration, Cersei seems on edge and is confrontational with almost everyone.

She has no intention of marrying Loras and the death of her son potentially changes many things that had been put into play by Tywin.

Cersei takes issue with Pycelle and runs him off to the kitchen to make sure the leftovers are given to the dogs.  Why did she do that?  At the end of S2, Pycelle gives Cersei a potion that she plans on overdosing to kill her and Tommen if Stannis had taken the city.  Did she use this on Joffrey and got rid of Pycelle just so he would not be there to witness the symptoms?

Of course, the obvious is that the carafe Tyrion used to fill Joffrey’s cup was sitting in front of Cersei.

And I’m sure there are others.  A rewatch is certainly in order.

But there are certainly other possibilities.  Olenna gives Tyrion a glance before handing the cup to Joffrey and is seen in the preview for next week commenting that Marg is definitely better off.  The Tyrells?

Oberyn is in attendance and has a debt to settle that he makes clear to Tywin and Cersei.

Sansa obviously had multiple reasons to want Joff dead.  She picks up the goblet from the ground, which the camera makes a point to show the viewers.  Could she have slipped something in the empty cup?

Tywin himself had issues with his grandson that were depicted only a couple of episodes ago at the end of S3.

And I guess the man that will stand accused of the crime did have a motive of his own, although I have no reason to suspect that he is indeed guilty.

But regardless, it all makes sense.  Now we know why Tywin is shown in an earlier preview sitting on the throne and why Tyrion is in manacles.  The whole lot is f***ed up.

Episode 401 Personal Awards

Favorite Scene:  Nothing original about the choice, but I will never forget Joff’s face at the end of the episode as he lay dying.       
Favorite Quote #1:  “A toast, to the proud Lannister children.  The dwarf, the cripple, and the mother of madness.” -Tyrion

Final Thoughts:  This episode in my opinion was one of the best in the series.  There were multiple times even before the fatal end that were tense and had Ozzette and I on edge afraid something catastrophic was about to occur.  The dialogue seemed a little rushed at times and there was a large amount of information conveyed. But this episode will live historically in television lore if for no other reason than King Jackass Crossbow met a befitting early end to his life, although it should be remembered for so much more.

Share your thoughts, speculation, questions, etc.  There is much to discuss.

But PLEASE, no Sullied book reader hints here.  A man thanks you in advance.

A man will be back on Friday or Saturday for Looking Forward Episode 403.  For those of you that tweet, I am @ozofthrones.  Until then, have a great week, enjoy more coverage and content on WiC, and whatever you do, do NOT attend any weddings in Westeros under any circumstances.

May there always be peace in your realm. –Oz

“Unbowed.  Unbent.  Unsullied.”

PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE UNSULLIED… Do not post spoilers in this comment thread!

• Published on 04/14/2014 at 10:27 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:42 PM CDT