Game of Thrones

[efilipa]

^ Yeah, I knew what was coming too but it was horrible.Poor Cat, she didn't deserve this (IMO Michelle Fairley was great btw)

 

[heelscatchfire]

That episode! ive been waiting for it since the beginning. i thought it would be the season finale. Michelle Fairley was fantastic! You really felt her/Catelyn's pain and anguish in those final moments. The added violence for Talisa was a shock to me.

The lack of music in the end credits was such a good idea after that traumatic scene.

On a more positive note. A triumph for Dany. Daario is becoming quite attractive with each episode!

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Daario's been attractive since the first time I saw him with his perfect model-proportions...

Anyway, finally, some action. This is the Game of Thrones that first got me. Several droning episodes of snark, snark snark and Emmy-baiting, long-winded confessions with a few, but brief tidbits of action... and finally-- THIS.

The "scene" was alright. I thought it felt terribly rushed. I would have loved to see a more committed buildup. I guess it was meant to be a tribute/rip-off to the infamous and notorious St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572 that was so eerily and frighteningly and supremely portrayed in the film La Reine Margot.

I suppose it's all up to Dany now to wipe out the Lannisters...

 

[Littleathquakes]

Yeah, I knew it was coming but it still shook my core. He hope JRR Martin writes the best comeuppance for the Freys and the Boltons.

 

[heelscatchfire]

^^ Daario is the perfect eye candy to replace Robb .

Interview with Richard Madden (Robb Stark) via Huffingtonpost

Note: Do NOT read on if you have not yet seen Season 3, Episode 9 of HBO's "Game of Thrones," "The Rains of Castamere."

As soon as he wrapped the bloody "Game of Thrones" scene in which his character, Robb Stark, was killed, actor Richard Madden went straight to the airport and flew home to London.

"And I cried the whole way," Madden said in a recent phone interview. "I was the crazy boy on the plane crying."

In an interview with a small group of journalists on Friday, Madden talked about how difficult it was to film the Red Wedding, a tragic event that was even bloodier on the screen than it was in the George R.R. Martin book.

Not only did Robb Stark, the King in the North, perish in Sunday's episode, but Robb's mother, Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), also died -- all of which tracks with what transpired at those cursed nuptials in "A Storm of Swords," the third book in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. As payback for Robb not marrying one of his daughters, Lord Walder Frey engineered the deaths of the Starks -- but even those who've read the books may have been shocked by the third significant death at the so-called Red Wedding.

In the episode, Robb's pregnant wife, Talisa, was also murdered, thus eliminating the Stark clan from competition for the Iron Throne (at least for now). As fans know, Talisa (Oona Chaplin) is a new character; in the books, Robb married Jeyne Westerling (who did not die in "A Storm of Swords").

Below, Madden talks about filming Robb's final moments, working with his great friend Fairley and the tears that were shed on set that difficult day. He also offers thoughts on why Talisa had to die and discusses what the King in the North had in common with his ill-fated father, Ned. Don't miss HuffPost TV's interview with Fairley.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What did it mean to film your exit with Michelle? Can you talk about that, and how you supported each other as actors and people through this huge scene? [Asked by AccessHollywood.com]

We developed the best relationship on and off the screen over the course of the past few years. And we went into that scene with a heavy heart, because we really love being on that show and we love working together ... It was a really hard thing to push through, but the scripts were great and the whole episode was so operatic.
...
When we shot the scene, it took a few days because it's huge. There's actually a moment in the scene that we look at each other, and it's Robb Stark essentially saying goodbye to his mother and giving up. And rather than it being something really bad, there's a moment of tragedy and utter relief, actually -- because these two characters have fought and fought and fought and fought, and it's finally over. Me and Michelle really felt that on the day, as did a lot of the crew, I think. It was a big emotional moment because we're one big family that's plowed on through this for years, and it's a sad day.

When did you know Robb would die? When did you read the books, and when were you aware of the course of his future? [HuffPost TV]

As soon as I got the job, people managed to spoil a lot for me. Constantly, people would be like, "Oh my God, your death, that was so terrible." And you're like, "What? Oh, right."

But I read [the books] season by season, because ... I never wanted to preempt where the character went. And as an actor, it was a much better challenge for me to make decisions based on the scripts and based on the first book and then the second book. And then, by the time you get to the third book and Robb's making other decisions, then I'm, as an actor, forced to bend the path I put Robb on and change it and keep the surprises coming. Hopefully, I managed to do that.

How do you hope Robb is remembered by fans? [HBO.com]

I suppose, much like Ned, I think it's constantly been in my brain through the whole time -- I mean, less so into Season 3, where he starts making worse decisions. But just like his father, as an honest man and a just man.

You know, typically in "Game of Thrones," people who are honest and just and do things for the right reasons are the people who tend not to survive, and Robb's a great example of that. But I hope he's remembered as a good man and, essentially, the man that would have been the best person to lead the Seven Kingdoms. It's tragic that he is killed, because I think he is the best leader of all the candidates available at the moment.

Because of the fans of the books and this show are so devoted, how are you anticipating the next couple of weeks are going to go for you? [Calgary Herald]

I don't know. I just hope people really enjoy the surprise of it. I hope a lot of people haven't been as stupid as I was and Googled that kind of thing before the time came. I learned that lesson very quickly in Season 1, not to Google things... [It's] great for research purposes but not great dramatically, because you learn about all the stories before [they] actually happen.

One of the big changes about the Red Wedding is the fact that Talisa dies. And she's pregnant at this point. Why do you think that it was important to have her character die when [Robb's wife] lives in the books? And also, what was your relationship like working with Oona? [Zap2it.com]

I think it was important for her to die, because in the books the characters are very different ... It's just a full stop to that train of a story of [Robb's] army. I think it's more tragic that there's nothing left over from it. There's no possibility that Talisa's in hiding and going to have a baby, and one day, that baby will take over as King of the North. There's something tragic about it just all being cut short instantly.

And I have such a great relationship with Oona on set. She's a wonderful actress and I think she did something very clever with the part that was honest and kind, but had a strength deep inside her. And I think that resonates a lot with Catelyn -- even though they are very different characters and very different women, essentially there's bits of the characters that [have] real parallels. There's that quiet strength that Oona has, that Talisa has, that Catelyn has, that Michelle has. [It] really powers things through and makes it all the more tragic when those characters get killed, because they're the least deserving of being slaughtered in such a way.

[Executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have said] they effectively wanted to make the show in order to make it to Season 3, and the Red Wedding is the reason why. As the central figure in the Red Wedding, I was wondering what it feels like to have that kind of weight on your shoulders from Dan and David on down? [RollingStone.com]

I consider it a bit of an honor, actually, that David and Dan trusted me with this character. I think I was, like, 21 when I first met them. After I got cast and got familiar with them and became friends with them, I learned so much about how [much they wanted to get to this point in the show]. It was a gift for me in Season 2 -- they really gave me a lot more material than the book featured. Hopefully, I've been able to build a character with them, and that means that by the time the audience gets to see this episode, they are as involved with Robb Stark as I am, as David and Dan have been since the very beginning. So I consider it less of a weight and more of an honor that I was trusted with that responsibility.

Obviously you must empathize with this character, having been a part of him for so long. Did you feel a little bit of bitterness in the way he went? Because not only doesn't he avenge his father, but he's denied that big heroic, glorious death that we're used to in this genre if someone is bumped off. Do you have any hard feelings about the way he's going out? [New York Daily News]

I mean, it's horrible, obviously. I don't have any bitterness to it, because I think Robb Stark dying there in that way is one of the best things [the show has done]. One thing HBO does so beautifully, and "Game of Thrones" does so beautifully, is just rip these characters' hearts out in front of you. You know, it's hard, and yet maybe it would have been better for Robb to have died gloriously on the battlefield or something else like that. But this is so sudden and violent and horrible. And I think the way that I've tried to build Robb Stark up and the way the writers have [written him], there's no other way we could have killed him. Because he is great on the battlefield, and despite his very poor choices, he is a great leader. A lot of people would stick up for him and watch his back. [At the Red Wedding,] he's been outsmarted, and it all comes from his good heart and his trust of other people. His trust that people will do the right thing and not just destroy each other like they do.

 

[heelscatchfire]

.. continued

What was mood like on the set when you hit that key part of the sequence? [New York Daily News]

Honestly, it was horrible. It was a really difficult day for everyone, and there was lots of tears from many people, including myself. Just ... the way it happens -- Robb Stark with his dead queen in his arms and his stomach ripped open and blood pumping out of that. His mother getting her throat slit. It was a really disturbing day. And just because it's such a big part of my life and of Michelle's and Oona's and all of the crew -- we've been through a lot together, from extreme weather conditions to just the journey of trying to make this show as best as we can, and pushing forward against lots of things that have been pushing back against us.

There was just a total sense of exhaustion, and it was horrific. And these characters that you love get slaughtered. And it made me think of my dad: When he read all the books and he got to the Red Wedding, he put the book down and didn't go back to it for a couple of months. And I think it's obviously because he ties Robb Stark in so closely with me. The journey of that character and the fondness that we all had for each other as a cast and the crew [made it hard]. As the characters playing the story, it was really moving and not very nice. And I left [the] set and got straight to the airport and got on the plane because I didn't want to be there anymore. It was very difficult.

How long did this stay with you? How long did it take to shake this off? [AccessHollywood.com]

It won't shake off until I've seen the episode, so it is still there. That will be really difficult to watch. I think it will dredge up a lot of emotions and stuff that I maybe just pushed aside for a while ... It's not like any other job I've had, because you don't close the book on that character. It's just like you become him for six months, and then, [next season] you come straight back into his shoes, literally the same boots that you were wearing the season before, the same costume.

It's funny because I'm still very close with all the crew, and I've been talking to the hair department and the other actors who are all gearing up and going back into it. It's really strange for me. It's like when you've done a play for four months and the first night that you don't do the play, it gets to about 7 p.m. and you realize that you're pacing up and down ... Something’s missing. You realize, "Oh, God. It's because I'm not just about to go on stage." I suppose there's a little element of that that's happening.

Did it ever occur to you to lobby for altering Robb's fate or extending his time on the show? Obviously the producers were open to changing the character of Talisa from Jeyne, so did you ever discuss extending Robb's time a little bit or maybe going about this a different way? [HuffPost TV]

No, I knew when it was in the placing of the books and the placing of the scripts from the start of the job. I knew that's when we were aiming to do it. And I think it's the perfect time for that. Other stories are going to move forward and progress, but it's also shocking enough at this stage. I didn't want to change it at all. And I know that David and Dan have spent so many years structuring things out beautifully, and I'm not going to come in and try to push any of that around because I want an extra season of "Game of Thrones," or anything like that.

I wanted to stick to it, and I wanted it to be as sudden and as shocking as it was when I read the book and I read that section. Hopefully, the audiences are going to be shocked by it. It [takes place in] Episode 29, so that's very [early for a show to be] killing off another character, just like what happened to Sean Bean's character [Ned Stark]. I think it's essential. I did not want to mess with that.

Do you have a favorite scene or a moment over the past three seasons? [HBO.com]

Instantly, I get flashbacks of all of my scenes with Michelle Fairley. And in one Season 1 scene, I feel like that was the moment I started to kind of really fit into Robb's shoes. [It] was with Bran, when I come to say goodbye to him and I'm going off in the night and I've got a sword around my waist and my cloak on. I think that was something where you go, "This is a significant change point for Robb Stark, leaving Winterfell and going off and becoming a man." That was an important scene for me, because I love Isaac [Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran] a lot, and that was a really great scene to film. But any time I'm on set with Michelle Fairley, it's a joy.

You were saying you came on to "Game of Thrones" when you were 21 and you grew and developed as a person, as an actor on the show. And does your journey parallel Robb's in some ways? [Calgary Herald]

There's been a lot of that, from Robb Stark being a young man, not expecting anything, thinking his life's going to be on one path, and then he gets pushed more weight and responsibility put onto him and demands made of him. And I suppose for me as an actor, there was similar [journey]. David and Dan started to push me more and give me more responsibility, writing scenes into Season 2 that never existed and giving me more of an on-screen journey and responsibilities. So that was something I really enjoyed, because as an actor I get pushed and I grow more and I have more responsibility to keep up with and deal with, like Robb has. But you rise to the challenge -- I mean, Robb did and hopefully I did.

Do you have a message for fans who are going to be watching this happen for the first time on the show -- encouragement to keep watching after the Red Wedding takes place? [Zap2it.com]

I don't. Apart from: No one is safe in "Game of Thrones."

Obviously, it was an emotional sequence, but I was wondering if you were ever able to step back and think about its potential place in TV history. It seems to me that it could well be talked about like "Who shot J.R.?" from "Dallas" or the finale of "The Sopranos" and these really pivotal television moments. Did you have any kind of sense of that while you were making the show? [RollingStone.com]

Never. I've never had any sense of that as an actor. I think I get too involved in what [I'm filming] that I always get surprised ... For me, I just shoot a television show in Ireland. And then you travel around the world and you realize there's so much more than that. I'm not being ignorant when it comes to that, it's just that I go and I've made this program with people that I consider my friends for years now, and so I have no kind of concept of the significance of that.

I only have an awareness of what I'm trying to achieve as an actor and what my job as the character is. I remember the scale of it and the emotion that it brought out of me and the other people there, and thinking that this was something significant. But the lines get a bit muddled up between characters and actors sometimes ... and that's what keeps me from having an awareness of the outside world. I'm just focused on doing my job well.

[Michael McElhatton, who plays Roose Bolton,] was the one who delivered the killing blow in the scene, as this character does in the book. Did he apologize at the end of it, once the cameras stopped rolling? [New York Daily News]

No, not at all. Not at all. Just like Roose Bolton wouldn't. There was no apology at all there. Quite funny, because you're covered in blood and he's got his prop knife in his hand, and then we have a hug to say, "Pleasure working with you." So that's quite an odd image that just comes up in my head.

Could you clarify where the plane was going [when you left the set]? [AccessHollywood.com]

Home, London. And I cried the whole way. I was the crazy boy on the plane crying and, at about midnight, landing in London.

It also seems this episode has caused some intense reactions from fans.

Celebrity reactions on twitter via USA Today

Many fans of the show also had emotional reactions to the episode, like these celebrities who took to Twitter to share their feelings:

R&B artist Frank Ocean: "smh (shaking my head) red wedding was too hectic"

American Pie actor Jason Biggs: "OMG #GoT WTF"

Musician Ed Sheeran: "i dont know what just happened in game of thrones. i'm in shock."

Broadway and TV star Josh Gad: "Tonight's Game of Thrones was the most upsetting hour of TV I've ever seen."

Singer Joe Jonas: "This is how I feel about the game of thrones episode just now.... What. Just. Happened." (He tweeted out a picture of a sad Jon Snow.)


A photo of 'Game of Thrones' character Jon Snow, posted on Instagram by Joe Jonas with the caption "This is how I feel about the game of thrones episode just now"(Photo: @adamjosephj Instagram account)
Band Snow Patrol: "Tonight's was the "Game of Thrones" ep I was dreading. RIP __ & __ & __. @GameofThrones"

Comedian Rosie O'Donnell: "GAME OF THRONES TONIGHT !!!!!! HOLY **** BOPPERS !!!!!!"

 

[Phuel]

Thanks for the interview heels. Very funny even Frank is watching this! Shouldn't he be busy rehearsing for his tour...?

Anyway, praying to the 7 gods Jon, Gendry and Daario live to tell... and Sam too(adorable how he lit up when Gilly said that he was like a wizard)-- but not for the same reasons I want those 3 to survive. Robb was very beautiful-- but kind of dumb and arrogant. How he managed to be alive-- and still standing, after being pierced by 100 arrows is a tad silly though. Oh well, still beautiful to his last breath.

At least Jon got away from Ygritte. Yay. I'm afraid though, she's on a rampage now and will hunt him down and do to him what was done to the Unsullied-- as she had warned? Please say it ain't so... I castrated Jon would be the most tragic outcome from all of this to me.

 

[Phuel]

Funniest line: "Hush Hodor-- no more hodoring"

 

[CommanderTMugler]

I do agree that the Red Wedding was a tad bit underwhelming compared to how it was written but great for TV. I do wish it had a bit more time and build up like the "Blackwater" episode last season. I still believe this show should be 12 episodes like "True Blood" and not just 10.

All the awards for Michelle Fairley, her face when the doors closed and her reaction to then the "Rains of Castamere" started playing were flawless. Afterwards her snatching Walder Frey's wife with an arrow on her back was so bad ***, I wish she would have cut the wife's throat then thrown that same knife at Walder's face. Her face of relief after it's all done just speaks volumes.

Having Tulisa at the wedding was a great addition, it brought more drama and shock value. I was waiting for an arrow to be shot as the start of the massacere but her getting stabbed first was a surprise.

I was rooting for Arya to release Grey Wind or as a twist have her end up with the direwolf.

The sacking of Yunkai was really short, hopefully we see more of it on the next episode.

 

[kokobombon]

Holy Sh!t! I´m speechless! I haven´t read the books but I saw a still of Cat crying on tumblr so I kinda imagined Robb´d die on this ep but I thought it would be in battle or something... not in this horrible way. O_o

Now more than ever, GO Daenerys! she´s my last hope for avenging the Stark family...

 

[Littleathquakes]

I'm watching it again tonight. It is playing on HBO2 at 9PM EST

 

[heelscatchfire]

Thanks for the interview heels. Very funny even Frank is watching this! Shouldn't he be busy rehearsing for his tour...?

Anyway, praying to the 7 gods Jon, Gendry and Daario live to tell... and Sam too(adorable how he lit up when Gilly said that he was like a wizard)-- but not for the same reasons I want those 3 to survive. Robb was very beautiful-- but kind of dumb and arrogant. How he managed to be alive-- and still standing, after being pierced by 100 arrows is a tad silly though. Oh well, still beautiful to his last breath.

At least Jon got away from Ygritte. Yay. I'm afraid though, she's on a rampage now and will hunt him down and do to him what was done to the Unsullied-- as she had warned? Please say it ain't so... I castrated Jon would be the most tragic outcome from all of this to me.

As far as I know Jon still has his manhood

No problem! I thought it would be nice to read what Richard Madden had to say about that scene. I was surprised by the celebrities that were actually watching the show.

 

[CommanderTMugler]

There's an interview with Michelle Fairley was well..

Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 3, Episode 9 on HBO's "Game of Thrones," "The Rains of Castamere."

Earlier this season, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) delivered a monologue suggesting that there is a curse on House Stark -- and that it's all her fault.

But the Irish actress behind Catelyn on HBO's "Game of Thrones," doesn't think the curse is real. "I don't think she's to blame at all," Fairley told The Huffington Post via phone last week in an interview timed to this week's shocking episode, in which Catelyn Stark is killed along with Robb Stark; his wife, Talisa; and their unborn child.

Still, Fairley acknowledged that Catelyn's fierce maternal instinct had caused plenty of trouble, ultimately prompting her to make the fateful choice that sealed her own doom at the so-called Red Wedding.

Operating under the assumption that her younger children, Arya, Sansa, Bran and Rickon, have all been killed, Catelyn can't bear to see Robb die at the hands of Walder Frey's hired goons. "She thinks they're all gone, so she has absolutely nothing to live for," Fairley said. "Basically, when she slits the throat of Walder Frey's wife, she's inviting her death. She's already dead inside."

Fairley will be missed by fans who've taken comfort in her character's steely resolve. even as the Starks' fortunes have tumbled ever downward.

Below, Fairley explains how emotional it was to shoot the Red Wedding scene, reveals the treat she gave herself when it was finished and declares that Catelyn would not give her blessing to a marriage between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. She also reveals how the various Starks got their accents, and says why she doesn't object to the theory that the Starks are Democrats and the Lannisters are Republicans. Read on for more!

When did you first find out that your character was going to meet this grisly end?
I only read a book per season, but some of the actors had gone ahead and read all of them, so most people knew about the Red Wedding. And you know how long your contract lasts as well. So that’s a bit of a clue in itself.

People who've read the books tell me there's a chance you could reprise your role at some point in the future. Any truth to that?
I think you’re just going to have to keep watching and find out.

Speaking of the books, there are some differences between this Red Wedding and the original, aren't there? Robb's wife in the book, Jeyne Westerling, doesn't die at the wedding.
Obviously, there’s more at stake in the television series because you have more characters there. The stakes are higher.

Why does Catelyn threaten Walder Frey's wife?
She's trying to reason with Walder Frey in the hope that possibly, he loves his wife as much as Catelyn adores her son. At that point, she’s not concerned about her own life. She just wants her son to stay alive, basically. And unfortunately, it doesn’t go the way she wants it to go. Walder Frey doesn’t have that compassion or care for his wife. Robb gets stabbed, and Catelyn witnesses it. And then, as her final act, she slits Walder Frey’s wife’s throat, and in doing so, it’s enough to sign her own death warrant. But at that point, she’s convinced that she has nothing left to live for.

Because she thinks her other children are dead.
She thinks they’re all gone. So she has absolutely nothing to live for. There would have been no point to her life. Her whole life since the death of Ned has been to get her family back together again. Constantly, that’s the drive that has kept her going. And the fact that she’s witnessing the death of who she thinks is her final surviving child is enough for her to want to be dead herself. Basically, when she slits the throat of Walder Frey’s wife, she’s inviting her death –- she’s already dead inside.

It’s that maternal instinct that we always see with her, which has caused a lot of trouble -- her decision to take Tyrion hostage in retaliation for the attempt on Bran's life, her decision to send Jaime Lannister back to King's Landing in exchange for Arya and Sansa.
Yes, absolutely. Very much so. It’s coming from a good place, but it’s ultimately flawed at the same time. Her whole bit of operational drive comes from her being a mother and getting her children back together, but to her own detriment as well. She is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her children back.

How emotional was the Red Wedding shoot?
Very. We had a week to shoot the whole sequence, and it was shot chronologically. We started with the wedding ceremony on the Monday, then worked continuously until the Friday evening. On the Friday evening ,we reached a point where Catelyn was the last one standing. It was incredibly emotional because of what was in the scene. The stakes are high at that point for all of the characters. But also for me, internally, because you know this is a point where you’re possibly saying goodbye to people that you’ve come to know incredibly well and care about and love. It’s a very emotional thing to be involved in. You have to concentrate on the work. You can’t allow that to distract you.

When it was all done, did you and Richard Madden [Robb] and Oona Chaplin [Talisa] have a going-away party?
No, the cast had a shoot the next day. Richard went back to England that night, and I went and had my hair cut. Our wonderful hair designer, Kevin Alexander, said, "Listen, when this is all done, come in and I’ll cut your hair." I underestimated just how much the whole week took from me. I just felt completely exhausted. I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. But it was a wonderful sort of exhaustion, because you hope to have achieved something. And then we went for dinner with [co-creator and showrunner] David Benioff and a couple other people. And drank a lot.

In the episode "Dark Wings, Dark Words," you had an incredible monologue where Catelyn reflects on her cruel treatment of Jon Snow and suggests that she may have brought a curse down on House Stark. Do you think the curse is real, or is she simply looking for a way to explain the horrible misfortunes that have fallen on her family?
She has tried to live her life in an honorable way, and she’s a religious person as well. She worships the old gods. I think with religion, there’s a lot of self doubt -- questioning your actions, especially if you have a conscience. I think that’s a natural state for her to find herself in. I don’t think she’s to blame at all, but I think the fact that she couldn't love [the baby Jon Snow] -- I think that comes from within. It’s misplaced anger. She can’t take that out on Ned, so she takes it out on an innocent child. A motherless child. That highlights her inadequacies and her frailty.

So the curse is real to her, at least.
I totally think she believes in it. It’s a measure of the doubt and the questioning constantly running through her veins. But she continues to do the honorable thing. She tries to have recompense for this right up until her last breath. Yes, she goes against honor and slits someone’s throat, but that is honorable in itself -- even though it’s murder.

I don't know how closely you follow U.S. politics, but I like to joke that the Starks are like the Democrats and the Lannisters are like the Republicans.
Well, if there’s a possibly that I could be married to Mr. Obama, then that’s nice. I like that.

I guess I mean that the Lannisters are much better at the game. The Starks are noble, but then, they make dumb mistakes and people get really hurt.
Yeah, they’re too honorable. There is such a thing as being too honorable. They don’t take risks in any way, shape or form. They’re good people, but they will be outwitted because they don’t think outside of the box, really. They don’t have that sort of mind that the Lannisters have. They are much better able to survive than the Starks are in the world that they actually live in. The Starks are the innocents abroad, basically. And their honor is the most important thing. They learn slowly, and I think you’ll start to see that happen with the children. Even though they have that good moral code in their genes, they are out in the world on their own. They have to survive, and that involves thinking like your opponent, and being one step ahead of him.

It’s interesting that Catelyn had that special relationship with Littlefinger, the master of the game and the climb. Is that an opposites-attract thing?
He was brought up with the Tully family, so there is a history there. He has been constantly, for all his life, in love with Catelyn. Littlefinger may be a master manipulator, but when it comes to affairs of the heart, he can’t control that. He’s still smarting from [losing Catelyn], and that’s what gives him momentum to achieve, because he’s getting retribution. But she places a lot of trust in him because he is a childhood friend. She won’t think badly of him. It takes a long time for her to realize that this is not an honorable human being.

Do you think Catelyn knew deep down when Rob married Talisa that they were all doomed?
I think there’s an issue with definitely not trusting Walder Frey. This is a man you do not cross. But the other issue is that you do not break your honor, either. You do not break your honor. And he is the king. If you want people to trust you and follow you and respect you, and possibly give their lives up for you, you have to set the example for them. If you break your word, that’s not an honorable thing for a king to do. So though the omens are already starting to form when he does this and she knows it. At the same time, she is the mother of her boy, who is now the king. So how do you talk to a king? Do you talk to him like a son, or do you give him the respect of a king? Are you a subject or a mother, basically? His actions there are not actions that she agrees with at all. Absolutely not.

Some fans like to speculate that Jon Snow and Daenerys are going to get together in the end and rule the Seven Kingdoms. Ice meets Fire, as it were. Do you think Catelyn would bless that union?
Considering the fact that she detests Jon Snow [laughs], absolutely not. She wants her son -- Robb -- to be the king.

Max Read of Gawker wrote an obsessive article about the accents on the show. Did you guys discuss who gets what accents?
Yes, absolutely. Ned was the head of the family and that was Sean Bean, and Sean’s accent is a Sheffield accent. It’s northern. Therefore, the older children were to speak the way Robb speaks, with a northern accent. But Catelyn is originally from the south, so she wouldn’t have a northern accent. And the children are educated. Some of the kids have northern accents, and Jon Snow has a northern accent. It was discussed individually with each actor about what they were expected to be.

So Arya and Sansa have educated accents because they're younger?
Yeah.

And what is Dinklage doing?
Peter? Peter’s doing English.

Just a stage English, Shakespearean English?
Yeah.

You've had a long and illustrious career on British television, and you played Hermione's mom in a Harry Potter movie, but this show must have brought you a new level of visibility. What's it been like getting recognized everywhere you go?
In my mind, I see a completely different looking woman than myself as Catelyn Stark. I don’t see my face as Catelyn's. I imagine somebody else. I’m always surprised when people recognize me. There was one guy who was crossing the road and he tripped ... His head did this theatrical turn. I was like, "Oh my God. Am I that bad?" [Laughs.]

I'd say it means you're that good!
I constantly get people who are like, "Hello, how are you?" And you can see it dawn on them that they don’t actually know me. But it’s incredibly humbling because, without people who watch it, we would not have a job. So huge thanks to them for continuing to follow it and stay with it.

 

[CommanderTMugler]

I just saw that scene again, I can't help but think of things that could have happened, if I were Catelyn Stark I would have loved to stab Lord Bolton in the back of his neck while he has stabbing Robb to at least mime him, picked up the Frey b*tch near by and cut her throat open then thrown that same knife at Welder Frey’s face and see if I hit him. That scene would have been glorious!

Has anyone played the online GOT game?

 

[jml2]

Michelle Fairley's performance is what is sticking in my mind from that whole scene, well done to her

 

[Phuel]

I do agree that the Red Wedding was a tad bit underwhelming compared to how it was written but great for TV. I do wish it had a bit more time and build up like the "Blackwater" episode last season. I still believe this show should be 12 episodes like "True Blood" and not just 10.

All the awards for Michelle Fairley, her face when the doors closed and her reaction to then the "Rains of Castamere" started playing were flawless. Afterwards her snatching Walder Frey's wife with an arrow on her back was so bad ***, I wish she would have cut the wife's throat then thrown that same knife at Walder's face. Her face of relief after it's all done just speaks volumes.

Having Tulisa at the wedding was a great addition, it brought more drama and shock value. I was waiting for an arrow to be shot as the start of the massacere but her getting stabbed first was a surprise.

I was rooting for Arya to release Grey Wind or as a twist have her end up with the direwolf.

The sacking of Yunkai was really short, hopefully we see more of it on the next episode.

If they had 12 episodes, I guarantee you they would fill it up with more plodding confessions and let's-sit-around-and-snark scenes, instead of concentrating on the building up scenes like the massacre and the sacking of Yunkai.

It's unfortunate that scenes that require expensive on-location shooting, intricate and elaborate fight choreographies, and hundreds of extras in armor, and impressive VFX-- all of which Dany's story requires, are going to be shortchanged in favor of 2-hour confessionals and snarks. Since the confessionals are what will win awards and the snark seems to be popular with many fans, it's a win-win situation for the show. Unfortunate for those of us who would prefer a little more action. I know this isn't Transformers, but still-- a bit more shown on the sacking of Yunkai, for instance, would be nice.

I hope it's covered in the books, but for a story where war is the centerpiece there's little to no mechanization, strategizing and intricacies of war shown. I'm dreading that the show will altogether skip Dany's seafarer voyage to the West. She'll just show up at King's Landing.

I don't expect there to be any complex lessons on the strategics of war, but a little would be ideal to keeping with the schemes of the story. That's why I miss the scenes between Varys and Littlefinger: their Machiavellian schemes are so interesting-- not only in revealing their conquerors' ambitions, but themselves as well.

But, the best scenes for me are becoming those with Sam and Gilly. Their scenes aren't snarky-clever; they're nobody important; and they're not the actors that will win awards for the show. But, they're so endearing and sincere as characters and as actors to me. Sam's just happy to have someone he can protect and live for in this brutal world they're in. I don't think it's even important to him whether she loves him. He just wants a friend. Gilly seems a tad slow-- but that may just be her genetics, or her upbringing. But she's someone that isn't used to being treated like... somebody. And along comes Sam who doesn't want anything from her, except to just be with her. I hope they make it.

heelscatchfire: You never can be certain... Castrated men are such a common presence in the world of GOT...

 

[Littleathquakes]

 

[Shiru]

Michelle Fairley's performance is what is sticking in my mind from that whole scene, well done to her

That, and the shocked, devastated expression on Oona's/Talisa's face when she first gets stabbed.

 

[5 8 6]

I still need to recover myself from the last episode. I totally didn't see it coming. Michelle Fairley's acting was superbe, give her an Emmy! Can't wait to see the season's finale on Sunday.

 

[Larek]

disappointing finale...