For the first three seasons, Game of Thrones was divided into three major plotlines. The War of the Five Kings, Daenerys' storyline as she builds an army on Essos and the Night's Watch plot. But the primary storyline for these seasons was Westeros' medieval war, and at the center of it lay the main conflict of the show Starks versus Lannisters. Since the very first season of the show with the death of Eddard Stark, the archetypal protagonist, the viewer understood that nobody is safe in the world of Game of Thrones, and this is what made this show the most unpredictable on television. In this world honour and morality isn't a superior quality in terms of survival and it even has great repercussions on the characters. Our heroes do not always prevail and sometimes the realism of the unexpected can be incredibly brutal to witness. That is what makes The Rains of Castamere the magnum opus of the first three seasons of Game of Thrones, and one of the finest episodes in the history of television.
Ned Stark's death served as two things in the story. First as a warning about the perils that lurk in this world and that anything can happen in it, and also as a catalyst for the Stark family's redemption arc. As the Stark-Lannister conflict intensified Robb had accepted his role as King in the North and led his own military campaign with great success. His father's death defied narrative conventions, served to the purpose of launching a new stage of the same conflict and symbolizing a setup for the real storyline to take place. Robb wins every battle he has and is a living image of his father's honour. Called on nobly avenging his father's death, Robb assumed the hero's role in the War of the Five Kings plotline. The idea planted in the viewer's mind was that Ned died, so Robb could reclaim glory for his father and family and for the North. At worst, he would die as a true hero honourably and beautifully, but that's really not what Game of Thrones is about. Few shows have ever dared to abandon their central conflict in such a way, especially without a pleasing resolution first being offered to fans.
At Edmure's wedding, what makes us think our heroes will prevail is the event itself. Everyone is having a good time, the band is playing lighthearted traditional songs, our characters reminisce about the good times when Ned was still alive. Robb and Talysa talk about how if their child is a boy he will be name Eddard, Catelyn finally accepts their relationship and everything looks fine. As they take away Edmure and Roslyn for the bedding ceremony the guards take away most of the torches and the door is closed. The Rains of Castamere starts playing, a song that serves as an anthem for the house Lannister as it tells the story of the destruction of house Reyne (Rain) by Tywin Lannister after they rebelled against his house. The song is a reminder that a Lannister always pays his debts. Still it comes much unexpected as the murders of the Stark family and army are as brutal as they are sudden, and this time there is no new hero to rise and assume the mantle. The Red Wedding isn't only the loss of character figures we've come to know and love, or even the symbolic endpoint of a vanquished war effort within the geopolitical arena of Westeros. The deaths at The Twins represent the death of a way we interact with stories, the destruction of an idea about how tales are meant to unfold and the forced abandonment of the typically redemptive arcs we expect from our narratives and from genre fiction like Game of Thrones in particular.
We were tricked into believing that Robb's ultimate strategy for conquering Casterly Rock was smart, while distracting from the problems with Walder Frey. The family values of loyalty and honour are central to the Stark way of life, but the problem with all members of the family is that no matter how unreasonable a strategy may be, they always try to uphold their honour. In this world however, adaptability is key, while moral stability is almost always penalized. This is reflected best on this episode where the Starks think they are protected by the 'guest-right' after they have eaten the bread and salt. "Doing the right thing" is a strategy the Lannisters don't use, but they exploit the false sense of security their enemies have to defeat them, which makes them the most adaptable and formidable opponent in Westeros.
The Rains of Castamere delivered the death of the hero's journey and the demise of trust in traditional character arcs and storylines. Many years after its release, the episode continues to be one of the magnum opuses of Game of Thrones and one of the most disturbing events ever seen on television. This episode marked a new stage of Game of Thrones storytelling, we lost characters we knew and loved, but most importantly we lost a way of understanding stories, it killed every idea we've ever had about the fate of our heroes and how stories unfold and that is what makes it one of the greatest episodes in the history of television.
Ned Stark's death served as two things in the story. First as a warning about the perils that lurk in this world and that anything can happen in it, and also as a catalyst for the Stark family's redemption arc. As the Stark-Lannister conflict intensified Robb had accepted his role as King in the North and led his own military campaign with great success. His father's death defied narrative conventions, served to the purpose of launching a new stage of the same conflict and symbolizing a setup for the real storyline to take place. Robb wins every battle he has and is a living image of his father's honour. Called on nobly avenging his father's death, Robb assumed the hero's role in the War of the Five Kings plotline. The idea planted in the viewer's mind was that Ned died, so Robb could reclaim glory for his father and family and for the North. At worst, he would die as a true hero honourably and beautifully, but that's really not what Game of Thrones is about. Few shows have ever dared to abandon their central conflict in such a way, especially without a pleasing resolution first being offered to fans.
At Edmure's wedding, what makes us think our heroes will prevail is the event itself. Everyone is having a good time, the band is playing lighthearted traditional songs, our characters reminisce about the good times when Ned was still alive. Robb and Talysa talk about how if their child is a boy he will be name Eddard, Catelyn finally accepts their relationship and everything looks fine. As they take away Edmure and Roslyn for the bedding ceremony the guards take away most of the torches and the door is closed. The Rains of Castamere starts playing, a song that serves as an anthem for the house Lannister as it tells the story of the destruction of house Reyne (Rain) by Tywin Lannister after they rebelled against his house. The song is a reminder that a Lannister always pays his debts. Still it comes much unexpected as the murders of the Stark family and army are as brutal as they are sudden, and this time there is no new hero to rise and assume the mantle. The Red Wedding isn't only the loss of character figures we've come to know and love, or even the symbolic endpoint of a vanquished war effort within the geopolitical arena of Westeros. The deaths at The Twins represent the death of a way we interact with stories, the destruction of an idea about how tales are meant to unfold and the forced abandonment of the typically redemptive arcs we expect from our narratives and from genre fiction like Game of Thrones in particular.
We were tricked into believing that Robb's ultimate strategy for conquering Casterly Rock was smart, while distracting from the problems with Walder Frey. The family values of loyalty and honour are central to the Stark way of life, but the problem with all members of the family is that no matter how unreasonable a strategy may be, they always try to uphold their honour. In this world however, adaptability is key, while moral stability is almost always penalized. This is reflected best on this episode where the Starks think they are protected by the 'guest-right' after they have eaten the bread and salt. "Doing the right thing" is a strategy the Lannisters don't use, but they exploit the false sense of security their enemies have to defeat them, which makes them the most adaptable and formidable opponent in Westeros.
The Rains of Castamere delivered the death of the hero's journey and the demise of trust in traditional character arcs and storylines. Many years after its release, the episode continues to be one of the magnum opuses of Game of Thrones and one of the most disturbing events ever seen on television. This episode marked a new stage of Game of Thrones storytelling, we lost characters we knew and loved, but most importantly we lost a way of understanding stories, it killed every idea we've ever had about the fate of our heroes and how stories unfold and that is what makes it one of the greatest episodes in the history of television.