GOT 4.02: Part I "The Lion and The Rose"

For now, I'm going to be a week behind, but who knows, maybe that will change.

Before my dedication, I have a theory about why everything has been sped up. The non-book readers become very confused due to the number of characters. I never even think about it, because I see character defamation in some cases, or just plain lack thereof. I  know, that we are going to Dorne, meeting a lot of new characters, and spending a lot of time in Slaver's Bay, Braavos and elsewhere. We are also going to learn more about the Greyjoy family, and some of their general crazy, and badass. Westeros will still have a place, but winter has come, and it is bad. So streamlining the story lines, is great planning for season 5, if it is meant to meet all of those new characters, and places. This way the non-book reader can enjoy the show w/less confusion, and meet some fantastic characters.

This episode will have three parts because the wedding needs its own post.

This week's dedication:

Part I
Melisandre
Why? Well we know "the night is dark and full of terrors", but you can't forget that cleansing, from being burnt at the stake.  She also tries to teach a princess, that you are living in hell. Lovely, isn't she?

Melisandre basking in those "cleansing" fires

And the best part?  She's not on Arya's kill list in the book, but she is on the show.
Since we are talking about Melisandre, let's just kick it off with Stannis & Co.

Stannis
He is clearly disgusted by the cleansing fires, where some of his relatives through marriage are being murdered. He turns away with Davos, after his crazy wife, the Lady Selyse,  is seeing those souls floating out of her burning relatives. She's just forgetting that it's smoke, not souls.

Their sins are being burned away & 
"the night is dark, blah, blah...."

Selyse is chanting the you know what, along with everyone, but not Stannis and Davos. Interesting how Stannis is not chanting the words, isn't it?

Naturally as they walk away, Davos starts in about how Stannis just burned his relatives, for worshipping the Old Gods. and Stannis, says his go to line, that they are infidels, and traitors. Of course my favorite line, is when Selyse is walking by Stannis and Davos, and asks if he saw the beautiful cleansing of the souls. Davos says:

"I'm sure they're more than grateful my Queen"*

Dinner at the Baratheon's
The cleansing fires were just the evenings activity before a delicious dinner of meat. Stannis hates the meat and wants fish. Selyse said he hates fish. He says he hates a lot of things, but he does them anyway. You know, like burning relatives to get his crown? He's in a really bad mood and Selyse is annoying.

OMG ,of course I remember, just stop speaking

Selyse tells the story about book soup. Stannis being the doting husband that he always has been, ripped some books apart, and boiled it for her,...soooo romantic. Oh, but even better? The grilled seagull, was divine. This is Melisandre, doing her best "I'm not a crazy Red Priestess" face, because she has had her ritual cleanse, and is starving.

Oh Selyse, Stannis is such a wonderful husband

Then we have this:

Selyse: Shereen, is such an awful child, plus I fear for her soul. I think Melisandre should pay her a visit and explain to her that fire cleanses your soul. I know it's why she has grayscale.

Stannis: She is my daughter, and if you touch her, I will kill you.

Selyse: Why do you care? You just like her because she is always so happy to see you. I have to deal with all of her crap, and the fact that she is becoming a little heathen.

Meanwhile Melisandre continues eating, telling Selyse how the glorious the Lord of Light found her, she did not find him.

Shereen

We see Shereen lying in bed, when Melisandre stops by. She walks around the room, lighting candles, and asking Shereen if she heard the activities out side.

You don't fool me. I heard the screaming, all of it. 

Mel speaks of how the Lord of Light is so wonderful, and Shereen asks:

Shereen: "No seven heavens? No seven hells?

Melisandre: "The only hell Princess, is the one we're living in now"*

Thanks Mel, I'm sure she'll have sweet dreams all night long.

Going from one crazy to another...

The Boltons
We begin with Ramsay Snow playing the "let Theon think he's saving a girl, and then hunt and kill her" game.  This is actually what he does, numerous times in the book, and Theon has been destroyed mentally and physically. It took me a while in the book to figure out that "Reek" was Theon. He also has trouble eating because his gums have been made soft, he's hunched over and limping, and he's starving and eating rats. The torture is so horrific, and he consistently asks to die, but Ramsay says no way.

I need a new crazy name for him because "sociopath" has been used. I think it will be Sadist Ramsay. Continuing on...he has a woman with him, who I do not think is in the book, but she shoots the girl, and the dogs attack and eat her.

This is the best first date ever! 

Time goes by, and his father  Lord Roose "traitorous ass" Bolton, returns to the Dreadfort, with his stunning Frey wife. I can't decide if she is pregnant or fat. I hate watching this naive girl, who has no idea, that she was part of a deal to get rich, and kill Robb Stark.

"What the hell have you been doing?"

We have a touching scene where Roose reminds his bastard son, that he is just that, and has been disobedient and  he's screwed up big time.  Locke, who chopped off Jaime's hand and Sadist Ramsay laugh about how much fun it is to cut off other people's body parts.

"Just remember you are a Snow, not a Bolton"

Roose is angry as he needed Theon to trade for Moat Cailin, and secure the North. But Sadist Ramsay is upset, because he tortured Theon, got some great intel, and turned him into a eunuch. Plus he already communicated with Balon about Theon, and sent his much needed body parts to him.

"Great, you turned our only bargaining chip into a eunuch.
Whatever intel you got, had better be damn good."

Sadist Ramsay: But Dad, look what I did!

Roose: You just destroyed our only way to get Moat Cailin. Plus, I did not give you permission to treat with the enemy.

Sadist Ramsay: Wait, I own Theon now, and he gave me some great intel. Bran and Rickon are alive!

Roose: No way. Good Work! Plans have changed, you will lose the title of bastard, if you go take back Moat Cailin.

Sadist Ramsay: Thanks Dad!

Roose to Locke: Go to the wall and kill the three remaining Stark boys.

Locke: Right on, I'll check back when they're dead.

Bran & Co.
We begin with Bran, as Summer, chasing a deer in the snow. Summer kills the deer and begins eating, until we hear "Hodor"!, and Bran wakes up. Meera and Jojen give him another lesson on being a warg.  Meera says that he is staying in Summer longer and longer. Bran says he's hungry, which they all are, and Jojen says that Summer is eating, not Bran. Meera tells Bran that he will lose himself:

"You'd forget you, and if we loose you, we loose everything"*

They get up and start walking again. Suddenly Bran sees Summer standing in front of a weirwood tree with red leaves, and a face on it.

Bran is having a vision....

The visions:
We see Ned wiping his sword, after killing the deserter
The statues of all the dead Starks beneath Winterfell
We see the passing of time, as red leaves are flying off a weirwood tree
The Iron Throne, is empty and the Throne Room is covered in snow.
It is the same one that Dany saw in her vision
The shadow of a dragon flying over Kings Landing

I am not going to try to interpret these right now, but Bran needs a lot more time spent on his story. Oh, and he heard voice that tells him to "Go North". He comes out of the vision, and says "Let's go North!", not like they're far enough already.

Okay, that's the end of Part I, let's go to the Purple Wedding!

*All images are owned by HBO, "Game of Thrones"
* All quotes from Season 4.2, "The Lion and The Rose"