Game of Thrones: “The Lion and the Rose” – NO ONE IS SAFE!

WARNING: Heavy spoilers ahead.

IT IS BACK! Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the epic return of Game of Thrones! Our expectations have never been higher and we are prepared to have our minds blown one episode after another. Let’s take a look at the latest installment of the new season. If the first episode felt as though it were still in the “third season’s vibe,” with a lot of talking (always very cleverly written) and preparation for future events, the second one gives us exactly what we’re looking for, a delicious bite of an amazing new cake.

While the first part of the episode is still refreshing our memories with a look at situations outside of King’s Landing, the shifting of alliances and the respective journeys of different protagonists, “The Lion and The Rose” then  focuses mostly on the city in the south and a long awaited awaited event in the series. Thanks to the imminent Royal Wedding, things are more tense than ever, with the recent forced marriages continuing to bring only more pain and suffering to the powerless Cersei, her conflicted brother Tyrion, and his new bride, Sansa Stark, whose misery is more than justified by the loss of Ned, Robb and Catelyn in such a short amount of time. Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, isn’t having much of a good time either, both for romantic reasons (he’s still with his sister) and one hugely important practical one: his missing sword hand.

After a perfect, gradual build in tension throughout the hour, one made of secrets and lies, threats and deception, Shae’s gut-wrenching departure, there at last comes the pronouncing of vows are pronounced. Yes, King Joffrey and the mischievous yet astute Margaery are now husband and wife. The following banquet fuels the fire even further, Joffrey incurring more hatred than at any other point in the series (hard to believe it was still possible), until the last few minutes when, in a spectacularly unpredictable fashion, the King is killed by an unknown assassin.

Audiences the world over may rejoice for now, but things are about to get pretty dangerous for poor Tyrion, since he was the one who, unfortunately, passed the “poisoned cup” to Joffrey. Once thing’s for certain, however: this second episode has proven yet again that, without a doubt, Game of Thrones is indeed one of the most shocking, exciting, breathtaking, and just downright awesome television shows ever made. All that’s left to do now is await the arrival of the next one, in which we will discover the consequences of this terrible murder.

And just in case the mastermind behind this story, George R.R. Martin, hasn’t made it clear enough, let me remind you of a cold, brutal reality connected with this universe: in Westeros, no one is safe.

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