Game Of Thrones: The King is Dead[/b]
As soon as the name George R. R. Martin appears with a writing credit, most viewers will feel their throats tighten; their senses heighten; their minds braced for the worst.
This is the man who wrote the series of books in which Ned Stark lost his head and the Red Wedding massacre takes place. While Martin once again uses his most poisoned of pens to wring another death, it's one that might not have the fan-base in quite such an uproar. What he doesn't bargain on, is his uncle's silver tongue. No matter what ideas Joffrey might have, Tyrion is no man's fool, and his mature, restrained reactions to the barrage of humiliation he faces only frustrate the King further. He might even have finally given Sansa some common ground with her husband, as she too knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of Joffrey's spite and scorn. Yet again, Peter Dinklage is superb, throwing Joffrey a face of absolute thunder.
And then, out of nowhere, the King is dead.
Poisoned, evidently, Joffrey chokes to death in the most ghastly manner. With his death throes, he points the finger at Tyrion who conveniently had handed Joffrey what must have been a poisoned chalice but there's no way things are that simple. As to who's really responsible well, half the cast were present, and most of them had ample reason to want Joffrey parted from this world so it's anyone's guess! Though it should be noted that the drunken fool Ser Dontos from last week was very quick to whisk Sansa away from the commotion. It's at this point that we need to pay tribute to Jack Gleeson. It takes a very good performance to make a character as hate able as Joffrey. Of all the memorable characters on Game of Thrones[/i], Joffrey is arguably the most recognizable. Ask a person who's never seen the show that Ned Stark is, and they've only a vague notion. But everyone knows about the hateful child-king with the punch able face. If, as has been widely reported, Jack Gleeson is to give up acting after the role of Joffrey, he has left an indelible entry into the pantheon of great TV villains. There's nobody we love to hate more than Joffrey Baratheon.
And kudos to the make-up team for making his death as grim as possible. It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for the poor boy. With the King dead, the relatively peaceful status quo that started the season is shattered. The line of succession falls to Tommen thus far barely even a presence on the show and it'll be interesting to see if he moves to the fore now. In an episode of two halves, another king has died, and once again the momentum in the game of thrones has shifted.
And if Game of Thrones[/i] continues to be this rich and unpredictable, who knows where we'll be next week let alone a year from now! Bring it on.
As soon as the name George R. R. Martin appears with a writing credit, most viewers will feel their throats tighten; their senses heighten; their minds braced for the worst.
And then, out of nowhere, the King is dead.
Poisoned, evidently, Joffrey chokes to death in the most ghastly manner. With his death throes, he points the finger at Tyrion who conveniently had handed Joffrey what must have been a poisoned chalice but there's no way things are that simple. As to who's really responsible well, half the cast were present, and most of them had ample reason to want Joffrey parted from this world so it's anyone's guess! Though it should be noted that the drunken fool Ser Dontos from last week was very quick to whisk Sansa away from the commotion. It's at this point that we need to pay tribute to Jack Gleeson. It takes a very good performance to make a character as hate able as Joffrey. Of all the memorable characters on Game of Thrones[/i], Joffrey is arguably the most recognizable. Ask a person who's never seen the show that Ned Stark is, and they've only a vague notion. But everyone knows about the hateful child-king with the punch able face. If, as has been widely reported, Jack Gleeson is to give up acting after the role of Joffrey, he has left an indelible entry into the pantheon of great TV villains. There's nobody we love to hate more than Joffrey Baratheon.
And kudos to the make-up team for making his death as grim as possible. It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for the poor boy. With the King dead, the relatively peaceful status quo that started the season is shattered. The line of succession falls to Tommen thus far barely even a presence on the show and it'll be interesting to see if he moves to the fore now. In an episode of two halves, another king has died, and once again the momentum in the game of thrones has shifted.
And if Game of Thrones[/i] continues to be this rich and unpredictable, who knows where we'll be next week let alone a year from now! Bring it on.