Game of Thrones is particularly shocking if you’ve never read the books. Take for example the death of season one lead Ned Stark (Sean Bean). Although seeing it play out with the eyes was definitely a treat for readers of the book, it was not nearly as gut-wrenchingly unexpected as it was for the literary virgins out there who were left wondering why in the world any series creator would kill off their lead character in the first season. Tonight’s episode of GOT, “The Rains of Castamere”, probably had a similar impact on viewers, particularly fans of Robb Stark.
The truth is, the death of Robb Stark is a distant memory for readers of the books. Many readers consider the brutal slaughter of Stark and much of his family, including his wife, at his Uncle’s wedding to be more shocking than the murder of his father, Ned. The scene has come to be known as “The Red Wedding”. It’s a scene that any reader of the Game of Thrones books knew was coming, eventually, but first viewers obviously had no idea what was on the way.
So far reaction from the television audience reveals what readers have known for a while: The Red Wedding is one of the most savage game changers in the series. As I type this, facebook and twitter are literally exploding with agonizing emoticons and choruses of “Wtf?!”. As for Richard Madden, the actor that plays Robb Stark, he told Canada.com that he know of his characters death before he ever stepped onto the Game of Thrones sound stage. “Essentially, as soon as I got the job, people (who had already read the books) managed to spoiler that for me. ‘Oh my God, your death! That was so terrible.’ ”
After getting caught off guard by The Red Wedding some fans might feel the urge to run out and buy the books to avoid receiving this kind of shock in the future, but trust me: you’re better off not knowing in advance. It’s just better that way. There are so many more shocking moments coming up I wish I didn’t know about in advance. Like that time that …
