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Why The Red Wedding Is Still Game of Thrones' Most Shocking Moment
Game of Thrones will have a hard job topping its most shocking moment: the Red Wedding. Five seasons and six years (19 for book readers) later, it remains the peak of HBO's fantasy series.
In Game of Thrones season 3, Robb Stark makes numerous strategic errors while attempting to defeat Tywin Lannister. He betrays a marriage pact with House Frey, damages the confidence of his mother Catelyn Stark, and loses half of his army upon beheading Rickard Karstark. As a result, Robb Stark forms a new alliance with House Frey and arrives at The Twins for a marriage celebration. What happened next in "The Rains of Castamere" is pop culture legend: Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and Talisa, along with most of the Stark army, are brutally murdered by Frey and Bolton forces.
Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding remains the series’ most shocking moment for just how brazen it is. It's a disturbing plot twist and a violent one at that which makes it difficult to watch. But on a more emotive level, it’s the slow build-up and visceral execution that leaves a mark.
Fundamentally, the Red Wedding betrays basic storytelling techniques. From the beginning, Robb Stark is positioned as a core protagonist. Game of Thrones season 1 emphasizes the character's honor, season 2 displays his bravery, and season 3 underlines the man's forgivable flaws. Whereas King Joffrey is despicable, Robb Stark represents a true hero. Viewers may anticipate his possible death, but it will surely be an honorable death. Instead, House Frey betrays the “Guest Right” tradition by cutting off the head of House Stark (literally).
In Game of Thrones season 1, Ned Stark’s beheading establishes that nobody is safe, not even the perceived main characters. But Robb Stark’s death at the Red Wedding is more impactful and more emotionally destructive. Ned Stark spends the majority of season 1 making bad decisions and being stubborn, which structurally preps the audience for Robb Stark’s ascent to power and heroic multi-season journey. The King in the North will make things right. But Robb Stark suffers the same fate as his father before completing a logical character arc; he is betrayed, stabbed, and beheaded in humiliating fashion. But that’s not enough for House Frey, of course.
Leading up to the Red Wedding, Game of Thrones fully humanizes Robb, presenting him as a romantic figure through his relationship with Talisa. The odds are stacked against the couple, but they find strength in each other. Talisa then becomes pregnant and wants to name the baby Eddard (in honor of Ned) if it’s a boy. So, of course, the Red Wedding begins with Talisa’s stabbing and eventual death, a direct attack on Robb Stark's family history and legacy. Robb and Talisa are so close to true happiness, so close to having it all. Meanwhile, Catelyn is forced to watch their deaths (believed to be her last living son). Game of Thrones systematically crushes the audience with emotional devastation.
Ultimately, there’s justice for Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa, with the various orchestrators - Joffery Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton - brutally murdered and Arya Stark, who was tragically just outside The Twins awaiting a reunion before the carnage began, slitting Walder Frey's throat in the Game of Thrones season 6 finale.
Looking back, Red Wedding clues are dispersed throughout Games of Thrones’ first three seasons and on the brink of season 8, it seems like all part of a much grander plan. At the time, however, the moment seemed both illogical and horrific. The Red Wedding essentially re-defined what Game of Thrones was.
Game of Thrones returns for its final season on April 14.
