Home > Game of Thrones > Season 4 > Episode 2
Episode Info
Cast & Crew
Tyrion Lannister
Queen Cersei Lannister
Ser Jaime Lannister
Petyr Baelish
Ser Jorah Mormont
The Lion and the Rose Videos
The Lion and the Rose Photos
Critic Reviews for The Lion and the Rose
After a slow-paced season premiere, Game of Thrones ripped the rug out from under its viewers with a shocker this week. If this is a sign of things to come in the Seven Kingdoms, then it's sure to be a spirited season.
Do they know how to throw a wedding on this series or what?
It's a delicate road we've started down at the end of "The Lion and the Rose," but one that has begun with a beautifully orchestrated moment of chaos. We'll see soon enough where it takes us and if the scales start to even out.
I first watched a critic's screening copy of the episode a few weeks ago, and struggled not to share my joy with everyone around me. A few days ago, I needed a pick-me-up, so I watched King Joffrey die again. Still great the second time.
It's not as graphic as last season's bloodbath down the aisle, but the death count in last night's episode is still a game changer. All men must die, sure, but do they all have to die at a wedding?
The most impressive part of Thrones is the way even the scenes pitched toward the future feel essential in the present.
George R.R. Martin (credited with this week's screenplay) has a ball writing Joffrey's last episode, sucking every single bit of immature arrogance out of Jack Gleeson's severely underrated performance with meticulously-paced scenes.
There was a sense that finally, finally the tide is beginning to turn against the Lannisters in a meaningful, impactful way.
The Lion and the Rose was taken up by the wedding; and when this show devotes that much contiguous running time to one event, you know something big is about to go down.
It's almost comforting to know that, even with Joffrey gone, there will still be at least one sadistic twerp whose death we can all look forward to enjoying together.
The terrific dialogue between the two [Jeffrey and Tyrion] ratchets up the tension.
It's a cracker of an episode, loaded with brilliant character beats and one of the great TV twists.