GoT S4E2: When a Hated Character Dies
While Game of Thrones season 3 climaxed with a wedding-murder scene, The Red Wedding, season 4 more or less starts with one. In S4E2 a major character is killed at a wedding. This time, though, it's not a tragedy. Well, not for us viewers, anyway. Because the character is a truly awful person.
King Joffrey is killed at his own wedding. He's poisoned, apparently by something slipped in his wine glass. The scene with him choking to death on his own blood was hard for the cast and crew to film, the directors say in their commentary, as everyone loved the actor. But as someone who knows only the character I was practically cheering the whole time. That evil little fucker got his comeuppance!
Why revel in someone's death? Well, sometimes that someone is a truly awful person. Even in a world of Machiavellian politics where rulers have to do some distasteful things to survive (see my comments on the betrayal in the Red Wedding), Joffrey is thoroughly evil. He's tortured and murdered various people for spite or amusement. He was also a shitty king. He had no competency, nor even any interest, for managing the affairs of state. He left all decisions to a coterie of advisors around him- who even a person of modest intelligence can see are all serving only their own interests in accumulating wealth and power. He only got involved when an issue touched his personal ego or presented an opportunity to be cruel. ...Hmm, kind of like a certain former US president in that regard! 😧
With the death of any significant character in the story there's always the question of "Whodunnit?" Especially in the world of Game of Thrones where murder is, well, a standard play in the game. In this specific episode there's only faint indication of who's responsible. More clues are presented in the next episode. I'll write about that separately.
King Joffrey is killed at his own wedding. He's poisoned, apparently by something slipped in his wine glass. The scene with him choking to death on his own blood was hard for the cast and crew to film, the directors say in their commentary, as everyone loved the actor. But as someone who knows only the character I was practically cheering the whole time. That evil little fucker got his comeuppance!
Why revel in someone's death? Well, sometimes that someone is a truly awful person. Even in a world of Machiavellian politics where rulers have to do some distasteful things to survive (see my comments on the betrayal in the Red Wedding), Joffrey is thoroughly evil. He's tortured and murdered various people for spite or amusement. He was also a shitty king. He had no competency, nor even any interest, for managing the affairs of state. He left all decisions to a coterie of advisors around him- who even a person of modest intelligence can see are all serving only their own interests in accumulating wealth and power. He only got involved when an issue touched his personal ego or presented an opportunity to be cruel. ...Hmm, kind of like a certain former US president in that regard! 😧
With the death of any significant character in the story there's always the question of "Whodunnit?" Especially in the world of Game of Thrones where murder is, well, a standard play in the game. In this specific episode there's only faint indication of who's responsible. More clues are presented in the next episode. I'll write about that separately.