1. Why Did Robb And Talisa Marry Under The Seven?
What Happens? In season one, Robb Stark (Richard Madden) mobilises Northern forces and heads south when he hears that his father, Lord Eddard (Sean Bean) has been taken captive by the royal Lannister family in the wake of the death of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). To reach his destination quickly, he must bypass a river at The Twins, the seat of House Frey, but manages to secure both his crossing and the houses support for his cause on the condition that he later marries one of the many daughters of Lord Walder (David Bradley). The legitimate throne is inherited by Roberts son Joffrey (Jack Gleason), who unbeknownst to most is actually the result of incestuous love between Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) and her twin Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). He orders Eddards death, which begins the War of The Five Kings that dominates much of season two, as Robb is crowned the King in the North by his men and, along with the forces of Joffrey and other self-proclaimed monarchs, vies for control of Westeros. On one battlefield, Robb encounters a field nurse by the name of Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin) and develops an attraction to her, which becomes mutual over time. Despite the warnings of his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) regarding his pre-existing marital commitment to the Freys, the two marry in a secret ceremony conducted by a Septon of the Seven.
Why Doesnt It Make Sense? Early in season one; it is made explicitly clear that Northmen such as Robb worship the Old Gods, a group of nameless deities, whilst most of the rest of the Seven Kingdoms follow the Faith Of The Seven, also known as the New Gods, a single deity with seven faces. Meanwhile, Talisa, a replacement for a Westerosi character from the books called Jeyne Westerling, is ostensibly from Volantis, a city-state on the continent of Essos, where a number of religions have varying levels of prominence, though the Faith Of The Seven is not one of them. Yet when the pairs marriage ceremony is shown, it is being conducted by a Septon, something that is a source of much anger amongst fans of the novels, as it implies that the shows writers lack even the most basic understanding of either continuity or the material that they are adapting for the screen. The other three entries on this list are rectifiable, but this is nothing short of an absolute travesty. Given that religion will become increasingly important as the series continues, you cant help but express a degree of worry about the handling of aspects of the show's future if they couldnt get this right, and it will remain a blemish on the series legacy in the years to come. Are there any other questions left by Game Of Thrones' first two seasons that you want answering? Sound off in the comments.