4. Weddings Are Not Happy Occasions
Game of Thrones is the violent version of musical chairs, so any hopeful or uplifting turn of events should be suspicious. You've probably noticed that the Red Wedding was not the most celebratory of affairs -- unless your name is Walder Frey, Roose Bolton, or Tywin Lannister. Sansa's forced marriage with Tyrion was similarly uncomfortable to watch, despite Tyrion's gallantry on their wedding night. The trend of twisted nuptials continues in practically every wedding in the books so far, and some will make Dothraki shindigs look like your cousin's sweet sixteen. Season 4 will find the cunning Margaery Tyrell marrying everyone's favorite little jerk, Joffrey Baratheon. Fortunately, the Tyrells have been doing some detective work and, thanks to their proclivity for gossip and Sansa's reluctant admissions, they know Joffrey is a monster. The Baratheon/Tyrell wedding is a grand proceeding . . . until things start going south. I won't say how, except that the fan nickname for the event is "the Purple Wedding." The rose may smell sweet, but it also has thorns. Other weddings in the North and Slaver's Bay that appear to lead the good guys from bad to worse have their own undercurrents of treachery. The silver lining of this particular storm cloud is that weddings serve the purpose of propelling characters forward. The Northern rebellion may have hit a dead end thanks to that kerfuffle at the Twins, but the North remembers. And it likes pies.