The Lion and the Rose

"The Lion and the Rose"
Game of Thrones episode
Joffrey Baratheon succumbs to poisoning in the arms of his mother, Cersei Lannister.
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 2
Directed by	Alex Graves
Written by	George R. R. Martin
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Anette Haellmigk
Editing by	Katie Weiland
Original air date	April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)
Running time	52 minutes
Guest appearances
Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton Noah Taylor as Locke Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse Baratheon Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Mace Tyrell Finn Jones as Loras Tyrell Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jojen Reed Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed Kristian Nairn as Hodor Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant Tony Way as Dontos Hollard Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon Charlotte Hope as Myranda Jazzy de Lisser as Tansy Paul Bentley as the High Septon Elizabeth Webster as Walda Bolton James McHale as Axell Florent Pixie Le Knot as Kayla Jón Þór Birgisson as a Musician Georg Hólm as a Musician Orri Páll Dýrason as a Musician Raymond Griffiths as a Dwarf Max Laird as a Dwarf Dean Whatton as Dwarf George Appleby as a Dwarf Krysten Coombs as a Dwarf
Episode chronology
← Previous "Two Swords" Next → "Breaker of Chains"
Game of Thrones season 4
List of episodes

"The Lion and the Rose" is the second episode of the fourth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 32nd overall. The episode was written by George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels from which the series is adapted, and directed by Alex Graves.^[1] It aired on April 13, 2014.

The episode focuses principally on the long-awaited royal wedding between Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell. It ends with Joffrey's death after drinking poisoned wine at the reception, a plot development that despite being in the books came as a shock to viewers since it abruptly killed the show's principal villain just a few episodes after the Red Wedding had violently killed off several of the show's protagonists. Other storylines include House Bolton's quest to retake the North, and Bran's continued journey north of The Wall. The title refers to the sigils of the wedding couple's respective houses – a lion for Joffrey Baratheon, who is in truth an illegitimate bastard, and a rose for Margaery Tyrell.

Unlike Martin's previous three episodes, his draft of the screenplay has some major differences from the episode as produced, with more minor characters and detail at the wedding feast. Most significantly, it sets up some plotlines from the books that the series would ultimately not use, such as Ramsay marrying an impostor woman posing as Arya instead of Sansa. It would have also resolved the unanswered question from the show's first season of who had been behind the attempted assassination of Bran Stark by implying more strongly than the books did that it was Joffrey, rather than Littlefinger as the series would suggest several seasons later.

"The Lion and the Rose" received critical acclaim and was declared one of the best episodes of the series, earning high praise for the writing, performances, Joffrey and Margaery's wedding scene, suspenseful tone, and the final scene. It received five Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Lena Headey and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Diana Rigg, winning the award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series. Martin received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Television: Episodic Drama.