YMMV / Game of Thrones S3E9: "The Rains of Castamere"

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• Alas, Poor Scrappy: For those that didn't like Talisa, seeing her stabbed to death while pregnant just after she announced that she wanted to name the baby after Ned, was still incredibly horrific.
• Award Snub: Fans were furious when Michelle Fairley wasn't nominated for an Emmy for her work in this episode as—with Lady Stoneheart being Adapted Out—this was her last chance to be recognised.
• Epileptic Trees: Before she was Adapted Out, fans took Catelyn's murder of Joyeuse Frey to be Foreshadowing for her Face–Heel Turn to Lady Stoneheart.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Bran commands Osha and Rickon to go to the Umbers to seek shelter rather than Castle Black, which he suspects is under attack. Castle Black isn't, and the Umbers eventually sell Osha and Rickon out to the Boltons, leading to both their deaths.
  • Roose Bolton betrays Robb and brings about the Red Wedding in exchange for a Frey granddaughter as a wife. Come Season 6 and the two of them meet just as nasty an end—Roose stabbed by his own son, and Wylla fed to hungry hounds with their baby.
• Hollywood Homely: Walder Frey's daughters are renowned for being unattractive and when we finally see them, they're just dressed down slightly. It's possible this is deliberate—to further highlight what an ill-thought out move it was for Robb to break his marriage promise in favour of a prettier wife.
• It Was His Sled: The fact that the Red Wedding is an extremely violent affair is practically common knowledge after the episode aired, with reactions to the event being the stuff of Memetic Mutation.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Walder calls Robb out after he claims to not want to rub his marriage in Walder's face, despite his wife standing right next to him at the time. (This is also a Mythology Gag: in the books, Robb left her at Riverrun, both for that reason and because Catelyn reminded him that he would be unable to stand there while Frey insulted Mrs. Robb to her face. Cat may have screwed up some other things, but she hit this one on the head in both continuities!)
• Narm Charm: Catelyn's death cries right before her throat is slit might be a little chuckle-inducing, but it doesn't destroy how heart breaking the scene is.
• Nausea Fuel: Seeing Talisa stabbed over and over in the stomach. Robb even puts his hands on her mutilated womb.
• Obvious Judas: It's revealed that Roose's latest wife is a fat Frey granddaughter, he was paid her weight in silver by Walder for the dowry. Additionally, his jovial attitude in the wedding is likely to set off some warning bells from viewers.
• One-Scene Wonder: Roslin Frey literally does not appear again after her reveal, but said reveal that she's such a beauty is what makes her memorable. Not to mention, her performance is a brilliant Rewatch Bonus. On the first viewing, you think she's just shy at her wedding. On the second, you realise that she knows what's about to happen afterwards (Catelyn notes this in the book after the events start unfolding).
• Signature Scene: The Red Wedding is one of the most iconic and (in)famous scenes in television history, never mind Game of Thrones history. No-one who watched it unspoiled will ever forget their shock and trauma as the brutality unfolded. The publicity it generated arguably transformed Thrones from a popular genre show to the dominant force in mass pop culture.
• Trapped by Mountain Lions: Some reviewers had this reaction to the Yunkai events—feeling that the episode should have remained focused on the Starks.
• WTH, Costuming Department?: Talisa wearing such a drab grey gown to a wedding, when she's the Queen in the North looks odd. She looks like a serving girl next to Catelyn and Robb. It's not as though she's a commoner who doesn't know how to dress for formal occasions.

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