This June is the 10th anniversary of “The Rains of Castamere,” better known as the Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones. It feels longer than that — probably because the trauma it caused will last a lifetime. Some people are experiencing Walder Frey’s betrayal for the first time, however.
“Nothing convinced me to watch GOT yet but this might make me wth happened on that screen?” @xPlatinumShanel tweeted, along with a reaction video of a devastated TikTok user watching the Lannisters send their regards. This inspired others to share their Red Wedding memories.
Nothing convinced me to watch GOT yet but this might make me wth happened on that screen? pic.twitter.com/J8Ltk3Juz7
— 1|17 (@xPlatinumShanel) February 22, 2023
The Red Wedding will leave you with trust issues and have you in therapy for years. https://t.co/sHTDPspBSn
— Gʜᴀɴᴀɪᴀɴ Jᴏʟʟᴏғᴏɢɪsᴛ (@WizardKenny) February 23, 2023
Red wedding had me standing up shouting “no, no, no” in my boxers. GOT was special https://t.co/qix8tO0OdT
— 1MA pt.2 (@Luch2MA) February 23, 2023
the fact that anyone who watches the show knows exactly which episode this is i remember having to close my laptop and call out of class the day i first watched https://t.co/Fqo496QYkd
— 5hahem aka Dr. Durag (@shaTIRED) February 23, 2023
I’ll never forget the day I watched the red wedding. I just had to go to bed with nothing but my thoughts and prayers for the Stark family https://t.co/Li2dVBctIf
— Señor Mal Tercio (@thadeuces) February 23, 2023
Same way my girl reacted when we were watching it https://t.co/B5PnPm5xal
— R. (@_77roddy) February 23, 2023
See. My husband read the books and the way he watched me having this exact reaction and I just kept looking at him like “WTF you got us watching right now?!”
The red wedding was tew much! https://t.co/MlftvvSxC5
— Ayesha Rosena Anna McGowan (Diversity Tsar) (@ayesuppose) February 23, 2023
OMG I’m getting teary eyed just watching her reaction! I remember the Red Wedding, vividly! https://t.co/ELov6gg0cw
— ☭Commie☭Angel☭ (@Commie_Angel) February 23, 2023
Red Wedding fucked us all up https://t.co/Rn7QZbMDF9
— SIRE YUMMY (@OfRichmondd) February 23, 2023
If you watched— the first time watching the Red Wedding is that shocking and heartbreaking. There are videos all over YouTube like this- of people’s reactions to watching it. Remember when GoT was really good??? https://t.co/I2DRWMoY5Z
— Jill from Winsconsin (At least we have the Bucks) (@MomTo3_Boys) February 23, 2023
In an oral history of the episode, Michelle Fairley, who plays Catelyn Stark, described to EW what it was like filming the wedding scene. “The woman is just grief-stricken. But she doesn’t lose control,” she said. “She knows she’s dead — and in her mind she wants to be dead — and wants to get revenge as well. Because of the way it’s filmed, you felt incredibly static, which is just powerful — she stays rooted to her spot. Her grief has to be expressed in some shape and form, and that’s vocally and through her face.”
The real tragedy of the Red Wedding: that Fairley wasn’t nominated for an Emmy.