Back in his prime, game of Thrones I loved it Kill characters. Whether they were sad, hilarious or kind of stupid, these endings were memorable in their own way, the sign of a good show full of great actors. And who can forget death? Jack Gleason’s Joffrey Baratheonone of the series’ most unpopular (mostly good) antagonists?
On April 13, 2014, HBO aired the second episode of Game of Thrones’ fourth season. At the end of The Lion and the Rose, Joffrey and Margaery marry Tyrell and celebrate their new union in the Red Keep. Compared to the show, everything seems to be going well last wedding, I guess – and then, in the middle of insulting Tyrion, Joffrey starts choking before the blood runs down his nose as he convulses and dies in his mother’s arms, but not before silently blaming Tyrion for his wine to have been poisoned. Cersei arrests Tyrion and the episode is stuck on Joffrey’s bloody, colorless face. Musical crescendo, cut to black, the audience cheers.
In real life, “The Lion and the Rose” received critical acclaim at the time it aired, with many calling it one of the best episodes of the series ever. During awards season, the film received five Emmy nominations, including two in the acting categories for Lena Heady (Supporting Actress in a Drama) and Diana Rigg (Guest Actress, Drama) and one for Best Costuming. Additionally, this episode borrowed some storylines from the books…some of which were ultimately not used. Oops. And within the show itself, Joffrey’s death caused a domino effect for the rest of the season, leading to even more deaths and driving Tyrion to do anything to avoid getting his head cut off. It also paved the way for some of the series’ big moments later and for other members of his family Get some wins of their own. (Well, until She died.)
With Joffrey dead, Gleason took advantage of his character’s departure to Take a break from professional acting, which he has practiced since he was eight years old. Still, he wasn’t gone for too long: after his appearance in the 2016 short film Chat, In recent years he has gradually returned and appeared in a few episodes of Enlightenment lessons And Out of her head. Along with his performance last year The famous five on BBC, He was in 2021 Rebecca’s boyfriend and 2023 In the land of saints and sinners.
Even if you weren’t watching game of Thrones Back then, you probably knew who Joffrey was and how badly people wanted him to get caught. “The Lion and the Rose” gave the audience what they wanted and more, and it’s still one of the most satisfying moments in the show. RIP Joffrey, but at least you went out on such a beautiful day.
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