The "Game of Thrones" infamous Purple Wedding had fans rejoicing over the death of the most hated character of the series just two episodes into the season four, but don't be fooled. The action in season four isn't slowing down any time soon, according to director Alex Graves.
[Warning: spoilers ahead]
Graves was responsible for envisioning and carrying out the Purple Wedding, where King Joffrey choked to death during his wedding reception. The director recently spoke with Deadline about the episode, along with what fans can expect for the rest of the season.
"David and Dan really made a smart choice which is that while they could have drawn it out to the point where Joffrey died later in the season, they were excited about shaking up the way the seasons normally go and really getting off to a bang of a start," Graves explained. "And then so much happens in the latter part of the season that is so massive, there's no way they would have been able to fit it in and to adjust it."
Graves added he hoped viewers enjoyed Joffrey's death scene and felt it was fair consider the Red Wedding killed off two fan-favorite characters. The director explained to Deadline the two events were meant to be drastically different and wanted the scenes to come off a certain way.
"It was a poisoning and the death was very much about what the result of his death will be in the story, which is expansive. And also the fact that after all of the horrific twisted fireworks of Joffrey, somebody got in to that wedding and poisoned him from the inside," Graves said. "And it's just that simple and it's just for that devious. And that also plays in to where things are heading."
Joffrey's death doesn't mark an end to his story. Graves compared Ned Stark's death to Joffrey's demise symbolism for a new story, adding there is only more chaos in the wake of the Purple Wedding.
"I think that this season is going to be the most exciting season that they've ever done," Graves told Deadline. "I will say that as somebody who directed 4 out of the 10 episodes this year, episode 2 is the smallest episode I directed. It's hard to talk more about it without starting to give away things because the spoilers and the secrets in this season are many and are big."
"Game of Thrones" airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. EST.
