The Storm Of Swords Purple Wedding

If you read A Storm of Swords before you watched the show, what was your reaction to the red wedding?

I don't really qualify to answer this question as I had not yet read ASOS before watching The Rains of Castamere. However, via internet osmosis, I had picked up on the fact that there was some sort of event called the Red Wedding and that it was major, incredibly shocking and had made people (claim to) stop watching.Now, I also knew this episode would be in the 3rd season and was 100% certain that it would be the last episode of the season, seeing as how it was this pivotal moment that would forever change the series. Given the way the storylines were unfolding and the timing of events, I decided that the Red Wedding would be Joffrey's wedding to Sansa, as there were no other obvious weddings coming up, where he would probably rape her (apparently I had peeked into the future of the show and mixed the Purple and Black weddings together :-P). I'd also warned my wife that something like that might be coming up because she is a bit more thin-skinned than I am and I wanted to remove a bit of the surprise and shock value something like that might have on her. (this is hilarious in hindsight given that this left her totally unprepared for the actual Red Wedding)So then we get to the Rains of Castamere and everything is plodding along fine and then we start lingering around the Tully/Frey wedding and I realize that "oh, shit, this is going to be it" but I keep quiet, hoping that I'm wrong about it but pretty certain that I'm not. But as soon as we cut to Arya outside the castle, I knew. So I say "honey, something pretty bad is about to happen". And it did. For me and my wife, and perhaps for the majority of people, the worst bit was Talisa's stabbing. It's very strong imagery and something you're really not accustomed to seeing on TV (which is fine by me) and which is way more graphically violent than anything described by GRRM in the books. I knew that Robb was toast as well before he took the first arrow but I was kind of expecting Catelyn to make it. Finally, I have to add that my wife needed actual, physical space in order to process it. She wouldn't even let me hug her to console her.

What inspired George R.R. Martin to write the red wedding scene in A Storm of Swords?

George R.R. Martin has stated in interviews that he based the Red Wedding on two real-world historic events. Truly, ASOIAF is considered a gumbo of high-, dark-, and historic-fantasy. He borrows shamelessly from our own world's history.Also: I'm about as huge of a history geek as I am ASOIAF geek.To preface, the whole "bread and salt" hospitality laws actually did exist in the Dark Ages—observed between enemies and friends alike—with the damnation for all time of those who violated it.Now, for the actual historic events that inspired the Red Wedding:The Black DinnerIn 1440, the ten-year-old Scottish king's reign was being threatened by the powerful Douglas clan. So, King James II invited the Earl of Douglas and his younger brother were invited to a dinner. During the feast, a black boar's head was set before the earl; this was a well-known symbol of death. The Douglas brothers were the immediately dragged out from the dinner, given a farce of a trial, and beheaded.Then, of course, Clan Douglas retaliated and they were ticked off at the English throne for years after. But that's where the Black Dinner diverges from the Red Wedding.The Massacre of GlencoeAfter William of Orange ascended to the throne of England, there were some little uprisings (the Jacobite uprisings) by the Scottish highlanders. Then, in February of 1692, the MacDonald Clan was staying with the Campbells, who were loyal to William. Hospitality laws supposedly applied, and the two clans had marriage ties. But, early in morning on the 13th, the Campbells woke and began butchering every MacDonald they could, on the "entirely legitimate" (read: entirely questionable) grounds that the MacDonalds had not vowed allegiance quickly enough. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from Glencoe were killed and another forty women and children later died from the harsh winter elements after the Campbells torched their homes.Fun fact: Two lieutenants serving the Campbells broke their own swords rather than violate guest right by following their orders.As George puts it, "No matter how much I make up, there’s stuff in history that’s just as bad, or worse."

I understand that in the books, a major character is resurrected. In which episode of Game of Thrones Season 4 will this character return?

I actually disagree with the consensus.There is a real possibility that Catelyn Stark will reappear in the next episode. She is killed in chapter 51 of A Storm of Swords and reappears 30 chapters later. Predicting that it will take an entire 11 episodes to get to this reveal seems unmatched to the tempo of the book.In the book she was resurrected three days after her death. In the books it is much easier to tell a non-sequential story because of the POV tricks. In the TV series all of the action appears to be (more or less) contemporaneous. If they are going to show the resurrection itself, then they probably need to get that into the story before the end of the season.I think the "big reveal" they are leading to is the fate of Tywin. The trial is being dragged out for an entire season. In Storm of Swords the Purple Wedding is Chapter 59 and Tywin's fate is is only 22 chapters later. This is the second to last killing in the book. But, Sansa's storyline is almost to the last chapter. Clearly the episode Mockingbird is going to wrap up her adventure in the Vale. So again I assert, Tywin's fate is the last killing.The second to last episode is clearly the attack of Mance's troops on Castle Black, leaving the episode The Children to wrap up the storyline. In fact, this appears to be a reference to what happens to the children The Others have been claiming from Craster.So I suggest that the next episode, The Laws of Gods and Men, will feature the resurrection of Catelyn and the first acts of retribution against the Frey family. Both bringing her back when she is too long dead and the Red Wedding are acts that are against the laws of gods and men and both will result in a balancing of the scales.EDIT after Season 4 finale: Lady Stoneheart was not revealed at all this season.Side note: A Song of Fire and Ice is actually pretty good about metting out justice. Ned was in fact treasonous against the crowned king. Arya does get to clean out her list. In trial by combat, justice always seems to prevail (one exception, when Oberyn uses poison in a fight--they both die.) In the books Cersei finally begins to suspect Olenna was involved in the Purple Wedding plot.