Oh Game of Thrones, why do you hurt us so bad?

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Sunday night’s episode, titled “The Rains of Castamere,” was one that many fans of the books have been eagerly waiting for, perhaps to gleefully laugh at the unsuspecting masses who did not know what was coming. The pivotal scene, referred to in the third book as the “Red Wedding,” was a scene that showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss hinted at waiting for years to bring to life. 

Fans of the show have hopefully learned by now, as fans of the books have, that no one is safe in the series. Episode nine ends with what seems to be a simple wedding between two minor characters: Edmure Tully (Tobias Mensies) and Rosalind Frey (Alexandra Dowling). Little do the main characters know, Walder Frey, masterfully portrayed by David Bradley, has laid a trap for the Stark men. The wedding feast turns into a complete massacre, culminating in the deaths of Robb Stark (Richard Madden), his mother (Michelle Fairley), his pregnant wife (Oona Chaplin), and his army.

While the horrifying sequence was hard enough to watch (even for someone who knew what was coming), apparently it was just as difficult for author George R. R. Martin, who has said that the scene in the book was the hardest thing he had ever written. Fans have reacted both positively and negatively to the scene in the book (personally, I threw it across the room), and if the #gameofthrones Twitter feed is any indication, fans of the show are certainly reacting… strongly.

Did You Know: George R. R. Martin’s writings are fueled by our tears. @gameofthrones

— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) June 3, 2013

So in order to alleviate your suffering (maybe only a little), I leave you with this: