Photo: Courtesy of HBO.If you haven't watched last week's episode of Game of Thrones, stop reading now. Also, if you haven't read the books and would rather avoid a couple of very minor reveals, stop reading now. If you're still here, it means you've seen the evil King Joffrey choke to death on a lethal combo of wine and pie at another Westeros wedding gone horribly wrong, and you know that his successor is the the young Joffrey look-alike Prince Tommen.
This week, most of the online chatter has focused on who might be responsible for Joffrey's death-by-poisoning, and what his murder means for the show's major players moving forward. The blogosphere has yet to zero in on the young blonde prince who sat next to Tyrion at the head table, and who is next in line for the Iron Throne after his brother's unexpected demise. One of the reasons he was largely ignored was likely because audiences failed to recognize him. In seasons one and two, the young royal was played by Callum Wharry, and left little to no impression on viewers. Now that the character will assume a more central role, the show's creators have inserted 15-year-old thespian Dean-Charles Chapman, whose filmography suggests that he can actually act.
How much of a major role Prince Tommen will play moving forward remains to be seen. Book readers can attest that in the novels, the toddler king is relegated to a background character who's only called upon when documents need signing. But, the GoT brass has admitted that they're going to stray further and further away from the books as the seasons progress, so a more empowered Tommen might just be a part of that plan. We just hope he plays nicer than his big bro. (Vanity Fair)