# The Lion and the Rose
**The Lion and the Rose** is the title shared by two unrelated 2014 works: "The Lion and the Rose," the second episode of the fourth season of the HBO television series *Game of Thrones*, and *The Lion and the Rose*, a historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn set at the court of the Borgia pope Alexander VI. Both premiered or were first published in 2014.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Episode | Second episode of *Game of Thrones* season 4 and the 32nd of the series; premiered April 13, 2014 on HBO[1](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Rose) |
| Episode credits | Written by George R.R. Martin and directed by Alex Graves[1](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Rose) |
| Episode plot | King Joffrey Baratheon dies of poison at his wedding feast, an event book readers call the Purple Wedding[2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118) |
| Episode reception | 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from 53 reviews; declared by critics one of the best episodes of the series[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s04/e02) |
| Novel | Second book in Kate Quinn's Borgia series, following *The Serpent and the Pearl*; first published January 7, 2014[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313) |
| Novel characters | Giulia Farnese, mistress of Pope Alexander VI; her bodyguard Leonello; and her cook and confidante Carmelina[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313) |
## The Game of Thrones episode
"The Lion and the Rose" is the second episode of the fourth season of HBO's fantasy television series *Game of Thrones*, and the 32nd episode overall. It premiered on April 13, 2014 and was written by George R.R. Martin, author of the *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels from which the series is adapted, and directed by Alex Graves[1](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Rose).
**The Purple Wedding.** The episode centers on the royal wedding of [Joffrey Baratheon](https://www.edgepedia.org/joffrey-baratheon) and [Margaery Tyrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/margaery-tyrell) in King's Landing, a sequence that takes up well over half the hour; the wedding feast alone occupies roughly the last 20 minutes[2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118). Book readers had long called this event the Purple Wedding, although Martin never uses the name in *A Storm of Swords*[2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118). The wedding sequence doubles as a murder mystery, planting visual clues about who poisoned the king, and it ends with [Tyrion Lannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyrion-lannister) arrested for the murder[2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118).
The episode also advances plots away from King's Landing. On Dragonstone, Melisandre presides over a public burning ceremony on the beach, with Queen Selyse's brother Axell Florent among the condemned; at the Dreadfort, Ramsay Snow hunts a servant girl with his hounds while forcing [Theon Greyjoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/theon-greyjoy), now called Reek, to watch; and beyond the Wall, Bran Stark receives a vision at a weirwood tree[1](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Rose) • [2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118). Reviewers noted that the Ramsay hunt sequence skirted the line of being exploitative even as it served the season's themes of casual cruelty and the consequences of war[2](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118).
**Martin's last script.** For the first four seasons Martin wrote one script per year: "[The Pointy End](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pointy-end)" in Season 1, "Blackwater" in Season 2, "[The Bear and the Maiden Fair](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bear-and-the-maiden-fair)" in Season 3, and "The Lion and the Rose" in Season 4[5](https://www.tvline.com/2025760/how-george-rr-martin-contributed-hbo-game-of-thrones-scripts/). [The Season](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-season) 4 script was his last for the show; in its original form it ran over 70 pages, about 20 pages longer than the average *Thrones* script, swollen with ornate, detailed, forward-looking description[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-last-script-the-lion-and-the-rose). Martin said publicly that he stopped writing for the show to focus on the next novel in his series, *The Winds of Winter*, noting that a script took him three weeks minimum[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-last-script-the-lion-and-the-rose).
**Reception.** Its Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stands at 100% from 53 reviews, with a critics consensus citing the episode's "perfect pacing" toward one of the most excruciating and gratifying sequences in the series[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s04/e02). *Time* ranked it fifth among the top TV episodes of 2014[7](https://time.com/3592141/best-tv-episodes-2014-poniewozik/). On the Tomatometer it is one of five *Game of Thrones* episodes featuring large, expensive wedding scenes to hold a 100% score[8](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/game-of-thrones-series-by-the-numbers/). Director Alex Graves carries a 98.3% Tomatometer average across the six episodes he directed, a series high among directors of at least five episodes[8](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/game-of-thrones-series-by-the-numbers/), and among writers of at least four episodes Martin's four scripts, ending with this one, average 94.25%[8](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/game-of-thrones-series-by-the-numbers/).
## The Kate Quinn novel
*The Lion and the Rose* is a historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn, the second in her series set in the Italy of the Borgia family, following *The Serpent and the Pearl*. It was first published on January 7, 2014[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313). The story follows three outsiders drawn into the world of Renaissance Rome's most notorious family: [Giulia Farnese](https://www.edgepedia.org/giulia-farnese), the cherished mistress of [Pope Alexander VI](https://www.edgepedia.org/pope-alexander-vi); her sharp-tongued bodyguard Leonello; and her fiery cook and confidante Carmelina. As enemies of the Borgias begin to circle the Holy City, the three must decide whether to flee the dangerous dream of power[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313).
Quinn, a *New York Times* bestselling author and a southern California native who studied classical voice at [Boston University](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-university), wrote four novels in her Empress of Rome saga and two in this [Italian Renaissance](https://www.edgepedia.org/italian-renaissance) setting before turning to 20th-century subjects[9](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079639-the-lion-and-the-rose).
Reader response has been positive. On [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) the book holds a 4.20 rating from 4,239 ratings and 366 reviews[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313); on The StoryGraph it averages 4.17 across 78 reviews[10](https://beta.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c7a27787-2486-459e-8c33-e7de6891b0ea?sort=most_liked). Reviewers on Goodreads described it as darker and more accomplished than *The Serpent and the Pearl*, praising its period detail, including a scene featuring Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities, its drawing of historical figures, and its suspense[4](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313). Several noted that it picks up directly where the first book left off[11](https://beta.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c7a27787-2486-459e-8c33-e7de6891b0ea?sort=oldest).
## References
1. [The Lion and the Rose, Wiki of Westeros (Fandom)](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_and_the_Rose)
2. [Game of Thrones (experts): "The Lion and the Rose", The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-lion-and-the-rose-1798180118)
3. [Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 2, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s04/e02)
4. [The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25242313)
5. [How George R.R. Martin Contributed to HBO's Game of Thrones Scripts, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2025760/how-george-rr-martin-contributed-hbo-game-of-thrones-scripts/)
6. [Game of Thrones: The Secrets of George R.R. Martin's Final Script, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-last-script-the-lion-and-the-rose)
7. [The Top 10 TV Episodes of 2014, Time](https://time.com/3592141/best-tv-episodes-2014-poniewozik/)
8. [Game of Thrones Series By the Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/game-of-thrones-series-by-the-numbers/)
9. [The Lion and the Rose (The Borgias, #2) by Kate Quinn, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079639-the-lion-and-the-rose)
10. [Reviews for The Lion and the Rose, The StoryGraph](https://beta.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c7a27787-2486-459e-8c33-e7de6891b0ea?sort=most_liked)
11. [Reviews for The Lion and the Rose (oldest), The StoryGraph](https://beta.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/c7a27787-2486-459e-8c33-e7de6891b0ea?sort=oldest)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Episodes and serial chapters › Individual episode articles › Notable and landmark episodes › Prestige drama episodes › Science fiction and fantasy episodes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license