Game of Thrones: That One and Only Time We Wished Joffrey Wasn’t Dead

Summary:

• Joffrey Baratheon was a monster, but his cruel methods could have saved House Lannister during the High Sparrow’s reign.
• The public humiliation of Queen Mother Cersei would have been followed by a swift and merciless slaughter of Faith Militant and its leader.
• Unfortunately, Joffrey was already dead, and King Tommen was too soft which led to both the Lannister and the Tyrells meeting a grim finale.

In Game of Thrones, the reign of High Sparrow was undoubtedly the toughest time for Cersei Lannister. From a powerful Queen Mother who de-facto controlled the Iron Throne, she was turned into the religious fanatics’ plaything, with the Walk of Shame (aka the walk of atonement) being her lowest point in the entirety of the show.

That was the one time where King Joffrey Baratheon’s methods would have been welcome — because he, of all people, would have never let that slide.

High Sparrow Seized Power at the Perfect Time

Faith Militant’s rise to power was ultimately Cersei’s fault. Desperate to take control back from the Tyrells, she made a pact she later grew to regret and allowed the religious fanatics to roam free and execute their own justice — all while being a great sinner herself. The High Sparrow soon became more powerful than her.

Tywin Lannister, never deemed Cersei worthy of ruling, and this case only supported his point. The Queen Mother was blinded by rage and lost power. Lord Tywin, for all his heinous deeds, would have never allowed the High Sparrow to rise up in the world to begin with — but by that time, the Warden of the West was dead.

But even without Tywin, there was another Lannister who could have dealt with this situation way better than Cersei. Though universally despised, King Joffrey would have been the man for the job as this was the one time his methods were needed.

Joffrey Baratheon Would’ve Crushed the High Sparrow

It’s highly unlikely that Faith Militant would have risen to power under King Joffrey’s rule to begin with since in his eyes, they would have been a threat to his position, not allies. But for the sake of the experiment, let’s say the High Sparrow still came to be.

The religious fanatics would have been done the moment Joffrey Baratheon learned about Cersei being put through the walk of atonement.

Do not be mistaken: Joffrey cared little for his mother as a person after he was crowned. What he cared about was his and his family’s authority and position, and having an entire Queen Mother publicly humiliated like that would have made him furious — not because of Cersei herself but because of that being an insult to him.

Joffrey the Gentle would have immediately ordered Faith Militant to be slaughtered, sending all his troops to destroy the fanatics. The High Sparrow would not have had a chance: a fate much worse than death would have awaited him. Joffrey would have wanted him to suffer as long as possible before publicly cutting him down.

Joffrey was a monster, and his methods were terrifying — but in this exact case, they were desperately needed. Faith Militant was a dangerous and ruthless force that should have never come to power, and treating members of the royal family like that should have never been tolerated.

Unfortunately, by that time, Joffrey was dead. His young brother King Tommen did nothing, a soft boy that he was, and this turned out terribly for House Lannister. Cersei had to resolve the matters in her own way, killing the Tyrells in the process, and the young King didn’t want to live without his precious wife Margaery.