The Issue With Loras' Portrayal
Alright, so I'm going to be very quick about this. I am not happy with the way that they portrayed Loras in the scene after Renly's death, and I am not happy with how they automatically implicated Stannis in his death, and I am not happy with the fact that Brienne was given much of Loras' reaction. And here is why.
But then Renly dies, and this illusion that he's put over himself-- this illusion of the perfect pretty boy with the best of intentions in his heart-- is completely ripped off, and the killer comes out. The murderer. The volatile, vengeance seeking god. He had become removed from his fellow man, human nature and human reasoning having no effect on his frame of mind. He killed two men outside of battle whom he was sworn to lead, all because he lost a loved one. All because he a scared, spoiled little boy-- he was a knight of summer. But when he killed those men, Loras stepped out of that knight of summer world, and right into the heart of winter. And this change is seen in the books and effects a whole bunch of people. People now see him as what he really is-- a killer. A man who does not abide by human law when he is hurt. He strikes out, ruled completely and utterly by his animalistic desires. Jaime is slightly wary of Loras, other members of the Kingsguard are wary, as is Cersei and everyone else around him. Because when he went mad, he destroyed the old Loras-- the pretty, trussed up Loras in the tournaments. He became a bitter, jaded, grieving man who would kill in a heartbeat because he couldn't handle the harsh realities of the world. He LET his emotions take over and did not struggle, and this is key to who he is as a character.
And this is also key to how he loved Renly and how Renly got the throne. Loras is passionate and brash, he never thinks things through and is completely wild with all emotions-- especially love. His love for Renly is what makes him want to become king, what makes him strive to push Renly. And his love for Renly is both of their downfalls. Loras is foolishly dedicated to Renly-- foolishly so. He tells Jaime, the Captain of the Kingsguard and a king he swore to protect, that he would not betray Renly by deed or word. He basically stated that he would and could very well go against an order set down by his king or by Jaime, in order to live up to a memory-- a memory that he holds truer than anything else he's ever experienced. Which is, again, true to Loras' young, volatile nature. He thought Renly was THE one. The person he was going to be with for the rest of his life. And he still thinks that, even though Renly is dead and Loras is a young man who still has the rest of his life to live (unless Dragonstone is true). Granted, much of this comes from the fact that Loras is gay, and to be gay in a world that doesn't accept your sexuality, and to lose the one person who you explored your sexuality with and who you were safe with... well, you become attached. Heavily attached. And Loras was completely and utterly attached and devoted to Renly in mind, body and soul.
But Loras in the show doesn't show this. He loses it a little bit in front of Littlefinger, and you can tell he is frustrated and angry, but the passion isn't there. The rage isn't there. The insanity isn't there. The tipping point for Loras-- the point that sets of who he is as a man and as a knight, as a lover and a brother, is completely destroyed. He does not lose it, he does not go against the oath of men and kill these two sworn brothers in arms. He just sits and grieves, but he does not go mad. He does not lose that mask he wore for so long. He does not show the very essence of who he is-- which is a man who has completely fallen apart due to his own hubris. He dared to fight the gods, and they struck back.
And again, I'll link this back to Achilles, because I say time and time again that Loras' story is directly influenced by Achilles in the Iliad. Loras is, in essence, Achilles in knighthood form. And Achilles is everything I said above. He was a demi-god destine for great things, only to be toppled by his own ego and love, love for Patroclus and love for his own personal glory. Achilles and Loras represent the young men most effected by war, the men who had it all and thought they'd keep it all if they were fast enough and smart enough. But war claims thousands of lives, no matter how fast you run. Death even claimed the swift-footed Achilles eventually, and it will get Loras soon, too.
The dynamics revolving around Brienne have changed completely, too. Not only was Brienne the name to Loras' anger and frustration (she was the Hector to Loras' Achilles), but she was also the just one. The honourable one. Loras was the wild and crazed knight, who forsook his vows as the Captian of the Rainbowguard because he lost it. But Brienne never killed the men who attacked her. She fended them off and she came close, but she never did, because Brienne represents in Martin's world, one of the truly honourable people in the series. She is the golden light amongst a sea of insanity and hatred. She has yet to fall into that pool of darkness. But by making HER be the one to strike the men down-- by making it so SHE went crazed with grief, completely turns her story around, as well as Loras'. What she did was not honourable or just, and it is stated time and time again that because Loras killed those men, that is the reason he is seen in a different light. But now it will be Brienne, and I feel as if both their story-lines will suffer because of this.
As well, the dynamic between the two is completely different now that they BOTH blame Stannis. As stated before, Brienne was the Hector to Loras' Achilles. She was the symbol of Loras' anger and wrath. She represented Renly's death and betrayal, because it was easier to blame her than to blame himself. She was an easy target for him to lay all of his frustrations on. But no longer is that there. He doesn't blame her, and if they ever meet again in the show, the confrontation will not be as powerful nor as heartbreaking as it was in the book-- when two people who loved the same man dearly finally meet, and Loras more than Brienne, is finally forced to face the truth. That nothing could have been done and there is no one to blame. At least, no one he knows.
Finally, Loras' internal struggle with the knowledge that he killed two innocent men will not be there. We see it briefly when he speaks to Jaime, and falters when he realizes that perhaps these men he thought had let Renly down, were just as powerless to stop it all as Brienne was. He feels remorse for it, and it no doubt it eats him up inside. Because Loras thought he was the perfect knight, too-- he thought he was destine for greatness. But instead he became a murderer. And Loras' homicidal tendencies also play a factor in the decision to assassinate Joffrey, with Olenna and Littlefinger realizing that Loras would kill again should Joffrey harm Margaery, and to have another kingslayer on their hands would be a bad idea. But there is no anterior motive for them to take Joffrey out other than that he is a monster. But the personal family connection that makes the Tyrells who they are-- their need to protect their loved ones from scratches and detrimental titles such as kingslayer-- is the core of who they are. And some of that is taken away.
But in the end... and I hate to say this... it doesn't matter. In the long run, Loras' storyline does not matter in the larger picture. I adore Loras and he is my favourite-- the one I get most passionate about-- but his storyline and every little detail only really matters to myself and a few others. So what I'm getting upset about isn't going to damage the overall storyline. But I thought I should state my discomfort now and get it off of my chest, and move on.
I will say that Finn did a good job with what he had, and you could feel his grief and his anger. And it should also be stated that the scene we saw was in the morning. Loras looked like he'd been crying for a long while, and hadn't moved from his spot next to Renly since they placed him down. Unlike Brienne, Loras did not leave his graces side.
And Margaery petting his hair was a cute touch.
In any case, those are my feelings on the matter. What is done is done, and we always have the books-- the true story.