Game of Thrones Discussion - TV Series Spoilers - - Page 136

Babytoxie · 05-19-2015, 04:27 PM

I haven't read the books, but all this Sansa-as-punching-bag is wearing me out, and this most recent episode was the pits. Not that I expected her marriage to Ramsay to be a good thing by any means, but is degradation her lot in life?

MrYac · 05-19-2015, 04:32 PM

haha, trust me Toxie you're lucky they didn't go the book route on this one. if what happened to her got to you than you don't even want to hear about the book wedding.

Luminous · 05-19-2015, 06:37 PM

It's about what I expected would happen, I just wish they hadn't ended the episode on that note. We get it, Sansa's life sucks. Didn't need the doggy style deflowering rape image to be the last thing I see before going to bed to remind me.

**Bullseye** · 05-19-2015, 06:53 PM

But we didn't really see anything. It was left to the imagination. I guess people are more upset because the actress is quite young and started out as a 14 year old on the show. The Starks are the unluckiest family in literature. One can only hope some redemption is rewarded.

MrYac · 05-19-2015, 07:10 PM

she's 19, that's old enough to pretend to have bad sex with your new husband. people are just looking for things to get offended over at this point.

gomur · 05-19-2015, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrYac

she's 19, that's old enough to pretend to have bad sex with your new husband. people are just looking for things to get offended over at this point.

I wasn't as disturbed by the rape as I would've expected. It really seemed like Reek was suffering more and maybe that's a credit to Alfie Allen's performance. After all, he was meant to convey the horror to us the audience. Or maybe the filmmakers dialed things back, aware of the actress's youth. I thought Jaime forcing himself on Cersei by Joffrey's dead body was a lot more disturbing.

TheYoungWolf · 05-19-2015, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gomur

I wasn't as disturbed by the rape as I would've expected. It really seemed like Reek was suffering more and maybe that's a credit to Alfie Allen's performance. After all, he was meant to convey the horror to us the audience. Or maybe the filmmakers dialed things back, aware of the actress's youth. I thought Jaime forcing himself on Cersei by Joffrey's dead body was a lot more disturbing.

What disturbed me most about that particular scene is that it was conceived as being consensual and, if I'm remembering correctly, all parties involved in shooting it were thoroughly convinced that they portrayed it as such.

TheYoungWolf · 05-19-2015, 09:12 PM

While that was nothing short of uncomfortable to watch, as MrYac pointed out, it was much, much more tame than the source it pulled from. For that, I'm thankful.

I've always took Sansa as a character of choice and circumstance. The trauma and consequences of her decisions don't define her strength, so much as the decisions themselves. I didn't interpret this as a damsel in distress moment, despite the fact that it was rape. She knows what marriage entails. She knows how awful the Boltons are. Carrying on with LF's plan is a choice that she made herself, for the sake of her home and her House. Hell, she even said as much in the episode when she stood her ground with Myranda (One of Sophie's strongest scenes, imo. Along with her attempted murder of Joffrey back in Season 1, her refusal to kneel for Tyrion at their wedding and so on). Certainly doesn't excuse what happened, but I can't help but feel that it was a logical and necessary step used to progress the storylines and characterization of those involved. Both similar and dissimilar to Dany's first outing with Drogo. Similar in that I feel both Dany, and eventually Sansa, will be stronger because of it. Different in that it's obvious Sansa's marriage to Ramsay is not going to play out the same way Dany and Drogo's did.

It's a shame that the show has steadily built up a reputation for gratuitous nudity, and the unnecessary objectification of all forms of sex over the years. Not saying that this scene would have been well received otherwise, but I think discussion about it would have been less pointed and bitter (not referring to anyone on this forum; the ASoIaF boards are a mess at the moment).

Babytoxie · 05-19-2015, 09:24 PM

Actually, I totally expect bad things to happen on this show - what gets me all wound up is that they keep happening to Sansa. It's to the point that I dread seeing her on screen. Where does it end? Is there any hope for this girl? It's getting old.

ZenLogikos · 05-19-2015, 10:15 PM

I think a good portion of this issue is (for most that had a problem with it) nothing more than an example of the psychology of the mind.

As YoungWolf was getting at, Dany was younger and more unwilling. I don't recall any viewer uproar. (Of course, there may also be more "fringe" viewers now than then, that perhaps get offended more easily.) The key difference is it was shown. The mind can process and have closure to the scene. When it's not shown, you're left to wonder and imagine, and it's tougher to forget.

As for Sansa, I've not read the books, and they may not matter for her TV future anyway, but I think it will be a positive for her. Viewers continue to think that Sansa will never catch a break, but Sansa speaking up during her bath, and now after the Ramsay trauma, after having spent time with Littlefinger, I think sets her up to finally evolve.