Game of Thrones S05 E06 – Things we cannot stand for.

Previously: Dany let her dragons roast a human and Jorah got greyscale.

Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

Marines: Hogwarts for Assassins. We start with Arya washing a dead body very slowly and methodically. When she’s all done, two men appear to carry the body away. She stares after them, curious about what the heck is happening with these bodies. She walks closer to the door through which they left, but Nameless Cunt appears and shuts that down. Arya wants to know what happens to the bodies but NC tells her to get back to work.

Democracy Diva: Isn’t it weird that these bodies are mostly old people, when the average life expectancy in this universe is like an hour and a half? There must be something in the water there. Besides the stuff in the water that just straight-up kills you.

Mari: I think I’d just skip all the water to be safe.

Arya refuses to wash one more corpse until she knows what’s happening with them. NC says she will know when the time is right. Arya next asks about the Game of Faces, which she apparently is real keen to play, even though it’s basically a slap match. NC says she isn’t ready and as if to prove her point asks who Arya is. Arya replies that she’s no one, but that doesn’t satisfy NC. Arya asks who the heck NC is and where she’s from and what she’s doing here. NC says that she’s from Westeros, only daughter of a lord and poised to inherit his fortune. Her mother died, her father remarried, and her new step-mother tried to have her killed. NC found out, enlisted the help of the Faceless Men and in the end, her father was widowed again. Arya smiles a bit at this but NC gets closer and asks if Arya believed her. Arya’s smile fades and NC tells her to get back to work, just as another body is brought in.

We cut to Arya in bed. “Who are you,” we hear from behind her. She opens her eyes and sits up to find A-Man standing there, holding a lantern. If you wake me up with the question “who are you,” all rude and crap, expect me to not have a freakin’ clue.

Diva: If you ask me a question before I’ve had a cup of coffee, even if it’s not as existential and weird as “who are you,” you’re really not doing either of us any favors.

Mari: Arya says she’s Arya, the youngest daughter of Eddard Stark (sob) who died in battle. A-Man hits her with a switch for that lie. She keeps on, lying occasionally and getting hit when she does, and reaches the part of the story where The Hound kidnapped her. She say she left him for dead because she hated him. A-Man hits her, but she repeats that she hated him. A Man hits her again because Arya is lying to him, to the many faced god and to herself. And anyone who ever warmed up to that odd little buddy cop pairing has feels and feels.

A-Man asks if Arya really wants to be no one and she says yes. He smacks her face hard enough to send her to the ground. She yells that she isn’t playing this stupid game any more, but A-Man says you never stop playing. It occurs to me that when NC started telling her story about being a lord’s daughter she was playing the game of faces after all, expecting slaps for lies. Arya just didn’t know it.

Jorah is looking at his grayscale, probably thinking OMG THIS SUCK SO FREAKIN’ BAD. Tyrion complains about how sucky Jorah is as a traveling companion. Jorah asks if he ever shuts up and Tyrion is like excuse you, because he sailed to Pentos in a crate all because he killed Tywin. At least Jorah had a good man for a father. Jorah asks how Tyrion knows his father, and he explains about visiting the Wall and how the men there won’t ever see someone quite like him again. Jorah looks at him like WHAT THE HELL? because he didn’t know his father was dead. Whoops. Also, I don’t know why I think all of Jorah’s facial expressions are caps lock, but there you go.

Diva: For real, my heart hurt SO BAD watching Jorah realize his father was dead. I know we’ve been through like eleven thousand heartbreaking deaths since Lord Commander Mormont was murdered, but shit, that one was pretty devastating on its own. Watching his son learn about that story, so many years later and thousands of miles away… I felt a lot of feelings.

Mari: Feelings forever.

Jorah wants to know how his father died and Tyrion tells him about the mutiny. Jorah’s face says THIS IS THE WORST but all he says is that they better keep moving.

Assassin Academy. Arya is now scrubbing floors. A man (not A-Man) comes in, carrying a woman, and lays her down near the death fountain. The man comes over to Arya and explains that he’s taken this girl to every healer in Braavos and no one can help him. Arya gets up and goes over to the death fountain. Sick Girl tells her that she’s in pain and Arya gives her a speech about how she was sick once too and her father never gave up on her. Tumblr would like to give you this:

Aria continues that her father brought her here and she drank from the fountain and was healed. Arya scoops up some death fountain water and gives it to Sick Girl. A-Man is watching from the shadows.

Corpse Scrubbing Room. Sick Girl is now Dead Girl. Arya is standing over her body when A-Man opens up the secret door at the back of the room and leaves it open. Arya follows him down some creepy stairs lined by creepy bowl lanterns into a mega-creepy room that has these large, stone columns. Within the columns are many faces, like some weird face library.

Diva: It’s like the Room of Requirement when it turns into the place where everyone hides shit. Except instead of Death Eater-transferring cabinets and old as fuck diadems, there’s LEGIT A ZILLION FACES.

Mari: A-Man asks if a-girl is ready to give up her eyes, ears, tongue, hopes and dreams and stuff to become no one. Arya gets close to one of the faces and runs a finger down its check. A-Man answers his own question and says that Arya isn’t ready to become no one, but she is ready to become someone else. Pick a face, any face.

Tyrion asks Jorah, as they trudge along, why Daenerys is worth all this effort. Jorah asks if Tyrion believes in a greater power. Tyrion doesn’t. Jorah used to not believe in anything until some platinum blonde hair changed his life. I mean, that and baby dragons. Tyrion says that platinum hair and baby dragons do not a good queen make, especially since Targaryeans are famously insane. Tyrion keeps poking holes in Jorah’s Dany Day Dreams, asking if justice is really putting a girl who hasn’t spent one day of her adult life in Westeros in charge of Westeros. Plus, she only gets to be queen because her super messed up dad who liked to burn people alive was king. This totally legit conversation is cut short because Jorah sees a slaver ship anchored in front of them. Tyrion wonders why they are anchored and the slavers appear to make this little trip a whole lot more miserable.

Diva: Ugh, fucking misery, interrupting an introspective and interesting conversation. I learned so much more about Jorah’s worldview from him saying, “Have you ever heard baby dragons sing? It’s hard to be a cynic after that” than I ever learned from watching him fight or brood over his boner for his queen.

Mari: And Tyrion was making legit points about Dany’s “claim” to the throne. And then BOOM. SLAVERS.

We cut to Slaver Boss punching Jorah IN THE FACE. Y’all remember that he was exiled in the first place for selling poachers into slavery, right? Cool. Also, I don’t understand the logic that says you can sell people as property, but also you are going to punch your property in the face. Slaver Boss consults with one of his men, deciding that Jorah would be good for the mines. They say Tyrion is useless, though, save for his cock because dwarf cock has magic powers.

Tyrion thinks on his feet and tells them that you can’t just hand over a penis to a merchant and claim it’s from a dwarf. Slaver Bro says it’ll we dwarf-sized and Tyrion tells him to guess again. Slaver Boss says they’ll keep him alive until they find a cock merchant.

Diva: I am so, so happy that Tyrion Lannister’s huge dong saved the day. And has there ever been a more Game of Thrones sentence than, “the dwarf lives until we find a cock merchant”?

Mari: If there has been, I can’t remember it.

Jorah growls that Queen Daenerys has outlawed slavery, but these men are headed to Volantis and not Slaver’s Bay. Besides, Dany reopened the fighting pits and Slaver Boss has never heard of free men fighting in pits. Tyrion, still with that survival instinct overdrive, says that Slaver Boss is about to be very rich because he’s looking at one of the great warriors in the Seven Kingdoms. Boss chuckles, but Tyrion is talking about Jorah not himself. Sure, he’s kind of old looking and weathered (Slaver Boss thinks at least 60 years old) (Iain Glen is actually 54. Huh.), but Tyrion talks up his many battles. Plus, he unseated Jamie Lannister one time. Slaver Boss is not impressed because that’s jousting and the fighting pits are different. Jorah speaks up on his own behalf and says he unseated a Dothraki blood rider in single combat. Jorah tells Slaver Boss to take him to Slaver’s Bay and put a sword in his hand so he can prove his worth.

King’s Landing. Littlefinger is walking along when Lancel Lannister in all of his potato sack fashion glory calls out to him. The potato sack brothers surround Littlefinger as Lancel explains that the city has changed. Littlefinger tells him that’s a cool story and tries to step past, but Lancel holds him back. Littlefinger says he’s in King’s Landing on urgent business for the Queen Mother. Lancel relaxes a bit, but tells Littlefinger to step lightly in the new King’s Landing. Littlefinger says that both of them peddle fantasies, but his just happen to be entertaining.

Diva: I really want to be Team Littlefinger’s Brothel, because a) the alternative is being Team Religious Fundamentalists and b) remember when Oberyn Martell had an orgy in that brothel and then like five minutes later patted the bed, inviting Tywin Lannister to sit on it? That was the actual best. But, honestly, I’m still not over seeing Joffrey shoot Ros the awesome prostitute full of fucking arrows in that brothel like a hundred seasons ago. So, DOWN WITH ALL OF YOU. King’s Landing can sink into the ground for all I care, as long as the Tyrells escape first. And Ser Pounce.

Mari: I love you so much for remembering Ser Pounce.

Cut to the Queen’s office. Littlefinger asks if it’s wise to have arrested the heir to Highgarden. Cersei plays her whole little, “the Faith did it and the King told them to do it, not me!” thing. Littlefinger says House Tyrell won’t bear the insult and Cersei gives a fake little huff as she says that she’s the insulted party since Ser Loras was promised to her and chose the company of boys. Littlefinger smirks and says that one’s choice of companion is a curious thing. BOOM. SHUT THAT BROTHER EFFER DOWN. (D: A+) Cersei seems to think the way to respond to this burn is to bring up Lisa Arryn, who yes, was crazy but still not incest sorry you lose. The real point is that Cersei wants to know if she can count on the knights of the Vale if war comes to Westeros. Littlefinger says that Robyn heeds his advice and he’s always counseled loyalty to the throne.

Cersei dismisses Littlefinger but he’s still got other business. He says he’s “found” Sansa Stark and she is alive and living at Winterfell. Roose Bolton plans to marry her to his son, Ramsay. Cersei is livid and threatens to skin the Boltons alive. It’s so hard to know who or what to root for on this show. I hate Littlefinger, but like when he calls Cersei on her crap. I hate Cersei, but like when she’s threatening Boltons. I hate the Boltons but skinning people is really disgusting and violent.

 

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Diva: Yeah, it’s hard to root for Cersei, and it’s hard to root for flaying, but rooting for Cersei to flay the Boltons somehow comes quite naturally to me.

Mari: Littlefinger tells Cersei to be patient. Stannis is marching on Winterfell and it’s wise to let those two fight amongst themselves. Then Cersei can swoop in and take Winterfell from the victor. Littlefinger suggests sending an army with Uncle Kevan or Jamie but neither of those options work. Conveniently, Littlefinger is willing to go with the Knights of the Vale. It’s low risk for Cersei and if Littlefinger succeeds, he wants to be named Warden of the North. Cersei says she’ll know Littlefinger is a man of his word when Sansa’s head is on a spike. Littlefinger says he lives to serve.

Diva: Littlefinger continues to play a game that no one else even seems to know the rules to. I can’t made heads or tails of this scene.

Mari: Or of him. Like my brain can’t process this amount of self interest.

Feminist Dorne. Trystane gives Myrcella a flower and kisses, saying sweet things about wanting her to become his wife. Up on a balcony, Prince Doran and his guard (Areo Hortah, Google says) watch. Doran says a Martell and a Lannister is a dangerous pairing. They will need protection. Hortah agrees. Doran says that Areo hasn’t had to use his axe for a long time and he hopes Hortah remembers how. Hortah is like, “duh.”

Dornish Coutryside. Bronn is singing and Jamie tells him to pipe down. They can see the Water Gardens from where they are, but Jamie doesn’t have a plan for when they get there. He says he likes to improvise. We cut to Bronn and Jamie sneaking into the gates and then taking off to go do niece-daughter saving things.

Elsewhere, Ellaria earns the title star by saying the words, “unbowed, unbent, unbroken,” to her daughters.

title star

The girls head out with their fighting gear and weapons just as Bronn and Jamie also enter the Water Garden. Bronn and Jamie find Myrcella first and she’s making out with Trystane. Jamie calls out to her and she’s all, “uncle Jamie?” which always makes me giggle-cringe. Trystane comes forward and introduces himself. Trystane can see something shady is going on and goes to draw his sword, but Bronn knocks him out promptly.

Myrcella shrieks. Jamie tries to grab her and run, but she won’t go. And now the Sand Snakes have arrived. Bronn gives an exhausted, “oh for fuck’s sake.” 

Fighting!

The Sand Snakes thoughtfully fight two on Bronn and one on Jamie. It’s pretty evenly matched right up until Hortah shows up with the rest of the guard. He yells for everyone to drop their weapons. Obara (which my spell check wanted to make Obama) identifies herself and says she fights for Dorne. Who does Hortah fight for? Hortah doesn’t even answer that stupid question and tells her again to drop her weapons. The Sand Snakes drop their weapons. Jamie gives a little ill-advised shoulder shrug and Hortah swings his axe and brings it to Jamie’s throat, saying it would’ve been a good fight when Jamie was whole. Rough. Bronn drops his sword, tells one of the Sand girls that she fights pretty good for a little girl and while we typically reserve these for recapping Supernatural, have a misogyny shot!

Guards surround Ellaria and she looks pissed and scared.

Diva: A few things:

1) So they were just going to waltz into the Water Gardens in BROAD DAYLIGHT, grab the very conspicuous only blonde girl for a thousand miles, and peace the fuck out? The entire Dorne storyline was doomed to begin with, because the showrunners trimmed it down so much that the audience had no time to actually care about any of the Dornish characters. But they really tanked it with this bananas heist situation. Utter nonsense.

b) Areo Hotah is the best, even though the show gives him basically nothing to do. But just know that I love him.

cat) Myrcella’s fashion game = ON POINT. She is serving up Diane Kruger at the Cannes Film Festival in that yellow dream of a gown.

Mari: All of your points are amazing. This whole Dorne side-point is so easy to gloss over. Good to know it’s been botched.

GRANDMA FLOWERBOSS IS ROLLING INTO KING’S LANDING Y’ALL.

We cut to her walking with Margaery, saying that all they have on Loras is rumors and gossip. Margaery is worried, but Flowerboss tells her to stay cool. Flowerboss is going to handle Cersei. We cut to Cersei’s office, where she is ignoring Flowerboss like you do in the third grade where it’s all LA LA LA I’M NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOU.

Grandma Flowerboss tells Cersei to put the pen down since she’s obviously not writing anything. I mean, she is, but probably, “Lannister Rules, Tyrell Drools” or “what I am writing is really important because I am the queen not that stupid Margaery girl with her gorgeous hair and smooth skin and that smile…”

Diva: 1430 for all of that. I’d read an entire Cersei diary of this shit.

Mari: Cersei comments on Flowerboss’s “tart tongue.”

The stare down is real.

Flowerboss says that she knows that Cersei is behind Loras’s incarceration. Cersei continues to play dumb, even as Olenna threatens to remove the support of her troops, gold, and wheat. Cersei says that the Lannister-Tyrell alliance brought peace to the country and asks if Olenna wants to see it slide back into war. Olenna takes a breath and says that she didn’t like Tywin, but he was no fool. He knew that sometimes you have to work with your rivals.

I know that Cersei meant that as a OH BURN, but it kind of just highlights the foolishness Olenna was trying to say she has that Tywin didn’t. You can just see it in the way Olenna gives the best eyeroll of all time.

Diva: I love this line SO MUCH because of exactly what you said. Cersei thinks it’s the ultimate burn on everyone else, but all it does is showcase her biggest weakness: Lannister hubris.

Mari: Cersei says that the High Septon has called for an inquest, not a trial. She’s sure Loras will go free and their “happy alliance” will continue. She dismisses Olenna and starts fake writing. We know it’s fake writing because as soon as Olenna is out of the room, she puts the pen down and sits back.

Inquest. We all know that this episode ends… problematically to say it lightly, but I’ll add that this scene and this whole inquest just also made me so uncomfortable. It was difficult to watch and I’m just delaying it now by telling you all how much I’m dreading pressing play and watching it again. Forgive me if I do this in as few words as possible.

Diva: Obnoxious Book Reader Addendum: None of this Loras stuff is in the books. At this point, he’s off trying to storm the walls of Dragonstone or some shit like that. It’s Margaery that Cersei conspires to get arrested in the books, so we’re spared any talk of what the Faith has to say about homosexuality (though, you know, it’s probs safe to say they’re not for it). Not sure if I’m saying this to defend the books, or diss the show, or just because it’s very confusing to me that the producers made this so much about Loras when the Margaery/Cersei battle was brewing this whole time, but, there you have it.

Mari: The High Septon asks questions about Loras’s relationship with Renly, in the presence of Cersei, Tommen, Margaery and Olenna and a few randoms. Lords denies all the charges against him (fornication, buggery, blasphemy) and says he’s never lain with a man. The High Septon tells Loras they are done and the Tyrells are all ready to bounce, but next he calls Queen Margaery to the stand. Margaery looks at him like, “BITCH I’M THE QUEEN,” but apparently, kings and queens are not exempt from holy inquests. Grandma Flowerboss gives her a little shrug and she goes forward.

The High Septon asks Margaery what she thinks about the charges against her brother. She swears in the presence of the gods that all of the charges against her brother are lies. It’s so painfully a set-up. It hurts.

Right after Margaery is dismissed from the stand, MF Olyvar is let into the room. Loras looks reeeeal uncomfortable and things get worse as Olyvar says that Margaery walked in on him and Loras having sex once. She can’t even look at Olyvar.

Cersei jumps in and says that this testimony is an insult to the Tyrells. Why should they take the word of a squire over the heir to Highgarden? Olyvar says that he’s got the irrefutable evidence of a Dorne-shaped birthmark on his thigh that he definitely couldn’t have seen while peeping or helping him dress.

Diva: Chekhov’s fucking birthmark, man. We should have known. 

Mari: Loras charges at Olyvar and he’s dragged away. The High Septon announces that there is enough evidence for a formal trial against Loras… and Margaery for bearing false witness. Margaery is led away while she calls out for Tommen repeatedly, but he just sits there like a useless lump. Cersei smirks and Olenna looks like she’s about to murder someone. Right now.

We cut to Sansa brooding alone in her chamber. She’s interrupted by Myranda, who has come to draw her a bath, claiming she probably wants to be clean and fresh for her gag gag gag gag husband. Sansa lets her in.

We cut to bath time and Myranda rings out Sansa’s hair much in the same way we say Arya ring out the hair of the corpse in the opening scene. So. Happy times coming soon.

Diva: I got the same Sansa = Corpse connection. Sadly, that was probably the least terrifying part of the final portion of this episode.

Mari: Myranda tells Sansa she’s so beautiful, but she’s going to have to keep Ramsay happy and not bored. Like the others. Sansa asks what others and though Myranda claims she doesn’t want to gossip, she does indeed go on to list the others. She also mentions Ramsay’s hunts. Sansa stays quiet for a moment and then asks how long exactly Myranda has been in love with Ramsay. Myranda is shocked as Sansa asked if she imagined that Ramsay would be with her forever.

Myranda is suddenly not so interested in bath time.

Diva: Because moments of empowerment are important: I love Sansa more in her cold, husky-voiced shut-down of Myranda than I ever have before. Girlfriend did a stint in KING’S LANDING. She sees right through your bullshit. And YOU CANNOT FRIGHTEN HER.

Also, one of my facebook friends posted different “MY NAME IS SANSA STARK AND YOU CANNOT FRIGHTEN ME” photos for like, two weeks after this episode. And it was the best. (Well, nothing about this is “best,” but I’m desperately trying to focus on the positive so I don’t lose my shit completely.)

Mari: Sansa certainly has come home different from when she left. She has so many horrors to face but we can cheer for her for shutting this shit down. She doesn’t need to accept any extra abuse.

And some more gifsets because we next cut to Sansa in her wedding gown.

  
Someone knocks on the door and it’s Theon, all cleaned up. (D: Still looking starved and sick and weak and old, but cleaner.) He asks for Sansa’s arm but she refuses to touch him. He begs, saying Ramsay will punish him. Sansa doesn’t care what Ramsay does to him. She marches past him.

In an incongruously beautiful shot, we watch as Sansa walks down a snowy aisle. I suspect that this is the godswood, the very place where Lady Cat first brought Ned the news that the Hand of the King was dead and King Robert was coming.

Diva: Stop it, Mari. I’m already crying and you’re not helping.

Mari: Misery, company, etc.

Theon gives Sansa away, stumbling as he announces himself as Theon of House Greyjoy who was her father’s ward. (D: Pass the tissues.) Lord Bolton asks Sansa if she will take Ramsay. There is a heavy and prolonged pause as she looks at Ramsay and steps forward. She swallows hard but eventually says that she will. Ramsay gives his creepiest smirk and we cut to after the wedding.

Diva: Finally, a wedding that makes the Red Wedding look like a decent party.

Mari: Back in the room, Theon opens the door for them and stands there as Sansa takes in the room. Ramsay says he wants Sansa to be happy with the whole candle-lit set-up. Lord Bolton told Ramsay that Sansa is still a virgin. She looks uncomfortably over at Theon but answers that she is. Ramsay jokingly asks if she was “afraid of dwarves.” Hate bubbles quietly right behind my eyes. Sansa replies that Lord Tyrion was kind and gentle (true-ish, but dear sweet Jesus, it’s annoying that “not raping someone” constitutes “kind and gentle”) and never touched her. Ramsay asks if she’s lying and Sansa insists she isn’t, tears filling her eyes and her voice breaking. Ramsay kisses her briefly and then tells her to take off her clothes. Sansa looks at Theon again and he bows his head and starts to walk out, but Ramsay stops him. He orders Theon to stay and watch. Theon steps back inside the room.

Diva: It was at this point that I looked down at my hands and noticed I had already bitten off every single one of my fingernails, and the horrible part hasn’t even begun yet.

Mari: Ramsay looks back at Sansa and tells her he hates asking a second time for things. She walks over to the bed, shock and dread written all over her face. She starts to slowly undress and behind her, Theon closes the door and bows his head. Ramsay orders him to watch. He says the utterly deplorable line, “you’ve known Sansa Stark since she was a girl, now watch her become a woman.”

Ramsay rips Sansa’s dress open, pushes her down on the bed and proceeds to rape her. We see Sansa’s face for a bit as she cries, as we hear the ripping of clothes and the undoing of a belt buckle. We pan away from her and head to where Theon is at the back of the room, watching, shaking and crying as we continue to hear Sansa’s cries mixed with Ramsay’s grunts.

Fade to black.

I struggled a little bit about what to say about this scene overall not only for the content but because we are so many weeks after the airing and a LOT has been said already. I know that people decided to quit the show after this scene, not because of this scene only, but because of the way that this show has treated rape in particular. We’ve had rape treated as consensual and background rape and now rape of a beloved character. It’s hard to know what to say, ever, about such a sensitive topic, even when it is within fiction.

A lot of the outrage was specifically about the final part when we pan to Theon and end the scene on his pained face. I can’t claim to have any insight to the decisions of the show runners, nor do I know if they’ve officially said anything about the scene. It seemed to me that they were trying to be sensitive about this scene featuring the rape of one of its younger stars and a beloved character. There was basically no nudity, male or female. Everything was implied by brief facial expressions or sound effects. Unfortunately, I think they made a big mistake when they panned over to Theon. Again, my impression was that it was more about treating the scene sensitively but they didn’t think what it would mean to frame the scene through the eyes of a tangential MALE victim. Theon IS a victim but he was NOT the victim of the rape of this scene.

For in-story reasons, I was absolutely gutted by this scene. It’s no secret that Sansa is one of my favorite characters and it’s just always difficult to see something terrible happen to one of your favorite and rape is never easy to watch ever ever ever ever. Additionally, after all the really bad crap that has happened to Sansa, this is the one thing she’d managed to escape. She’s been passed around from man to man like a pawn. The great heartbreak of Sansa’s story is that she’s been trapped in the game of other people and when she finally comes home, this is what happens to her. I haven’t watched anything beyond this point, so this was just a little bit of why I basically lost my shit when I watched this.

Finally, I want to say that overall, Game of Thrones continues to get more and more difficult for me to watch. Not only because of the themes it chooses to deal in or the choices it continues to make, but because it’s stressful, storywise. Every good story is a series of ups and downs, wins and loses. More often than not, it feels like we are on a constant down-moving ride with GoT. There is no good to balance the perpetual bad for these characters and so few wins to balances all of the loses. It’s starting to become tragedy porn and that is difficult to handle.

Diva: I agree with all of this. I will only add that my dad always calls me after Game of Thrones to discuss each episode, and he specifically asked me why this scene was the one that garnered all the outrage. He felt it was as visually non-gratuitous as possible, particularly in comparison to earlier scenes on this show, and that it was certainly (brutally) honest about what marriage was like for women of the time. He truly didn’t understand what made this so much more terrible than any other scene. We ended up discussing it for at least twenty minutes.

I explained basically what Mari said – that I had an initial gut reaction of “this is painful, this is a young girl I care about, I don’t want to watch this even if it has a purpose.” Dad felt, and I agreed, that that kneejerk reaction is what you expect or even intend with a rape scene. It’s supposed to be horrific for the audience as well. But I elaborated on the show’s history of using rape as set dressing, or having women fall in love with their rapists, or even not understanding the definition of rape, and how that makes a good portion of its viewers not trust the show to handle rape sensitively and responsibly. And that I happened to be simultaneously watching a season of Downton Abbey where a female character’s rape was made entirely about her husband’s reaction to it, and how offensive it is to use a rape storyline in that way.

And so when that camera turned away from Sansa, away from the person being raped, I was furious, even though I didn’t think I could handle watching her pain for a moment longer. Because that change in perspective was so much more than a camera move – to me, it meant that this story didn’t exist to make a point about women in general, or this woman in particular. To me, it meant that this rape was about the man witnessing it, instead of the woman surviving it. And I cannot fucking stand for that. 

Next time on Game of Thrones: Probably more sadness in S05 E07 – The Gift.

Marines (all posts)

I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.





DemocracyDiva (all posts)

I'm a J.D. by day/blogger by night who directs her snark and judgment primarily towards celebrities and their many red carpet mishaps. Blogging from the style capital of the world (just kidding - I live in DC), I rant and rave over the best and worst in fashion and pop culture.





 

 

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