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In case you haven't noticed, people are very, very upset over a certain plot point in this weekend's Game of Thrones episode. In fact, some outraged fans are calling for a boycott of the show. (Yeah, good luck with that.) Why did this episode hit so many nerves -- and what does the key actress from the episode really think about what happened to her character?
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
The scene that everyone can't stop talking about comes just after Sansa Stark, a young woman who has already survived other ordeals, marries the horrible sadist Ramsay Bolton. He rapes her, and he makes her one-time "adopted" member of the Stark clan, Theon, watch.
And here's what fans have been screaming ever since: ANOTHER EFFIN' RAPE?!?
Many say the rape was gratuitous and unnecessary -- it did nothing to move the plot forward and we didn't need it. Others complain that while Sansa is being raped our attention is diverted to Theon's horrified face.
And it's not even in the book. Sansa doesn't marry Ramsay, some other character does. And her rape scene is beyond sick. But the point is, we didn't even need to go there.
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Sophie Turner, the actress who plays Sansa, told Entertainment Weekly she gets fans' outrage. "I completely agree with them!" Except she also loved the scene.
When I read that scene, I kinda loved it. I love the way Ramsay had Theon watching. It was all so messed up. It’s also so daunting for me to do it. I’ve been making [producer Bryan Cogman] feel so bad for writing that scene: “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” But I secretly loved it.
Okay, Turner sounds like a bit of a sadist herself. Not sure what to think of that!
Anyway, I completely agree that gratuitous rape scenes happen way too often in movies and television. Writers rely on that crutch to build drama and elicit sympathy far too often.
But I'm also surprised at the fans' outrage because ... um, it's Game of Thrones? This is a show rampant with misogyny, violence, rape, totally unnecessary female nudity all the time, infanticide. Remember the "Red Wedding" episode anyone??? Why are you even still watching this show? It's just going to break your heart and assault your senses over and over again. That's why I do NOT watch it. (Also because I don't have HBO.)
And what did you expect to happen when Sansa married Ramsay? I was actually relieved that the scene wasn't any worse. This is a man who cut off Theon's genitals. He let his hunting dogs chase a woman into a forest and then watched as they tore her apart. He flays people, alive.
(Rape is rape, and it's horrible no matter what. I'm just saying, it could have been worse.)
It's like people suddenly woke up and were like, "OMG, this show is really violent and misogynist! I didn't notice that before (!!!) but now it's abundantly clear. Maybe I should watch something else from now on." And maybe you should?
Will addicted fans finally turn off GOT? It'll be interesting to see. It's one thing to yell and Tweet and complain. It's a whole other thing to actually stop watching the show, cold turkey, without finding out what else happens to Sansa ...
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Are you surprised at how outraged people were at Sansa's rape scene, or were you also disgusted by it?
Image via Helen Sloan/HBO
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.