‘Game Of Thrones’ Sansa Outrage: Rape Scene Causes Fan Outrage, But Did Show Go Too Far?
Game Of Thrones fans watched Sansa get raped and are feeling outrage following Sunday night’s episode. According to the New York Times, several fans were bothered by the scene, which shows Sansa and her new husband, Ramsay, consummating their marriage, though Sansa doesn’t really participate.
In the episode, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) orders Theon (Alfie Allen) to watch as he takes his wife (quite literally), and it’s the look on Theon’s face as well as Sansa’s vocal disapproval that ultimately made people uncomfortable. Many fans took to Twitter to voice their opinions, perhaps none summed up better than United States Senator Claire McCaskill.
Ok, I’m done Game of Thrones.Water Garden, stupid.Gratuitous rape scene disgusting and unacceptable.It was a rocky ride that just ended.
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) May 19, 2015
Critics feel as though the rape didn’t add to the plot, and that it was unnecessary. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, this feeling was shared amongst many fans as well.
The Game Of Thrones Sansa outrage seems to suggest that writers went too far. The rape scene was actually not in the book (written by George R.R. Martin), and this isn’t the first time that the screenwriters have drifted from Martin’s words.
According to USA Today, Martin has responded to the criticism, and seems to be okay with the way his books are adapted.
“There have been differences between the novels and the television show since the first episode of season one. And for just as long, I have been talking about the butterfly effect. Small changes lead to larger changes lead to huge changes. HBO is more than forty hours into the impossible and demanding task of adapting my lengthy (extremely) and complex (exceedingly) novels, with their layers of plots and subplots, their twists and contradictions and unreliable narrators, viewpoint shifts and ambiguities, and a cast of characters in the hundreds.”
Actress Sophie Turner (who plays Sansa Stark) has also reacted to 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,” Turner told Entertainment Weekly.
The Game Of Thrones Sansa outrage may cause a few fans to drop off, but the HBO series will undoubtedly continue to be just as successful. What are your thoughts on the subject?
[Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images]
