‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 6: Brienne Of Tarth Will ‘Burst Forth Again’

Game of Thrones has received a lot of criticism over the years for its portrayal of women. Brienne of Tarth and her storyline are refreshing contrasts to characters and scenes that are not always complimentary to women. Game of Thrones creators defend their accurate depictions of women in the time period in which the show takes place.

Brienne and other female Game of Thrones characters, however, are brilliant depictions of women who defy the medieval concept of women as powerless victims who are the possessions of men to with as they please. Entertainment Weekly recently talked to Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth, and she shared that viewers will see her taking a more active role in Season 6 of Game of Thrones.

“I got the scripts for season 6 and I thought the story was so fantastic. It’s really exciting to see Brienne burst forth again.”

The Game of Thrones world of Westeros isn’t used to the sight of a woman like Brienne. She’s tall and muscular, and although she definitely has a soft side, she is not one to be pushed around or to sit quietly by in the face of trouble. Something Brienne told Jaime Lannister during their travel back to King’s Landing sums up this Game of Thrones character perfectly.

“All my life men like you’ve sneered at me, and all my life I’ve been knocking men like you into the dust.”

The last half of Game of Thrones Season 5 didn’t see Brienne doing much, though, and fans expressed their disappointment to Gwendoline Christie.

“After season 5, people would come up on the street moaning about why wasn’t Brienne wasn’t doing more. I’d say, ‘I’m terribly sorry, I’m not really in charge of that.'”

When a Game of Thrones character becomes more active, they also face the risk of serious injury or death. There’s always the chance that they may end up in a dungeon being tortured by the psychotic bastard son of Lord Roose Bolton. Brienne has survived her trials on Game of Thrones so far with her physical strength, and she is sure to need those in Season 6. Does that frighten Gwendoline Christie? Not really. Gwendoline sees Brienne’s development within the Game of Thrones world of danger as important and is excited by the opportunities she has in Season 6.

“Brienne is so unique and unconventional and so strong, and I love the writing hasn’t allowed her to just rest there… [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] are so terrific about how they develop characters. We see her develop like the way a human being might through life.”

Gwendoline adds that throughout her time on Game of Thrones, she has wondered from time to time what it would be like for Brienne to interact with certain other Game of Thrones characters. Season 6 will also see her character growing in this way, encountering characters she has never encountered before.

“So many characters for so long had their isolated storylines and as a fan of this show as well, I’ve been wanting and dreaming — ‘I wonder what it would be like to see this person interact with this other person?’ And that’s what starts to unfold.”

The importance of her Game of Thrones role to women, in general, is not lost on Gwendoline. Brienne is unconventional and that’s significant for fans of the show.

“Women talk to me about how Brienne is important to them and they’re really happy it illustrates an unconventional side of femininity and womanhood compared to what we’re used to seeing… There’s a shift in the kind of things people want to see in entertainment, and I hope this breeds in people’s minds and we see more different incarnations of women.”

Game of Thrones returns to HBO on April 24.

[Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images]