The highly anticipated seventh season may still be months away but the cast is already talking it up with excitement! At the Malta India Fan Convention, Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) teases fans with hints of what we can expect from Game of Thrones season 7.
*Spoiler warning!*
Allen boasts about the newest season and what we should prepare ourselves for “More of the same…but better! More dragons; more torture!”
I’m always down for more dragons, so bring it on! Hopefully the torture won’t be at Theon’s expense; hasn’t he been through enough?
As for Theon’s current emotions and where it could go in the future, Allen describes him as “Skittish and full of fear…Basically, and then that can kind of, I guess, evolve into rage, which you might see…who knows?”
Who will that rage be directed at next season? His uncle Euron? Or maybe a certain bastard after their intense reunion, or his fellow Ironborn?
When asked how Theon will feel when he sees Jon Snow or Sansa again, Allen corrected the audience. “You mean IF that happens,” Alfie said. “Gotta stop looking at the internet, guys!”
He did go on to answer the question as though it were hypothetical. If Jon and Theon meet again, “I would say, [Theon] would feel horrible. He’d feel awful. And he’d see it as a chance to redeem himself.”
So maybe he won’t be enraged at the new King in the North? Or maybe his new title will dredge of those Robb feelings Theon’s been without for so long.
After saving Sansa, I’d like to believe Theon won’t go against the Starks again but again, this is Game of Thrones. His new allegiance to the Dragon Queen may mean he has to turn his back on the wolves should they disagree.
Check out the full video below:
What are your thoughts and speculations? Let us know in the comments! Thank you to WotW reader Rex for sending the video in!
Reek!
My guess is that Yara gets
i’m down for more Dragons and torture 😀
Hold the Door!!!
Alfie. ❤ He really has turned Theon from a character I couldn’t stand, to one I can’t wait to see. Think good thoughts, think good thoughts……
The torture part confuses me …
I hope he isn’t talking about someone else …
Hopefully it’s just Jon who feels tortured by being away from Ghost for such a long time, haha.
Also .. “more of the same” ? Literally nothing is the same. Cersei’s Queen, Dany finally left Essos, Jon is the King in the North. It’s like an entirely different series.
At least the dragons are still alive though. He got that part right.
I really adore the actor Alfie, I couldn’t imagine a better actor to play Theon. He went from a cocky douchebag who though he was the gods gift to women to a tortured, broken down man who eventually fought through his crippling fear to help a girl he grew up with whose family he deeply betrayed.
Amazing Actor
RIP Yara 🙁 I’ve been preparing myself for this, sadly.
Theon has no reason to be angry at Jon, come on now. If anything, it’s Jon who will be upset with him.
I’m looking forward to see what role Theon will play in the fight against the WW. Can he still fight?
I think the readers would benefit from a full transcript of Alfie’s answer on Theon’s emotional state. The original question asked encompasses not just his future emotional state, but also his past portrayal of Theon during his Reek era:
Q: As an actor, how difficult was it to portray the change from Theon, from a very strong character with great confidence, to the breakdown he had during the series?
Alfie: It was, I’ll be honest, you know… it’s a collaborative effort. The writers, make my job a heck of a lot easier. But yeah, it was just, many things. Like, my voice. I kind of tried to change the voice of the character, the body posture, the body language, and just.. to always be overly aware of his surroundings. It’s something that I tried to work in. And just to be quite skittish, and just to be full of fear, basically. And then that can, I guess, evolve into rage, which you might see.. who knows?
So the latest bold part, I think that’s when Alfie projects into the upcoming season (ergo why he went into a hypothetical treatment.. because he can’t directly spoil stuff)
Pigeon,
I feel the same way. I couldn’t stand Theon at first but he’s such a favorite now! Hope good things for him… Or rather I hope he can overcome the obstacles placed before him.
Actually, the fundamentals of the series have always been the same. The way I see it, it boils down to 3 basic things, basically:
1) The struggle for power and influence,
2) The looming threat of the white walkers and the army of the dead, which keeps coming closer with every season, and last but not least,
3) The emotional journey of a dozen or so core characters to find their identity, purpose, family, etc.. and their constant struggle with light and darkness. This last element, to me.. is really what makes Game of Thrones the TV show it is.
Rex,
In all honestly I always felt the jump from Reek back to Theon was handled really poorly. One sisterly pat on the back and he snapped straight out of his PTSD.
I’m hoping S7 will explore his state of mind in much more detail. Alfie is by far the best actor they have on the show, so he deserves to flex his acting muscles again.
Flayed Potatoes,
Euron might be evil, ruthless, powerful and sadistic, but I don’t think show Euron is the brightest tool in the shed.. He wouldn’t think twice about torturing and killing Yara (and I think that this will be his initial intention), but I also think he is an opportunist. If he thought he’d have a shot at the Iron Throne by allying with Cersei, he’d keep her alive as a bargaining tool to either get what he wants or get greater power for himself. And I am hoping this will be his downfall and Yara’s saving grace..
Rex,
I completely agree that it’s important to read this quote or watch the panel as the word “skittish” was definitely used to describe Theon of former seasons.
I believe, that we’re facing a season with a Theon who is alert like Alfie suggests, stronger, and most definitely a fighter. He always was, just as he, imo, was always one of the bravest characters on the show.
This is not a comment to @Rex but to other commenters: Please note that the show has never shown Theon as “cured” of PTSD and Alfie has certainly not played him as such, either. It’s an misconception among some viewers that baffles me.
But suffering from PTSD doesn’t mean that you cannot act or react. I’m forever amazed at Alfie Allen’s acting abilities and how he manages to portray this character’s huge arc completely believably. Theon has got a lot to fight for this season and I’m certain, he will be very actively trying to do what’s right. Whether that be helping his sister, supporting Dany, doing what he can to help Jon Snow/Sansa, etc. He will do it, and I can’t wait.
Apollo,
Whoa, we’re not watching the same show, then. I know people here gushed about how Theon looked up and “was back” but I certainly didn’t see that at all and I don’t think the show nor the actors showed that either.
Theon listened to his sister, and all along season 6, we do see a gradual transition (as we should – Theon isn’t going to stay in the same state forever) but he was not at all “healed”.
I can’t wait to see how Alfie portrays Theon at this stage of his arc next season. Rage would be interesting, as he’s certainly been keeping a tight lid on some of the more intense emotions associated with his trauma since becoming Reek and slowly moving towards a post-Ramsay Theon. I was listing to the commentary for BotB, where Kit and Sophie commend Alfie for the incredible work he’s done portraying Theon as a character who’s been completely broken down and is now gradually reconstructing his identity, and I completely agree. He may quite possibly have the most challenging role to play out of anyone. In many respects, it’s been like watching him play three or four different characters, and he’s absolutely riveting as each one. I’m looking forward to seeing what Theon’s attempts at “redemption” look like and where he goes next.
Sometimes multiple characters at one time! For me his most impressive acting was in the scene at Moat Cailin where he has been tasked to play Reek ‘pretending’ to be Theon, always on the verge of sliding back into Reekishness. But he still manages to let us see a flicker or two of the original Theon that has not been entirely extinguished. I am in awe of the way that he can convey so many layers at once with his eyes, the tilt of his head, a hesitation in his voice, a twitch of his mouth, a slump or a hunch of his shoulders. Alfie is a truly talented natural actor.
Another word for ‘skittishness’ is ‘hypervigilance,’ and that is a very common trait of trauma victims. Theon will never be fully cured of his PTSD, but he may be able to redeem himself from some of his sense of shame.
I totally agree with all of the praise here for Alfie. He’s absolutely phenomenal is his portrayal of Theon’s journey. I’m excited that Alfie said that he may portray rage. I’ve been waiting for his fear and grief to combine into rage. Count me among those that saw just the beginning of that in his discussion with Yara. His determination to come out of his trauma is what I saw–not a miraculous cure. Can’t wait to see it!
Eveything that i want to say already being said by other so i just will typed this one : That’s very nice of Alfie/Theon’s picture up there. I never see that before, it’s my favorite of Theon’s picture so far
On the other hand, can’t wait to see this new rage from the “new” Theon! i wonder how Alfie will potrays that, that will be wonderful.
Flayed Potatoes,
Yeah, things are looking bleak for Yara sadly. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t survive the season.
Leaks:
I agree with those who say Theon is not yet cured of his ptsd, maybe he never will be. He could be dealing with the fallout of his torture for as long as he is alive, imo. I can definitely see him let go of all his pent up rage, hopefully it will be directed at the right direction.
Can’t wait to see what Alfie Allen will continue to bring to this role.
Rex,
Well said!
konna,
My reaction too if anything happens to Yara lol
Without doubt, Alfie Allen is a great actor. Sometimes just the way he looks in situations is brilliant without even saying a word? As an example, that scene just before he gives his speech to the Ironborn when he’s with Maester Luwin and the horn is sounding.
“The first time I saw Winterfell… ” and then the horn blows. That look on his face is priceless. You can see he’s really pissed off! It creases me up every time I see that scene and of course his speech afterwards. Especially – “and whoever kills that fucking hornblower will stand in bronze above the shores of Pyke – What is dead may never die” 😀
Alfie Allen at his best…
I love Alfie. Wonderful actor and tries to understands his character better than some other actors.
just a thought….anyone that could be that far gone….theon to reek…..i would think would rather die than live…..and he was given the opportunity from yara to cut his own wrists. dont get me wrong…i think alfie is a great actor, however, he is doing whats written…and unless they give the guy a complete turnaround and dont let him die with a whimper….then they should have killed him off in season 6. I want him to fight himself and win….not go down as reek. if they kill him off with no redemption….then i will be very dissapointed…..and…it has to be believable
konna,
??
Two great scenes! Alfie Allen has never failed to show Theon’s humanity, even during his character’s most deplorable moments. He had a really tough job back in season two, to make sure the audience would understand why Theon did everything he did. Theon did all these terrible things back then, but for reasons that everyone could understand: he wanted to belong and be accepted. Alfie invested his every scene in season two, every line and every look, with those small things that remind us of his character’s motivations, and above all vulnerability. He is a truly great actor, who never disappoints. I hope he gets his due appreciation for his work next season (in the form of a nomination or two). He’s certainly more than deserved it.
Yeah Alfie is an amazing actor.We are so lucky that they found him for the role.He has played the different phases of Theon’s character perfectly and made them believable and earned.He was great in season 2 and made Theon’s inner turmoil evident even while he was doing despicable things.And then him as Reek was on point.To the people that say that he was cured of PTSD miraculously in season 6 I’m sorry but we are not watching the same show.That never happened and Alfie didn’t play it that way.Being able to hold conversations and having enough wits to go on with his life doesn’t mean that he is cured.It’s clear that his speech during the Kingsmoot was an act similar to when he got Moat Callin.He probably will never be cured not after what he went through but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a life.
As much as I like Yara, I care much more about Theon and his journey/arc.
The way I see it, the story about the Greyjoys in “Game of Thrones” was always about Theon. In previous articles, I’ve read how some have referred to Theon as “Yara’s sidekick” and I’ve been quietly shaking my head. It’s not Yara or Euron who are the Greyjoys that matter in the long run, and I have to congratulate D&D for turning people’s heads with a few Yara scenes (never on her own, and always with or about Theon.)
“Gotta stop looking at the internet, guys!”
Sounds a lot like another actor confirming the leaks are real. Sadly.
I will join in the people concerned about Yara´s fate. I am pretty sure GRRM intends her book counterpart to actually survive, so that still gives me hope.
Priscila,
If by ‘another actor’ you mean Nathalie, she was referring to the set photos, not any leaks. No actor has confirmed anything, including Theon.
BTW just a heads-up, a scene from the ambush being shot has leaked (it’s really up-close, basically filmed by someone on set), it’s intense.
What I am really looking forwards next season is some talk between Theon and Jon about their experiences of growing in Winterfell. Both of them had quite complicated lives and quite a bit of a rivalry; both of them had to go a long way to discover who they are, and though Jon was more successful, his journey is far from over, so who knows what challenges await for him in the future. So, I would really like to see him and Theon sharing experiences and establishing some bond against all odds.
Apollo,
I respectively disagree that Theon changing back from Reek to Theon was poorly done. You see Theon slowly coming back in Season 6. He kills the Bolton soldier. He stands up for his sister at the Kingsmoot. Drink’s some ale! But you can tell in the meeting with dany that he does not have the confidence back yet. Tyrion scolds him pretty good and Dany unintentionally reminded Theon that he has no JOHNSON. That can knock you down a peg lol. To think Theon is back is naïve. A lot more building to do with his character to bring back the cocky/arrogant Theon.
Inga,
Inga, you and I have gone back and forth about
sebaciel,
Where is the video at?
Stargaryen,
David Benioff : “The odd thing is, Alfie [Allen] originally came in to read for Jon Snow.And we thought, ‘Well, he’s great…he’s not quite Jon Snow. And then we thought wait a second, Theon! And he read for Theon and he was just incredible.”
Yeah, I think nearly everyone agrees that Alfie is an incredible actor and one of the best the show has. I hope season 7 will get him his long overdue Emmy nomination (and that he’ll hopefully win it, too.)
I never liked or cared about Theon in the books, but Alfie Allen’s portrayal has made him one of my top 5 favorite characters. He is an amazing actor and I can’t wait to see his projects after GoT, I’m certain he’ll excel in anything he does.
Stargaryen,
But anyway it’s not the point I wanted to make. The show has being struggling with revealing Jon’s inner dragon: his wild ambitions, first of all. We saw a few very tiny glimpses (for instance, the comment he made about Robb after his death), but without Jon’s inner monologue there have been no real means to show the true complexity of his character: – all we saw was basically a facade. So, I hope that Theon will somehow find a way to tell Jon (and the audience) that he is not a snowflake he (and we) think and that he has some darkness in him too. Could be interesting.
Inga,
He has the status of “guest”. Simple as that.
Apollo,
I hope they put Theon on the the bow of a ship and not Yara. Im pretty sick of Theon at this point.
That is how I see it too. I love Yara and find her fascinating, but as far as the show is concerned, she is very much a satellite character of Theon. I suspect that losing her (or possibly worse: witnessing her death) is what will trigger all the rage Alfie was mentioning at the panel. It seems that Theon must lose Yara along the way, in order for Theon to complete the last act of his character arc and discover who he really is.
“Rage” would be sweet to see Theon get pushed over the edge and go full berserker to escape from a smaller Greyjoy company that may have captured him. Full desperation to not be held captive again, slays a bunch of people with both sword and arrows and then comes to as if it was all animalistic instinct to survive.
I want to add my voice to the many praising Alfie Allan’s acting and his portrayal of the character and its journey. Theon > Reek > Theon (?).
Alfie explained his acting well: change his voice, his posture, body language, “skittishness”, being super aware of his surroundings (always on alert, always afraid, always trying to anticipate what his captor wants and trying to pre-empt).
This is why I don’t understand why some watchers think he’s “snapped out of Reek” and become Theon again. He patently has not. Just look at his body language, listen to the hesitant way he speaks. He’s nothing like the cocky, arrogant Theon in S1 and S2. He’s not mere Reek now, he’s begun a recovery but he isn’t recovered.
In this light, I find Alfie’s comment about rage very interesting. For years, Theon/Reek had to bury any anger or resentment or basically any negative feelings very deep in order to survive. What if something happens in S7 to bring it all up and he explodes in rage! Not only, or not even really about the situation he’s in, but all that long pent-up black ball of suffering, grief, sadness, resentment comes to the surface in one huge surge, probably misdirected at people who had nothing or very little to do with what happened to him. I could see that happening, and that could be catharctic and the gateway to him really becoming Theon again. (If the recipients of his rage have some understanding and empathy, instead of just chopping his head off or whatever.)
I also add my voice to those really worried about Yara. I’ve always really liked her in the show – Gemma Whelan is so great in that role – but the fact is that for the purposes of the books and the show, Theon has always been THE Greyjoy. All the other Greyjoys and Iron Islanders are just supporting characters in his story. OK, the uncle Euron might play some role in Cersei’s story in the show (and it might be even more complicated in the books if they ever come out) but Theon was there from the beginning, with the Starks. Will he come a full circle?
Now I’m going to address a pet peeve, which will probably bring me much ire. PTSD. It’s a modern medical diagnosis that describes long-term effects of experiencing extremely traumatic, horrendous situations, and absolutely real. But it gets thrown about somewhat lightly to describe any even short-term effects of any traumatic experience, which demeans the real illness that is PTSD. Also, it just feels anachronistic applied to a pseudo-medieval world such as GoT. Or think of it this way. If anybody was to write a novel about WW I today, they’d need to call it “shell-shock”, as it was known in the day. In the GoT universe, “broken men” would probably be the term. We all know Theon suffers from real PTSD (and no wonder!) but nobody in the GoT universe would know that. That’s why it feels a bit weird talking about Theon’s situation in these terms. OK, it’s just a pet peeve of mine, don’t mind me.
Oh, and sorry for another overly long post. I suffer from TDPS (too damn protracted switherings).
I am looking forward to Theon’s reaction when Jon tells him they have killed Ramsay and fed him to his dogs. Theon will always bare the scars of his days being tortured. But I have to imagine that news will be freeing in some way. He may be reclaiming some of his “pre POW self” but no way will he ever be the same cocksure young punk he started out as. And that’s a good thing because those traits are usually found in youths who haven’t acquired much life experience. Definitely Theon’s arc is in my top 3
Oh, and I know we’re not really supposed to talk about the books here, but the Theon/Reek/whatever chapters are among the strongest and best writing by GRRM, especially Theon/Reek’s chapters in ADWD.
book spoilers
I find Theon a very interesting, complex character, and Alfie Allan has done an amazing job bringing him to life. As Alfie says, he’s human. He makes terrible mistakes and pays, suffers, for them, but, as Alfie Allan says, he’s not a bad person. As in evil. Theon is not evil. He’s insecure and lost and ends up doing horrible things because he’s trying to prove himself somehow to a world that doesn’t care. Even his father doesn’t really care. Yara/Asha is the only one who cares about him, I think there’s something so poignant and even sweet about that.
talvikorppi,
Well said, and I agree with it all. And I love a long post if it’s this good.
Great post. Like you, I too believe that something must happen to bring up this rage Alfie’s commented on. I believe it will be something extremely painful like witnessing Yara’s death.
**Speculation**
Introduction. At this point, it is probably reasonably safe to assume that following the naval battle with Euron, during which Yara will be taken captive, Theon will sail to Dragonstone with whatever remains of his sister’s forces. And he will probably land in Dragonstone Island in episode 3 or 4. (I just can’t see it being episode 5 because it seems to me that the Dragonstone characters will be extremely busy with other things: (1) Davos & Tyrion’s secret trip to King’s Landing; (2) Jorah’s arrival; (3) The decision to mount an expedition to the far North, beyond the wall.. and the ensuing departure of characters involved in it).
So, where could this rage come from?
The beach fight. Meanwhile, we heard from Luka several weeks ago that Theon’s fight in the beach would take place in episode 7. It is a gruesome showdown between Theon and a big Ironborn dude and while Theon is going to take some serious beating, he will emerge victorious in the end. Check out these pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/toSOx Image source: tmz.
More than that, it appears that one of the Ironborn men will have to restrain Theon, most likely to prevent him from outright killing his knocked out opponent. There is definitely rage in this Theon. A lot of it. So, what catalyzes all this pent-up anger to come out?
I think a clue can be found in the many pictures from the filming of that fight. For instance, the following picture (and many others from JustJared) shows about 20 (with an error margin of +/- 2 people) Ironborn extras involved with shooting that day, in addition to 3 Ironborn boats (Notice these boats are different from the ones other Dragonstone characters like Jon, Davos, Tyrion, or Jorah use)
full size image: http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/3797881/game-of-thrones-fight-scene-season-7-spain-43/fullsize/
An ill-fated rescue effort? Note that the aforementioned 20 or men would definitely fit into 3 boats (it seems that they have a capacity of about 7-8 men). To me, the most straightforward explanation for the presence these men, the boats, and the fight, is the following:
(1) Theon and these men has just returned ashore from yet another ill-fated trip, during which something really bad must have happened.
(2) What is the nature of this voyage? Most likely a rescue effort for Yara. Given that Yara is not present in this scene, or in the big dragonpit meeting that will also take place in episode 7, I assume this mission will end in failure, possibly with Yara’s death. Yara’s death would definitely be a huge emotional blow to Theon, especially if he witnessed it (that torture comment? I’d bet it had something to do with Yara). Such trauma could definitely unleash all that anger and sadness he’d been keeping a lid on for so long.
(3) In addition, it’s possible a large number of Ironborn men still loyal to Yara will lose their lives during this rescue effort. Such loss of lives could be one of the main causes of the beach fight. Maybe Theon asks
these men to follow him to King’s Landing, to confront his uncle at the Dragonpit meeting.. and Theon’s plan is not well-received by the Ironborn he’s end up in a fistfight with.. hence the fight.
(4)Is there enough time for this mission to transpire ? I think so. Given Theon’s most likely arrival to Dragonstone in episode 3 or 4, and taking into account that this fistfight won’t takes place in episode 7, there is a likely 3-4 episode gap between the two events. Enough for Theon and whatever remains of his sister’s forces to go on a voyage. It’s very hard to imagine that Theon would be stuck at Dragonstone for 3-4 episodes otherwise, while everyone else were busy with other stuff.
Conclusion (also tl;dr) : Theon is likely to attempt to mount a rescue effort to get his sister back. He’s probably going to fail, and Yara may die in the process. Yara’s death could explain Theon’s rage, and possible drive for vengeance toward his uncle Euron.
Black Raven,
I could watch that scene over and over again, and sometimes do.
Looks like we’re mainly thinking along the same lines here
LEAK SPOILERS
Yara tried to save Theon from himself when he took Winterfell, then tried to rescue him from the Dreadfort without their father’s support – which is obviously dangerous for her, Ramsay’s not exactly the sort of person you want to be held captive by if it went wrong and there wasn’t some odd editing/writing to allow her to escape – and no-one would then come and rescue her. Once Theon got back home she, in the II be tough or give up on life way, helped pull him back into being full-on Theon. He promised to support her and help get the twig crown thingy (got a cold can’t remember what it’s officially called) for their branch (ha!) of the family. Sails into battle with her and she promptly gets captured by the same evil uncle they are trying to avoid and probably some very unpleasant scenes involved. Either saving Yara, if possible, or avenging her death by trying to take down Euron, would be a kind of redemption.
Pigeon,
Really? I love Theon as a character in the books, and I think Alfie has done a phenomenal job of portraying that character.
Me too! Really want to see him get that fight back.
Alfie is squarely in my top 10 best actors on the show, which is saying a lot considering some of the seasoned veterans! In fact, I find very few here are ‘meh’ about him, he gets a lot of love. Can’t see anyone having done the job that he has with Theon! ?
Me also… That expression Theon pulls when the horn blows and pauses really cracks me up laughing… “The first time I saw Winterfell – and a bit later “I will kill that horn blowing cunt before I fall!” Was probably Ramsey who was blowing the horn 😀
I’m not surprised Alfie said was probably his most enjoyable scene to date at that Malta India Fan Convention.
Rex,
Considering that in Season 4, they had Yara/Asha sail all the way around the continent of Westeros from the Iron Islands to the Dreadfort to try to rescue Theon, I don’t imagine that time will be an issue preventing the expedition you suggest.
Black Raven,
The Maester Luwin /Theon conversation is among my favorite Alfie Allen scenes acting wise. Not only is it a comedic feat like you said, but it’s also a very, very emotional scene. However, the scene Alfie referred to was the scene in the courtyard the morning after, when Theon is giving his epic speech to the ironborn and getting hit on his head. 🙂 Alfie might feel like he didn’t have to act during that scene, but as is evident from the commentary, the director (Alan Taylor who will be directing season 7 episode 6) would disagree with that statement, as he was very impressed. Especially considering they had to shoot that scene all over. On the first day, Alfie nailed it but due to rain/poor weather conditions, the shot was too dark and couldn’t be used. The next day Alfie went and did it all over again and nailed it once more.
Agreed, especially in the upcoming season 7. It seems that character will be shown to travel from one corner of Westeros to another within consecutive episodes. And that makes sense, because there are only so few episodes left.
please help me.. who was quoted saying “after sneaking in the abode, had he meet this influential figure he could cut his carpus …!!,whose quote is it..!!
Game of thrones..