Sophie Turner discusses Sansa’s journey in season 6 and the evolution of the fandom’s response to her character and Alfie Allen discloses major details about Theon and Sansa’s storyline. Spoilers below.
Sophie Turner talked to Entertainment Weekly about the development of Sansa’s fan base.
“I’ve had more people saying, ‘You’re my favorite character’ than ever before, which is amazing, because I used to get ‘You’re my least favorite character. She’s definitely got a fan base now, and they’re rallying behind her. Finally people see Sansa how I see her.”
“This is the season I’m most excited for. Sansa’s coming into her own and standing up for herself,” Turner said.
Dan Weiss concurred, saying, “Sophie really delivers this season. She’s an extremely phenomenal actor, and this year she gets to go to places she’s never gone.”
Bryan Cogman added, “I’m very excited by where Sansa’s storyline is going this season, and I think Sophie is doing the best work she’s ever done in season 6.”
Alfie Allen spoke to the press in Los Angeles and, in contrast to his usual evasiveness, provided a detailed description of Theon and Sansa’s opening scenes in season 6. So, major spoilers for Theon and Sansa’s storyline below the picture.
“At the beginning of (season) six, you find him running through snowy, freezing forests leading the way with Sansa. They’ve just jumped off the wall of Winterfell and now they’re on the run from Ramsay,” he said. “We got there on the first day at Bainbridge Studios and they’d blanketed this whole area with fake snow. Everywhere, all the trees, it’s all done with this amazing snow.
Allen explained the context of Theon and Sansa’s promotional image. “… We’re running through and we come to a river and Sansa is just too scared basically to get into the river. So I get in. Don’t believe the press shots! It looks like she’s trying to get me out of the river, when I’m actually trying to be the strong one and get her in the river. Makes me look weak. Haha.”
He went on describe the action sequence shown briefly in the trailer.
[Theon] sacrifices himself, because I guess he hasn’t really got much worth or meaning for himself in the world anymore. And so he leads them away – or rather that’s what he’s trying to do. In fact he doesn’t lead them away, because they see Sansa anyway and then Gwendoline Christie turns up as Brienne of Tarth and smashes everyone to shit. Dan Portman’s there – Pod – and then Pod ends up having a fight with this guy and then Theon stabs the guy in the back with the sword. He kills someone for the first time in ages, which must be a gratifying experience.
HODOR…. WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO another Hodor under my belt.. it’s been a while …. lol… why does that make me feel soooooo special?
Oh Alfie, you were doing so well avoiding spoilers
I could have got the first ‘Hodor’ in, but I couldn’t be arsed.
is he trolling us? :I
Can’t wait for Sansa’s story this year.
Her story was easly among my favourite stories from last season.
So that stupid theory that Brienne will save only Theon can finally die.
Alfie doesn’t give a f**k! Lol, so Podrick is there. I hope he doesn’t die this season…
Good luck ducking that HBO Sniper, Alfie.
Not really a spoiler, I think everyone saw this coming one way or another lol
Still hearing about it is one thing, watching it is a whole other ball game 🙂
Connor,
Pod won’t die in the North for sure. In the Riverlands? Maybe.
mau,
Whaaaat theory?
Dang, Theon. Now I am not sure if that is exactly what happens or if he is just screwing with us.
Sansa’s plot getting interesting ? No way
And also Brienne trained Pod in S5. Off-screen. So that will have pay off at the beginning of S6. Good.
dragonreborn,
Possible, but he’s not really telling us anything we don’t already know. They survive the jump and are eventually rescued.
“He’s leading the way with Sansa”, “Sansa is just too scared basically to get into the river”
Well, that’s… depressing. It sure doesn’t feel like Sansa’s “coming into her own and standing up for herself”, but I have faith she will later in the season.
BeautyBrinne,
That Brienne will save only Theon, and Sansa will somehow find LF in the woods, out of nowhere.
It sounds exactly like most people here thought!! Still going to awesome epp 1 maybe second scene me thinks
Someone get Alfie drunk and we can learn his whole season!
Oh good. Brienne and Pod save Sansa and Theon; and Theon starts to “man up” finally.
I wonder when Theon parts ways with Sansa and Brienne. Probably he starts to remember being a Greyjoy again.
Pod had better NOT die. I will be devastated if he is killed.
http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/production-diary/davos-seaworth-liam-cunningham-interview
^more from Liam, hyping Episode 9 to high heaven.
Seems like Alfie and Liam are this season’s spokespeople.
mau,
Yeah! Sometimes it is painful to read these kind of comments…
Can’t wait for Brienne to beat those Bolton soldiers to bits.
One wonders if CB is included in Sansa’s TripAdvisor
Oh, Alfie. We just love you.
Vincent Stark,
Yeah, it does sound a bit contradictory to what Sophie’s been saying, but if you think about it, Sansa is a proper lady and has little experience in the physical side of things (apart from jumping off walls). She’s more mentally and emotionally strong, which I think will be shown this season.
X
Blind Mary Sue aka Arya is jumping of roofs while blind and Sansa continues to be portrayed as an scared-idiot by the sscreenwriters.
Mihnea,
Glad to know that, you never mentioned that you love sansa’s arc from season 5 so much or maybe you did and i missed it.
Vincent Stark,
Yeah jumping in a cold icy river is such a great idea.
Sansa was never phisically strong. I don’t blame her at all if she would hesitate, especially after she just jumped from the wall of WF.
Yeah, everybody was guessing at what we thought we were seeing in the images and trailer shots, but have any of the cast described a scene step-by-step before?
I think Pod will be okay and Theon saving him will earn him some trust from Brienne.
Daughter of Winter,
I’m sorry but my English isn’t that good.
Is this sarcasm?
Sansarya,
Alfie was the one who said GRRM said it is a ‘Luke Skywalker situation’ with Jon Snow, so I bet getting him drunk will be immensely illuminating!
As much as I look forward to Sansa finally becoming the queen she has the makings for, given Sophie and Bryan Cogman’s comments pre and post season 5, I would not be surprised if Sansa gets brutally gang-raped by some Northmen this season. Clearly that counts as ‘character growth’ that the writers seem to like, and that the actress ‘loved’ to portray.
When Theon dies of hypothermia, then we’ll see how stupid Sansa is. Also, Alfie had to be drunk to give away that Brienne bit.
Is Arya even blind in the part? She apparently doesn’t stay blind for the rest of the show, so maybe shes gotten her sight back and wants to escape from the Faceless men? Who knows lol
dothrakian raven,
I rewatched s05e07 today. Ramsay tells Sansa that Jon is the new Lord Commander now and Sansa is like “Damn! I should have gone there”. I don’t know if it will happen but yeah it’s in her TripAdvisor list.
Vincent Stark,
I they just ignored everything that had happened to her SJW would scream : rape, sexism, agency, empowerment through rape!,…
I’m going to assume that Arya won’t be blind by the time she’s jumping off of buildings… but I get your point. 🙂
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Yeah, saying Sansa is weak for refusing to jump in a icy cold river, is hilariously stupid.
Funny how people see this. But no one mentions how she willingly chose to jump from the walls.
A wild Pod appears….
Alfie should just narrate the whole season.
I kinda wish I hadn’t read Alfie’s spoilers because it’s better than I imagined. I think Mel’s surprise will be
Mihnea,
What is wrong with people? I wouldn’t jump in an icy river either.
Mihnea,
Oh god not at all Mihnea not at all, I’m not a native speaker myself so maybe i couldn’t deliver my point properly, anyway i’m just glad you enjoyed her arc my friend.
Clob,
He’s a troll. Don’t bother.
Well, now I’m pumped for Theon. Sounds like HIS arc is damn exciting. Now please, Sophie, make me believe you.
LMAO, people are saying Sansa is weak for not wanting to get into terminal icy cold water.
Huh, so that Allen thing was legit after all. Maybe Theon should have lost his tongue instead of his genitals, given his tendency to spoil things.
I’m not clear if both sequences he describes are in the same episode or not. If they are, that would seem to be a pretty decent bit of screentime in the premiere. I’d been thinking they’d just introduce the pursuit in the first episode (with most of the screentime focused on the bigger locations) and have Brienne actually rescue them later.
Daughter of Winter,
It’s also my fault. I’m not that good at noticing sarcasm, even more so in a foreign language! 🙂
Yeah her story, and the entire northern story, was easly in top 3 for me.
BeautyBrinne,
Maybe Theon dies this season (mind you, his WotW prospects do no look so good – My only hope is GRRM’s twisted writing where the guy who wants to die is the one who survives), so Alfie no longer cares what HBO thinks of him?
Well these details certainly put my mind at ease. Thanks, Alfie!!
Now my question is
I love that Pod gets a mention (no one ever seems to mention poor Pod) and that he puts his new training to use. Also, glad Theon doesn’t cower & panic during this rescue like did during the last rescue attempt.
But WTF Sansa?! Afraid to get in the river?? I’d take my chances with the river over Ramsay any day of the week.
Bearded Onion,
It’s rather amuzing honestly.
Vincent Stark,
You have got to be kidding me, Wow just wow some of you people never cease to amaze me with the ways you always manage to find for interpreting stuff.
Vincent Stark,
Seriously, that river is cold AF. She’s a noble lady, albeit a noble lady running for her life. She’s gonna hesitate at jumping in a frozen river. This character quirk is in no way indicative of whether or not her character has regressed in development. Shh.
BunBunStark,
OK. Here’s my ”theory”:
Sansa, Theon, Pod and Brienne go to CB. There she meets Dvos who say’s the line from the trailer about Jon: ”he’s gone”. Then Ramsey, perhaps alone or perhaps Roose tells him, sends a raven to the Wall demanding Sansa and Reek back.
Thorne and the others try to get to her, out of fear that the Boltons will attack them.
This is the scene from the trailer where Thorne and his man try to break trough the door.
And that’s it….
dragonreborn,
We understand that Sansa’s ark is all about the North Remembers tour and that is what implied by the producers. CB is an uncertain destination. It creates some technical difficulties. For the first question is when, before or after R? And then what about Brienne and Pod? If Sansa decides to go first to CB they have to escort her. It will be packed with arcs at CB. It is challenging and I like the idea.
BunBunStark,
Sansa was told about Castle Black last season for a reason. Sure, Ramsay would probably look for her there, but she’s not exactly got any other options.
Plus, she and Brienne would probably assume the Night’s Watch is a lot stronger than it is. The extent to which it had withered even before Lord Commander Mormont’s disastrous ranging and the Wildling assault isn’t really widely thought about.
dothrakian raven,
I think it has to be post-resurrection.
Incidentally, Brienne should recognize Davos and Mel from the parlay in episode 204 (she had a helmet on, I doubt they’d recognize her).
Guys…..good lord. I don’t even like Sansa, and I really don’t see an issue with her not wanting to get into the river, being led by Theon, etc in the first part of the season. Theon’s had more time (more trauma, arguably, but more time) to struggle with breaking free and making the decision to survive and take Sansa with him. Sansa has just had the time from hell and is still in shock. If all the talk is to be believed, she’ll be stronger later in the season when she’s had time to emotionally start the process of healing, whether that’s in the form of becoming vengeful or not.
Also, fuck yeah Pod. I hope it’s not his last dance. Love that guy. Still want to know what he did with those whores.
Brienne coming there and wrecking shop is something I already knew. I gathered that would happen from the trailers. It really isn’t much of a spoiler. Everything Alfie A. said is what was was shown on TV. Thanks anyhow.
dothrakian raven,
Jon is dead anyway :)))
Flayed Potatoes,
I’m with you. Not wanting to jump into an icy river in freezing weather while wearing a heavy gown is common sense, not cowardice. Hypothermia sucks.
That said – go Theon! Go Brienne! Go Pod!
Why are you insulting me? I made a valid point.
She is married to a psychopath and has jumped of the Winterfell wall in order to escape from him knowing if he catches her he fill flay her like he did Theon (Myranda hinted at this last season). Before the jump she said to Theon she would rather die while there is some of her left than continue being married to Ramsey.
And now she is scared of some cold water (after she said she would rather die then stay in Winterfell)?
Mihnea you apoligize to me or please never mention me or my posts here again.
Is it just me, or does anyone else worry about Sophie’s future when they read compliments like this:
“Dan Weiss concurred, saying, “Sophie really delivers this season. She’s an extremely phenomenal actor, and this year she gets to go to places she’s never gone.”
Bryan Cogman added, “I’m very excited by where Sansa’s storyline is going this season, and I think Sophie is doing the best work she’s ever done in season 6.”
Stirring things,
Those seem like pretty standard praises for an actor supposedly getting a big storyline.
Stirring things,
Sophie already said
Alfie’s not the only one who can tell spoilers.
Mihnea,
That is an interesting suggestion in terms of how the cryptic final scene of the first trailer will fit in a context…
Guys, I never said Sansa is stupid or weak for not wanting to get into the river.
I just thought she would be more proactive towards her escape, taking an equal role to Theon.
It guess It makes sense for her to be scared in this situation, since she’s a lady. But she’s also no stranger to dangerous physical situations: In AFFC, when she is descending from the Eyrie with Sweetrobin, they are both in a high risk of falling down to their deaths, but she hides her fears and lies to him, saying she’s not scared, thus helping him calm down and arrive safely at the Gates of the Moon.
Anyway, I’m really excited for her storyline this year, and I would never think Sansa is weak or stupid – regardless of whether she jumps into the river or not.
Vincent Stark,
Said every fan, every season.
Tywin of the Hill,
Not that I expect Sansa to die this season, but I don’t think that’s what she was saying in that interview.
Sean C.,
Yes but if they will head south by ep 6, lets say, what will they do from 2to 6? At CB? And with so many proStarks at CB there is no chance for Alissers traitors to pose any real threat. There are gaps in all this…
Sean C.,
Neither do I.
dothrakian raven,
Well, they may not get there by episode 2, depending on how things play out. There’d presumably be some figuring out of what to do next, which Brienne could contribute to, seeing as it culminates in her being sent south. It would be interesting to see Brienne interact with Davos and Mel, Stannis’ advisers, seeing as she would know both of them from the parlay — and she knows Stannis used magic to kill Renly, which, now that I think about it, would probably ill-dispose her toward Mel.
I kind of hope that, if they do get to Castle Black fairly early on, we get a decent amount of scenes more about character. Jon will have just come back from the dead, Sansa’s suffered a ton, neither has seen family since Season 1, even if they themselves weren’t close. The metaphysical implications of Jon’s experience are almost incalculable, and in Sansa’s case I really hope that they actually have her talk about what happened to her last year, seeing as they made the decision to include that in her story.
Taking tips from Ian McShane I see.
Relax folks. It’s just tits and dragons.
Damn…Brienne must have a medieval tracking device implanted in all major characters. Never seen someone traverse large swaths of land and find noble people so effortlessly.
TheMannis,
Strictly speaking, all she’d have to do is track the pursuers, who would be much larger in number and probably more obvious, since they wouldn’t be making any effort to cover their tracks.
That’s much more plausible than, say, stumbling across Stannis.
Flayed Potatoes,
RIGHT?? I went canoeing on a river not too long after winter (early April), and we ended up capsizing when the canoe ran into a fallen tree trunk and the current was too powerful to steer away from it in time- it was the scariest experience of my life! And I used to be a competitive swimmer! But the shock of that icy cold water made me forget all my skills/how to swim for about a minute & a half. It was TERRIFYING. Thankfully my friend started barking orders at me, snapped me out of it and saved my butt. Icy cold rivers are NO joke. I still have nightmares about it.
Sean C.,
There is no question about it being interesting. All these interactions! But it is risky too. By the way if Sansa joins team CB then it makes it intriguing under what guise she meets with LF again. I doubt that they will meet before battle. It seems more likely that Sansa’s politics will force LF to reconsider his tactics…
Come through Sansa!!
I love Sophie, and her portrayal of Sansa has been brilliant even with sub-par writing.
This season I want shivers as Sansa summons the Northern Lords in a rallying speech, and claims back Winterfell. I feel this season she’ll have a vociferous audience backing her.
Major LOLLs at Theon giving the first episode away, even if it was obvious.
Well, I have faith in Sansa; to me she’s growing more important episode by episode. I would say that she seems to have taken after her mother, after all.
Just as I thought Robb was a younger Ned.
Arya, don’t ask. Although I enjoy her storyline, one has to admit that she’s getting too dark.
dothrakian raven,
This LF/Sansa reunion is one I am thoroughly anticipating!
What does “arsed” mean? Sorry …. Im kinda clueless on internet language… 😉
For
Well, these comments escalated quickly. LOL
Well, I’m happy to see this puts that weird theory to bed in which Brienne may save Theon but not Sansa, because she must be karmically punished for choosing to honor her oath to kill Stannis instead of her oath to Catelyn about protecting her daughters —which was of course fitting. Remember, Brienne pledged herself to Catelyn… but with one condition: “Promise me that you will not hold me back from Stannis.” She chose the oath that superseded any other oath… and realizing how tricky it is to maneuver around contradicting oaths may be the whole point of her story! She may realize Jaime was pretty much correct about the subject. But that doesn’t mean that karma/God/the universe will immediately and suddenly come back to bite her in the ass for that decision. She can kill Stannis and save Sansa. She can do both. There will be consequences later in the season, I’m sure —Sansa may tell her to do something she’s not happy to do… but she made an oath, so she must fulfill it!
By the way… if Sansa goes to Castle Black in the company of Brienne, only to learn that Jon “is gone”, how is it possible that Brienne will just let her alone again or how will she end up in the company of Littlefinger again? She should certainly know better than trust him again and I don’t think Brienne would just let her go to him anyhow. What do you think ladies and gentlemen?
harlequeen,
OK, that explains it.
“Arse” is how British people say and spell “ass”. In that case, “I couldn’t be arsed” means “I couldn’t be bothered to do it”.
Who says she “stumbled across Stannis”? We were following Stannis in the scene, not Brienne. We don’t know how much time elapsed since the battle erupted. Maybe she had been looking for him for a while. Also, a king probably attracts more attention than an average soldier, doesn’t he? Men protecting him, the armor, etcetera.
My theory is that before the battle, Team Stark will hear reports of Arryn men landing in the North, and Sansa will go to rendezvous and bring them to Snowbowl. It would give her something to do during the battle episode, seeing as she’s not a combatant, and since they were reportedly filming at Runestone earlier this year, it would allow them to introduce some drama into the Arryns’ arrival while not trying to make the audience forget about them.
mau,
Good can she shank him?
Go Theon go! I’m so looking forward to seeing this play out! I personally think he’s telling the truth.
Littlefinger is planning to ride in with Vale forces and dump the Boltons, which is why he got the royal decree from Cersei naming him “warden of the north” in the first place. And will expect to find Sansa either dead or completely broken offering him no challenge. He was probably counting on this and knew exactly what he was doing when he left Sansa there.
Poor worried Alfie.
Funny… I never thought Sansa was helping Theon in that photo. I thought Theon was helping Sansa into a boat. And I think it’s appropriate for Theon to help Sansa in the wilds, she’s a girly-girl. Sansa is supposed to RULE, as she’s a future expert of the game and Littlefinger’s protege. Not be good with escaping in a dress.
Oho as to the Liam spoilers
I can’t wait to see Mel and Davos in their mutual grief…
I think Brienne will take Sansa to Castle Black, where she will meet with Jon Mk2, I then think Sansa will order Davos to find Rickon, and send Brienne back to the Riverlands to locate Arya.
Mihnea,
I’m not really a fan of the “Sansa heads to Castle Black” theory, I would prefer her heading south with Brienne, Podrick and Theon, visiting White Harbour (this is where Theon could be reunited with Yara, maybe Manderly’s fleet captured her after her botched escape attempt at the Dreadfort) or running into Littlefinger and the Vale army halfway.
But if she is heading to the Wall this would be a really good scenario 🙂 Davos defending Sansa while she grieves for Jon makes a lot more sense than him defending Jon’s body for no obvious reason. If this happens it won’t be before episode 6×02, meaning that Jon won’t be resurrected in the first episode.
One of the biggest questions is: How do Brienne and Pod get back to the Riverlands if they find Sansa? Brienne’s mission is to keep her save, so why would she leave her with Davos and Mel (who worked for Stannis and played a part Renly’s assassination) or with the Night’s Watch (a gang of criminals ands rapists, who killed Sansa’s halfbrother)? Even if Jon is resurrected at that time, why should Brienne go away instead of being Sansa’s guard? And how does she cross the whole North unharmed with Bolton hunters around?
Is it possible that Brienne and Pod just save Theon and Sansa heads north alone only to be found by Davos (maybe at the place of Shireen’s burning – the sequence from the first trailer) or Tormund, who takes her to Castle Black? But then again: Wouldn’t Theon tell Brienne that Sansa was with him?
red,
I like your theory!
red,
I have the same feeling. Sansa and LF will meet after the battle. There is no point for her to escort the vale army to the battle.
I think Sansa will be delivered in Last Heart. Davos could take Jon’s corpse there and the resurrection could take place there… so the Northern lords will be witness of that and won’t have to believe in Mely Sanders words.
So in a way trailers have not give us much about Theon, Sansa and Brienne. Just first scene. I like that! Can’t wait to see what is going to happen next!
Mihnea,
So by that logic, she can only be either Lara Croft, or a mewling kitten? No mix of the two dichotomies? Sounds like a 1 dimensional character to me.
PS On the walls there was NO choice, jump or remain a hostage. For all we know, she might’ve been hesitating/asking to go around the river or something.
wading in the water to throw off the scent of Ramsey’s dogs. I like it.
Sean C.,
Maybe. But Sansa will have a big scene with Nothern lords, I believe at some point next season.
So after that she can go to LF.
But we also know that LF, Sansa, Ramsay and Jon will have a scene in WF. Before of after battle?
I’m really interested in Sansa’s feeling towards LF after everything that had happened last season. I’m also curious to find out what will Ramsay do with LF. If Roose dies early this season, I think it will be easy for LF to pretend that he is still Biolton’s ally. I find it more believable that Ramsay would trust him. Roose not so much.
I think that Ramsay will open the gates of Moat Cailin for LF and the Vale, but after that I really don’t know.
I think that the Northern plot will be one of the most complex plots this show ever had.
red,
This is what I hope happens. Littlefinger needs to be surprised.
As to the first, if Sansa’s got her brother with her (and I agree, I find it unlikely Brienne would leave her with Davos, a man she probably wouldn’t think much of), safety is less of a concern. Plus, she wants to be Sansa’s sworn shield; part of that, as she herself explained in 502, is doing what Sansa says. It will depend on what exactly Sansa sends her for.
Second, the North is huge. It’s not at all implausible that Brienne could traverse it again without being noticed, particularly since the Boltons don’t really know anything about her anyway, as far as we know (Ramsay didn’t even investigate the signal last season, even though that would have been the obvious thing to do).
No, it’s not. Alfie’s statement rules that out.
I don’t really see why Sansa would go to Last Hearth, and I see even less reason why Davos would take Jon’s corpse there.
I’d say almost certainly after. The plot becomes much harder to make sense of if everybody knows the Valemen are there.
I don’t think we’re going to see Baelish pretending to be Ramsay’s ally. His men wouldn’t go along with that, if we’re sticking with what the show already established about the Vale, and Baelish would have come north expecting to just fight the Boltons. He wouldn’t have been counting on any sort of Northern revolt. And since his position is so heavily dependent on Sansa, I don’t think he stands to gain anything by making nice with the Boltons.
I love this.
Alfie, you devil. How on earth can you be “…leading the way with Sansa.” when there are only the two of you? You must mean that you are leading Sansa through the forest. Then you go on to say you’re trying to be the “strong” one – as opposed to what?
Yes Alfie, we know, Sansa is the “weak” one.
We remember how she said she’d do to you what Ramsey did, if she could. Well, that was before Ramsey did what he did to you, to her.
Anyone ever see Bear Grylls ? Even that guy doesn´t jump into a freezing cold river, certainly not fully clothed. Should be plausible that somebody who grew up in the North knows that you don´t do that.
Mihnea,
…”easily among”, huh?
😉
flintstonewielder,
..well, it’s either Ramsey’s penis, or a cold, cold river. Her choice.
Danielle Stark,
I’m so sorry you had that experience. 🙁 Glad you and your friend managed to get out of there. I see stories on tv with people trapped in the currents or falling in icy water and not managing to save themselves. It’s truly terrifying.
Nodor,
Wasn’t that what Bran and Rickon did to run away from Theon? If so, it’s a good parallel.
Isn’t Davos
Dons flame retardant suite: I don’t like these theories that Sansa will arrive at CB and start commanding Jon’s allies. She hasn’t earned their fealty, and, at the moment, she means nothing to Davos and the Wildlings. Most likely after Winterfell has been won, she’ll be a position to give orders to anyone she wants, but I don’t see it happening at Castle Black in S6.
Come on people, you can’t get me drunk in the middle of the day like this.
*ponders how she could bribe D&D to kill off Sansa just so this never-changing argument would die*
Frankly, let´s see how that scene plays out on the screen. Tough to judge just from Allen´s comment.
I’ll be the voice of ridiculous dissent, and I’m fine with that – I still don’t think after this episode that Brienne ends up in Sansa’s company. Her attack on the soldiers might allow her to get away, but I just don’t think she’s going to lead Sansa anywhere. I think this might be her only physical encounter with her this season.
It’s cool that everyone disagrees. 🙂 We’ll find out all the specifics in 26 days.
StandOzone,
That makes no sense.
Great Sword Dawn,
Well, it’s consistent with what happened right before. Theon was the man of action throughout. He’s the one who pushed Myranda to her death. He’s the one who grabbed Sansa’s hand and climbed onto the wall for the jump. Sansa couldn’t survive in that environment on her own; I don’t think she’s the ‘outdoorsy’ type.
As for Brienne finding them, that’s plausible too.
BunBunStark,
Nobody said that she will go to CB and give orders to Jon ‘ s supporters
Now I don’t think this is what’s going to happen, but seeing as lots of people are talking about the possibility of Sansa and Theon going to CB…
They both have king’s blood. Theon is desperate to make up for what he did to the Starks. Sacrificing himself for a very worthy cause would be a fitting end to his story…
Can we just please have at least ONE scene this where we actually see Brienne and Pod training? Like in Season 4 with Jaime and Bronn. I want something like that with Brienne and Pod. Last year she promised she’d practice with him, but we never really saw or heard anything from that again.
Also, I’m kinda disappointed that Alfie stopped giving shits. Ian McShane was bad enough :/
kit_hepburn,
How would Sansa “get away” from Brienne after she killed the Bolton men, seeing as she’s on foot and Brienne has a horse? And why, for that matter?
Sarah Stark,
Even apart from filming spoilers, resurrection by Rh’llor does not require blood sacrifice. Thoros didn’t sacrifice anybody to revive Lord Dondarrion.
Go, Theon! Go, Sansa! Go, Pod and go, Brienne!
So looking forward to that.
That will be nice.
Thanks, Alfie. ;o)
If that scene with Jon, Sansa, LF and Ramsay takes place before the battle, than LF is pretending to be a Ramsay’s ally for sure.
Otherwise, I agree.
But there is one question. It was established that it is really hard or even impossible for an army to get through the Moat Cailin from the south. Roose wasn’t able to bring his army to the North. How LF and his army can get through those gates without Ramsay’s permission?
Sarah Stark,
Melisandre’s already seen how effective King’s blood is. I doubt she would try to do it again, even with someone as miserable as Theon.
Nodor,
It’s also a nice callback to season 2 when Osha led Hodor and the Stark kids back to Winterfell through the creek in order to throw off Theon’s dogs. 🙂
I hope he is telling the truth, because it sounds as amazing as I expected … and the trailer makes you believe it will happen like that …
They could go around, like Brienne and Pod did. 😉
In all seriousness, I personally expect they’ll have Littlefinger’s army take the naval route. It facilitates surprise. That’s what Stannis did.
I feel so stupid to never even considered this.
Sean C.,
One of the S6 pictures shows Sansa in a castle with the Umber flag on the wall behind her, so she could be at the Last Hearth…
Not to pick on Dazor Ahai, but he/she did; that’s what I was responding to.
And I have seen enough mentions in the past about how Sansa will order Jon, Davos, or the wildlings to do this or that this season. It’s stuck with me and rubs me the wrong way, is all.
How was this posted yesterday and nobody noticed?
“HBO: As we count down to the Season 6 premiere, can you tell us your favorite episode?
Liam Cunningham: Yes, and I’m not even in the f**king episode! It’s “Hardhome.” It’s magnificent. I couldn’t believe it. I watched the last half hour with my jaw in my hand. And it is going to pale in comparison with what we’ve got coming up. What we’ve got, and the misery we went through to shoot it, is going to be absolutely glorious. There’s going to be some stunning stuff coming. I mean really, really stunning.”
HYPE
Sullied by Knight,
Are you sure it’s Umber? I was also curious about it but to me it was a bit off and I couldn’t say what is was?
Luka Nieto,
You know what, Brienne is suffering from oath overload. She needs to stop trying to please her class – people who don’t give a damn about her. They don’t understand her. They think she’s a freak, just like they think Tyrion is a freak. But Ty learned his lesson and stopped trying to get their approval. I hope Brienne learns too.
There are loads of poor people without the privilege of Brienne’s protection – like those three girls hanging in the forest. Small comfort she gave them a burial when what they needed was her skill with a cutting implement.
Haaa… Its ‘real’ English as spoken in the UK. Arse = Ass/Butt as you Yanks say 😉
In UK English, an ‘ass’ is another name for a donkey 😀
Sullied by Knight,
Huh?! Do you mean the shot from the first trailer? I can see nothing of the sort in the background…
I guess I am the only one (still! I haven’t changed my mind :D) who thinks that Sansa does NOT head over to Castle Black. I think once Brienne saves Theon and Sansa, Sansa will order Brienne to take her back south to the Vale to LF. I believe that Sansa will feel that she will only be safe with LF. Despite Brienne distrusting LF, she will not be able to disobey a direct order from Sansa. (This also ties in Sansa’s book arc with show arc neatly – in the books, did she ever head to CB?)
I will find out in a few weeks if I am even remotely on the mark! 😀
Lyanna_Targaryen,
…and that’s why she couldn’t survive out there without Theon. He KNOWS there’s no other way to lose the hounds, and that their best bet is a boat, or alternatively, to wade through the river.
Kay,
But Sansa thinks that LF is in KL. She does not know that he will be in the Vale.
So, no, not the Vale. CB still makes the most sense 😀
Anon,
I am a “survivor” myself you could say. And the truth is I don’t really feel stronger. I do feel more selfish though. More ready to do what I have to do for me, so that I will feel and be well. So maybe this could be qualified as “stronger”? In the sense of not taking nonsense?
But anyway, that is just me. Maybe there are other abuse victims that feel more vulnerable. Actually I know there are. Does depend on the healing process and who helps you with it.
This said, I really hope Sansa will be stronger. Even if it is in a “I won’t put up with any of this crap anymore” way.
Hmmm does not seem Alfie gave away much. We not have an accumulation of visual clues to put this story together.
I would have been spoilery if he had of said where Sansa goes and where he goes!
mau,
As I said, we shall see in a few weeks. While Sansa may think LF is in KL, she may think that the Vale Lords will protect her, since they did keep her safe from Cersei before her marriage to Ramsay.
*throws in a $20*
I agree. I don’t know about my other predictions, but with this one I’m 100% sure that I’m right. 😀
Sarah Stark,
Why is her life more valuable than his? I don’t think he should sacrifice himself for Sansa. Theon has repaid any debt in full, in my opinion. He will never father children. He’s a very young man who will never be with a woman again. He’s been disowned by his father. What place is there in this society for a man such as this?
What has Sansa done but spend the last few years groveling and sniveling and bad-mouthing her family? She had a family who wanted her but she called them traitors. He has no one who wants him..but for Yara. Why should he sacrifice his life for hers?
BunBunStark,
Well this is not exactly a theory. It is based, If I understood well, on the book. And maybe order is a harsh word to use but this is what happens. Now what will happen in the show remains to be seen but I think that Davos will probably follow with Sansa in her rally to unite the North because she will need his expertise more than the I am Sansa Stark mantra.
Don’t forget that Sansa is part Tully (rivers/ fish). Perhaps her hesitation in jumping into the river symbolizes a fear in reclaiming her identity. From the way Alfie descirbes this I’m reminded of Bran, Rickon, Osha, and Hodor evading capture by Theon and the other iron men by sending the wolves swimming up river while they doubled back to the crypts of winterfell. GRRM made sure to note how exceptional the stark children’s wolves were at swimming. Can’t wait to watch
Kay,
We’ll see soon of course, but I have to say that I think it unlikely. There is noone really to interact with in the Vale and we know that Sophie said that characters will meet up that never met up before (or something like that, I don’t quite remember exactly). Also, it was LF’s plan all along to get the Vale army north, so it would be kind of a let down to have Sansa “convince” Lord Royce to ride north and help conquer Winterfell.
In the history of Westeros how many Kings do you think got buy without knowing how swords worked? Looking pretty doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Anon,
Not that I want any kind of sacrifice, but Theon betrayed everyone, killed a bunch of people that were his friends for years and murdered two innocent boys. I don’t see how he could ever “repay” for any of that.
But still, after all that had happened to him, I hope things will get better for him too.
As for Sansa, she has been a silly young girl but she didn’t harm anyone, at least not intentionally.
Alfie has stated that things continue to be dark for Theon…as if they could be any darker…I wonder if D&D will give him the “disturbing” Damphair chapter GRRM spoke about a while back? Maybe Euron does some f*cked up sh*t to him…lol Reek just can’t win man.
It has always seemed obvious to me that Melisandre’s “kings blood” is actually Targaryen blood. Just look at all of the people she is really interested in, Stannis, Gendry, Shireen and Jon. That is why I believe her attempted seduction of Jon was another clue or confirmation towards his heratige.
Sou,
Yes. That hacking off of Rodrik’s head was horrifying. I think that other guy(can’t recall his name) killed the boys, and Theon burned their dead bodies.
Not to say that beheading is ever “humane”, but we delude ourselves that a clean cut is better than hacking off… Ok, so I’ll play along. Anyway, I have compassion for Theon. And, there has to be a way to be good again….or, we’re all doomed.
There’s nothing more that I can ask of this poor, wretched boy.
Sean C.,
Not sure, but here’s one thing I do know. For all the speculation of Brienne saving Sansa and Theon and taking them various places (usually somewhere in the North), no one has really explained how Theon gets to the Iron Islands, and by Episode 5 no less. That’s something that has not yet been set up at all. With Sansa it seems likely she stays somewhere in the North (be it the Vale or Winterfell), but Theon has to somehow get in the complete opposite direction from her, very unaided. If the big issue we have with Brienne not saving Sansa is “how does she get away from there then?” then why aren’t we applying the same logic to how Theon gets south of Winterfell as well? I’ve seen it speculated that Yara comes and gets him, but we have absolutely no setup for that. You know who we do have set-up for being in the area of Winterfell, and who we haven’t seen since Season 5 Episode 6 (giving him plenty of time to get there in the background?) Littlefinger. At yet we’re loathe to think that they would somehow have him miraculously coming to Sansa’s aid at this point, despite the fact that she’s with him in the books and the Winterfell marriage thing was a diversion for her on the show (meaning they will probably have her get back to him asap). I think it’s exactly what will happen, and I think it’s exactly what they already went out of their way to set up last season: Littlefinger will be in the area.
So I will continue to predict:
– Sansa is picked up by Littlefinger
– Brienne saves Theon and brings him south while nursing a hunch as to where Sansa has gotten away to, or mistakenly thinking they are going in the same direction that she is. Or she’s really wrong and thinks Sansa is dead or something.
Don’t ask me the why and the how of it at this point. If I’m thinking of these characters as pieces on a chessboard, I’m just saying that this is scenario that gets them where they are actually rumoured to be going to best.
I don’t care about being wrong. But if I’m right and I’m the only one, it will be such fun. 🙂
kit_hepburn,
I will applaud you if you’re right. Personally I try to speculate as little as possible because a. I am really bad at it and b. I like to be surprised. 🙂
Gee…Alfie how about giving away EVERY story beat????
Nikki,
And you’re point is… Sansa is supposed to know as much about the wilderness as she does about embroidery? What does swords have to do with anything? And being pretty? Huh?
As far as hunting, wandering in the wilderness (and escaping from Ramsey’s hounds) Theon as a character has more expertise than Sansa as a character. Sansa as a noblewoman has a vastly different skillset. That what I was saying… not sure what you’re saying…
Pigeon,
I like you.
kit_hepburn,
That’s as good as any of the other speculation I’ve seen. In fact, it makes more sense than most of what I’ve seen. And isn’t Yara/Asha in the II in E2? So…she’s supposed to get up North, save Theon, boat him back to Pyke and have him there by E5? Talk about a swift boating. 😉
If you still believe that Sansa will not end up at the wall you haven’t been paying attention.
look at that pic:
http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/e7aed52ce521b68c3e0c562c95036337ce4284c3480a5fa60dc45c95c8d96791a1f744752eaae8e7d44fcb172231c523.jpg
on the very left. There she stands. It’s clearly her dress.
kit_hepburn,
We don’t know exactly why Theon returns to the Iron Islands, but the how is pretty obvious. Either after being rescued, or after they get to Castle Black, for whatever reason, Theon decides to go home and is given a horse. He goes to [port / Ironborn outpost] and goes home.
We know they are supposed to have filmed in the Vale. For Littlefinger to go from the Vale in episode 1 or wherever to the middle of the Wolfswood in time to catch Sansa would be the most implausible travel in this show’s history.
“He kills someone for the first time in ages”?
And pushing Myranda a moment ago was not a kill?
We know that Sansa now has two pieces of information from her time with Ramsay:
1. Jon is at the Wall.
2. Bran and Rickon are alive.
She has three options after escaping from the Boltons (which she apparently does, thanks to Brienne and Pod):
1. The Wall
2. Seek shelter with a northern lord
3. Go to the Vale
I think either 1 or 2 are far more likely. If she were making for the Vale, she’d have to run into a northern lord or two en route anyway, either at Moat Caillen or White Harbor. Most likely she’d go via White Harbor, since going overland past Moat Caillen and then along the high road to the Vale would be a huge risk with the mountain clans in play. She’s not Arya, she doesn’t have the street smarts to get herself onto a ship alone and without money, and I see her as far more likely to seek shelter with the kinds of power players she understands.
I also think that both of those pieces of information will come into play in some way. I’m betting she goes to the Wall first, and that she also shares with Davos and/or Brienne that her brothers are alive. She may not command Davos to go look for them, but he may offer (hence wandering about and discovering Shireen’s pyre?)
It’s also possible, I guess, that she sends Brienne down towards the Vale (or KL) to take a message to LF and/or the Vale lords requesting their army.
Of course, I’m almost always wrong about the decisions that D&D make with the story, so who knows.
BrienneGPS lives! Apparently she has an invisibility cloak as well, which allows her to pass through armies unseen.
Clearly, based on last season this crap was all but inevitable, but do we really need to start S6 with this kind of hack-writing plot hole?
You think that’s clearly Sansa? For one, that’s a horse leg at the very bottom left. It’s someone sitting on a horse just out of the picture and the cloak is hanging down. The pattern on the cloak appears darker than Sansa’s as well. I can’t say it isn’t her but I can’t say it’s “clear” either. The river pic is directly below that pic in the picture post and it’s easy to say they’re different.
http://watchersonthewall.com/20-new-official-game-of-thrones-photos-released-from-season-6/
What episode do you think Euron will debut?
fierce as a wolverine,
Sansa sends Brieene and Pod to find Arya 🙂
kit_hepburn,
You are thinking too much about Sansa in the books. That is the reason why you are ignoring all informations we have from the cast, from filming, and everything that was set up last season with Sansa and Jon.
LF can’t be waiting for Sansa in the snow beacuse he will be in the Vale.
4?
kit_hepburn,
Seriously do you read what you write? How can Sansa stay at Winterfell when she has just escaped from there and Ramsey is after her? How she will escape to the Vale which is South in order to fit your wild fantasy of her being saved by LF? Why do we need a set up or special narrative ploy for Theon to go to Iron Islands? Isn’t it enough that after he is being saved by Brienne and Pod leaves them on a horse? And LF was at KL by episode 7 and we know that when Sansa and Reek jump from the Wall he hasn’t yet arrived in Vale which we know he will visit before heading north with the Vale’s army. How is it possible to have him near WFs walls by episode 1? Please do us a favour and watch carefully the trailers, read carefully the news from the set, read even more carefully what people with decent deductive skills have to say.
fierce as a wolverine,
Sansa can’t go to the White Harbor after her escape, because Wyman Manderly will play a small part next season, only one scene.
The Umbers will fight for the Boltons . I don’t know if they will switch sides during the battle, but we do know that lord Umber will appear in only 2 episodes. One of those will be E9, and the other will be an episode where he has a meeting with Ramsay at WF, so no time for Sansa in the LH either.
Karhold is unlikely because the Karstarks will fight for the Boltons also. Lord Karstark will appear in 3 episodes. Meeting with Ramsay, the battle episode and I believe E10, because there are no reports that he will die in the battle. It is possible that he will return in S7 as well.
So that leaves only CB as a possibility for Sansa.
In the show’s story I think it makes perfect sense for them to send her initially towards Last Hearth with a plan to contact Jon from that position, or at least be in a location for coincidental meeting. The Eyrie is farther, and heading south just seems like a bad idea from the start. Theon (and B&P) should have enough knowledge of what’s going on to steer her away from that plan. They’re going to have to head where they believe it’s safest, which to them seems to be north. Bran in the show sent Rickon and Osha toward Last Hearth so I wouldn’t be surprised if Sansa doesn’t come up with the same idea. I’d say that opens the door wide for the return of those characters as well.
Flayed Potatoes,
I agree. 3 or 4.
dothrakian raven,
Uh…where did she say Sansa was staying at Winterfell? Where is the evidence that LF is in the Vale as of E1 or 2? How do you know LF has not yet reached the Vale by the time Sansa jumps?
Dude, I’m saying you’re making a lot of leaps. You might be right, but you might be wrong. And from reading what you wrote, I find your analysis and reasoning skills wholly unreliable.
Clob,
It makes some sense, but we know that lord Umber will appear in only 2 episodes and we know what he will do in both of them.
The evidence is leaks we have from filming. LF will have a scene with lord Royce and lord Arryn in the Vale at some point next season.
mau,
To be fair, I think there was a point where we conceded that Sansa wouldn’t be at Castle Black, based on filming information (as in, there was none). And then for some reason, everyone changed their minds. Maybe because of the blue cloak in the Castle Black picture? (a fair point)
I’m not ignoring the setup about Sansa and Jon. They will obviously 100% meet up again. I’m just skeptical that it will be at Castle Black, in time for Jon’s resurrection.
I seem to have missed the confirmation that Littlefinger is for sure in the Vale Episode 1 (as opposed to some other episode).
mau,
In the Vale at some point. Not disagreeing. But where do we have proof that it’s episode 1 or 2?
Um – Ramsay, who is now one of the main villains of both the book and TV series?
HotPinkLipstick,
I don’t know about the episode, but is obvious that he will go to the North after his scenes in the Vale. So, ho can’t meet with Sansa in E1.
My point is this, kit’s speculation fits with the verifiable facts as any other speculation I’ve seen. And just because it’s likely LF goes from KL to the Vale and he’s there when Sansa jumps, it’s not confirmed that he is.
So getting all personally up in someone’s business when they actually post something that’s remotely interesting and different from the tired, “Sansa is weak and X shows it” v. the “Sansa is weak and X shows it” honks me off.
I’d rather read new and different speculation than read the same crap over and over again.
Just because you don’t agree or don’t think it’s likely seems a petty reason to shut someone down.
kit_hepburn,
I was convinced that Sansa will go to the CB after I watched S5E7 and her scene with Ramsay and everything I heard about S6 so far didn’t change my opinion.
mau,
Just as in the books, a house could be fighting on a side for several reasons without true allegiance. The Umbers for instance could fight on any line just to survive while thinking there are no Starks. *shrug*
I guess I can’t rule out Last Hearth due to our belief of certain characters not being there.
Clob,
Was it ever reported on WOTW that the file names for those pictures had the episode number that they were from? I saw this on another site, and was wondering if it was correct. Anyway, here is supposedly which episodes these pics are from:
6×01:
6×02:
6×03:
6×04:
6×05:
Maybe the OP was suggesting that crazy bitch was barely human 😛
dothrakian raven,
Um, did you read what I wrote? I never once said Sansa would stay at Winterfell. I also never said she would head south to the Vale by herself. I said it’s possible the show would Deus Ex Machina Littlefinger to some extent to have him be at Winterfell in time to pick her up.
Paying attention to filming information? I have been. Early on in filming there was a scene, with Sophie, close to the Winterfell set, with Aiden Gillen’s trailer and a bunch of horses purported as having some connection to the Vale. This was early on in filming mind you, before Bastard Bowl had gotten underway, and before the leak about Sansa, Jon, Ramsay and Littlefinger filming in the Winterfell courtyard. Therefore, I am offering an alternative explanation for that scene, based on the timing of filming. Are there other explanations for where that scene occurs? Obviously. Just as there are other explanations for what episode in particular Littlefinger talks to the Vale lords.
I wish very much that Sansa makes it to Castle Black, if it means that much to everyone (again, I personally don’t care). Aside from some cloth in a picture, I just don’t remember any filming spoilers that she ends up there. Maybe she does. The fact remains, she still likely ends up back with Littlefinger.
HotPinkLipstick,
I really don’t think that I was petty and I also like new speculations and new theories, but LF waiting for Sansa in the snow is something that won’t happen, and not because I don’t like that, but because informationes we got from the filming suggest otherwise.
LF will return to the Vale before he goes to the North, so he can’t wait for Sansa in the snow in E1 or 2.
That’s it. I like fresh speculation, but speculation about something that is contradicting the info we have is not very useful.
Late to the party but now I know who the actor was who cried No,no, when he heard his character was killed off. And why he thought it would be a good idea to spill some beans. Something tells me he may have burned a bridge or two with that one
BTW the EW article refeenced in the last several posts was excellent, well worth reading. Also an article about fandom that would make an interesting discussion post some time along the way.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Which site?
HotPinkLipstick,
1. Read what she says: “…That’s something that has not yet been set up at all. With Sansa it seems likely she stays somewhere in the North (be it the Vale or Winterfell), but Theon has to somehow get in the complete opposite direction from her, very unaided…” S/he says that it seems likely that Sansa stays either in Vale or Winterfell (?????) 2. We will have to see LF in the Vale, according to film info (unless I remember wrong). We have not seen LF in Vale BEFORE the jump which means that after the jump LF is almost impossible to have managed to be teleported with a whole army near WF when we know that he arrives late for the battle in episode 9.
mau,
Nah, that other dude was being petty.
I completely and absolutely disagree with your assumption that Sansa makes it to CB by E7. I also don’t think it’s a lock that LF is in the Vale in E1. I think it’s it’s an 85% probability, but not an absolute.
So kit’s spec has merit and it’s enjoyable.
If they had not made such a point of Ramsey telling Sansa Jon was Lord Commander I could see other scenarios but making it that obvious means Sansa is heading for Castle Black and Ramsey knows thats where she is heading. Brieanne is already established as being in vicinity so her showing up to save Theon and Sansa isnt a big surprise. This gets Sansa and Theon on horseback (riding with Brienne and Pod)which means by end of first or second episode they can be safely out of hunting range and somewhere that makes it possible for Theon to get to the Iron Islands and Sansa on her way to Castle Black
I really think that we don’t understand each other.
It doesn’t matter in which episode LF will be in the Vale. What matter is that he will be in the Vale before he goes to the North, which means he can’t be in the North in E1 or 2, which means he can’t meet with Sansa in the snow, which means Brienne will save Theon and Sansa, just like Alfie said.
And I also never said that I think that Sansa will make it to the CB by E7. I said I was convinced that Sansa will go there after I watched E7 of season 5.
dothrakian raven,
Dude, I meant that she stays in the general vicinity of the North during the season, and eventually ends up at Winterfell again at some point. Am I wrong that the filming information tells us she’s at Winterfell again at some point? Calm down.
My theory was that:
– Brienne and Podrick rescue Sansa and Theon from the Bolton hunters (which is confirmed now)
– They decide not to go to the Wall since that would be the obvious direction. Instead they head towards White Harbor and are captured by Manderly soldiers in 6×02 or 6×03. Meanwhile, Ramsay writes the “Pink Letter” to (a resurrected) Jon, kicking off the conflict that ultimately leads to the “Battle of the Bastards”.
– Sansa, Theon, Brienne and Pod are brought before Lord Too-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse and fear he will hand them over to the Boltons. But Manderly delivers a show-version of his famous speech and reveals himself to be a Stark loyalist and part of a Northern conspiracy to bring down the Boltons.
– It turns out that his fleet captured Yara Greyjoy after her botched rescue attempt at the Dreadfort (4×06). Manderly wants Theon to be executed for treason, but Sansa can convince him to let the Greyjoys go, because Theon in fact did not kill her little brothers and saved her from Ramsay (and Pod from the Bolton hunters). There might also be a message saying that Balon has died and Euron is back to claim the Seastone Chair (the Iron Island scenes building up to Balon’s death will only feature Balon, Damphair and Euron in this case).
– Theon and Yara decide to go home to make their own claim
– Sansa either stays behind in White Harbor and helps to rally the other Nothern Lords or she decides to go to the Vale. Brienne and Podrick take her there, but are send away by Sansa to search for Arya or to deliver a message to the Blackfish at Riverrun, because Littlefinger would not want them around after what happened at the Inn in 5×02.
But yes, this is mostly wishful thinking 😉 I agree that it is more likely for the show to have Sansa go to Castle Black (there is also the piece of cloak in the Mel promo picture at CB, which looks a lot like Sansa’s). Still curious how they will manage to get Theon and Brienne/Pod out of the North in the first half of the season…
Theon will want to return home after everything. And Sansa will send Brienne to find Arya after she hears that she was alive.
While in the Riverlands, Brienne will hear about Jaime’s involvement in the siege of Riverrun and she will go there to remind him of his oaths to Catelyn.
TheKingWhoCares,
Lol, thank you. This must not be coming across in my responses, but my concern is not Sansa. I don’t care where she ends up to have this epic storyline she’s bound for. My interest and concern is how the heck Theon and Brienne get south in the *amount of time* specified based on filming spoilers (Castle Black to anywhere is not a negligible amount of travel time), and have that logistically make sense in terms of their stories (which are incredibly important and interesting in their own right).
Do you mean it’s the same dress she wore when she jumped from Winterfell?
kit_hepburn,
Yes at some point in episode 10… How do you define the vicinity of WF? The fact that a scene between Sansa and LF was filmed in the beginning of the filming period and preceded the filming of the Bastardsbowl does not mean that it will be placed in the first episode. It goes without saying that they don’t film in chronological order. It most probably is a scene between Sansa and LF after the big battle.
MeeraReed,
It is not the same, but Sansa is the only person who can wear something like that.
tkk,
Probably 90% sure. I did a lot of side-by-side comparisons and what we can see is an extremely close match to the bottom two “open cuffs & chains” on their sigil.
Ok, obviously I am wrong about Theon being killed (btw does anyone know who he ended up killing? Ramsey I hope?) Which is really making me wonder if indeed we are being trolled. Coz I can’t imagine D&D being happy that he gave so much away
I can very easily see Sansa not wanting to jump into a freezing river, for many of the same reasons already suggested. What would be cool if she used her head, and perhaps spotted a log, or some rocks to climb across. Ahhhhh ok then.
This season cannot start fast enough for me.
I’d guess he’s talking about Dagmer, the main ironborn guy helping Theon. I don’t recall how it all went down in the show specifically, but it was not the same as what happened in the books, and I don’t think Ramsay was really involved. Still, I would say it doesn’t matter whether Theon committed the act personally, either way he ordered it and he is culpable.
dothrakian raven,
I don’t believe it was ever stated that Sansa and LF were filming together, incidentally. Sophie was known to be there one day, and Gillen’s trailer was spotted there another. Now, it’s a reasonable deduction, but they could have been filming separately, for all we know.
Sean C.,
I thought there were a couple of pictures of them both together in the early filming period but maybe I am mistaken…
I really hope Sansa, at the end of the season, isn’t with Littlefinger. Since the writer’s decided to skip the Alayne angle, I really want to see her somewhere safe enough to flex her own influence. Since she left King’s Landing, it has been LF pulling the strings and calling the shots (even when he gives her a “choice” to go to the Bolton’s at Winterfell). I’m anxious for her arc. Excited but anxious because she has had meaty stuff in the past but it’s time to see her leading her plot and not just a player to advance other stories.
dothrakian raven,
Castle Black Lodge….TripAdvisor rating 4 out of 5 stars
Stay at the edge of the known world.
The warmest and safest place in the Gift.
Best mutton stew north of Winterfell, bread baked fresh daily.*
Enjoy a round of Castle Black’s locally brewed Take the Black Ale.*
Sleep in the comfy Nightswatch barracks, with all the earthy smells of a timber and stone fortress. Women and children have their own chambers in the safety of the Towers.
Mingle with Lords and serfs alike; slight of hand experts, lusty men, and battle hardened losers.
Fresh latrines dug daily, weather permitting.
Optional twice weekly baths.**
Activities
Take part in daily sparing exercises at your own risk.
Hone your archery skills.
Play with a Direwolf.
Optional day trips to the Haunted Forest accompanied by a Ranger, must sign liability waiver.**
Late night visits to Mole’s Town, the only authorized purveyor of certified Wildling women.**
Listen to the nightly fireside stories of Maester Aemon.
Take the lift to the top of the famous wonder “The Wall” for the most thrilling and spectacular views in all of Westeros, weather permitting.
*Ingredients vary
**Not included with stay, extra cost
Note: Because of short staffing due to attrition or missing brothers, the Lord Commander may volunteer you for an extended stay.
I agree it is not the same dress. It’s not even the same material. It most likely is Sansa’s dress, but a week ago I would have said the hand grabbing Bran’s arm could not belong to the NK.
It will be great when we finally get to see the actual scene. 🙂
Sou,
In the show Theon is responsibility for the boys’ by proxy and Ser Rodrik’s deaths. Hardly a bunch. Seems to me Yara killed a boy (and a bunch) during the rescue attempt but we don’t go on and on about that innocent boy’s life, do we? Killing is awful but I don’t get why Theon’s crime by proxy is so much worse than other characters’ crimes? Nor his “betrayal” He chose family over friendship. Bad choice for sure but hardly actual betrayal in this world?
Thank you. I’m reading a lot of “LF has a scene in the Vale in 6×01” therefore he can’t be in north to run into Sansa. Where is this proof that it is certain he’s in the Vale in episode 1?
And, really, kit_hepburn’s speculation is not so wildly off base that she should be attacked for posting a different theory than others.
Oh god, I LMAO at the highlighted part. I don’t know why I found it so hilarious. Anyway, you’re right, we can’t be certain one way or another based on that pic that that’s Sansa. I will admit, however, that I hope it is. But no I don’t think the horse leg is Sansa’s. LOL.
Anon,
Well, Hear! Hear! Is all I can say.
To hijack the eternal “Where will Sansa go” question…Sansa will do something awesome (Elizabethish), somewhere(Manderlyish), this is what I choose to believe. Sucks to be anything else.
BUT
What do we think Littlefinger will do?
Will he not even know Sansa has escaped, because the Boltons will hide the fact from him?
Will he find out, try to find her but fail and flail about?
Will he find her, take her back to the Vale? Back to Winterfell? To another Northman?
Will he find her and become just a piece in Sansa’s Northern plans?
Will he run amok doing other things with other plotlines? Where? When? Why?
Will he absent most of the season, to pop up at the battle with a Vale army to fight? On which side?
Dornish Pastie,
I think they were talking about Dagmer when they were talking about the guy that killed the farmboys
Somebody got there before me
It’s obviously a woman’s dress. Honestly, it can only be Sansa, unless it’s a new character, a Northern lady or something… but nah, it’s probably Sansa.
ladywolfsbane,
We know he’ll be in the Vale for at least one episode, from filming info. Assume he appears in 609 and 610 and you’ve got at least three appearances. That’s within the range of some characters (he’s made as few as four appearances a season in the past, and we’ve seen other comparable regulars — the Boltons, Team Dragonstone — drop lower than that).
My guess is he’s not going to appear in the North until the battle, and perhaps Sansa will head out to meet with him and bring the Arryn forces to Snowbowl.
I’ve seen a lot of suggestions that Littlefinger will be playing both sides, but I don’t think that makes much sense for him at this point. Assuming the show is consistent, the Valemen have been established as Stark loyalists (more uniformly than in the books) who only like Littlefinger because Sansa vouched for him. We can assume that Littlefinger is going to spin some yarn about how the Boltons kidnapped her to explain why she’s not with him anymore — which I think is implausible, but plot necessitates they believe him — or else just say that the two of them are working on some scheme. Given all that, the Arryn forces wouldn’t be interested in backing the Boltons. Moreover, Baelish both (a) lusts after Sansa and (b) requires her to cement his power in the North. What does he really gain by sidling up to the Boltons, who he could crush easily anyway?
According to TripAdvisor, Castle Black has an excellent ladies’ clothing boutique.
Team Hodor,
And Jeyne aka. FArya most likely will make it to the Wall in the books. She was the girl on the horse that Melisandre saw in the flames. And she said Arya comes to the Wall, but it will be Jeyne who only ”wears” Arya’s identity.
tyjon,
I have been very recently in a similar place in northern Italy so I know… 🙂
Sean C.,
Excellent. I think this debunks a lot of peoples theories about Littlefinger… he’s not that big a character really on the show. If he’s only in 3 or 4 episodes… can he really be everywhere? Nah…
But the Vale not siding with the Boltons? What if they think Sansa is still there willingly? What about the Vale siding with the Boltons… until Sansa shows up and turns the tide? Hmmm…
tyjon,
Playing with a direwolf is not optional? I’d pay the extra and sign a waiver! 5 stars!
Sean C.,
LF can tell lords of the Vale the truth about Sansa. He didn’t force her to marry Ramsay after all.
Or he can also manipulate Robin to order his bannermen to invade the North.
He is their liege lord.
BunBunStark,
HotPinkLipstick,
Why thank you very much! 🙂
I don’t mind getting into a spirited discussion of opposing opinions at all, it’s just when people tell me to “do them a favour and watch the trailers, read the articles, etc.” and that I’m not being logical like everyone else who posts and that I’m not reading the filming spoilers… then I feel the need to defend myself, because I have spent *way* too many hours of my time absorbing all the latest news to not be able to chime in with my opinion at this point, lol. I mean, that’s a lot of wasted man-hours of my life that I’d like to be acknowledged there. 😀 Plus, I started chiming in because others had a tendency to disregard the timing of some other filming spoilers that I do remember with certainty (eg. Theon at the Kingsmoot). So, you know… people in glass houses and all that. Thanks for reading and understanding what I was trying to put out there.
<st
rong>Dornish Pastie,
Ramsay didn’t kill the two orphan boys at Winterfell. Dagmar(Ironborn) did. Theon then burned their dead bodies.
That’s correct. “Arse” is how we refer to one’s posterior, bottom or buttocks.
“Ass” means a donkey.
mau,
Indeed. That’s my instinct as well – from the point of view of logic.
Last season, though, I thought that there was no logic at all in sending Sansa to Winterfell to marry Ramsay, so my logic doesn’t necessarily match up with the writers’ logic. (Which is absolutely not a gratuitous shot at the writers, simply a statement that I’m bad at predicting what will happen. Love the show, don’t mind the variations from the books.)
The lords might not care to hear that Littlefinger went behind their backs to initiate a dangerous operation that he now expects them to carry out.
THANK YOU! Finally someone said it.
Which site?
Theon will be back in the II by episode 5 for the Kingsmoot, right? Any chance he gets there even earlier?
r-hard,
From what I know, most fans believe that the girl on horse that Melisandre saw was Alys Karstark. The grey girl on dying horse, and riding alone. This description matches Alys better. It is unlikely that Jeyne will be riding alone on a dying horse when/if she reaches the Wall. Stannis sends a retinue with her.
Jack Bauer 24,
I am gonna guess he is there in episode 4 so there is a build up of tension for the Kingsmoot
Shaz,
I’m not expecting her to kiss him hello.
Brienne encountering Davos would be an interesting thing to happen. Would she trust him as she knows he was Stannis follower. Also, how would Davos react if he comes to know that she killed Stannis…..
He gave away next to nothing and provided hardly any spoiler. It gives away nothing about the plot and still less about the story. Indeed, the trailers strongly hinted at this (although trailers are notorious for mixing scenes in such a way as to make it look as if something like this happened by, say, mixing a scene of Brienne fighting in the snow from the middle of the season with Sansa & Theon fleeing through snow early in the season.
The big “spoilers” for us would be: where are they going? Is Sansa going to Castle Black? Will Brienne have some other idea? Will Bran nudge them elsewhere?
But I seriously doubt that anyone thought that they’d be recaptured by Ramsay’s men. (Personally, I’m surprised they figured out soon enough to provide chase.)
aabe,
Indeed, the whole point of that was to show us that what Mel sees comes true unless something is done to prevent it: but that Mel is not omniscient, and although she usually comes up with fairly simple and plausible explanations for what she sees, sometimes there are other simple and plausible explanations that she did not know to consider.
But… but… the Starks are good…. and the Greyjoys are EVIL….
Seriously, you are absolutely correct. Theon had to betray family or friends: once Theon’s father decided to attack the Starks, Theon could not be loyal to both. But, guess what: Clash of Kings told a story about what people due when they are stuck with conflicted loyalties. Theon was part of that.
Among the Westerosi nobility, there probably is no greater dishonor than betraying your family. This is emphasized over and over again. If Theon had remained loyal to the Starks, and if things had turned out differently so that Robb Stark prevailed or at least survived with power intact, Theon would have been a man without a home, and a man that other Westerosi nobles would have considered inherently untrustworthy. It would almost ironic: by “proving” his loyalty to the Starks, all that Theon would have done is proven that he has no true loyalty.
But, again: this is the sort of thing that GRRM uses for story all the time.
Why? There’s a dead body in the middle of the courtyard, one Ramsay would immediately connect to Theon and Sansa. He would notice they were missing within minutes. Given their poor physical condition and the snow, Sansa and Theon would be hard pressed to move even two miles and hour. There’s no reason to think Ramsay and his army would be more than a mile back. That’s effectively worthless as a head start when your competing against trained hounds and thousands of mounted men.
Don’t worry though. Brienne will somehow teleport through said army, which will have scattered just perfectly enough so that the has someone to fight but not too many. Because Drama(tm) or something. The only question is whether D&D will try to paper over the plot holes by giving reason for Brienne to teleport (say, the old northern guy showing up and saying he/someone saw Sansa escape) or if it will just happen. There’s no logical way for incredibly-not-subtle Brienne to move through heavily infested enemy territory, but as we saw in S5E10, that doesn’t matter. If Brienne needs to be somewhere for the kill, then by the gods, she will be.
Yeah, not going into the river seems like a smart move. Even if it’s only ankle-deep, she’s still going to have wet feet, which will quickly result in frostbite unless she stops to build a fire to dry out her footwear, which wouldn’t really be an option with Ramsay following her. Also, gathering dry wood and kindling, and building a fire in a cold, wet environment would be quite difficult, and Sansa may not have ever learned those kind of outdoorsy skills.
The most likely result would be death by hypothermia and frostbite after her feet were too numb to feel, and she collapsed in the snow…unless Ramsay found her there, brought her back to Winterfell, and and cut away the frostbitten flesh of her feet with his flaying knife to prevent gangrene…because he still needs her alive.
If the river was deeper, the chances of survival would be even lower. I’ve tried swimming in warm, calm water in jeans and a t-shirt, and it was surprisingly difficult. Fighting the current of an icy river in that heavy dress and cloak, while your limbs quickly go numb would essentially be suicide. Given the circumstances, that might not be an unreasonable choice to make, but it would be a pretty disappointing story arc if Sansa survived the jump from the wall only to commit suicide in the first episode by drowning herself in an icy river.
In my opinion, looking for any possible option that doesn’t involve getting soaked is actually the smart decision.
It’s great to see Brienne still has her magical plot teleporter. It’s amazing how she always manages to walk into important people at the right time. At first, I thought it was due to the amazingly shitty and incompetent writing of D&D, but now I’m sure season 6 will reveal she has a crystal ball which gives her exact GPS coordinates of every character.
no_one,
This is a series with Dragons and warging. Convenient teleporting shouldn’t be upsetting.
Clob,
Good find. Now look at a black horse behind Sansa. There is a purse hanging on the black horse. It looks like little finger’s purse. He had it when he was talking with Cercei at Kings Landing. The rider’s clothes also resemble little fingers. Does he go there with Sansa? It is a wild speculation.
no_one,
I really don’t know why so many people talk about Brienne teleporting?
It’s not as if she is miles away from WF walls, on the contrary it’s totally plausible that given she and Pod are just oitside WF could meet with somebody just come out of it.
Anon,
Cannot argue there… I also hope for a better future for Theon, although I am afraid he’s not going to last too long…
Singedbylife,
How about the people at Winterfell? I mean, simple people, soldiers and stuff, not people with names.
Surely you must admit that Theon was a real jerk, and an annoying little shit at that. As for chosing family over friends… Noone forced him to chose anything, he just chose to usurp Winterfell.
Having said that, after all that happened to him, I do have empathy for him and hope things will get better.
Forgive my saying that, but this is stupid. Pray explain how any novel, film, tv show whatever could ever be if the main characters wandered about without ever finding each other. It may be a possibility in real life, but hay, this is fantasy.
Sou,
I guess we will have to agree to disagree.
NB – I love having found a place where all members seem to be rather intelligent and mature. Sorely lacking on other sites.
Sou,
He is a known troll. Don’t bother with him. Replying to him only feeds his trolling.
Just ignore him. It works really well. Since most people stopped replying to trolls the comments have gotten a lot better!
It’s not teleporting…. Podrick could get the message to Brienne that the candle was lit and Sansa is in danger. And even possible to tell her that Sansa has escaped from the castle and Bolton soldiers are searching for her.
Kay,
Really, why? Lol.
dothrakian raven,
Why painful? Lol. So some people specumalated that they get separated and Brienne finds Theon but Sansa isn’t in the vicinity. Not a biggie.
Jack Bauer 24,
Davos will be in the battle and it’ll be “glorious” Hype? yes. He’s got a way of bringing that out 🙂 Looking forward to seeing his skills on the field.
I saw that when someone posted it in a thread yesterday. Had to re-watch HH after Liam brought it up as his favorite. Doesn’t quite have the same impact as the first go around. I envy the Thrones virgins who are just now bingeing the series and seeing the awesome parts for the first time.
Sansa is in my opinion one of the more boring points of view in the books and I wouldn’t lose too much sleep if she was killed off soon. Looking at season 6 it appears fairly obvious she will go to Castle Black to meet Jon, rally him and then go to the Vale forces for the big battle.
Theon is heading back to the Iron Islands and then Valantis so I am guessing he survives the season too.
My thoughts exactly! It is quite a relief to share views without (or hardly any) insult etc.
Just not bring up the Daenerys + fire issue. Everybody goes nuts over that one!
aabe,
They wrong. 😉
After Brienne and Pod save them, Sansa has to be reunited with LF in a way (to get Vale army). Spoilers claim she and LF come together to Winterfell on ep 9 with the army… so she hasn’t been with Jon or any Northern Lord… i believe she will go to Vale. Theon gets a horse and goes on his road after an emotional scene.
Now on why Brienne leaves her and go to Riverlands, i believe she will be sworn to Sansa. LF will give Sansa the idea to sent Brienne to help Blackfish…as LF knows her good relationship with Jaime. We have spoilers of a scene with Blackfish and Brienne, there is no way he will let her in the castle if she wasn’t on his side.
Sou,
Duly noted 😉
mau,
A question I have is why are these Northern houses, who by all accounts were loyal to the Starks, turn against the remaining ones and wish to have Bolton be Lord of Winterfell? Is it all because Robb removed the Karstark patriarch’s head? Did they truly believe Ned a traitor to the crown? And are they not aware the true nature of the Bolton men?
ygritte,
Because Jon is traitor as well.
ash,
You don’t actually think that Theon will kill Ramsay in episode 1, do you? It’s probably just a random Bolton soldier. Ramsay will obviously be part of
thornofhighgarden,
In the show, Dagmer’s role is much more pronounced. He’s the brain of the plan to kill “Bran and Rickon”.
In the books,
kit_hepburn,
What spirited conversation are you talking about? You have consistently broken the laws of logic. You insist on claiming that Brienne will save Theon and not Sansa because out of a magical, supernatural reason she will not see her in the woods or maybe because Sansa she can really do the super marathon in a sprint and spring alone all the way to LF’s arms somewhere between KL and the Vale. Brienne is in a radie of a couple of kilometers from both Theon and Sansa, LF is thousands of miles away and probably doesn’t even know that Sansa escaped from WF and you keep writing about Sansa that she somehow will be found by LF. There is a reason why Brienne is so close to Sansa and the reason is that she WANTS to save her because of an oath she gave 4 seasons ago. Furthermore D&D wouldn’t have set up Briennes following of Sansa only to let a 18ys old woman alone in the woods, in a vast area that belongs to her husband who by the way wants her back at all costs. Then you say that she will go back to WF (not making the distinction that WF is not an unspecified area but a very specific castle ruled by the Boltons) or Vale (which is further, further south and difficult for a woman on foot to reach by herself) and when I correct you that after the jump there is no way for her she will go back to WF at least not until the end of the battle, that is ep. 10 you come back and talk about spirited conversations and all the precious time you spent reading the news (missing of course the news that have LF to stop by Vale on the way to WF and have a scene with Lord Aryn and Lord Royce which means that he will be nowhere near WF by at least ep. 3 or 4 by which time Sansa will have been saved by Brienne) and that you want to be acknowledged for this. No way man. Not by me.
dothrakian raven,
… wow.
I see it continues.
To put it bluntly, you’re being really rude.
kit_hepburn,
I agree, no need for rudeness.
I too have wondered about how Theon might get back to the II and what that would mean for the rest of the little party. But I think some posters came up with reasonable explanations. Brienne could also bring Sansa to the Last Hearth where she reunites with Rickon. Afterwards Sansa has Brienne bring Theon back to a harbour and look for Arya in the Riverlands. I guess Yara will need to bring Theon back as a figure head after Euron tells her she’s not fit to rule because uterus. So I can see them meeting up halfway. Or a more outlandish possibility: Pod obviously graduates by killing the bolton soldier, so what if he and Theon go off on a road trip together. 😉
My problem with LF showing up in the woods is that it would be too much of a coincidence with no set up. How would he know about the escape? It has been established that he has problems getting reliable information from the North. But even if he knew about the escape, I’d say he’s too much of a coward to go search for her alone or only with a few men. He’ll only go back North with an army at his side IMO.
Apart from that, if Sansa went to the Vale, there wouldn’t be any interesting characters to interact with (no casting anouncements for Vale lords IIRC) and with all the teasing from Liam and Sophie about Sansa coming into her own and taking leadership, just having her convince Lord Royce would fall flat IMO, moreso because LF wanted the Vale army to go north all along. In the books, I can def. see Alayne revealing herself as Sansa Stark and rally the Vale, but in the show the character was sent North for a reason, which is IMO to be more connected with the actual storyline about the retaking of Winterfell. Playing a part in rallying the northern lords, people of her home country, the character would not only have to face her identity issues in a fitting surrounding (being the oldest Stark and a Northern gal), she would also make a more important impact on the Northern rebellion (which is something that D&D like to do with main characters).
The reunion with LF in E9 or 10, after Sansa spent some time away from him, would be even more interesting because he does not know what happened in the mean time and who Sansa has become. So for him using her as a pawn will become very tricky and the tension between the two will be rising even more in S7.
For the proponents of this theory, I think they’re assuming that Baelish has already moved North in the period he was offscreen toward the end of Season 5 and between seasons. This seemed very possible initially, but subsequent filming information weighs against it.
Sean C.,
Yes, it’s the way the conversation with Cersei was framed. “Strike while the victor still licks his wounds” he said to her, referring to the victor of the battle between Stannis and the Boltons. And yes, he indicated that he would use the Vale forces for such an attack. But this conversation leaves the issue of time and strategy conveniently ambiguous. He tells Cersei this is what he wants to do – however, is it? By striking immediately, did he literally mean *immediately*, before the winning force even has the slightest chance to regroup? What’s his plan for learning who the winning force was… wait to hear it by raven or messenger? Or will he or someone else who works for him be stationed close to Winterfell spying on the battle? There are several unknown factors here as pertains to Littlefinger. Yes, it is likely he’s waiting at the Vale with the forces and waiting to put his plan into force there. But as SeanC said, it seemed very possible that he was closer to Winterfell initally. Also, while it was rumoured that he would be with in a scene with Royce and Robin, did we get a setting for where this would occur? The Eyrie set has been dismantled, right? Is it an outdoor scene then, or just in another room at the Eyrie? Questions, questions…
I’m skeptical of the idea that, if Theon was given a horse at Castle Black or wherever, he would be able to make it back to the Iron Islands on his own on said horse. Theon at this stage doesn’t seem to have the presence of mind to be able to successfully guide himself back “home,” seeing as he’s still unable to fully acknowledge his true identity separate from Reek. So I do like the idea that Brienne escorts him, for whatever reason. I’d like to point out that Brienne’s story from Episode 1 to Episode 7 is currently one big question mark. However, since we know that Ian McShane is likely playing a Septon Meribald-ish character, and the Hound is likely returning (as gravedigger perhaps) and that
AND that she is in fact going to be in the Riverlands by Episode 7, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was already in the Riverlands area midseason (which matches up with Theon already being at the Iron Islands by Episode 5). However, that means Brienne would have to drop Sansa off at Castle Black relatively fast and leave also relatively quickly. It seems an odd place for her to let Sansa stay on her own, if Jon is still dead, and the place is overrun with murderers, rapists, and feuding NW/Wilding factions. It also seems strange that Sansa would even send her away at that point due to the aforementioned reasons. But obviously we don’t have all the information. It’s just that these are some of the questions that are informing my speculation.
As for “where will they end up after their escape?”, I think it´s either the Last Hearth or some keep of Stark loyalists between The Gift and Last Hearth and Winterfell.
Sansa will probably meet up with Rickon and secretly working on the northern rebellion against the Boltons.
We have this one still from the 2nd teaser trailer with crying Theon and a unknown woman with reddish hair we only see the back of. And now hear me out here… I think that´s neither Yara or Sansa, but OSHA!
WOTW reported that they were filming at the location they previously used for the Runestone outdoors scene in 501.
CrossStitchKhaleesi,
With Smalljon Umber being in only two episodes, it’s really not all that plausible that Sansa is going to the Umbers.
Most probably Runestone, where we left them in S5E1, I’d assume.
I’m in the camp of those who think that issue will be resolved early on and that Jon will take charge of CB again. In that case, staying at CB with her brother would work out. Having Brienne look for Arya could be a decision made by both Jon and Sansa, because they want their sister back.
Other possibility: If Theon comes along to Last Hearth or Castle Black, I can see the Umbers or even Jon wanting to kill him for being a traitor. So Sansa would send him away in order to save him, maybe as a callback to how Cat send away Jaime out of fear that Karstarks would murder him for revenge.
(Although I’m not really sure about what the Umbers are all about these days and Sansa could easily explain to Jon what happened. Apart from that, Jon knows that B&R are alive anyway…)
But you’re right there’s quite a bit of information missing…
Anyone feeling disappointed at the apparent lack of Sansa agency in Alfie’s summary apparently did not get last year’s memo. The Sansa/Theon story is primarily about Theon, not Sansa. Sansa can be the focus when she’s with a baddie like LF or another female character like Cercei or Lysa, but when she shares scenes with Tyrion or Theon it’s the Tyrion or Theon Show.
Oh, and Brienne is going to take her back to the Vale, or at least towards the Vale and drop her off with LF and then go to the Riverlands. Sansa’s not going to Castle Black this season.
Which honestly I’m fine with. Littlefinger seems to be one of the few characters D&D don’t prioritize over Sansa so she can finally have more character development instead of being subservient to someone else’s arc.
kit_hepburn,
I keep thinking about Theon at kingsmoot as well. I think it just went straight through the minds of most people.
We must have watched different shows. Sansa is the one who tried to get through to Theon in the first place (S5E7 „you are Theon Greyjoy, last living son of Balon Greyjoy, do you hear me?“; S5E8 reminding him of his love for his Stark „brothers“, getting him to actually say out loud his regrets). The fact that Theon could even snap out of the Reek persona was because of Sansa’s insistence to communicate with him. You can develop two people in one storyline. It is known.
Also Sansa is not really Bear Grylls. No shame in letting an experienced hunter/person who knows the terrain like Theon guide her through the woods.
She will have her moment, don’t worry. But it’s not doing track and field, it will be in a surrounding where her skills can be of use, like politics, IMO.
I adressed that idea in a post above. Gonna reiterate parts of it. The problem is that there is no one interesting to interact with and we have no casting information about new Vale characters. How would she develop anything with only LF and Royce? With all the teasing from Liam and Sophie about Sansa coming into her own and taking leadership, just having her convince Lord Royce would fall flat IMO, moreso because LF wanted the Vale army to go north all along. So I think playing a part in rallying the northern lords, people of her home country, Sansa would not only have to face her identity issues in a fitting surrounding (being the oldest Stark and a Northern gal), she would also make a more important impact on the Northern rebellion (which is something that D&D like to do with main characters).
Wylie,
I’m in the camp of those who think that issue will be resolved early on and that Jon will take charge of CB again. In that case, staying at CB with her brother would work out. Having Brienne look for Arya could be a decision made by both Jon and Sansa, because they want their sister back.
You’ve actually hit on one of the reasons for the difference in opinions in how it’s going to work if Sansa goes there: a person’s individual belief on the timing of Jon’s return. Many (like you) think that he’s going to be revived right away. Others (like me) think that it would be midseason that he returns (I feel like bringing him back right away removes a lot of the mystery and suspense). These contrasting guesses greatly affect opinions about other storylines as well, like Sansa’s, or a guess as to whether Melisandre survives his being brought back, for instance. So yeah, thanks for mentioning that.
Blind Beth,
Tyrion is a bigger character than Sansa.
Sansa was shoe-horned into Theon’s story last season. It was HIS story, his redemption arc and not hers.
Have faith, when the story is eventually actually about Sansa things should get good!
Mihnea,
The wall had Ramsay inside it. Totally different situation from the river. Still, Alfie could be just having fun by narrating the whole scene.
TMI dude!
Wylie,
I watched the same show you did. 🙂
Wylie,
We are definitely watching the same show. Sansa acts as an agent to catalyze Theon’s return to his own identity. The focus is Theon’s transformation/redemption, Sansa is accessory to his story. What actually changes about Sansa in this arc? Nothing. She catalyzes Theon and takes abuse from Ramsey. She herself does not develop. What agency and dynamism she has in the season is at the beginning, when she chooses to go along with LF’s marriage plan, rejects Brienne’s offer, and gets the hint from LF that what she’s assumed about her aunt’s history may not be true. And all of these things happen with LF (a baddie) and Brienne (another female character) whom D&D do not necessarily prioritize over Sansa. They do however prioritize Theon over Sansa, throughout the Winterfell arc.
Even Sansa’s choice risk losing her life is made while she’s interacting with another female character–Myranda. And Myranda’s threats + Sansa’s victimization further catalyze Theon in his hero-redemption arc. (He rescues her by pushing Myranda, then actually takes Sansa’s hand and leads her to the top of the wall.)
Sansa has plenty of screen time in this story, but ultimately she’s in a supporting role to Theon.
I don’t find your arguments about “no interesting people in the Vale” compelling, sorry.
ladywolfsbane,
Yep…as soon as she gets away from Theon! Lol. Feels weird to be rooting for her to get back to LF but here I am.
Of course as soon as she intersects with Jon she’s going to be subordinated to his story, so her glory streak will be brief. Maybe he’ll…go away quickly, or die again, or something. 😛