The cast of Game of Thrones will once again be coming to San Diego Comic Con, HBO confirmed today.
A panel has been announced for July 10th in Hall H at 2:30P.M. It’ll be moderated by late-night host and show fan Seth Meyers.
The panelists will include Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss, episode director David Nutter and cast members Alfie Allen, John Bradley, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, Natalie Dormer, Conleth Hill, Hannah Murray, Sophie Turner, Carice van Houten and Maisie Williams.
There will be autograph signings afterward at 4:15 p.m.
Last year’s SDCC panel unveiled a video that introduced the new cast members for season 5. Perhaps we can look forward to something similar this year? Previous years have also included blooper reels and very entertaining panels with the witty cast. This year’s batch of panelists is a good selection, with a couple new faces in the bunch.
John Bradley seems like the go-to guy for these panels, for good reason.
(Also, Hodor.)
What?! No Kit Harington?
None of the top bills: Lena, Peter, Kit, Nicolaj
Not GRRM
Not, of course, Stepehn Dillane.
Not even Benioff and Weiss?
Only Natalie would be enough for me to assist there but…pretty low profile this year IMO
Go figure, I’ll be in Belfast the day most of the cast is gone.
What’s the over/under on a “Is Jon Snow coming back?” question?
Not a bad panel, funny people at least! Not exactly surprised DnD aren’t showing up though, they have to know that’s pretty much a bad idea until after the last season.
I don’t know if this has been posted in another thread, but I just stumbled on this:
http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Season_6
The plot gives an outline of the sixth season and seems to confirm the return of the Iron Islands:
The exhausted lords of Westeros must now brace for the rise of the kraken — the ironborn led by House Greyjoy. Having remained relatively uninvolved ever since they raided the North during the war, the ironborn’s massive fleet remains at full strength. The suddenly returned Euron Greyjoy, Balon’s crazy younger brother, intends to take advantage of that fleet, though he is opposed by Balon’s daughter Yara Greyjoy.
I don’t know whether this is a summary that has been made by HBO or just a ‘random’ person but it is quite interesting.
Conleth Hill! Blimey!
Indila,
Definitely made up by a random person. (Probably based on the fact that we know Euron is coming.)
Lena’s got a new baby. Nikolaj can barely show up for premieres. Dinklage acts like he’s getting a root canal at every press event. Does Dillane ever do press? Kit, GRRM, D&D for obvious reasons of avoiding a certain question. I think its a pretty good panel, overall, for the actors: Varys and Gilly FTW.
No GRRM or D&D?
shame!
shame!
shame!
Carice, Liam and Conleth!!
Iwan should be there too. He was terrific this season 😀
I believe we already knew GRRM wasn’t going unless he finished TWOW, so I don’t know why some people are acting surprised at that. Conleth Hill is the most surprising and exciting name here. He doesn’t seem to enjoy public appearance based on his usual absence, but apparently he’s very funny and interesting.
GRRM announced a while back he wasn’t going to Comic Con this year to work on TWOW…so his absence should not be a surprise to anyone
Anyone here really expected Kit to be there? It’s obivous thing to do,just to avoid questions about his status and future on the show.
Biggest surprise is Weiss and Benioff absense.GRRM already said he will skip SDCC this year and other events.Peter is always bored to death by these events,Lena is expecting baby so it’s reasonable for her not to be there.Stepahne Dillane couldn’t care less about events like this one and he’s the only one to never attend any premiere.Emilia and Nikolaj…don’t know.
Carice,Liam,Alfie,Natalie,Gwendoline,Mophie(Maisie and Sophie) it’s pretty damn good list of actors.Yay!
Ravyn,
Yeah, I hope that doesn’t dominate the whole panel.
Sophie will presumably also be doing some sort of X-Men promo event.
Hang in there Isaac, one day you’ll be at a GOT Comic Con event.
To be honest, I’m relieved the biggest stars aren’t there as the moderators have the worst habit of ignoring most of the panel and concentrating only on those couple people.
GRRM won’t be there=maybe 5 pages of WoW?
I’m not complaining especially since he is always asked the same questions anyway just sayin’
I am hoping for another casting announcement here!
I’ve only been to ComicCon once and was put off by the fact the staff does not empty the halls in between panels. So people like me who can’t camp out for 24+ hours prior to the GoT panel never get in because campers are let in for Harry Potter or some shit, then meet the artist of Star Wars story boards, a “journey to middle earth reimagined by quentin tarrentino” and do not leave. Of course I would not either after camping out that long it just seems like a flawed system to me
Maisie makes it for me. She’ll make the panel more fun. Besides, she was probably more involved and interesting this season than Nic. Not that I don’t want the others to be there, but I don’t need to hear from them again yet at this point. D&D and GRRM don’t add all that much for me. They wouldn’t share anything spoiler anyway, which is what people would want.
Mads-Euron
Alan Rickman- Randil Tarly
im done.
Im glad Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner are there. They are the only ones (other than maybe Alfie Allen) who a really ‘main’ characters/actors in the show
Really, none of the top billed actors nor D&D are attending, and yet Isaac Hempstead-Wright isn’t showing up. Am I the only one who MISSES this kid.
I could be totally wrong and they may just not want to go but Comic Con is about 2 weeks earlier this year and D&D may have to get the casting and scripts wrapped up so that could be why they’re not going.
I’m also really glad we’re getting some of the lesser known actors this year. Stoked that Natalie, Sophie, and Maisie are still going, they’re so great together haha.
Not surprised D&D aren’t going after how annoyed they were during last year’s panel. This year they’d have a lot more to answer for.
Geralt of Rivia,
I think Emilia will probably still be doing the Terminator rounds
Tedious fan questions will be:
1. Is Jon Snow really dead?
2. Is Stannis really dead?
3. Is Syrio Forel really dead?
4. What’s your favorite character?
5. If you could play any other character, which would it be?
6. Do you guys ever hang out outside of the show?
7. When did you realize that GoT was really popular?
8. Who is the actor most different from their character?
9. Who do you think/want to win the Iron Throne?
10. Where’s Lady Stoneheart?
There, no one has to go to this thing, all those have been asked and answered already, likely with a “we can’t answer that, keeping watching!”
The Loon,
Oh,yeah. Good point.
There’s going to be a Hannibal panel…maybe Mads can stop by and be introduced as Euron in person 😛
No emilia or Peter???
spacechampion,
Don’t forget: “Is The Hound really dead?”
I don’t blame D&D and Kit for not coming this year……….poor Carice van Houten,every other question is going to be something Jon Snow related
I will not be attending Comic Con, but I’m excited to read all about it. Although, while I do like her very much, after reading the interviews Sophie did before this season–where she said that Sansa becomes a badass in season 5 and that her and Littlefinger form this diabolical tag team and manipulate everyone around them–I’m not sure how much stock to put into anything she says.
Should be no surprise GRRM won’t be there. He’s already said it months ago. Harington, of course not. Why is that surprise? He’ll just be bombarded with the obvious questions, plus how he currently looks could be a giveaway. Clarke hasn’t attended since the third season and has pretty significantly cut her appearances and promotional events for this show in recent years. Dinklage? Please. D&D is somewhat surprising. As there is two of them. So if they’re planning for season 6 they could of course sent one of them if not both. But it’s not a big deal either because what exactly are they going to offer?
I expect this to be an enjoyable event, but who knows. A lot of these people give one or two word answers in interviews so I don’t know how this is going to translate to an event like this.
FunnyShae,
Like what,being judged by a couple of losers,never has been,never will be, no life nerds ?
Geralt of Rivia,
“Mophie” might be the best thing I read in the net today.
FTW….WTF,
They’ll probably also ask her what it’s like to have a shadow baby, but I don’t think she minds talking about that 🙂
Moonlight,
I know right!…hopefully the moderators keep the Jon Snow questions to a minimum
Well….meh. That’s a rather underwhelming list, but hey at least I don’t have to be sad I’ll miss it! Last year’s would have been so fun to attend!
With Maisie there no-one else will get a word in, bless her!
RandomGoTfan,
I AM WITH YOU! !
ps I’m jealous. I’d love to be there
13 people? That sounds pretty unwieldy as far as panels go, yeesh.
Not surprised Kit’s not attending, but for the conspiracy theorists out there, Michelle Fairley (and maybe Richard Madden, can’t recall) attended the SDCC panel shortly after Season 3.
…I bet the fans will be prodding the cast members for spoilers pretty hard. Poor Carice.
I miss him too!
But I’m also so thrilled by the presence of Alfie, Carice and Conleth; this panel will be great!
This is Conleth Hill’s first panel, isn’t it? Awesomesauce; he seems like a really cool guy.
Liam Cunningham, Conleth Hill and John Bradley on a panel together? Love it! Seth Meyers should be great.
House Pines,
Afte hearing most cast memeber call him “the funniest person on set” i was disappoint how few interviews i can find of him.
It’s cool to seee Liam and Carice doing a panel together, they have such good chemistry.
Geralt of Rivia,
I think D&D will be to busy with season 6. We already knew from the director statement that this year shooting schedule is gonna be hectic
Nikolaj’s current film is supposed to wrap up filming in New Mexico in early July, so who knows, he could be a late addition or he could want to actually see his family before GoT starts up.
Glad that GRRM won’t be there – it’s not his fault, but he keeps getting asked the exact same questions at every panel, and gives more or less the same answers, and last panel in particular it bogged down the entire panel so that almost no one else got a chance to speak.
A little disappointing D&D won’t be there, but Liam Cunningham, Carice Van Houten, and John Bradley should be loads of fun.
Phalange,
Ravyn,
Except Carice is there… lol
Seth Myers as moderator? YES! YES!
Plus Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham and John Bradley should be able to drop some hints about Season 6! And Carice too!
Yeah Sophie really should just stop doing interviews or at least start telling the truth.
I know she isn’t exactly going to say that Sansa does nothing and becomes a victim again, but at least stop lying and saying that Sansa starts manipulating and becomes more ‘active’ when the most active thing she ended up doing was unlocking a door
Kay,
Yeah, Set must be jumping up and down right now, lol. Glad Liam, Conleth and Alfie are there!
WTF…
No Kit? This was his strongest season ever!
Guess they are going to hide him away as much as they can?
Oh my god i was genuinely afraid that sophie may skip this year god i love this girl it’s going to be fantastic
I mean since sansa’s storyline was the best this season for me it will be amazing to hear sophie talk about it
First 3 questions right out of the gate:
1. (To Carice) Are you going to ressurect Jon?
2. (To Sophie) What about the rape?!?
3. (To Liam) Is Mel going to ressurect Jon?
Ravyn,
It’s their nickname.I like it a lot. 😀
KrakenDaughter,
They’re usually always there,but you’re probably right.Planning all the things concerning out beloved show is more important than these events.
It seems like season 6 should be pretty damn hectic. Most likely the biggest season. Just imagine all the potential storylines: Euron and Oldtown plot, Dorne, King’s Landing (Tyrells,High Sparrow),Meereen with Tyrion and Varys, Dany and Dothraki, Mel and Night’s Watch (aftermath of FTW)Davos, Sansa and Theon, Winterfell (BriPod) ,Bran and maybe Rickon.
A lot of story to cover…even without Jon and White Walkers.
Daughter of Winter,
Sansa had the best storyline? Her storyline was one of the weakest of the season and her ‘character development’ was very poor. The Wall, Kings Landing and Braavos were all much better
I can see Cersei/Lena taking a back seat next season. Lena is having a baby so she will obviously need to spend time with him/her, and there really is no one left in KL to warrant a large amount of screentime. We have seen her ineract with the Tyrells for a number of seasons now so I think she might have a small storyline next season
Dorne will probably be similar to this season with a few scenes every now and then. Meereen shouldn’t take up too much time as nthing is really happening, but its Tyrion/Peter so he will no doubt get a lot of screentime again
They better announce James Purefoy as Euron and Graham McTavish as Randyll at Comic Con, or I will be very angry, and write in the comments section of the article covering Comic Con how angry I am.
Arthur,
Maybe he’s filming 😛
daveyf,
“Hey Kit, Is Jon Snow dead”?
Yes.
“I mean like really dead”?
Yes.
“Really, really dead”?
Yes.
“Is he coming back”?
No.
“Really?”
No… I mean yes. Piss off.
That’ll be the general gist of questions that’ll be put to him all the time he’ll be there. Best for him to avoid all that.
D+D will also probably like to avoid those questions too, and the roasting they’ll probably get for messing up the Dorne plot line, and for killing Barriston.
Sue the Fury,
Indeed it was an edit based on the “pirate” casting
They’re using ComicCon as a distraction to sneak Kit into the studio in Ireland.
4. (To Alfie) What about that rape of Sansa?!?
Do actors usually do a comic con after they are killed of a show?
5. (To Maisie) Do you think Arya will get her sight back?
Deesensfan,
Not all of them
Well, what about New York Comic Con in October? I’m going to that, who else?
(double post)
I do miss the Lannisters, even though they have their reasons (and probably can’t stand to answer who else they would like to play for the 45796427807th time).
I agree that Sansa’s storyline was one of the best ones this year. I don’t understand why people say that her agency was taken from her (would anyone say that to a real life rape survivor?) or that her development was inconsistent (it’s funny how we expect consistency from characters in a TV show when real people rarely show it). She is not just a victim.
The Dragon Demands,
Me
Lol. Of course! How could I not think of that one? 😉
I totally thought you were going to say:
“5. (To Maisie) What does Arya think about Sansa being raped and is Mel going to ressurect Jon?”
Lol. Keep up with the joke man! 😉 😉
Conleth? YES!!!!
And looking at all the females on the panel, this may be the prettiest panel they’ve ever had. And the liveliest and funniest
The only one who worries me is David Nutter. If you ever heard him on the blu-ray commentaries, the guy NEVER shuts up
Alfie Allen is suppose to know who Jon’s real parent are, right?
Someone should ask him, since Jon is dead the secret shouldn’t matter anymore?
Actually someone should really ask Dan & David that question.
Kit always seemed to be the go to PR guy, but now that they are trying to hide him I suspect Sophie and Maisie will take up a lot of the PR work.
It sounds breathless, when you put it like that. Also add Arya – I think with the Meereen plot. Sam and his family – with Oldtown? or separately?
I just hope that instead of cramming all of this into the last 2-3 episodes, from now one, they make each of the 10 episodes jampacked and breathless. So many more deaths to come, as well. 😀
Walter Harrow,
I just think you need to stop taking their words as sacred. This is GoT we’re talking about, they have to hype their show, and it’s always hyperbolic. Sophie is not the only one who is prone to this.
And I love the panel, some newbies should spice it up a bit, been a bit stale with some of the ‘bigger’ ones.
Conleth will be there. Enough said.
“Agency” is a narrative concept, and it isn’t merely being raped that resulted in Sansa not having any, it was the entire storyline.
Deesensfan,
Rose did last year after Ygritte died.
Sigh. So tired of hearing about “agency.” A concept that no one ever mentioned once in 45 3/4 episodes of the show, and then after 46, it’s the most critically important thing ever that must be mentioned at all times.
Count me as another one who found the Sansa-Winterfell storyline to be one of the better ones this season.
A friend said last year after the Comic Con duties ended he was at a bar and Kit, Rose, Pedro, and Rory came in for a drink. The entire bar went nuts and he said they were all totally down to earth but people mostly left them alone. Gotta be so much fun to see them in person.
I agree. The lineup is great!
When I read the panelists, I immediately realized they’d removed any hope of getting real questions answered. I searched comments for D&D to find that you were thinking exactly the same thing.
As long as Natalie will be there, I’ll be happy!
It’s good to see some new faces too, like Conleth Hill. I heard he’s a really funny guy!
Walter Harrow,
That’s you’re opinion and yeah along with jon and cersei it was the best
i have a great deal of enthusiasm over her arc this season since it was absolutely the most misunderstood storyline this year and come on don’t give me speeches about sansa’s character development while after 5 years most people don’t understand who this character is so do not go into that territory
Arthur,
It’s maybe some sort if signal,that Kit is not done with the show.There is really no point in hiding him from the fans…unless they did this on purpose.If Kit was done with the show,he’ll be there for the one last time like Michelle,Richard,Jason or Rose.
Walter Harrow,
That’s a good point,but add Jaime into King’s Landing arc.
I can see The Wall without Jon taking considerebly less time,but I don’t think they will be completely cut from the whole season.We still have Mel,Davos,widlings vs Night’s Watch.I Want see how Thorne will deal with them and what would widlings reaction to Jon’s death.
Euron and Oldtown will need a good amount of screentime…not like Dorne in this season and speaking of Dorne.Hopefully The Wall and partly King’s Landing could give them much better screentime and might not be that bad.I wish we can see more of Doran.I would like to see show exploring other house like Dayne.With the news of “legendary fighter” ( might be Ser Arthur Dayne)…it might be the case.
Gods… please NO!
Why does people want Mads as Euron? I just can’t get it.
LOL.
This ongoing narrative about how Sophie lies and exaggerates her storyline in interviews really bothers me. Perhaps that was accurate in previous seasons, but for this last one, it was not. And to tell you the truth, I think it has a lot to do with how far along she’s gotten in the scripts at the time of the interview. Hear me out…
-They got the scripts last year within the same week as the SDCC. The first interview she did after she got the script was the infamous interview where she said she was “hard” and that she going to begin using her “sexuality” and be “manipulative”. Ok, so let’s look at the first few episodes. She is a harder character. She starts off the season being suspicious of LF (with the scroll business) and challenging him about who he trusts. She does use her “sexuality” with LF by “flirting” with him (i.e. “Does it [ale] give YOU courage?”), and she does “manipulate” the Boltons (at least initially) by being the charming little future wife (when they all first meet).
-She followed up that interview by saying that what happens to her this season is “surprising” (which was SO f*cking true! Surprise MOFO’S!! Lady Bolton/Sansa Poole is in the house!!!)
-In the months following those initial interviews, she said:
“She is kind of in the same position she was before, but she handles it differently.” (True)
“She kind of becomes a prisoner again.” (True)
“There was one scene that was super super traumatic…and it was really kind of horrible for everyone to be on set and watch. But…that’s why I started acting. To do all the crappy horrible stuff.” (Obvious reference to the rape scene…which makes this statement True.)
“Interviewer: In one word, how would you describe this season for your character? Sophie: Crap.”
“She’s in a terrible place, but she has to stay strong for her brothers.” (True).
“My story’s ending is the most ambiguous thing ever.” (True).
The woman actually doesn’t lie in her interviews. Matter of fact, in hindsight, it’s easy to see she spoils her story more than she lies about. That she didn’t use her “sexuality” or “manipulate” in the way we thought she would, doesn’t mean she was lying when she said those things. And as I said, I think the timing matters. Because as they went further along in the filming, her interview responses changed to mimic what we actually saw on screen.
You haven’t paid much attention to discussion of the show, and of Sansa’s story in particular (books and show); agency has been a recurring theme in discussion of her story since he beginning, as her story is defined by how little she has at first (and the show consistently makes her less active than even the books), and the steps she takes toward acquiring it.
Well, D&D’s absence is a surprise, as well as the fact that Conleth Hill will be there. He’s a fun guy! I wonder if he’ll be bald by then. Anyway, Conlith, Maisie and Sophie are the more interesting panelists. I’m happy GRRM isn’t there, especially moderating —not because of the usual reasons (“Finish TWOW already!”), but because he’s incredibly awkward as a moderator.
Oh, and hopefully we get a casting video, just like last year.
Indila,
A random person by the name of The Dragon Demands, who bases his summaries mostly on the books instead of the show (just look at the Season 5 plot page, which STILL states that “several emissaries” have been sent to Meereen, despite the fact that Aegon, Quentyn and Moqorro weren’t in Season 5 in the show), as well as inserting his half-arsed opinions on full-length opinion essays that don’t belong in an encyclopedia. Why is this allowed? Because he’s an administrator and you can’t edit him… the reason being that he’s an administrator. Yup. That’s pretty much how it goes… even though the Wikia rules state clearly that’s not what an administrator is. But he doesn’t care, and apparently neither do the other administrators.
Oh well. I’ve given up on a reasonable GoT wiki. It’s half-Wiki, half-TDD’s personal blog in which he vents his frustrations at the show for changing stuff.
I can just see Kit doing a Jason Mamoa with a 20 second rush onto the stage as a surprise … and a very rapid exit when the moderator says “whilst you’re here I’m sure the fans would love to ask you just a very few questions…”.
StandOzone,
See for yourself. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b2/2d/3b/b22d3bb3e75eb0c6c3cf16bd50c1e04d.jpg
Ugh. Why Seth Meyers? He is to comedy what d&d are to GRRM books!
I can see why people like the idea of Mads as Euron. He’s very good at playing cold, sinister characters like Hannibal, a charming debonair (also like Hannibal), and savage viking-type characters… and can switch between all of those personas with the flick of a switch.
I could definitely see it, even if he’s not my top pick for the part. If he does get the part though, I really hope he’ll put a slight English spin on his accent.
Ohhh myyy goddd now people call sophie a lier? this is one of those times that i ask a simple question : what am i doing here?
By the way thanks RosanaZugey and can you give me the links to these interviews? unfortunately i missed some of them
Mads might be good, but Viggo Mortensen would be even better 🙂
RosanaZugey,
I see what you mean about timing, but I definitely disagree with Sophie’s insistence that Sansa and Littlefinger are this awesome tag team. However, that’s more of a difference of interpretations, and not a case of being untruthful.
I love the fact that there will be some new people – especially Coneth! I love him. And it’s about time they brought Liam to this – they have him do a lot of foreign things and he seems to do really well. I’m a little surprised that Carice is going to be there but maybe its because Liam/Carice are a good team for interviews.
Not surprised by Kit’s absence because let’s be honest – Jon Snow’s ‘death’ will be asked about 1001 times and he doesn’t really have a good poker face. I think that’s more evidence of Jon Snow’s death not being the end of it. Most of the big deaths of the Comic Con type crew have had that after death panel – Rory, Pedro, Richard, Rose, Michelle, Jason, etc. Kit has been to every comic con except one and he’d miss his biggest one? Hmm – not buying it.
I’m kinda glad GRRM won’t be there because they tend to focus on him too much and he always gets asked the same questions in every interview/panel.
Very excited about Gwendoline being there again. Hopefully she’ll also do Star Wars & The Hunger Games panels. I’m surprised that there is no one from Team Dany there. They should have brought Michiel Huisman for that. Or…maybe it’s just me that wants him there.
If that’s the case, I’d say the show gave her more “agency” this season than in the very brief book material where she is still completely dancing to Littlefinger’s tune in the Vale. Just because there were horrible repercussions for her activity, doesn’t mean she wasn’t active.
Oh wait, you’re one of those that just didn’t like the storyline to begin with. Well, can’t argue with that, I guess. But since I don’t find a storyline turning her into a master manipulator overnight to be very realistic, I’m fine with the pace at which she is progressing for now.
Ali Kat,
I didn’t notice Liam and Carice. I love them separately, but together they are simply wonderful.
Sean C.,
The way I see it, Sansa’s season 4 “agency” gave her the balls to make a really big and really risky decision, which she paid for. This is still a very different Sansa from, say, season 2- who preferred to sit and wait for Stannis to save her rather than escape on her own or with the Hound. Here (funnily enough, again faced with the option to wait for Stannis) she decides to do it herself.
She still has limits (she was never an assassin like Arya or a fighter like Brienne, and she was never a seductress like Melisandre- though now, after losing her virginity, she may finally be calable of it) and they are mostly the same limits as before, but Sansa is now aware of those limits and she knows when to ask and even manipulate others for help. A lot of it didn’t work for her, but it’s a learning curve and season 6 Sansa has significant experience behind her.
So yes, after the dramatic ending to her arc in season 4 it seemed like she should be in control of her situation, but the character has hardly ever tried to be on the offensive, abd would rather fend off Joffrey or whomever with her Lady facade. Now she’s picking locks (and in the right time, hiding, when Ramsay’s gone), manipulating people (Theon) or at least trying to do so in a more active and offensive position and striking back consistently in conversations. With sexual experience and a few dramatic choices and consequences behind her, I think Sansa might finally become a successful player in season 6.
Kath6152,
That means he is going to be great,since D&D are better than Martin .
Kay,
Arya is sort of a wildcard.Hard to predict wit her,but it’s not the first time someone mentioned her and Meereen.As for Sam…I put him into Oldtown arc,but I’m looking very much to Sam/Randyll conversations.Sam is not the same afraid boy.They will probably skip Braavos part and head straight to Oldtown.
I quite enjoyed a bit slower pace in the first episodes of this season,but I can understand it’s not for everyone.The last four episodes were absolutely fantastic.Nice build up in the first half of the season,followed by hectic second part of the season.It will be very interesting,how they’ll crammed all the storylines into the single season.We can expect more deaths,hopefully some incredible battle sequence(s) like Hardhome or Daznak.
Coneth Hill! I have yet to see him in any panel. Ever. I’m pleased John Bradley and Hannah Murray will be there. I can already see the Jon Snow questions Bradley will field. Gwen is always a delight and Liam and Carice will have lots to talk about now!!!
Robb Snow,
You tell them Young Wolf! Purfoy for Euron or riot in the comments!!!! I secretly hope also for a Mads since Hannibal got cancelled too. Can’t decide yet. I won’t complain with whichever one we get. As long as we get one.
How is the show version not “completely dancing to Littlefinger’s tune”? Indeed, the show version is a much bigger pawn than the book version ever was, seeing as she was in a much stronger position than book!Sansa ever has been with Littlefinger and immediately allowed herself to be taken away from her allies, transported hundreds of miles without any indication of where they’re going, and then talked into an utterly idiotic plan with absolutely no details.
Sansa in the books is believably learning skills as a gameplayer, while so far not having a motivation or agenda of her own. Sansa in the show was momentarily given not just an agenda of her own, but also a position of security and power the book version has never had, only for it to be immediately forgotten about, and spent the entire season being as big a victim as ever while learning nothing.
What limits was she unaware of before that she’s aware of now? What learning curve is she on? If the big revelation is that merely sitting around Winterfell doing nothing will not defeat the Boltons, and that’s the only conceivable message she could have picked up since she never even attempted to do anything else, then the character is unbelievably stupid, and I’m pretty sure that’s not what they were going for.
Sansa never manipulated Theon. She bluntly asked for his help, once. “Striking back consistently in conversations” just means she has in fact regressed, seeing as the character used to know that insulting people who hold you captive is a bad idea; it wasn’t a lack of courage that kept her from openly insulting Joffrey, it was common sense.
I’m struggling to see how weeks of brutal rape would make her capable of being a seductress. If anything, physical intimacy is now entirely associated with sexual assault for her.
Let me just say that Viggo Mortensen is delicious looking and I would enjoy the hell out of watching him rock Euron’s eye patch. 😀 But let me stop fangirling and get back on track. 😉
Yeah, I don’t like her take on Sansa and Petyr’s relationship either. It confuses me because I’m not sure if she’s SUPPOSE to be trusting him (in the show) or if that’s simply Sophie Turner’s personal take on it; but I’m with you…I don’t like her interpretation of that relationship either. Then again, book Sansa is equally confusing because she does– and doesn’t–seem to trust LF/Petyr and yet, she still goes along with his plan. So, I don’t know. Both TV and Book are echoing the same confusing elements of that relationship.
You know, I’m actually dread seeing Sophie on this panel. Dread it. Because I know they’re going to ask her about the rape, and a part of me just KNOWS she’s going to treat the whole situation very flippantly and sarcastically and that’s the last thing I want to hear, tbh. I mean, I’m not asking for a thesis regarding “Violence and Sexual Assault on Women in Television,” but I also don’t want to be told some stupid sarcastic remark about how it wasn’t a big deal, or some dumb “Gone With The Wind” analogy about how I shouldn’t care about it since these characters aren’t real. They raped a character who is not raped in the books and I’d really like to know why they did that. And since she can’t speak for D&D, I’d at least like to hear her give a serious response about how she thinks this will affect her character going forward. Like, please don’t be cute and happy and nonchalant and take the question seriously. Because that scene–like it or not–negatively impacted the vast majority of this fandom. Be serious and give me a serious response, please. That’s all I want.
Hey, this is a great place to be. I mean, if you compare it to some of the other places out there, this joint is pretty awesome (and the Sophie hate is at a bare minimum here. If you actually like Sophie Turner, DO NOT go to places like Westeros.org. Those cats are rabid Sophie haters. I couldn’t take that nonsense after a while).
Any who, I honestly don’t have the exact links to these interviews (Except for the “super super traumatic scene” link: https://youtu.be/S4vU7EHqYqQ ), but I’m sure I saw about 90 percent of them on this very site; so maybe a quick “Sophie Turner” search will give all these interviews.
There are a few posters there who don’t like her, but that’s true of every actor.
RosanaZugey,
I 100% agree with you. There are some viewers who think people overreacted to the rape scene, but what a lot of people aren’t considering is why we were so upset: because we care. Assault is a very serious issue (for both men and women) and I think it would have been a lot worse if we all just sat back and thought “eh, whatever.”
Out of all the actors on the show, I feel like Natalie Dormer is perhaps the best at interviews. If this had happened to Margaery, I think she would have found a very eloquent way to deal with this. That’s not to say I dislike Sophie–Sansa is my favorite character and I think she does an excellent job portraying her, but as you said, her initial response didn’t help curb the public reaction.
Sean C.,
I’ve found that IMDb is the biggest place for trolls.
Sean C.,
I don’t care for Sansa, but I don’t waste actual hatred on many fictional characters unless they’re the best of the worst!
It’s true of every actor on every site, but some of those cats come off like the stereotypical “jealous” girls who talk shit about the pretty, popular girl in high school. I mean, I’m not advocating that everyone, everywhere should LOVEEEEEE Sophie Turner (or Sansa, for that matter); but if you’re going to criticize her, make it constructive. In every discussion I’d have to read pages and pages of the same people (Le Cyne (sp?), Newstar, and that one girl (agh! I forget her name) prattle on about nonsensical and irrelevant things about Sophie Turner. And that was a damn shame, because prior to this season, I really respected and looked forward to reading their comments on the show/books (especially Newstar and Le…whatever). Then, for whatever reason, they all collectively became hateful and spiteful and I just had to stop going there. 🙁
Here’s my take: what YOU do, (and even “Touch of Frost”, “Pigeon”, “Chad Brick”, etc) is constructive criticism. What THEY do is “hate”. And I’d much prefer to read the thoughts of individuals who can have well constructed arguments (that I disagree with), then read pages and pages of unbridled hate.
Side note, I know you’re a Sansa fan, so when I say that you criticize, I’m referring to the storyline and the writing and not Sansa or Sophie herself.
Moonlight,
I was disheartened when after that episode, the interviews that popped up first with Sophie were all about how she ‘loved’ the scene, etc. I know she was trying to maybe be a bit lighthearted with the serious subject matter, plus she’s little more than a child, I just hope that when it inevitably comes up again that she has a bit more seriousness.
RosanaZugey,
True, and I feel like some people lump the actors in with the characters as one entity, which although I suppose it’s inevitable, is unfair. Unless you personally know the actor, why the hate, you know? 🙂
RosanaZugey,
Thank you foe putting in words what I was thinking.
great panel, great host but I’m surprised Tom won’t be there. He could have brought down the house and raised the roof.
jentario,
Sansa not being an assassin( a cold blood killer like her little sister) isn’t her limit the fact that after everything she’s been through unlike arya she managed to prevent herself to be filled with hatred is the biggest proof of her being the strongest female character of the story for me and what she want is JUSTICE not REVENGE these two are very different and turning into a seductress? that’s probably the most out of character thing for sansa.
Yeah nothing changed she’s still the most misunderstood character of story the sad fact that i’m dealing with for a long time.
RosanaZugey,
I’m completely aware what a great place wotw is ( i’m a long time reader of the site) and thanks again
You know, I’m not sure that the actors and show runners are aware of the kind of effect that scene had on the viewer. I mean, I’m sure that they’re aware that it caused a shit storm of anger and criticism, but I’m not sure they understand/understood the kind of visceral reaction it would produce. That scene was brutal, not because it was visually horrifying, but because it was emotionally devastating. I had relatives calling me from PANAMA (the country, not the city in Florida) to ask me how I was doing and to express their own horror and sadness about it. “Poor Sansa…Poor Sansa” was all they could get out before crying and then going off on a rage about how Ramsay needs to die. My brother (who had never liked Sansa before this season), text me immediately after he watched it and said, “Sue…..I want to go into a corner and cry. That was so fuckkkkkkkkkked up! Damn. I’m so sad.” My friend Melissa called to tell me that she and her 3 daughters cried for 20 minutes after it ended. Mindy–who actually thought it was a “good idea” that Sansa be raped (because it would finally push her over the edge)–said to the me the follow Monday, “I can’t believe I wished that on her. That was the worst thing I’ve ever seen on this show.” My friend Jeff didn’t even want to talk about. He couldn’t even bring himself to discuss it. To this day, we’ve never talked about it (cause, you know, if we don’t talk about it…it didn’t happen).
There’s a reason “Sansa” was trending for 12 hours on Twitter. There’s a reason people/politicians went off the rails; there’s a reason (other than being overly dramatic) that contributors didn’t want to watch the show anymore. That shit hurt. And since that shit hurt, I’m going to need these cats to be serious when they’re asked, “What about that rape scene?”
Here’s hoping that all of the actors get a chance to chime in, even though the question will be posed to Sophie. I want at least one of them to answer seriously.
RosanaZugey,
I like Sansa and I like Sophie. I know she said that “She loved doing that scene”, probably because of the acting challenge it meant to her.
As for expecting a young actress her age to express profound words on the import of the subject matter, I think that you are probably hoping for too much. Whilst many were understandably shocked, outraged, disappointed etc by that scene, not all were, because not all had the emotional connection to the scene, or perhaps are just not all that into sexual politics, (whether or not you personally think all people should be).
As for all the stuff about “agency”, “lazy writing”and whatnot, that just appears to me to be code for “I don’t like the way the story turned out, that didn’t express what I thought should happen, that didn’t seem like justice to me” etc.
I could be wrong, but that’s the way it appears to me.
One of Roose Bolton’s leeches,
Meeeeh… not reason enough.
Everything they wanted to say about that scene, they said in that scene.
The show needs to speak for itself. I don’t think that producers of any show need to explain why they did something.
They did it, because they thought it was the right choice. You can agree or disagree.
You can even stop watching, but they don’t owe us anything. They don’t owe us any explanation.
Do you need their reasons to understand that scene? So, you will like that scene because of something that they might say? Or will you hate it even more? What would be the purpose of their explanation?
Did GRRM ever explain why “he” tortured Theon? Why Brienne had eaten face? Why Sansa was stripped in the throne room? No.
Because he doesn’t need to explain that.
GRRM is not our bitch. But D&D are not our bitches as well.
Will D&D be at ComiCon? If they do, we don’t have to be too nice to them than absolutely necessary, right? How about some real tough questions to them?
marsyao,
No, the announcement would’ve said if they’d be there. And no, it’s not because they’re too scared to face your “tough questions” it’s because they’re working on pre-production for a little thing called season 6.
marsyao,
It doesn’t look like it. But anyway, if they were, what purpose would be served by grilling them with tough questions? Would any answer mollify the outrage of those who didn’t like certain scenes? I doubt it. Do they have to pander to any kind of political viewpoint? I doubt that also. Do they have to adapt GRRM’s work as faithfully as is practical, given the difference in the mediums? Yes, that is their job.
How they choose to do that reflects on the success of their endeavor, but they certainly are not obliged to pander to every political message or social theme that some people deem important.
Nasty things have to happen in this story (otherwise there’s no story). Bad things are going to happen to good people (otherwise it’s just like any other story ever told). Bad actions will not always be met by satisfyingly just desserts (though some prefer their tropes this way). Good will not always triumph over evil. Some people won’t like that. But this is Game of Thrones.
GRRM doesn’t owe every fan an explanation for every scene, nor do D&D. Some things might only be explicable once more of the story is told.
Do they have to be respond to everyone outraged because Stannis was shown to die LIKE THAT, Sansa was assaulted THAT WAY, Jon Snow got stabbed when that was bound to upset heaps of people?
Why no, no they don’t.
mau,
I think Rosana is just wondering why they decided to go the direction they did, with Sansa marrying Ramsay and consequentially suffering at his hands, and I don’t see what makes that such a poor question to have. Even so, she wasn’t saying she hopes that someone hounds them about it–in earlier posts, many people mentioned that that would likely be one of the most common questions, and she was just laying out her own feelings about it. Besides, the producers want us to get angry about these sort of things, because it gets people talking. If that wasn’t what they wanted, scenes such as these wouldn’t be included.
Damn, Alfie, Carice, Liam, Conleth and John are great news ! As well as the delightful Stark sisters of course !
Arya Havin’ a Larf?,
John Bradley will for sure!
Greenjones,
It figures, wonder why that did not prevent them from attending last year’s comicCorn
I agree that the showrunners did give viewers the impression that Sansa would have a bit more “agency” going forward, then kind of cheated people out of that by giving her Jeyne Poole’s arc from the books. And while she didn’t completely resign herself to her fate at Winterfell, she didn’t do as much as she could have to both protect herself and to undermine the Boltons (the latter of which I was really expecting her to do) either.
So while I still didn’t think Winterfell was as bad as, say, Dorne was, it’s still a lost opportunity from a storytelling standpoint. I hope D&D will learn from their mistakes here and Sansa’s storyline will be better in Season 6.
marsyao,
Because last year’s SDCC was later on when production had already taken off. At the moment D and D, Cogman and Hill are still finishing up the scripts, so no they can’t go there now.
Robb Snow,
But why should we ever have had the impression that she’d have some meteoric rise to power? Did it work that way for Dany? No, she had to wander around through the Red Waste and act like a beggar quen in Qarth, and even after being Queen of Meereen, she’s now a prisoner with the Dothraki again. Or what about Cersei? She had to endure marriage with Robert and even after she’d rid herself of him and tried to secure power for herself, look what happened to her this season. The point being that “agency” is not a one way street.
And given the casting of Northern lords for next season and LF likely going North, I’d say it’s fairly likely that Sansa does get her revenge on the Boltons in s6.
Greenjones,
Just Ain’t buy it, never believe such a coincidence
marsyao,
It’s a coincidence that they’re not going to SDCC because the scripts aren’t finished yet? So you think they’re more worried about going to a con and being asked questions about writing choices that they’re perfectly able to defend if needs be than they are about going into a season with unfinished scripts? Come on.
Oh I’d love it if they announce the new characters and the new actors too. I can’t wait to see who they get to play Euron.
they’re perfectly able to defend or not, I would rather get from them directly, you do not work for then , so do me a solid, don’t feel entitle to put yourself on a position that somehow you think you shall defend for them
I think the guy that played the one eyed auror guy from Harry potter should be cast as Randyl tarly
Nobody was saying she needed a “meteoric rise to power”. This isn’t a binary where our only choices are “Sansa gets raped and tortured all season, neither tries and accomplishes anything, and then gets rescued” and (paraphrasing Steve Attewell, because I like the imagery) “Sansa spin-kicks Roose and Ramsay’s heads off and the declares herself Queen in the North.” Sansa instantly succeeding at everything would not be very interesting; but nor was it interesting for Sansa to just keep doing the same stuff she’s done before (except with more glowering). Give her a plan that makes sense; even if it ends in failure, let that failure come at the end of a chain of moves and counter-moves that show off what she’s learning, and allow her to develop further by experience. Instead, all there was was a preposterous shoestring whose only purpose was to get her into the place of Jeyne Poole.
Moreover, the comparisons to Dany, Cersei, etc. are rather misleading, as Sansa has already been suffering in the show, just as they did — indeed, narratively speaking Sansa has been a victim through all four seasons, and is meant to be starting to gain agency (and, for most of the show, has had less agency than the book version, due to cuts and changes made by the writers), while Cersei had power from the beginning of the narrative and has only started to see things unravel this season, and Dany’s arc lasted a fraction of the time.
Theon greyjoys castration and gelding affected me more than the red wedding or sansas rape
marsyao,
I’m not trying to give their arguments for them, I’m just giving a much more realistic account of why they’re not going to SDCC.
Wow, Greenjones! Who do you think you are that you feel entitled to give your opinion on why the show-runners won’t be attending the SDCC GoT panel! You are a very bad man. Very. Bad.
http://i.imgur.com/P3kRr.gif
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
😉
Greenjones,
It makes a lot of sense that they are not attending because of the show. Frankly, it is surprising that they’ve been able to attend as often as they have.
However, with the show coming off a 5th season, there really is nowhere near as much need for them to be there: the show gets plenty of media-hype without that provided by ComicCon.
But that is your colossal misinterpretation of what happened. She was nothing like Jeyne Poole, who was simply a tool. Sansa ripped Theon back out of Reek. Sansa grabbed Theon’s hand and jumped. Sansa did not sit their screaming hysterically or wind up a blubbering pile of goo.
Again, you are missing the point. The suffering is absolutely irrelevant to this. It’s the trying and failing that is important. Yes, yes, I know: you didn’t see the “trying”: but the vast majority of the audience would have had no problem doing so. Sure, it would have been nice if Sansa had started doing this 2 or 3 years ago: but they adhered too closely to the book and she stayed a potted plant.
The question that the viewers are asking is: how is this going to alter Sansa in the future? What will Sansa be like in Season 6? She’s burned away her old self; she’s made preliminary forays into trying to control events around her and failed. Will she come back more tactically savvy?
Wimsey,
Wimsey,
Well-said on both subjects.
No Emila, no Peter, no Kit, no Nik, no Lena 🙁
Robb Snow,
I think that was one of the better decisions this season. For a naive girl like Sansa, it would be quite unbelievable if she suddenly started to manipulate everyone. I’m glad that it turned out it wasn’t the case. Sansa tried to manipulate, but failed miserably. That’s realistic.
Sean C.,
On the last point. True, but Sansa is a very strong character and she’s been through a lot. As traumatic as her experience was, I think she’s only going to learn from it. I don’t want her to start seducing men left and right, but I do think she’s now capable of it.
TFT,
Not just realistic, but in line with the themes of the story. How many times has something been set up only to end up a huge disappointment in this series? Robb deciding to attack Casterly Rock only to get iced in the Red Wedding, Brienne’s arc in AFFC, Ned’s death and the end of his story, Dany’s colossal failure in Meereen after the comquer, Jon dying not in an epic battle but stabbed by his own men before it… This series comsistently gives harsh, unforgiving lessons to its characters.
No Iwan Rheon too 🙁 … why we never see him or Stephen Dillane?
Can an actor have a clause in his contract which absolves him of doing promotional work?
Dillane definitely doesn’t like to do interviews and such. He does promotion for the Tunnel, of course, in which his role is bigger and promotion is likely part of his contract…but he makes it well-known in almost every interview when doing so that he “doesn’t normally do this”.
None of those things fundamentally change that she was Jeyne Poole, who was absolutely not “playing the game of thrones”. And Sansa wasn’t even trying to do that; she made one stab at asking for his help, and after that just went back to telling him how much she hated him. Sansa unintentionally getting some guy to help her is nothing she hasn’t done before, and not really any different from what Jeyne did.
No, from the general reactions to this story, I’d say my sentiment that Sansa didn’t end up trying anything is pretty widespread. Much of the audience was waiting to see what the unspoken plan she had was, and when it became clear there wasn’t one, then everybody was speculating about what damage she’d inflict with that corkscrew, then it was just “oh well, at least she was rescued”. Sansa is supposed to be learning to play the game of thrones, which she never made any attempt at this season (unless you seriously think that sitting around doing nothing constitutes playing the game).
And, again, the show did “adhere too closely to the book”. The show has consistently made Sansa less active than she was in the book, most notably by removing her involvement in her escape from King’s Landing, which was the main payoff for her arc there.
The problem with trying to defend this storyline on the grounds that “what could Sansa realistically have done in Winterfell?” is that that invites the more obvious question of “then why the hell was Sansa in Winterfell to begin with?” Either there was something she could do (implausible as you may find it), or she should not have been there at all. The difference between this arc and things like Robb’s final battle plan you cite is that those characters had reason to think they could succeed, as it was within their skill sets and they had practical plans.
The only “harsh, unforgiving lesson” she could take from this is that sitting around doing nothing will not defeat the Boltons, which, duh. If the writers made her so painfully stupid that she needed to learn that, that speaks rather badly of them.
Greenjones,
No, you see. The difference is that GRRM wrote that, so it’s good that Dany failed and meandered around for a whole book after becoming the Mother of Dragons. That’s fine. But this is D&D messing with canon, so it’s bad. Don’t you see??? AGEEEEENCYYYY.
And anyone who believes Sansa wholly took Jeyne’s place, except in the most literal sense of marrying Ramsay, must be nuts. She was sent there with a mission, at which she failed as neither she nor LF considered Ramsay was a bloody psychopath, and then she was the person responsible for basically giving Theon his life again. Those were the plot-consequential parts of her story this season, and neither of them had anything to do with Jeyne Poole.
Wimsey,
Exactly, Wimsey. Exactly. I know evolutionary biology must be fun and all, but are you sure you can’t dedicate your whole life here arguing for common sense?
That mission being “sit around and do nothing”. Man, Sansa sure can learn a lot from the failure of that revenge plot!
Sansa was “responsible for basically giving Theon his life again” in exactly the same manner as Jeyne Poole: her suffering inspired his sympathy (with bonus anger, I suppose; but I don’t think her being more pissed off than Jeyne Poole constitutes some fundamental change to the narrative role). She herself did not actively design that. She started out by rebuffing him and saying she hated him, then in desperation straightforwardly asked for his help on one occasion, resulting in total failure, and then went back to telling him that she hates him with no other motive. That’s no different from her previous suffering having earned her the sympathy of the Hound.
And, of course, none of that has anything to do with playing the game of thrones, where she neither did anything nor learned anything all season.
RosanaZugey,
She’s probably going to answer it from an actor’s point of view, which is what she has done in interviews. She’ll acknowledge it was a horrible thing for Sansa but it’s GoT and she’ll talk (along with Alfie) about the mood on the set, how Iwoan is great person but how he delivered… I don’t think it will be a sarcastic inconsequential for the forum… after all, she is going to be answering in front of an audience dressed in outrageous (at least some) costumes. So those seeking for more profound and insightful answers should look somewhere else.
After 5 books Sansa didn’t do anything really smart nor important. In the show it is almost the same. I don’t see a difference.
She is just not interesting character (in the books or show). Circumstances around her are interesting, but she is meh.
Tell me one interesting thing she said in the books? One interesting think she has done? Nothing.
Sean C.,
According to you, Sansa didn’t do anything of her own will; a mind-blowing statement, from where I’m standing. We really are watching a different show. Which is nice. The show I’m watching seems much more engaging than whatever it is you are suffering through.
I would understand his complaints if Sansa was some show-Margaery type of character in the books.
But he didn’t do anything important in the books. Yet. Did she affect some event in any way? No.
mau,
In fact, her manipulation of the would-be-Lord Declarants on the show is much more of her own free will, and with much more proficiency (based on what she knows; pretending to be a silly little girl), than what she does in the equivalent scenes in the books. So even by “The Mountain and the Viper” last season, which was the finale as far as Sansa and Littlefinger were concerned, Sansa had already done more in the show than in the books. However, that doesn’t automatically turn her into bloody Batman. Still, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have liked some Sansa-caused comeuppance on the Boltons. I guess we’ll have to wait until next year for that.
I don’t recall saying that. I said she is not learning to play the game of thrones, and her story this season was to be talked into going to Winterfell to “avenge them”, which was nothing more than a writer fig leaf to put her in Jeyne Poole’s place, whereupon she did nothing but sit around sulking, then get abused, then fail at attempting to escape, before being rescued.
mau,
I think Sansa’s progression from a blinkered child to a wary and more perceptive young woman has been quite interesting. Her story has been the vehicle for some of GRRM’s most interesting things about romanticism, chivalry, identity, the role of women in society, the effect of the game of thrones on the pawns, and, gradually, how a character like Sansa can start to acquire the skills of a game player herself. She is not a character who, thus far, lends herself to “cool moments” (the show, after neglecting her development for the better part of three seasons, constructed such a moment for her, as it’s the primary language the show speaks in, and then made her a bigger victim than ever at a time when the book character is in the process of learning the game).
Carice being there is interesting… as she has hinted before on big scenes and will definitely be asked about whether she will be resurrecting jon.
Whatever the flaws of Sansa’s Season 5 arc might be, all the pearl-clutching and ranting about “agency” from Sansa fans it occasioned made it totally worth it. Maybe Sansa falls into Littlefinger’s arms with honest gratitude in Season 6 when he rescues her from Ramsay, and we’ll get to see the Sansa fans really lose their minds. Stocking up on popcorn now.
That progression never happened in the books. In her chapter in TWOW she is the same Sansa, she was in ACOK. She pretends to like Joffrey/Harry, but actually, she hates them. Her tummy and other nonsense are still there.
Her chapters are interesting, because of other characters who speak about those things you mentioned. That has nothing to do with her, or her agency in the books.
She heard many great lines from Cersei, Hound, LF in the show as well. And the result is the same. After 5 books/seasons she didn’t do anything important.
I don’t want cool moments, I want some moment from her. I want her do to something alone, without LF, Theon, Hound, Dontos,…
And she didn’t do anything important alone. In the books or show.
So, I really don’t see what agency she had in the books, that was taken from her in the show. She was always the victim of abuse or manipulation. Always.
Well, first, that scene is only possible because the show version of Littlefinger is turned into a complete idiot.
Second, the show had been neglecting Sansa’s development since the end of Season 1, only to appear to shove her far ahead of the book version. It’s not a moment the show earned, but having been sick of the show’s cutting Sansa’s plot and characterization, I and a lot of others were prepared to run with it if it meant the show finally taking the character forward.
But, as it turns out, the show had no idea what to do with this sudden game-player Sansa who was in a much stronger position than the book version has ever been in with him, as the next season opens with no trace of her supposed new intelligence or the security she had gained, and instead she glowers a lot while credulously doing whatever Littlefinger says, including traveling several hundred miles without the slightest indication where they’re going.
Book Sansa wanted nothing more than to get away from Littlefinger, but felt she had nowhere else to go but to carry out his plans (plans that actually make sense), and due to his attempts at psychological manipulation grows more dependent and admiring.
Show Sansa has none of these problems, but still ends up an even more credulous dupe than Book Sansa has ever been with him, as she supposedly has her eyes wide open, her own agenda, and other options. And I can unequivocally state that if Book Sansa learned that Littlefinger was trying to marry her to the Boltond, she would have the intelligence to run away and try her luck elsewhere, as chancy as that would be (unlike the show version, who had other places to go).
M,
That would actually be of far greater anguish to defenders of this story, many of whom ardently insist that the point of this story for Sansa’s development is to turn her against Littlefinger (which I don’t think is either the plan or something that makes much dramatic sense).
And that is her agency in the books?
She is forced to marry some man she doesn’t know and that is her agency? Give me a break. She was in same situation in the show.
So case closed it seems? She doesn’t have any agency in the books and she never had any agency. She is constantly abused or manipulated and forced to go from one marriage to another.
mau,
If you really don’t see a difference between ACOK Sansa and TWOW Sansa, or how all her experiences have fascinatingly affected her psychology, or the various ways she has worked to survive and help others to the extent possible (another key theme in GRRM’s storyline, largely absent from the show, the value of her compassion and empathy), well, that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it.
Nope, as I explained at length in the rest of the comment you evidently overlooked, Sansa in the books is learning to play the game and thus gaining skills and making active contributions to Littlefinger’s plan. She has not yet had the moment where she strikes out on her own. The point being that her current situation of working for him is the result of her lack of other options.
The show version, on the other hand, was supposedly given her own agenda and a much safer position, and the tools to assert herself and play against Littlefinger, and then immediately forgot about all of that. This makes the show version much, much dumber than the book version.
If the show had taken away the “Darth Sansa” smokescreen and just had Littlefinger sell an option-less Sansa to the Boltons, that would have been much more honest. Instead they trumpeted that she was done with being a victim and would be playing the game of thrones, only to immediately strip that away and make her a bigger victim than ever, without even the gradual progress the book version is making.
No, I don’t see any important difference, except those phrases like “themes”, “agency”,… that doesn’t mean anything.
Give me one example, one time she has done something that was proof of her evolution. There is nothing. She serves just like the camera for LF, who is much more interesting character
That is a very eloquent way to say “she has no agency, and she is forced to marry someone to serve as LF’s pawn”
What tools? She knows the truth about Lysa. She knows that truth in the books as well.
Because her role in the book is to be victimized. She is always the victim. There is no progression, Joffrey, Tyrion, Harry….attempted rape, attempted rape,… Songs, knights, songs, knights,….
Always the same. Why would show use Jayne Poole, if they have victim character GRRM created?
Her only purpose in this story for now was to be manipulated and abused. That was her storyline for 5 books and 5 seasons.
After WW and Dany, she is the biggest tease in this story. From Book 1/Season 1 we expected her to become something, to do something, to play that game of thrones, and she didn’t do anything at all.
She is learning? Yeah, right. For 5 books.
You know, it occurred to me last night (after I got off the board) that perhaps it’s not Sophie’s responses that should concern me, but the actual questions being asked. If an audience member gets up and asks her, “What was it like to film that rape scene,” I’m fairly certain she will respond as she has always responded: “It was a difficult scene for everyone to shot…but as an actor those kind of scenes feed/challenge me…and I love that.” (A perfectly reasonable and acceptable answer).
For me though, that’s not the question I want her to answer. I mean, once again, I’m not requesting/expecting to hear a 19 year old give me a dissertation on “Violence and Sexual Assault against Women in Popular Culture and Television.” I don’t care about that. I care about how that scene impacts her character, or rather, how SHE thinks that event impacts Sansa. So, if I’m there, I’m going to ask:
“What do you think that scene–and generally, her time in Winterfell–accomplished for Sansa’s character?”
“How do you think being raped affected Sansa within season 5 and moving forward into season 6?”
“You have said in interviews, that in Season 5, Sansa would be in the same position that she was in before, but she would respond differently. Do you think she responded differently this time because she’s grown as a character, or because (unlike in KL), she was actually raped?”
“I read that that scene was entitled, “The Death of Romance.” Do you think that scene finally killed the “hopeful, dreamy girl” in Sansa and made her disillusioned about–and adverse towards–marriage, love, and romance…or nah?”
“Do you think its possible for Sansa to gain power and influence the ‘Game’ without having to marry into those positions?”
I would ask Sophie Turner things like that. I want to hear her answer to questions like that. Be serious and tell me what you think all of this means for your character, dammit. But in the end, I think perhaps the other poster (in this thread) is right in saying that the venue itself doesn’t lend itself to these types of questions/discussions. But hey! A woman can dream. 😉
Damn!!! The rest of this discussion got all sorts of good! Shit! But alas…I must go to work. 🙁 Will come back later.
RosanaZugey,
I think that honest answer from D&D would be that in the first half of season 5 Sansa was a more confident version of herself and that served her character, and in the second half she was more active version of fArya(But still fArya) to serve Theon’s charater and in S6 she will return to stronger and more confident Sansa.
They didn’t have time for separate plots in the Vale and in the North and they didn’t want to take that heroic moment from Theon, because I believe there is many opportunities for Sansa in the next 25 episodes to be the person she was at the end of S4 and in the first half of S5, but there aren’t many many opportunities for Theon to be hero.
And when S7 is ended this incident with Ramsay will be a just obstacle on the way.
The 2 words that can increase my blood pressure by alarming degrees in about a second: “Olly” and “Agency”. Seriously considering petitioning for the second one to be obliterated from the collective consciousness at this point. Up there with “At the end of the day” and “Make no mistake”.
– agency
– lazy writing
– character assassination
– shock value
mau,
I’m fully aware that how hard it is to like/understand sansa believe me i know so i’m glad (proud) that i managed to accomplish such a hard thing and i’m even more glad that D&D are doing so great whit her arc ( some of the scenes they wrote for her specialy this season are among the best in the whole series)
The fact that she’s so disliked/misunderstood among fans is more sad than probably everything she’s been through IMO.
mau,
But nevermind i appreciate your enthusiasm for the show because god knows that this fandom is almost failing to properly appreciate this magnificent series
I don’t hate Sansa, I like her more than Arya in the books (Arya is boring in the books, I think the show really improved her character), but she just isn’t what her super-fans want her to be.
I really liked Sansa in S4 and S5(she was great as “dark Sansa”). I am not against rape at all (in storytelling ofc), but I wanted the stronger end of her storyline this season. Ok, maybe next season, we will see. I hope. The lords from the North are giving me hope.
We all want her to win, to do something big, but that didn’t happen yet.
RosanaZugey,
Maybe WotW could ask SophieT these questions in some form?
mau,
On the contrary her fans ( those who truly love her) knows who she is and they know what they wants her to be this is her NOT SO FANS whose expectations are wrong most of the time.
And about her arc this season you’re right i wasn’t expecting a cliffhanger like that myself but the notion of cliffhanger means that this storyline (her coming back to north to retake what was stolen from her family and restoring the honor of that great name) is still in play so we’ll see
Kath6152,
You’re an idiot.
red viper,
Agreed,but i say let him to his bitterness,doesn’t change the fact that he will still be a virgin loser hipster trash .
marsyao,
They have nothing to defend … it’s fiction! Just because you didn’t like something, does not mean that they owe you any explanation.
– butchery
– whitewashing
– cliche
Areo Hotah is a camera. Sansa’s perceptive abilities have been gradually growing throughout the story, from the flash of insight she has about the true danger of the situation with Joffrey, Margaery and Loras (which she isn’t capable of taking any further, with good reason, but nobody else ever considers this) to the crucial moment in AFFC where she sees what Littlefinger really did with the Lords Declarant.
No, it’s a very crucial distinction, namely, that Sansa in the books is backed into a corner and is spending her time gaining useful skills and experience, and has contributed her own ideas.
Her apparent understanding of and desire to use Littlefinger’s desire for her as a tool, her burgeoning manipulation skill, and (most importantly) the friendship and support of several of the most powerful nobles in the Vale.
You see only one end of her journey and that is your mistake.
You think that the only way for her character to develop is to become some manipulative player of game of thrones. But that is not her story. Everyone around her is telling her how to play that game from Book 2 and she doesn’t want to. She said she wants to be loved, if she ever becomes a queen.
If you think of Sansa as someone who should become a manipulative evil bitch, then yes. They failed. D&D failed and GRRM failed, no matter how hard you try to give some evidence of her evolution in that direction. After 5 books that does not exist. And there is no realistic way to develop Sansa into some kind of LF in the last 2 books.
Her journey is something different, something you can’t see, because you are blinded with your own imagination. Her journey is to restore the Stark family, to build what was destroyed, to take what what was stolen from them, but not because of some stupid game of thrones or her ambition or manipulation, but because she is not only Stark, she is also a Tully and their words are “Family, duty, honor”.
Her storyline is not “becoming a player”, her storyline is “reSTARKisation”.
And there is so much more evidence for this in the books, than some stupid manipulative bitch arc.
mau,
E.X.A.C.T.L.Y
Turning sansa into a manipulative and seductress figure is something beyond character assassination.
Now a question for you: how can you both have such a strong realization of this character and not love her at same time i mean by the looks of it you and me can be really good friends ( well i admit it i’m in serious need of someone who truly understand sansa in my life)
OK now i know how stupid i seemed with that statement!
I never said I don’t like Sansa. I like that character, but not because of some great “agency” that does not exist in the books or show, but because she was in dramatic circumstances and she is surrounded by interesting characters.
I think that next season Sansa must win. There will be no excuses. They put her in a bad position in E6 and 7 this season because of Theon and I’m not sure about that decision yet, but I can “forgive” them, if that pays off in S6.
mau,
I’m with you about season 6 but if you’re one of those who think that her arc this season somehow was sacrificed for theon you’re just wrong my friend the moment sansa realized that escape is her only choice in this situation she knew that she have to seek help from theon in one way or another for that theon needed to be theon again so sansa did the smartest thing and in every chance she got she pushed him out of reek ( even that last line in mother’s mercy “if i’m going to die…” was referred to him) finally she saved him from reek and of course he saved her too and they took that leap together.
Sansa’s season 5 arc was brilliant and next season will be even better (hopefully)
They’re all great but yay Alfie Allen, Liam Cunningham, and Conlith Hill this time! 🙂
I don’t think that her arc was sacrificed, because for me, end of that arc are deaths of Ramsay and Roose.
I just think that her arc has not been finished this year. It has been just like Jon in S3 and S4. At the end of S3 he wasn’t a good leader , but he was progressing and that paid off in S4.
I hope for the same result with Sansa in S6. I want Sansa and Rickon in WF at the end of S6, without Boltons ofc. If we get that everything will be perfect.
mau,
Because of the nature of the books, I see some of the villains having a “happy” ending. The question is: which ones?
Wouldn’t be surprised at all if Roose comes out smelling like a rose.
Maybe, but he won’t hold WF at the end.
mau,
Sansa and rickon in WF whitout any boltons being there by the end of season 6 i simply cannot agree more my friend
mau,
Nope he won’t he definitely won’t
Valyrian Steel,
Or…They could just be prepping for Season 6? They have a lot of cliffhangers to fix
Javi,
I am keeping it optimistic. They can still add more. we could always beg some characters to show up
Bookill,
Well we know for sure they won’t answer questions about the upcoming plots so that just wastes valuable question time. I wish I could go so PLEASE someone who is going PLEASE ask if they would consider making more of the animated “history and lore” segments that are narrated by the characters. Those are awesome and wouldn’t take much time to do. I would love to see them come out with another hour long “history and lore” segment at least once per month in the off season. Those are great for filling in the parts of the plots that there isn’t time to film. The artist doing the sketches is great. Someone suggested a segment narrated by the White Walker King in another discussion and that sounds great to me. We have only heard a very small part in the histories about the walkers and it was about the one taken as a wife.
mau,
Littlefinger did talk her into it by suggesting revenge. I am looking forward to Sansa’s revenge. With Reek getting his (figurative) balls back, it would be cool if he is part of the revenge too, and then Sansa can finish him off when she is done with the Boltons.
Ravyn,
I watched the last one on youtube and people really don’t plan on asking questions that are interesting and don’t give away the plot. It is just a royal waste of time with people asking over and over about future plots. They are not going to answer and you can see it starting to irritate the peeps from the show. I think the last on would have been a lot longer if people had good questions. If the fans were better organized, maybe more of the cast would want to show up.
Carice! That’s going to be hilarious. She can give the moste remarkable answers in interviews.