Here are some of the highlights of the latest interviews from Game of Thrones cast members and beyond.
- In L.A. Times‘ Hero Complex, Sophie Turner chats about working with Peter Dinklage and Aidan Gillen and reveals she’s begun shooting new episodes. She drops this interesting hint about Sansa in season five: “I can’t reveal much, but there’s a big change for her this season and there’s a few familiar faces around.” Could this have something to do with the recent filming in Sallagh Braes, with two other cast members filming near Knights of the Vale?
- One of Game of Thrones‘ newest cast members, Rosabell Laurenti-Sellers, sat down with La Repubblica, an Italian publication, to talk about getting the role of Tyene Sand. Rosabell says before joining the show, she was unfamiliar with it, but realized it was a phenomenon by the reactions of other people. She made an initial audition video with her character trying to kill someone, and received a callback before winning the role. She says she’s trained extensively with martial arts and swords to play the part, and talks frankly about her nudity contract with the show and Tyene’s desire to avenge her father Oberyn. Visit La Repubblica for the full interview!
- Isaac Hempstead-Wright says in this Collider interview, while discussing his new film The Boxtrolls, that in the next Game of Thrones season for his character Bran, “There’s certainly some more action stuff, rather than sitting down in various forests, all over Westeros.”
- In non-cast press, Community‘s Jim Rash says he’d like to see a Game of Thrones-themed episode of his show. “Maybe we could work that world [into Community],” Rash said, in an interview with TVLine. “There’s got to be something you can battle for — what’s the throne between [rival schools] City College and Greendale?” Someone, please make this happen.
- Sean Bean talks to HuffPostLive and is questioned about fan theories that Ned Stark isn’t Jon Snow’s father. Bean responds that he doesn’t really know, it’s just that he’s “very much doubting that he’s my son,” and that he has his suspicions.
- Living Language is bringing Dothraki courses to fans in October. The course involves a book and a pronunciation CD that cost $20. There will also be an app, and an online course that cost $30.
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I like how Sean Bean refers to Jon Snow as “my son” as if he’s actually Ned Stark 🙂
The Sophie comment is intriguing!
I don’t see Brienne and Pod sticking around the Vale for very long but
Ahh the interview with Isaac is exciting. If the season gets into his WoW material, I hope we’ll culminate with
EDIT: Hmm I got wayy ahead of myself with that one. Probably S6.
LOL, the greatest twist ever! Ned isn’t Jon’s father, but Sean is really Kits father 🙂
Lion of Night,
Maybe the tree dude is just some stoner and they just get high together
I like this stuff
Eeeeh, funny enough, but regarding the “familiar faces” for Sansa, my first thought was Brynden Tully. Where has he BEEN, since there seems to be no siege of Riverrun in the show?
Anna,
Yeah I had just assumed they’re keeping RR under Frey control so they don’t have to be redundant with sieges. But yeah, what is Brynden up to??
Cubicz,
I believe his real name is actually the three-eyed tree dude…
Awesome! Hope the “familiar faces” in Sansa’s storyline are Brienne and a certain Grave Digger. Looking forward to her storyline as it will surely have a lot of brand new material to all.
Am I right in translating that Rosabell said it’s in her contract that she’ll only show her boobs?! I mean, I don’t mind if she does as she’s a very attractive lass but I hope they don’t just see the Sand Snakes as a way to needlessly sex up the show.
Suprised to hear Bran will have action in his story–but exited!
Yes, that’s what she said.
And you can have a nudity-showing female character who isn’t only her sexuality. So I’d rather wait and see before judging.
TheTouchOfFrost,
Yes, unfortunately that’s what she said. We can only hope it’s not another pointless sex scene.
Edit: I’m so slow.
I really hope the big changes for Sansa are positive. Brienne seems to be the most likely candidate to be the familiar face Sophie talks about, but then again… too soon maybe?
And as for Tyene, she sounds more like lady Nym from that description.
Sue the Fury,
We shall see. I think the show has handled sex and nudity quite well so far. The main characters nudity scenes have all had purpose and I think the extras have been done relatively well to create the impression that this is a brutal world where sex and whoring is a means to survive/progress. At times they may have gone a bit overboard (Pod in the brothel, Missandei’s bathing scene…although I’m not a big fan of the whole Missandei Greyworm stuff anyway) but , for the most part, I can’t be too critical of their handling of it and will remain positive that this remains the status quo.
Nobody knows if those are “changes” to Sansa’s story at all (unless, of course, it involves ‘that’ character, who is busy elsewhere in the books). Book readers now need to start getting used to separating ‘New Information’ from ‘Changes.’ Whatever comes now for Sansa and Bran MAY be stuff the writers made up… or it may be TWOW material. We just don’t know; we can’t assume it’s made up.
Anna,
My first thought was someone else who is definitely in the Vale in the show (and very near in the books). 😉
And of course there’s also BriPod- I don’t think they’ll meet Sansa, but they may be in the vicinity and come close to finding her.
BrightroarsBane,
Maybe Bran uses his skinchanging powers to get involved in other storylines and see or even contact other characters as a bird, etc.? And he could of course also have more visions about the past, the present… the future?
TheTouchOfFrost,
So Missandei should have bathed fully clothed ? Maybe that wouldn’t have bothered you so much .
Annara Snow,
That wouldn’t really mean it’s action based which that’s what he implied in the interview .
LukaNieto,
Excellent point! Can’t stand it when anonymous comments insist something is filler when they have no idea how the rest of the story plays out. Unless they are GRRM or D&D in disguise, they don’t know jack.
Action filled storyline for Bran? How the hell can you make a storyline about a cripple sitting in a cave action-filled? Unless he means the stuff that hapens when he skinchanges (btw warging is only for wolves or dogs, people, stop getting it confused)
IDK about Sophie, I prefer book’s prolonged development of Sansa’s side to the show’s abrupt one, but in this particular aspect I have faith
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ,
Exactly. From here out, we don’t know anything for many stories. We can’t accuse them of making up Sansa’s arc.
TheBerylfly,
I definitely prefer books’ subtle and long developments of characters, but the show prefers abrupt changes in general. Plus, there’s the 7 seasons thing.
TheBerylfly,
I took the abrupt change as a reference to her character’s manipulation of LF in the next season (mentioned in a previous interview).
I would have been interested in more scenes concerning Sansa “learning the ropes” of political maneuvering in S4 though. Where we left off, Sansa had seemed to figure all of that out already.
TaviColen123,
Maybe there was no need for a bathing scene at all? In fact, there wasn’t really a good reason to age Missandei up at all except to sexualise the character and invent this silly love story. Fair play if some people like it but I thought the book’s intelligent kid Missandei was a lot more interesting than the show’s devoid of a personality one. Not sure why they didn’t want to carry that character across?
TheTouchOfFrost,
I very much like the Grey Worm-Missandei story.
That’s not a change from season 4 though, it’s already happened.
Greatjon of Slumber,
Me too. If it were in the books, I bet the same people who call it silly would be going on how beautiful and subtle it is and how George wrote it so wonderfully, showing that the Unsullied are human after all and that love, desire and intimacy are not all about hormones and genitals (which was also shown in the books with Stalwart Shield and implied by Grey Worm: “Even those who lack a man’s parts may have a man’s heart”) and how it’s a proof that the supporting characters/former slaves liberated by Dany in Essos are not just props in Dany’s story, but have their own desires and interests and storylines unrelated to her.
Oh, and don’t get me started on all those fans who were saying when Missandei was first cast and aged up: “I won’t mind it if she gets some girl-on-girl action with Dany”. (As if the show hasn’t pandered to the straight male demographics enough as it is.) I bet that many are now disappointed that a eunuch has ruined their fantasy! 😀
Greatjon of Slumber,
Good for you. I hate it! 😛
Marisa,
Another? In season 4 there were only two sex scene, and both of them were really really short.
Bran having an action packed story is interesting because from where the books were going I assumed
Annara Snow,
Right. I was just echoing the comments about the general pacing of her plot. Imo, a lot of Sansa character development from aFfC was implied in S4E08.
Important
Annara Snow,
Or some people would still think it a boring non-event between two characters who are as dull as dishwater! Plenty of changes I’ve seen in the show from the books that have made sense and I’ve enjoyed. This isn’t one of them. Missandei as a character was interesting enough on her own from the books and didn’t need a love angle. I thought that despite only being 11 , the fact Dany relied on her for advice and council was what made her more interesting than the majority of other characters in Dany’s story. I find it puzzling that if they’re trying to streamline the show why spend time on this relationship (like it or loathe it)? I think Danys supporting characters will get the chance to come into their own without her when
I don’t think I encountered one person who thought that way. But if we’re going that way, isn’t the scene in the book (with Irri I believe) there to show that Dany had risen to a position where she can get sexual gratification whenever she desires it and therefore mirroring what some men in the same position do? In that way it could be seen as being quite feminist. It was done (rather clumsily) in the show with Daario. Your stereotyping of what straight white males want to see in a show is a bit insulting. Ever thought we might just like…you know…a good plot, acting and character development?!
TheBerylfly,
This may be true in Fantasy lit in general, but I don’t think it defined that way in GRRM’s books. He refers to any “passing into and taking control” of another creature as warging (there were eagles, a mountain lion of some kind, and people, of course). I don’t remember his using a different term for those “other’ creatures.
Annara Snow,
Nicely put. I like the Massandei/Grey Worm story line as it seems more innocent and hopeful to me–not something we get very often in GOT. However, I am a bit worried that it is setting up for losing one or both of them. Someone, somewhere should get to be happy…..right? /a hint of desperation is implied here
Sansa has spent three seasons watching people manipulate others. It isn’t surprising she’s picked up some tricks. I don’t see it as her character development being accelerated. Rather, she is finally in a position to use her skills.
TheTouchOfFrost,
Not all straight males – but some were posting that they wanted Dany and Missandei to get it on when Missandei was aged up. I’m pretty sure that was not because they were interested in the show exploring non-heteronormative sexuality or because they thought it would be ‘feminist’.
And BTW, no I don’t think it was “feminist” of Dany to have sex with Irri. Quite the opposite. I found it very troubling that she would allow herself to use the services of an ex-slave who was doing it only because she believed it was her duty to serve her khaleesi (and Dany knew it). I’m a Dany fan, but I wasn’t happy with her doing that.
Dany having sex with Daario (in the books as much as in the show – you don’t have to be cold, dispassionate and dismissive to the other person to be sexually empowered) was Dany being able to choose her sexual partner and enjoy consensual sex, without any of the troubling associations her sleeping with Irri had. Women in power committing borderline sexual harassment is not “feminist”, it just shows that people in power can act as jerks whatever gender they are (though Dany was not as bad as Cersei or Robert Baratheon).
ETA: Did the comment I was responding to just disappear?
Lion of Night,
I was happy with Sansa’s speech in front of the Vale council because it gave show-only fans a look into her mind a bit. She is onto Littlefinger’s game but between that and, what some are calling, “Darth” Sansa, it made it seem as if Sansa is a willingly participant in LF’s game of manipulation. Sansa does what she has to do to survive, and thrive, and of course the show is going to streamline the process. My hope is that the show doesn’t go overboard with this partnership as if Sansa is on-par with Littlefinger in deeds and action. She is still an apprentice, much like Arya in Bravvos, and as she gets better and stronger at playing the part, eventually we could very well see her pulling the strings. This new identity could provide some great moments where we see Sansa using her feminine “gifts”, things she was mocked for (courtesy, kindness, intuition), to convince LF to do things her way. She’s not going to gain the upper hand by beauty alone. And I hope the writers give the character enough credit to not rely on a trope, instead give her some steady development, without making her unrecognizable.
“I hope they don’t have the Sandsnakes included for sexual purposes” is a particularly hilarious and forehead-scratching complaint when everyone’s favorite omission Arianne is introduced in the books by describing a very graphic sex scene with her and Arys.
I know the general rule of this fandom is to state that every sex scene on the show is “pointless and gratuitous” and every sex scene in the books is “necessary to the plot” but I thought people here were a little more progressive than that. You don’t need to spew out incorrect rhetoric just because a bunch of people on other sites say it. Doesn’t necessarily make it true.
I can’t wait to see the show include the oiled-up dancing orgy performance scene for Dany from ADwD and have book readers not bother to criticize it at all as gratuitous since it’s right from the source material.
Let’s hope that more action scenes for Brandon does NOT mean more skeletons and fireballs.
One of the show runners’ biggest miscalculations so far, as that scene was both incredibly expensive and pretty much unanimously disliked.
Sansa’s storyline is definitely the one I am looking forward to the most in season 5, mostly because we really don’t know where it’s its headed. The only characters I think could be familiar faces are Brienne and Pod (she barely knows Brienne) and the Blackfish (whom she’s never met before IIRC). So is it supposed to someone familiar to her or familiar to the viewers?
Kells,
Totally! Her speech surprised me and I really enjoyed that particular change. I think it did catch me off guard on my first viewing because I didn’t expect Sansa-driven manipulation to occur that early, to that extent.
I will be very, very happy if D&D write Sansa as you’ve suggested.
BrightroarsBane,
Hmm yeah. I guess I didn’t expect she’d whip out any skills she had picked up along the way that suddenly, but rather make more of a transition of learning how to use them. But, that being said, I’m not unhappy at all with how D&D have adapted her plot. I just like to compare and discuss 🙂
I’m really excited for Sophie’s other projects as well.
“Alone” with Ray Liotta sounds particularly interesting…
Alone with Ray Liotta? I think “disturbing” is the word you’re looking for.
Tanaburs,
Haha. Yeah. Love me some Ray Liotta though. “Something Wild” and “Goodfellas” are two of my absolute favorite flicks.
Back to the topic at hand…
Morgan,
I could see The Blackfish ending up at the Vale, seeing as it should be friendly, or so he thinks, territory to hide out/regroup. I am thinking Sophie means someone familiar to the viewer. It would be fantastic to see BF end up at the Vale, unaware of who Sansa is and slowly putting the pieces together. Plus, Clive Russell is absolutely dynamic. How fantastic would it be to see BF and LF go toe-to-toe?
Blackfish can regale us all with the story of “How a need to piss saved my life”
Annara Snow,
To be fair, I’m sure there were lot’s of gay men, gay women and straight women who have made similar calls for sexual interaction between characters they like. I think singling out one set of people is unfair when there’s elements of all who do it ( the aging up on the lad who’s playing Trystane being a prime example of bringing them out of the woodwork!). Let’s not talk in such general terms as I don’t think it gives a fair representation…especially of the community on this site.
I didn’t say it was feminist (don’t want to go into the quagmire of what feminism actually is when even proponents of it don’t seem to be able to come to a universal agreement) but could be construed that way and viewed as showing the similarities (or even equal rights/oppurtunities) between the sexes. I don’t think Dany knew a great deal about it to be fair and it was over before it had begun. You’ve got to take the rough with the smooth with GoT characters. They’re not perfect and sometimes they do things that you may disagree with but that’s what makes them well fleshed-out and sympathetic characters which people can empathise with. Dany has done some silly and hypocritical things at times and that’s part of her learning process which keeps her interesting…well relatively interesting!
I dunno about the shows interpreatation of it. She seemed to be commanding it which, although he was willing and I think there was a certain amount of playfulness in it , it didn’t really sit right with her character up until that point. Although it was probably still a bit better than schoolgirl crush Dany from the books. To some folks, feminism seems to be a word where nothing negative can be attached to it whereas masculinity is often tied to less than positively viewed things. I think it’d be healthier to focus more on the characters themselves than gender roles as it seems to be an argument waiting to happen at the drop of a hat as I think last season demonstrated!
I liked that too. Brought a real sense of freakish horror to things, and was also a nice Harryhausen tribute.
Really intrigued by Rosabell Laurenti-Sellers; looking forward to her portrayal of Tyene.
Err, yeah, I meant the changes in terms of character development, not adaptation of possible future material. That’s what Sophie was talking about, right? I want positive things to happen to Sansa Both in TWOW and season 5.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ,
Just FYI
skinchanger is a person who can slip into the body of another creature.
Warg is the one who could do that with a wolf or other canine.
it’s consistently referred to within those limitations in text, and also So Spake Martin – http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/World_Fantasy_Con_Saratoga_NY_November_1_4_2007
although the show used warg for the Thenn owl dude so I guess the distinction does not apply in show canon
Didn’t Community have a “Bloodlines of Conquest” themed episode that pretty much GOT?
TheBerylfly,
Okay, well I guess I stand partially corrected regarding the show and full corrected on GRRM. 🙂
Action for Bran probably means that he’ll be walking in visions again like season 3. His storyline had a lot of action last season but I guess he himself WAS just sitting around in forests. The only way to break that rule in season 5 is through visions.
Also, if the Hound is alive (and neither book readers nor show watchers know for sure) the only storyline where he can appear IMO is Sansa’s. He might be a familiar face, aside from the obvious Brienne and Podrick.
Greatjon of Slumber,
I liked the skeleton scene too. It felt very different than the usual GOT, I would agree, but I still enjoyed. Very Harryhausen.
Reema,
Yeah but it was more about watching a show/spoilers. I’d love to see the Community people actually live GOT.
TheTouchOfFrost,
How do you know that’s the only reason they aged her up,maybe they wanted to replace her dothraki handmaidens which are pretty much killed in the show .
Lex,
Um,you don’t speak for everyone,i happened to like that scence,so next time please don’t use words like unanimously disliked as you don’t know what that means .
Sue the Fury,
I loved the skeletons but hated the fireballs. They were so unnecessary, the show could have done something less ridiculous (such as flaming arrows).
Agree. I support any and all efforts to keep Rory in the show.
Besides…
BrightroarsBane,
The show never made any effort to show her developing those “skills”. Indeed, they spent season 3, especially, portraying her as an idiot. Sophie, in her interviews, tried to justify this by saying it was all an act she was putting on, but there’s never any sign of this in the show itself. It’s not well-done character development to just say that a character has been developing without actually showing it. If they had wanted to show Sansa putting on a facade in King’s Landing, there are well-established techniques to do that and let the audience in on it, but they didn’t. The show abruptly shifts gears completely in season 4 with her.
Im hoping Sansa and Bran take a back seat in Season 5. Im a big fan of both characters but i think other character should feature more next season (Sansa was one of the most featured characters in season 4 so i think she should only be in 6-7 episodes next season)
Arya wasnt in season 4 much so im hoping that she is in at least 8-9 episodes next season. She is one of the few characters with plenty of book material left and her story has potential to be great (i have a feeling unsullied will love it, especielly if Jaqen returns)
I , too, enjoyed the skeletons. As far as the fireballs, they didn’t bother me, as I thought it established the Children of the Forest can wield certain powers.
Sean C.
I disagree there were no signs of Sansa learning to play the game. I didn’t read the books until between seasons 3 and 4, and it was pretty clear to me she had been saying what she had to say to survive. I’m can’t remember which season it was, but Tyrion even had a line wherein he said something along the lines of…”you may survive us, just yet.”
Bobby,
Bran was already barely in season 4. He can’t take any more back seat without straight up disappearing.
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Parroting that she loves Joffrey is really not “playing the game”. There’s a whole succession of scenes in (especially) the second half of season 3 where she’s nothing but the butt of jokes about how dumb she is, and they cut most of her active storyline.
Sean C.,
But Sansa lied many times in the previous seasons for survival. She developed this skills since the end of the first season.
Perhaps it isn’t, in your opinion. In my opinion, it shows the first steps of her learning how to play the game. I wish I could remember what she said to Tyrion which led to the line of his I mentioned, but I can’t. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with people having different opinions, again, in my opinion. 🙂
She said she was loyal to Joffrey.
That we saw her lying about loving Joffrey is not really a great indicator that she’s “playing the game”, seeing as the rest of the time she’s being made fun of for being stupid.
Sean C.,
To be fair, the only time they really portrayed her as an idiot was “will my family be able to come to the wedding” (UGH). Most of the time in season 3, the problem was that they were ignoring her POV, watering down her book story (especially in the portrayal of her forced wedding) and treating her as a supporting character in her own story. I can’t say that she actually seems stupid in any other scenes, but they didn’t really try to dispel that idea that many viewers have.
The scenes with Littlefinger were actually good, particularly the one where she refuses his help, where she is lying to him and putting on the same pretense she does with Lysa in 4.05: “I’m a bad liar, you said so yourself”.
The scene with Loras in The Climb was awful, but mostly for how it makes him into a gay joke. Sansa could have been a joke in that scene if she was played as being star-struck and “crushing” on him and super-happy, but the way Sophie player her, she seemed sad and serious and aware of the lack of any connection between them or interest on his part (which was obvious in the previous scene where she reminds him of the rose he gave her, with the obvious looks of disappointment on her face as she realizes he doesn’t even remember), and it seemed clear her main motivation was getting away from King’s Landing rather than marrying a cute guy. Between the two of them, Loras got treated much worse as a character (not that this is saying much, poor Loras always gets the short end of the stick on the show).
The scene with Margaery in The Bear and the Maiden Fair is mind-boggling, but everything Sansa says actually makes perfect sense and is justified – and no, she doesn’t give “he is a dwarf” as the main reason why she doesn’t want to marry him, as people often mistakenly claim – she says “he is a Lannister” immediately as the reason why marrying him is awful, and only mentions that he is a dwarf after the subject of sex comes up, which is perfectly understandable (since when is it stupid to dislike the idea of sex with people we find physically unattractive? How many viewers make a habit of sleeping with people they don’t find attractive just to show how unprejudiced they are?) and that after Margaery practically makes her say it by acting as if she can’t imagine why Sansa wouldn’t find Tyrion attractive (Sansa even makes that expression that means “oh come on, you are really going to make me say it even though you know what I mean?” and that she’s not comfortable addressing the elephant in the room). The reason why the scene is frustrating if not infuriating is that Margaery is saying completely idiotic things (translated: “Oh, it’s not so bad that you’re 14 and being forced to marry into a family that is responsible for the death of your father, is waging war against your family and keeping you captive, in order to steal your family’s lands. Your husband is not a complete monster, he won’t beat you up or kill you, just rape you. He’s probably good in bed because he’s been with lots of women he paid to sleep with him and pretend they like it, so being raped by him may not be so bad and you may learn to enjoy it. And your child may inherit Casterly Rock and the North one day, after your new in-laws have killed your brother! Isn’t that great!”) but the way it’s presented is tailor-made to make viewers think that Sansa is being naive and that Margaery is imparting “wisdom” to her. (I don’t know if the same is the case with the parallel scene where Bronn tells Tyrion to marry Sansa, enjoy having sex with a 14-year old and use her to get Winterfell, and keep Shae on the side…)
Even the infamous “shift” scene doesn’t actually show Sansa being stupid, just sheltered in the sense that she was a lady and wasn’t spending time with common folk while growing up, which is actually perfectly understandable. But it’s another scene that is tailor-made to make the viewers who aren’t actually trying to think about things (oh the irony) and try to understand the society GoT takes place in, declare that Sansa is “stupid” (what is her problem, does she ever go online and check the Urban dictionary? Hasn’t she watched any HBO shows? That stupid Sansa!).
Sean C.,
I wouldn’t say Sansa has learned to play the game, because I’m betting she has no desire to be on the throne. But she has clearly learned to survive and to manipulate others. For example, when she saved Dontos from being “wine boarded” it was a good example of how she had learned to manipulate Joffrey. And I think there are a few examples of this kind of growth. Her journey is more subtle than everyone else’s but I think the signs are there.
As I already said, Sean C., we just have different opinions.
Annara Snow,
But isn’t that what is told to every young unwilling bride in every extremely patriarchal society? Don’t fear or be repulsed by your husband-to-be even though you didn’t choose him. You might grow to like it. You’ll have children and think of them and what they can inherit. Etc, etc, etc… I would expect someone like Margery to say such things. She was willing to marry a known out of control sadist like Joffrey to gain power through him, advance her family’s prestige and even have kids with him. Margery clearly has bought into the patriarchal BS and she’s simply communicating what any of the older women (except perhaps for Brienne) would say to her. I’m not defending the perspective, which I agree is horrid, but I think it made sense in that society’s and characters’ context.
jentario,
Some people are under the impression the Child of the Forest used fire magic out of her fingers. She didn’t. She takes something (presumably out of her pouch) and throws it. A kind of magic molotov coctail. It’s not so silly.
Ahhhhhh… now it all makes sense how they can do the whole Brienne story arc without
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ,
Yes, that’s how I would choose to see that scene. But, judging from the reactions of many of the viewers, it has somehow been widely regarded as “cool” and experienced Margaery imparting “wisdom” to “naive” Sansa as well as “sticking up” for fan favorite Tyrion, or even as example of Sansa being “shallow” (?). Here I’m paraphrasing the comments of some Unsullied reviewers or fans. If so many viewers – who are born and live in modern Western society that normally abhors forced marriages – have these kinds of reactions, then there is something about the presentation of those scenes and the characters that skews towards such an interpretation.
LukaNieto,
Still very silly, and everyone I’ve talked to about this saw fireballs which means the scene was (visually) problematic as well. If it actually looked like a Molotov instead of a magic ball (and that’s exactly what it looked like in the reflection in Jonen’s eyes) than maybe it wouldn’t have been so silly. As is, I think it’s the silliest looking effect the show has done to date.
On a completely unrelated note:
I love that at the top of each comment section it now says “Jump to and always support the bottom!!!”
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…
Well said. Sansa isn’t going to come right out and verbalize her subtle manipulations because she had, truly, no one to count in for 3+ seasons. She had Shae, to an extent, but even with their relationship, she still played the naive girl (which she was/is in a lot of respects). Sansa doesn’t have aspirations for the throne, like you mentioned, but I also believe she has zero desire for “power” in general. Sansa wants to survive and played the part of the docile maiden well. But at the core (at least how I view book Sansa, it could change with show Sansa), she just wants to go home and be reunited with what is left of her family and the north.
Her role thus far doesn’t make her a “player” but it does make her someone who can read a room, read the game, pretty damn well.
With Sansa, there is a ton of frustration as a viewer that is completely understandable because we (well, fans of the character) want to see her establish her own agency. The girl has had no control whatsoever over her own existence and it can get tedious because we are all waiting for the moment to arrive when this young girl can finally gain the upper hand. That time has arrived and while it probably will be frustrating still, this is Littlefinger after all, at the very least we will see a Sansa that can assert some control.
I was so peeved at the thought the writers might use Sansa as a nymph, from Sophie’s previous comments about Sansa using her sexuality, that I assume the writers aren’t really sure how to show her as a HBIC (I hate that term but it fits here) without turning her into a Cersei clone. Reading comments and more insight here, I am feeling better that the Sansa “evolution” may very well be a bit more methodical.
I have waxed on and on but thinking about it more, bear with me here, I remember a scene from Sex & The City when Charlotte first started dating Trey. They where out with Trey’s mother and she noticed how the Mother could influence Trey by simply touching his hand and suggesting something in a calm, deliberate manner. Charlotte then tried the same thing on Trey, gentley touching his arm and coyly suggesting something. He submitted and there, Charlotte established her footing in their relationship. Does this make sense? LOL
I guess, in a nutshell, Charlotte didn’t use malicious tactics but was still about to manipulate the situation. I can see Sansa developing the same “skill”.
Sean C.,
I don’t think anyone who hadn’t read the books thought the development was too abrupt. We’ve been watching her lie in order to survive since the end of Season 1. Sometimes she lied badly, sometimes she lied well (like when she turned down Littlefinger’s offer to get out of King’s Landing). In Season 4 Littlefinger gave several lessons on how to deceive and play the game (which is very similar to the development of her skills in the books), we saw her lie her way out of a dangerous moment with her aunt in S4E5, and then she lied in a similar way in S4E8.
The show can never do right by Sansa in some people’s eyes. They take away her incredibly unpopular and stupid decisions (telling Cersei about their leaving early) and are accused of taking away Sansa’s agency. They give her a moment of agency in Season 4, and now the problem is that her development is going too fast.
Taking away her agency earlier on and writing a long string of jokes at her expense is why the sudden gear shift in episode 4.08 was too fast. The two things are connected.
Could the action that Bran is talking about the battle of Winterfell? If Bran has a role to play in that battle, they will definitely show.
Sean C.,
I don’t understand how Sansa telling Cersei about Ned’s plans makes her scene in 4.08 make more sense. I don’t understand how Sansa’s refusing to kneel at her wedding would make her scene in 4.08 less abrupt. If anything, those are examples of naivete and immaturity that contrast with the smarter and more mature Sansa who emerges in Season 4.
In 4.08 she lied in order to be in what she felt was a safer position. She’s been lying to survive for three seasons. The only difference in 4.08 was that she wasn’t being instructed in what to say. Her lying itself has improved, but she was slowly getting better than that anyway, and has had some Littlefinger tutorials on top of her experience.
The real test is to see if any Unsullied thought that the scene was an abrupt or uncharacteristic development for her. If the problem has something to do with whether the narrative makes sense or if the character’s arc is consistent, then why is it that only people who are aware of the book deviation are pointing it out?
TaviColen123,
I don’t know but I can’t really see any other reasons. Why could a child Missandei have fulfilled the same position as an adult one as a handmaiden/confidant?
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
That scene was from Season 2. It was episode 4, I think. Tyrion has stopped Joffrey from beating Sansa in the throne room. He’s escorting her out and asks her if she wants to end her engagement to Joffrey. Sansa responds with the line that she’s loyal to Joffrey, her one true love and walks right out the door. Tyrion seems to admire her gumption and makes the “you’ll survive us yet” comment to himself.
Hodor Targaryen,
What’s “naive” or “immature” about refusing to kneel at her forced wedding? Do you also think that every act of rebellion and defiance by every slave, hostage or oppressed person in the series is “naive” and “immature”?
Annara Snow,
Maybe not “immature,” but when I read Sansa’s refusal to kneel, it seemed a little…miscalculated. Earlier in the chapter she chooses to stick with Tyrion over Lancel because he had been kind to her. I’m not saying that’s the same as consenting to the forced marriage, but her act of rebellion by not kneeling seems like was more aimed at the Lannisters generally than Tyrion specifically, but the one most damaged by her refusal was Tyrion. She made Tyrion, someone who she just moments before thought was kind, embarrassed, but made Joffrey, her number one tormentor, very happy. Unless her aim was to embarrass Tyrion and only Tyrion to the delight of Joffrey, then I think she at least misread the situation.
And no, I don’t think acts of defiance are all immature and naive. Honestly I used those words to describe Sansa’s snitching to Cersei more than the refusal to kneel. But I do think the refusual would have, in anything, been in conflict with her decision to save Littlefinger’s ass in Season 4, as opposed to prepping the audience for that moment.
GeekFurious,
Hodor Targaryen,
Every time I read that section, I cringe on Tyrion’s behalf. I think it was kind of thoughtless on Sansa’s part, because she was cruel to the only Lannister that had shown her any kindness. But at the same time, I totally understand her need to fight back against the Lannisters in any way possible. Refusing to kneel could have been a rebuke to the family.
However, it is possible we are misreading it? It was pretty clear that she was afraid. And it seemed like she wasn’t sure what to do–maybe she was panicking a little and not thinking clearly. They certainly didn’t give her much time to prepare herself mentally. Maybe she was just young, nervous and afraid and it had nothing to do with hurting Tyrion or defying his family.
Speakin’ for myself, I was hoping for casting news for Tim the Enchanter or The Killer Rabbit.
John Cleese is definitely too old for this now.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ,
We know what it was about:
She didn’t kneel because she hated the forced wedding and everything they were doing to her, and because it was the only way to vent her feelings of anger at how she was treated. “Why should I spare his feelings, when nobody cares about mine?” Indeed.
Afterwards she still felt bad for humiliating him as a person. Which shows that she is a nice person. Let’s remember, at this point she thinks she is going to be raped by this guy that very night and probably for every night for the rest of her life, and will have to be the wife of a Lannister, give him children and be a part of that family that has been trying to destroy her family, until she dies – unless she manages to escape.
TheTouchOfFrost,
TheTouchOfFrost,
but still, i dont understand why they chose a stunt double to film the scene in which theon is almost raped and alfie allen was supposed to show his tooshie. i understand that in jon snow’s cave scene they had to use a double because he had something in his ankle.
but when it comes to the female characters they dont use stunt doubles. i also wish they could just stop wasting valuable minutes in nudity and sex scenes. they could just be implicit!
also whats with the whitewashing? i know some people say that it is set in medieval europe and blah blah blah….
why do they cast white actors when the characters are supposed to be more exotic? e.g. Dorne, Missandei (shes more white than anything)…
i dont blame the show producers entirely. GRRM has a temdency to prefer white people, even when he had the opportunity to create at least one somehow importante POC character…
Westeros is set in medieval europe, ok, but why is Melisandre, who comes from the end of the Known World, white? he had the chance there
Dorne! he had the chamce to diversify the characters in that region but even in Dorne he creates characters that are somehow redheaded, blonde, or blue-eyed.
the “most beautiful” sand snake, Tyene, is described as blonde and blue-eyed
i could go on…
tooshie comment,
i find this lack of diversity annoying, so i imagine Melisandre with coal-black skin, she’s so much better, i dont whitewash the dornish characters no matter their description, to me, Qarth is a beautiful city of POC.
But most of all, i imagine the targaryens to be like the race of the movie atlantis… woth their white hair but light brown skin.
just wanted to share my views