Fans complained the directors should be ashamed because the rape was too harsh but, actually, they toned it down considerably. In the book, Ramsay orders Theon, the Stark ward who was raised as a brother to Sansa, to not only stay and watch, but also to cut off the bride’s dress with a knife. Then, he orders her onto the bed, declares her “dry as bones,” and has Theon perform cunnilingus while he disrobes, threatening that he will cut off Theon’s remaining fingers if she isn’t wet by the time he is undressed. The bedding scene on Sunday was terrible, but it was not an embellishment from the books.
The second lack of necessity objection is even more baffling. It basically holds that a rape is only acceptable in a story if it advances the story or character. In this complaint, Sansa’s rape is redundant because we already know she doesn’t have full control of her destiny, so we don’t need the harsh underscore. Furthermore, the rape happened after Sansa finally managed to show a little fortitude. Until this season, vocal fans had complained that Sansa was weak and whiny, unbefitting the strong female character™ feminists demand in their entertainment. This season, the writers gave her some backbone, so fans figured the writers would have found some way for Sansa to escape her plight, as if a tough-girl attitude mandated better treatment.
Her newly expressed strength will certainly help her though her marriage charade and the aftermath, but attitude doesn’t cow sadistic men. It is no use complaining that this is not fair or right. Forgive me for reaching into my bag of mothers’ comebacks, but who ever said life was fair? Sometimes, life must be endured rather than enjoyed.
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