Did Sansa's Rape Scene Really Merit the Controversy?

[Not Littlefinger]

Yes, I know that it was two years ago. But, Sansa's rape is still considered by many to be the most controversial scene in the show. Many viewers claimed they stopped watching the show due to the scene, and the episode suffered poor ratings because of it. Yeah, it was dark and messed up. But isn't that what the show is? There is a reason that Game of Thrones is such a unique and amazing show: it doesn't give you what you want. It's going to be painful. You think these people would have learned that after Ned Stark's beheading, the Red Wedding, etc... Had they let their guard down so far after a season and a half without a major tragedy that they forgot what show they were watching? Yes, I understand that the rape of a young girl is different from stabbing and beheading. Yet, why did everyone wait until season 5 to make such a big deal about it. After the mutiny at Craster's, women of similar age were shown to be raped in even more explicit detail. Meryn Trant (although it happened later in the season) takes an even younger girl to be raped. I've never heard a single complaint about that. I'm sure there are many similar examples that I am forgetting, but the point remains: why does everyone single out the example where the woman chooses to marry the man, knowing that the marriage would have to be consummated. Yes, that doesn't make Ramsey's actions right, of course. But she had some degree of knowledge of what she was getting into, and nobody says a peep about the scenes where the victim DIDN'T put themselves in a situation where they knew they would have to have sex with someone. Or is it just because once it happens to a character people like they suddenly become too "morally superior" for the same content they've already seen. It all feels hypocritical to me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Dgskdive]

If they had read the books they would be even more pissed off if they knew what Ramsey made Theon do to Jeyne on their wedding night. Fake outrage in my opinion and I dont think it hurt the show at all. TO your point, they should have been more upset over Craster's incest harem.

[VixenMel]

I agree, in the first episode ever of game of thrones we see Dany get raped, and yes she also was married but unlike Sansa she had no choice about the marriage. I always thought seeing the nights watch who mutinied against Craster and murdered Jeor then basically raping Craster's daughters in almost a orgy as far worse than the Sansa scene. The thing is if D&D had invented a rape scene I would understand the controversy but they didn't Jeyne Poole was raped by Ramsay, far worse than Sansa was in fact considering how bad it was in the books D&D toned it down quite a lot. The only difference is Jeyne wasn't a main character, Sansa was but I wouldn't say that makes it worse. It's what is gonna happen when the combine two characters stories together.
Besides not watching must of been a empty threat considering there was no large drop in audience numbers compared to the first episode of the latest season of Walking Dead.

[Needle]

It's not about rape, it's about the destruction of Sansa's character.


I don't think anyone would've assumed Ramsay would treat his wife, whoever she'd be, with gentleness and respect. And after all the things we've seen on this show, a short rape scene is nothing.

There's another reason to why many from the fandom hate this scene, and it's sad that most of the media misses this point and only focuses on the "oh poor girl!" perspective.

To put it simply, D&D butchered whatever Sansa had left to her character, they threw everything to the trash and for what, a little bit of shock value? By the end of season 4 when Sansa walks out all confident, everyone was sure that this marks to end of Sansa's naive little girl phase. Everyone thought that she did grow up into someone more powerful, and she's not going to accept bullshit any longer. But then immediately afterwards she's sent off to marry Ramsay and becomes an abused captive all over again. What's the point? Even Sophie thinks this:

"When I got the script, I was shocked to my core. Because I was just like, is this really going to happen for her again? It’s really quite devastating. It is “Game of Thrones,” but when you had the moment at the end of Season 4 you think, “Oh her life is going to get better. She’s going to take matters into her own hands and she’s gonna be this powerful woman and liberate people and manipulate people.” And then it was just kind of like, “Oh.”"


People need to stop fussing over the rape factor and criticise it for what it actually deserves raging over, which is D&D shitty writing.

[Meg22]

It was a rape when there was no need for it. Sansa was ready to consummate the marriage. It was sustained, deliberate cruelty, intended to degrade and humiliate. I couldn't watch the torture of Theon for the same reason.

Dany was distraught at her plight and Khal Drogo was crap as a lover but he wasn't cruel to her. And that's the difference.

Perhaps one reason that it caused controversy is that women as chattels isn't so long ago in our history. Legally a man couldn't rape his wife as he was entitled to use her for sex as he wanted. Ditto for beating her. Domestic violence has received more focus in recent times.

I think it propelled Sansa's arc. Sansa was still trusting when she married Ramsay. Now she doesn't really trust anyone and it could work to her advantage. If she hadn't had that experience she'd still be putty in Littlefinger's hands.

[Not Littlefinger]

To put it simply, D&D butchered whatever Sansa had left to her character, they threw everything to the trash and for what, a little bit of shock value? By the end of season 4 when Sansa walks out all confident, everyone was sure that this marks to end of Sansa's naive little girl phase. Everyone thought that she did grow up into someone more powerful, and she's not going to accept bullshit any longer. But then immediately afterwards she's sent off to marry Ramsay and becomes an abused captive all over again. What's the point?

I would venture to say that the her marriage to Ramsey and, consequently, the rape scene occurred as a result of her decision to end her "naïve" phase and become something more powerful. Remember that she was initially appalled at the idea of marrying a Bolton until Littlefinger appealed to her desire to "stop being a bystander" and start making things happen for herself. That is what made her reluctantly agree to the marriage. I believe that, had it not been for her transition to "dark Sansa" in season 4, she would not have put herself in that situation. I think it's another unfortunate irony that we see so often in a show that turns storytelling norms upside down.

[Not Littlefinger]

If they had read the books they would be even more pissed off if they knew what Ramsey made Theon do to Jeyne on their wedding night. Fake outrage in my opinion and I dont think it hurt the show at all. TO your point, they should have been more upset over Craster's incest harem.

Couldn't agree more. I haven't read the books myself, but I am familiar with how that scene reads: and its much worse than depicted in the show. People complain that the scene didn't happen in the books, which is hardly an argument because in the books it happened to a character who's storyline was merged with Sansa's in season 1.

[QueenofThrones]

It doesn't bother me too much at this point. I am not sure why people think Sansa going "from player to victim" somehow destroys her as a character. Robb went from powerful to victim. Jon too, as did Tyrion and Cersei... Honestly most of the characters did at one time or another. The point as the Greyjoys say is "to rise again, harder and stronger".

Certainly it was frustrating and upsetting to watch - just as the red wedding and Jons assassination were frustrating to read. But the events of s6 made it worth it, for both jon and Sansa. Honestly I'm more annoyed about the somewhat artificial conflict between the two characters near the end of s6. But I can understand that as well.

[Needle]

To put it simply, D&D butchered whatever Sansa had left to her character, they threw everything to the trash and for what, a little bit of shock value? By the end of season 4 when Sansa walks out all confident, everyone was sure that this marks to end of Sansa's naive little girl phase. Everyone thought that she did grow up into someone more powerful, and she's not going to accept bullshit any longer. But then immediately afterwards she's sent off to marry Ramsay and becomes an abused captive all over again. What's the point?

I would venture to say that the her marriage to Ramsey and, consequently, the rape scene occurred as a result of her decision to end her "naïve" phase and become something more powerful. Remember that she was initially appalled at the idea of marrying a Bolton until Littlefinger appealed to her desire to "stop being a bystander" and start making things happen for herself. That is what made her reluctantly agree to the marriage. I believe that, had it not been for her transition to "dark Sansa" in season 4, she would not have put herself in that situation. I think it's another unfortunate irony that we see so often in a show that turns storytelling norms upside down.

She didn't decide to marry him because of her chance of becoming stronger, she chose to marry him because she was still heavily manipulated by LF, and since he told her it's completely safe and will only fix her family's situation, she trusted him and went on with it. Marrying Ramsay was not her choice, even if LF said it was. Because if she would've denied it, LF would've found another way to get her to marry him.

It doesn't bother me too much at this point. I am not sure why people think Sansa going "from player to victim" somehow destroys her as a character. Robb went from powerful to victim. Jon too, as did Tyrion and Cersei... Honestly most of the characters did at one time or another. The point as the Greyjoys say is "to rise again, harder and stronger".

Certainly it was frustrating and upsetting to watch - just as the red wedding and Jons assassination were frustrating to read. But the events of s6 made it worth it, for both jon and Sansa. Honestly I'm more annoyed about the somewhat artificial conflict between the two characters near the end of s6. But I can understand that as well.

Those who are upset aren't acting like that because the idea of a character falling from power is "unacceptable". Everyone can agree that Jaime's tough time as a prisoner only made him a better character.
What's upsetting us, is the fact that D&D began setting up a stronger Sansa, who won't let herself be manipulated and used by others. And only mere episodes later, she's back at being a powerless and abused captive.
So what was the point? What was the point of the scene where she dramatically walks down the stairs in a black dress? What was the point of setting this whole thing up?
And saying they did this to 'trick us' or use it as a plot twist, and a moment of "oh my god, I did NOT see that coming!" is not justifiable, because that's lazy writing at its finest. Seriously, they teach you to avoid such things in high school literature class.

[The Dragon Demands]

It wasn't the rape scene itself - which was off-camera - but that it destroyed her character arc.

I don't think they realized that. They fixate on "on-screen violence" and not "narrative".

Rather than go into detail...this even came up on the Season 6 Blu-ray commentary, in which director Jack Bender said that for the Braavos play....he honestly thought that the Tyrion-raping-Sansa bit was the writers candidly apologizing for the prior season. And they sort of stared blankly at him and said "it's mocking critics who didn't like it because they're over-sensitive". The final version of that scene has the "Sansa" actress complain "Sansa is so marginalized, she only has 2 speaking lines!"...which I suspect is an addition.

So even the creative staff themselves...don't seem to understand that the complaint was about how

1 - it ruined her character arc,
2 -....even if they wanted to introduce a rape subplot, the logical narrative setup was so non-existent as to be insulting: "She's going to marry Ramsay to destroy them from within"? Wha- where was this fear of the "Sansa Marriage Strike" when the Lannisters forced her to marry Tyrion?