Sansa's Empowerment Arc & The Future

[Arplus Elisjay]

Hi all -

I was very active last week on these boards AGAINST the concept of Sansa going through another victim arc. My thoughts were that she already played the victim role during her time in KL. Now that she's in WF, I thought she would go through an awakening based on her LF and Cersei manipulation training and turn into a power broker. I did NOT think they were going to take her down Jeyne Poole's arc from the books....and I still don't.

Though the the showrunners had Ramsay rape her, the scene was nowhere near as horrible as in the book and I don't think that going forward she's going to be confined to her chambers and tortured by Ramsay as Jeyne Poole was in the books. Somebody I was debating likened Sansa's forthcoming arc to the first season arc for Lucretzia in The Borgias. At the time I pooh-poohed it, but now I'm starting to think that is how this plays out. I was still a little upset because Sansa showed such strength in the bath scene...I totally thought that she was already in control....but I am of a firm belief that the rape did not "break" her, if anything, it was a speed bump on the onramp to the Strong Sansa arc that I still hold out hope is in the works.

Controversy and political discussion aside, where do you see that arc going in light of this past week's events? Any other Borgias watchers notice that parallel between Sansa and Lucretzia emerging? I am a little biased now toward thinking that the show will play out events like in the book, except with Sansa playing a more active role (perhaps as the Ghost of Winterfell) than Jeyne ever could. My thoughts are that Sansa will appeal to Theon, who will reveal that he didn't kill her brothers (which unfortunately makes her expendable), and then the two plot to escape and likely end up in Stannis' hands as per the book (except for the part about Sansa being with Stannis).

My other thought is that LF riding to Winterfell with Vale knights might tie in to the book with Sansa instead riding to Winterfell...but that's neither here nor there.

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

well, in next episodes preview she seems really broken to me.

[Mladen]

well, in next episodes preview she seems really broken to me.

But she does

tell Theon that her family has friends in the North

Which means we are bound for some empowerment through rape. Needless to say, it is absolutely despicable sexist trope. Apparently someone forgot that women don't need to suffer rape to be empowered.

[David Selig]

Anytime the buffoons who write this show mention the word "empowerment", I cringe a lot.

[MyLittleFinger]

Maybe she never gets "empowered" like many people in real life?

[JonisHenryTudor]

I don't really see this as Sansa being empowered. If anything I think it will have a similar effect on her that Ayra's experiences had on here, which is to say that Sansa is going to leave sweet innocence behind and become utterly ruthless. Arya was already empowered, but the events that took shape after leaving Winterfell transformed Arya into a ruthless little girl. At least in terms of the show, I think this event will be the catalyst that sends Sansa to the "dark" side. Mind you I don't mean dark as in evil, rather I mean cold and unforgiving. A trait that makes the Starks, Starks.

I think Sansa became empowered well before she arrived in Winterfell (show).

[SerJeremiahLouistark]

I just hope there isn't a little Ramsay bun in the oven if you know what I mean.

[MordredDayne]

This gif from next episode's preview isn't promising.

http://i.imgur.com/yh1Hsru.gif

I'm honestly not sure what they plan to have her do for the rest of the season. My guess is that she will be somewhat involved in her possible escape from Winterfell (at least more so than she was in the show's depiction of the Purple Wedding escape). It does seem to me like they're going for an "empowerment" through rape angle.

I don't really see this as Sansa being empowered. If anything I think it will have a similar effect on her that Ayra's experiences had on here, which is to say that Sansa is going to leave sweet innocence behind and become utterly ruthless. Arya was already empowered, but the events that took shape after leaving Winterfell transformed Arya into a ruthless little girl. At least in terms of the show, I think this event will be the catalyst that sends Sansa to the "dark" side. Mind you I don't mean dark as in evil, rather I mean cold and unforgiving. A trait that makes the Starks, Starks.

I think Sansa became empowered well before she arrived in Winterfell (show).

Hasn't Sansa been sent to "the dark side" already? Isn't that what the crazy raven dress and necklace from the end of season 4 was about? Or was that just some heavy foreshadowing? Is she going to be donning some kind of uberblack death metal duds in order to key us into this newest dark turn?

[SerJeremiahLouistark]

Let's see, her direwolf was killed, she was betrothed to a lunatic who beat her, she was forced to watch her dad and septon get their heads cut off, she lost her sister, she heard her brothers were murdered, forced to marry a dwarf, heard about her mom and other brother being murdered, watched her aunt get murdered after her aunt tried to kill her, forced to marry Ramsey Bolton in her home occupied by the man who murdered her brother and aided in the murder of her mother, escorted down the aisle by the man who "killed her other brothers". Shit what else could happen to her, oh yeah rape. I mean damn, she is having a rough go. Weiss and Beinhoff must hate the Starks too.

[Mandzipop]

She went in to act out revenge. She knew that she would have to endure the bedding. It was a necessary evil as she is unable to get her revenge by saying no.

She's also probably worked out that Myranda wasn't lying. The empowerment will be to ensure that Ramsey doesn't stop her from carrying out whatever she's got planned up her sleeves. So she needs to work out what will make him find her interesting enough to give her the space and freedom she needs to plot. Littlefinger said make him yours.

To be fair, show Ramsey is fairly easy to manipulate. All she has to do is assure him that when he returns that he will be the only Bolton heir and she will resolve the Walda situation. His eyes will light up with joy and he will be a pussycat for 35 seconds. That won't happen in the show as it is way too simple.

[Valetudo]

Hasn't Sansa been sent to "the dark side" already? Isn't that what the crazy raven dress and necklace from the end of season 4 was about? Or was that just some heavy foreshadowing? Is she going to be donning some kind of uberblack death metal duds in order to key us into this newest dark turn?

It seems like every character development that took place in a previous season is forgotten as soon as we start a new one.

Sansa has to be victimized again in order to become empowered, Jon goes from wildling hater to wildling lover, Jaime goes from Cersei's pet to "nice guy", ...

[Valetudo]

She went in to act out revenge. She knew that she would have to endure the bedding. It was a necessary evil as she is unable to get her revenge by saying no.

She's also probably worked out that Myranda wasn't lying. The empowerment will be to ensure that Ramsey doesn't stop her from carrying out whatever she's got planned up her sleeves. So she needs to work out what will make him find her interesting enough to give her the space and freedom she needs to plot. Littlefinger said make him yours.

To be fair, show Ramsey is fairly easy to manipulate. All she has to do is assure him that when he returns that he will be the only Bolton heir and she will resolve the Walda situation. His eyes will light up with joy and he will be a pussycat for 35 seconds. That won't happen in the show as it is way too simple.

Yeah, let's go on a suicide mission, marrying a psycho and son to the guy who killed my brother .... because REVENGE!!!

That's the kind of trope that is totally unbelievable. I would understand if LF would have told her some plan that permitted her to avenge herself without dying for it, but he didn't tell her anything, just AVENGE YOUR FAMILY. So badass!

[1234567]

Any story line where a woman chooses to go into a situation where she will be raped by the family that murdered hers in order to empower herself, is a storyline born from the minds of mysoginistic sexists.

Seriously it is a ludicrous suggestion that any woman outside of a day time soap would consider this.

[gash is back]

maybe

*shock horror*

just maybe

she doesn't get empowered!

[1234567]

maybe

*shock horror*

just maybe

she doesn't get empowered!

Given what she has been through that would be a more realistic outcome. Rape destroys a lot of women's lives and in some cases takes years to come to terms with.

However we know in the books that she is becoming a player and that their is a major plot in the vale. Her character on the show however is now Jeyne.

[Valetudo]

maybe

*shock horror*

just maybe

she doesn't get empowered!

Have you read or heard any interview/article about Sansa's story this season?

It's all about her being EMPOWERED. We're not over-using this word just because.

That's all they say about her character.

[Lord Damian]

At this point, I think we have been fed a bunch of lies. Before us, the actors and actress that were involved in her story last year were "led to believe" the same as we, that Sansa and littlefinger were going to cook things up in the vale and sell their troops to the highest bidder. Nope, a 3-4 year plan, hatched by D&D and Cogman was to wait until Sophie Turner turned 18 so they could highjack her major character, insert her into Winterfell to play multiple roles but the primary one was to have her be the virgin, raped on her wedding night by the worst individual monster in the show. Sex was always in their plan, whether we do not see it but hear it none the less. The fact that her, of all major character's plotline was darkened and horrified beyond what GRRM wrote thus far is indicative of the show creator's souls and minds. No other major character's story was/is darkened from the books to the screen more than Sansa. In fact, Tyrion, Cersei and Jaime (3 of the main antagonists) have been lightened up to make them sympathetic. Arya and Jon are spot on. Sansa though, well, she is really special. So special that early on, they got this sick idea in their heads to do this. I will say that Sophie Turner is a remarkable beauty and the world has taken notice of her even before last season. It seems to me that the showrunners may have even had some second thoughts but due to her increased sex appeal on the world stage, they went ahead with this terrible and horrific story arc because it gains attention and viewers in their minds. We, who care about the character, Sansa, who Sophie turner has put her face upon her are shocked to see her grow up as they have but obviously not in the same, perverted light as they have.

[Jojosh]

We have all been fed a bunch of lies about Sansa

They torpedoed her actual plot with Littlefinger to get her in the North so that there's a bit more importance to what's going on there

She really isn't being empowered by this, she's being lowered yet again but I don't expect anyone writing for this show to have any idea where here character is supposed to go if they had followed her book canon.

[The Rat Kook]

Apparently someone forgot that women don't need to suffer rape to be empowered.

That's very true. But hopefully "women need rape to be empowered" is not the lasting message this scene will have.

Maybe someone as mentally broken as Theon does need to witness a rape before he can be empowered. It remains to be seen if he'll grow - but it seems to me now that him growing as a result of what he saw is the only justification - however remote - we have for this scene. So.. I hope he grows.

(I know "her rape fuelled his character development" is not a great silver lining. I'll probably get yelled at by some people now. But like it or not, it might have been necessary, when you consider just how broken his mind is. In order to have him progress rather than regress for once, something truly awful had to befall a character other than himself, I think? I hate that it had to be Sansa, but that's a separate issue altogether. Even Worse Silver Lining: At least it wasn't flaying?).

[The Rat Kook]

sorry, double post

*snip*