This post contains spoilers for season 5 of Game of Thrones
The Primetime award Awards proclaimed Thursday that Game of Thrones has attained a thumping twenty four nominations, quite the other programme this year. whereas that will appear to be a reason for the solid and crew to celebrate, the nods come back at a time once the HBO show is under attack from even its most dedicated fans for its treatment of girls. The season 5 finale ventilated over a month agone, however fans square measure still bristling from arguable scenes this season just like the rape of Sansa, the shaming of Cersei and therefore the death of Shireen.
It’s a backlash that the producers of the show appear to own ignored—or a minimum of determined to not register—considering that they submitted the season’s most arguable episodes for awards. These criticisms don’t essentially mean the show isn’t ought to have award nominations. The scope and production of the show can't be matched, and asterid dicot genus Clarke, river Headey and Diana Rigg have all received worth' nodds. however of all the episodes to be nominative for Emmys, the producers of the show selected “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” for best direction and “Mother’s Mercy” for best writing and best direction—the 2 episodes this season that had some fans declaring they were done look the show.
The tension between creators and fans reached a fervor at the sport of Thrones panel at urban center Comic-Con last weekend. Most panelists at Comic--Con expect to geeks out with their fans, sharing stories of what it had been prefer to see the Millennium Falcon on the Star Wars set or enthusing over a replacement attender v Superman trailer. however this year, fans United Nations agency slept in line on the streets of urban center to check their favorite Game of Thrones characters bombarded' the actors, producer Carolyn Strauss and director David geek with questions about rape on the show.
A male fan asked whether or not the rape of Sansa created the character less robust, and a feminine meeter questioned whether or not consequent season can “more overtly address and complicate these criticisms [of misogyny] by showing them because the pitfalls of social organization, rape culture, and different sorts of oppression.” Again, the individuals raiseing these queries Saturday on concrete for twelve hours and plastic chairs for one more ten to ask these queries. It’s no marvel showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss determined to skip this year’s convention.
Given that even the show’s most fanatic fans square measure commencing to question the writers and directors’ decisions, the nomination of 2 episodes that center on abuse toward ladies is especially daring. “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” for those that don’t recall, is that the episode within which Sansa is raped on her nighttime. That asker at Comic-Con echoed considerations from critics regarding why director Jeremy Podeswa determined to not concentrate on Sansa’s pain throughout the assault however instead panned to Theon (Alfie Allen). Andy Greenwald at Grantland place it best: “Sansa’s tormented screaming as she was violently abused by her new husband was hideous, full stop. however it had been virtually worse the method Jeremy Podeswa’s camera lingered on Alfie Allen’s tear-filled eyes, as if his violation was somehow adequate to Sansa’s; as if this disgustful act was somehow a part of Theon’s long and ugly path to redemption, not a brutall and unwarranted "violation.”
The season finale, “Mother’s Mercy,” was virtually as arguable. As penalization for criminal congress, Cersei is created to steer naked ahead of a whole city as a lady chimes a bell vocalizing “shame, shame, shame” behind her. Flying excrement, bloody feet and obtaining flashed by creepy men were among the various indignities the character (and river Headey’s body double) was forced to suffer throughout that scene. although several critics same the writers skilfully handled Cersei’s evolution—presumably this humiliation and therefore the death of her girl can compel Cersei to require Joffrey-level retaliation on her wrongdoers next season—some complained that this was simply another on an extended list of sexual mistreatments each feminine character on the show should endure.
Whether the sport of Thrones producers selected solely these episodes for submission or the Academy of tv Arts and Sciences selected them, the nominations appear tone deaf considering the fan outrage. however Game of Thrones can still draw an enormous audience, despite what percentage senators boycott the show. And if the Emmys love rewarding the type of TV that gets individuals to tune (if solely to be outraged) then the move is smart. Ultimately, the nominations square measure more proof that each HBO and therefore the business at giant care very little regarding discrimination, notwithstanding viewers do. Remember, this can be constant establishment that virtually place Bulgarian capital Vergara on a pedestal throughout a sexist playing eventually year’s Emmys. whether or not Vergara was in on the joke or not, it remains a logo of however Hollywood treats its women: horny objects to catch your attention
