Game of Thrones Season 8 Was a Disappointment to Feminists
[Spoilers ahead]
The Game of Thrones Season Finale has left many fans disappointed, even angry, for a variety of reasons. Fans were so upset that over a million of them signed a petition to remake Season 8. I’m not a GoT expert and there are thousands of reviews that would probably do a better job than me critiquing Season 8 and the grand finale. The big missed opportunity for me is the anti-feminist turn GoT has taken in the last season and its impact in reinforcing gender-biased stereotypes.
As I wrote several times in the past, television, cinema and books are a great resource for creating diverse role models and stirring the conversation towards equality. A decade prior to electing President Obama as the first black president, Morgan Freeman was cast as president in Deep Impact and Tom Lister, Jr. was president in The Fifth Element. In recent years, we see more female leaders and heroines in films and television shows, including female superheroes in leading roles such as Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. I still remember the impact Disney had with Mulan, finally featuring a female warrior rather than a princess waiting to be saved by a prince. Television shapes opinions and beliefs, and, with a show like Game of Thrones watched by close to a billion people around the world, the show had an opportunity, and even a duty, to use its power for the better…
…and this is why they blew it.
The show featured several powerful women, including queens and contenders to the throne. But, when it came to the last mile, they fell into the trap of classic female stereotypes.
Brienne of Tarth — Finally we have a female warrior and a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. She fought the dead and the living, she is a woman of honor, she is any man’s equal, right? Wrong. At the end of the day, she was just waiting to fall into Jamie’s arms and her final act on the show is the commemoration of his accomplishments. Even worse, the “don’t leave me” scene when Jamie decides to go down south did not do her, or women, justice.
Cersei — She’s a cruel and clever tyrant. But, in season 8, she’s pregnant, and… you know what happens to us women when we’re flooded by hormones… we get very emotional. We chop Missandei’s head off, just to upset the Dragon Queen after our brother reminds us we’re pregnant (wasn’t keeping her captive a better plan?) and, in our last moments, we sob, we’re frightened, we need a man to hug us and tell us it’s going to be ok.
Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons — By far my biggest disappointment. Over the 8 seasons, we see Daenerys develop as a character, learn how to believe in herself, learn how to inspire others, learn how to rule (in Meereen) and not just conquer. From a little girl married off to the Dothraki, she becomes a powerful leader. But then… again… as a woman, she apparently cannot think straight. The beheading of Missandei tears her to pieces, and then, of course, there’s Jon. He’s not willing to marry her and love her the way she loves him. So, like any “typical” woman, a broken heart leads to devastation, or, in other words, “my boyfriend left me, nobody loves me, and now I’m going to burn down Kings Landing although it makes no sense whatsoever.” Again, we’re taught that women cannot control their emotions and, therefore, are not fit to rule.
Sansa Stark — Finally a shrewd leader that puts her emotions aside. Making Sansa Queen in the North gave me some consolation (although no one is even suggesting that she rules Westeros). However, Sansa became that shrewd leader after being threatened, manipulated, abducted, abused, raped, and eventually saved by others. She tells the Hound that these men, who scarred her for life, made her what she is. What is the message to future generations? Throughout the series, Sansa, Daenerys, and other women were treated as pawns. They were married off or sold for political benefits by the men in their families. They suffered violence and sexual abuse. Is the message here that you have to stoop that low, and suffer that much, to build some confidence and self-esteem? Is this message legitimizing the abuse?
Okay, and then there’s Arya Stark, who killed the Night King, didn’t want to get married, and ventured off to explore the wild west. But, still, I think I made my point.
I’m not going to sign a petition to remake Season 8. But, I do feel women were wronged by Martin, Benioff and Weiss. The leading female characters in the series went through suffering and humiliation. They were objectified, used, and abused. At the very least, these women deserved an ending that didn’t reinforce tired stereotypes of female inferiority.
