Game of Thrones Finale: Triumphs Over PTSD and Gender Roles (Review)
We united in our masses to watch and react to the recent, season seven finale of Game of Thrones, one of the biggest television events of this year. But while everyone was talking about the long-awaited get together, incestuous reveal and fall of the Wall, there were other, brilliant and understated moments that thoroughly delved into the psychology of some favourite characters and weren’t to be missed.
Game of Thrones has rarely disappointed its reputation for brutality, displaying extreme acts of violence and abuse including rape, physical and psychological torture, extreme battle sequences and gory murder. While many consequences of these have been authentically political, by tipping Houses into better favour with or in control of the Iron Throne, the series can also be commended for its portrayal of more personal results. In playing the Game of Thrones, even with the strength of a Stark or the ruthlessness of a Lannister, you are bound to be psychologically affected.
Theon Greyjoy is one of the best examples; a complex character raised as a hostage and ward of the Starks and the offender of several, cruel acts of cowardice and betrayal, he is not popular amongst fans. However, he has also been the victim of some of the most extreme and prolonged torture of any character in the series, under the bloody hands and mind of Ramsay Snow. His struggle with the mental consequences of the psychologist-suggested psychopath’s acts — including identity crisis and submission — has arguably surfaced as a portrayal of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, confirmed by actors from the show. This came to the most dramatic and unfortunately-timed head so far when in episode two this season, Euron Greyjoy’s attack on Yara and Theon’s fleet caused Theon to trigger and dive overboard rather than attempt to save his sister at knifepoint. The moment was heavily discussed online and praised for its portrayal of how mental health problems do not just disappear, and torture can stay with and affect someone for the entirety of their lives.
The character arc following this came to a wonderful conclusion in the season finale, after Jon Snow somewhat forgave Theon for his betrayal of their (surrogate) father, and comforted him by saying he is part of them both, making Theon a Greyjoy and a Stark. This motivates him wonderfully in a scene where he tries to convince the remaining Ironborn to help him rescue Yara from Euron in the moral spirit of Ned Stark, but is beat down by a disgusted opponent. Like many, righteous and stubborn heroes before him, he refuses to lie in defeat, and ironically a result of his torture — the absence of pain when kicked in the groin — allows him to win back the fight and his honour. It was the moment fans had been waiting for throughout many seasons, for Theon to both redeem himself from his cowardice in killing two boys in place of the Starks and to overcome his PTSD. Ned was clearly a great influence in helping Theon to finally do something noble, for his family rather than himself, proving he is still one of the most important characters in Game of Thrones.
Meanwhile, Ned’s biological children seemingly also reached the end of their own, downtrodden cycle. Through some extremely clever scriptwriting, Sansa appears to finally succumb to Littlefinger’s attempts to separate the Stark sisters, inviting Arya to answer for her crimes but turning it on Baelish himself. The girls band together with brother and Three-Eyed Raven Bran to reveal their knowledge of his crimes against their family — including his betrayal of their father and his sparking of the War of the Five Kings, by persuading their Aunt Lysa to poison Jon Arryn and blame it on the Lannisters. I personally wasn’t convinced the sisters were truly on a path to sororicide, but this twist was impossible to predict and beautifully handled in a satisfying and not over-dramatic fashion, as it easily could have been. Littlefinger’s death was arguably one of the most sought after this season — following in the footsteps of Ramsay and Joffrey — and his ultimate execution at Arya’s hands as a powerful, ruthless man begging for forgiveness and dying like a common traitor, was all for the better viewing.
Sansa and Arya Stark have suffered storylines possibly as arduous as Theon Greyjoy’s, but have undergone even greater changes as characters, shown in this finale. Medieval, oppressive gender roles have been ever-present in Game of Thrones, including many female characters being used as pawns and married off to garner political alliances. However, the defying of such gender roles is a common, heavily-praised and much-loved feature of the series, not often as prominent in historical fantasy. The Stark sisters coming together in this finale scene proves how much they have grown as both female and powerful characters, playing the political game in their own right. Sansa stands as Acting Lady of Winterfell, rising from her betrothal to loathsome Joffrey and forced marriage to both Tyrion and Ramsay, using political savvy learnt from her enemies to sentence an extremely influential man to death. And Arya carries out the sentence — no longer the young sibling forced to undertake sword fighting lessons in secret, or disguise herself as a boy to save her life — a trained assassin adding the murder of another traitor of the Starks to her list.
This was a crucial episode for many characters, and aside from showing the struggle against and triumph over both mental disorders and gender roles, it set the stage for what must truly be an epic final season. We can only hope that such touching, personal character growth and smaller victories will not be lost amongst the inevitable, many battle scenes to come, and that the cultural phenomenon will end while still representing important issues and setting an example for the shows that air in its wake.
