Spoilers abound in this article if you haven’t caught the third episode of Game of Thrones Season 5, “High Sparrow.” If you haven’t watched, yet, skedaddle out of her and check out one of our other lovely stories, including what we know about Season 5.
We knew heading into Season 5 that HBO’s Game of Thrones would be making some changes between the Song of Ice and Fire books and the TV series. This week, the HBO drama threw a curveball at both readers and non-readers when Littlefinger and Sansa finally reached their destination: Moat Cailin, where Ramsay and Roose Bolten are spending some quality family time together. The plan is to marry Sansa off to the former bastard, but she’s less-than-excited about the prospect.
To persuade Sansa, Littlefinger gives her an impassioned speech. He also includes several sad and creeptastic looks, along with a kiss on the forehead, but that’s neither here nor there. The real crux of the argument is that Sansa can’t always sit on the sidelines while horrible things happen to her and her family, and he makes a compelling argument, even if its for his own seemingly selfish purposes.
“There’s no justice in the world, not unless we make it. You loved your family, avenge them. “
Sansa makes the decision to ride to town, meeting the Boltens and finding another home in the cold and desolate North. She’s welcomed, both by Ramsay, who is on his best behavior, but also the household of people who have seen their lives ripped apart as castles have changed hands and monsters have been welcomed into their homes. The irony of this, of course, is that Ramsay is a monster, probably even more of a monster than Joffrey was, and Littlefinger has unknowingly delivered his precious cargo into that monster’s clutches.
To further push that point home, in the opening moments of the episode, Ramsay delivers the flayed bodies of some angry Northern noblemen who aren’t pleased about the new management in the North. It’s bloody disgusting, and as soon as Sansa learns of his character flaws, she’s not going to be pleased. How she will respond will hopefully show how she has been changing and growing more cunning as a character.
It’s an interesting twist for all viewers, but it’s a big curveball for fans who have read the novels, as it’s no longer clear where Ramsay—and in extension Sansas’s--direction is going on the HBO series. She’s no longer spending time in the (sort-of) comfort of The Vale, and she’s making another marriage alliance that could potentially have ramifications down the line. What’s most intriguing about this curveball of a plotline is Sansa’s popularity in the North. Clearly it’s too early to tell if this marriage to Ramsay will pan out and if it does, whether or not that will spell disaster for the character, but having the masses behind you can be a powerful tool. Maybe Sansa is beginning to prove that she, too, can be a major player in the game. And maybe she’ll be another pawn killed off too early. Let’s wait and see, shall we?
This article tried to avoid book spoilers, so if you are looking for more in-depth footage, check in later for our full, in-depth recap. You can catch new episodes of HBO’s Game of Thrones on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET.
