Game of Thrones returns with an artillery of twists in the war in the Seven Kingdoms. Amid the drama and treachery is the disastrous tale of Theon Greyjoy, writes Debashine Thangevelo
WHEN viewers were introduced to Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) in the first season of Game of Thrones, he was a pretty contemptible character. Aside from his sister Yara being a more formidable warrior than he was, his ego became his compass. As such, he made grave errors that cost him dearly. And his father went to great pains to point out his inadequacies.
However, viewers’ perceptions of him have evolved. He became a character that has evoked mass empathy since season three, when he ended up as a captive of Ramsay Snow.
The brutality he endured, intermingled with the psychological torment, especially after having his penis cut off, was inhumane, to say the least.
But Ramsay took great joy in executing these barbaric acts and stripped Theon of his identity to the point that he renamed him Reek. Although Theon was his slave, his defiant spirit and hunger for freedom wasn’t completely suppressed.
Last season, he was able to escape Ramsay’s wrath by jumping from the Winterfell walls with Sansa Stark, who has been engaged to the unredeemable tyrant.
On Theon’s journey in the sixth instalment, Allen says: “You find him running through the snowy, freezing forests leading the way with Sansa. They are on the run from Ramsay.
“It was incredible. We got there on the first day at Bambridge Studios and they had blanketed this whole area with fake snow – everywhere.
“When we come to the river, Sansa is just too scared to get in. So I get in. Don’t believe the press shots. It looks like she’s trying to get me out of the river when I’m actually trying to be the strong one and get her in the river. Makes me look weak (haha)! I guess it’s a good place for Theon because he’s being way more assertive than he’s ever been. He tells Sansa: ‘I know what the hounds will do to you because I’ve seen it’. We wade across and then hide in this sort of uprooted tree.”
The will to cling to his freedom becomes cathartic for Theon as he reconciles with his inner warrior once again.
The British actor who, interestingly, is the third cousin of Sam Smith, says: “Especially after that first kill that he has; it’s bringing back the strong warrior that he once was. Of course, he will never be that Theon he once was. The Theon now is more forgiving and, perhaps, a better man.”
On the trauma Theon suffered and how he processes it, he says: “I don’t think he’s even comprehending that right now. I think if he were to do so, he wouldn’t be able to continue on the journey he is on. But to a certain degree, he knows it’s coming. He’s got a certain amount of respect for Ramsay as well as bloody hating him.
“I think there’s that Stockholm Syndrome thing going on, without a doubt. If they ever did come face to face, it would be an interesting one.”
Funnily enough, off screen Allen and Iwan Rheon, who plays Ramsay, are best friends.
He shares: “We got to hang out a lot in LA recently. He’s such a proper actor. The way he approached our storylines together, I really respect – he never wanted to show too much empathy because he didn’t want to let that creep into the way he was playing it. But he’s my mate. I love him.”
As for how he found the shoot this season, he offers: “When I was doing a lot of the season three, four and five stuff, it taught me a lot about acting with your eyes and your body language. It feels nice to be able to play around with the voice again.
“I’m sure I’ve heard somewhere that when a person is being held captive or has been in some sort of extreme situation, your voice can change completely. So I was trying to bring the voice back and forth, in terms of that bravado he once had. I wanted to make him sound a bit more honest, genuine and maybe vulnerable.”
While Theon is adjusting to life – as a changed man – his reliance on alcohol hasn’t disappeared. And it becomes problematic in his journey this season.
Game of Thrones keeps upping the ante every season. While viewers are still baffled by Jon Snow’s demise and continue to speculate about his return, the writers provide plenty of ingeniously-penned distractions from that.
Allen teases: “They are going to lose their minds. They are. I’m serious. You are seeing characters that you really didn’t expect to cross paths. The weirder, the better and the more unexpected.
“The writers seem to be able to join those threads so easily.”
Game of Thrones season six airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) on Thursday at 9pm. It’s also available on Express.