The “Queendom of Thrones” panel was one of several panels that started off the fan-led convention Con of Thrones in Dallas on Friday, May 25, and as soon as I read the description online, I knew I wanted to be there. I strolled in after picking up my badge and was blown away by all the discussion from both the panelists and the fans. Can I get a “yassss queen” for all my gals?
The “Queendom of Thrones” panel was about the discussion of the depiction of women characters on the show. The four panelists were Kim Renfro from INSIDER, Daphne Olive from Common Room Radio, Lauren Sarner from The New York Post, and lawyer-by-day-TV-watcher-by-night Kristine Kippins; they discussed the complexity and challenges of loving Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire as a woman in fandom.
The panelists kicked off with this question: Who is your favorite woman on Game of Thrones? It’s so hard to pick just one, though!
Daphne brought up a good point about Cersei Lannister. Her character is so evil but yet so complex. The only thing that remotely redeemed her was her love for her three children, but since they’re all gone by the end of season 6, her character had become more and more villainous. Being Queen of the Seven Kingdoms ain’t easy and her portrayal ain’t easy to grasp at times either.
The panelists segued into the subject of rape and how this has been portrayed by the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for Daenarys, Cersei, and Sansa. Both Daenarys and Sansa experienced marital rape on their wedding nights respectively, and Jaime raped Cersei in front of Joffrey’s rotting body. While rape is unfortunately something that does happen in real life, were any of these scenes and the way they were shot necessary? The panelists discussed this.
To transition to a more positive topic, the panelists answered this question: What was their favorite scene from the show?
We loved live-tweeting this panel! Thank you to the panelists Kim, Lauren, Daphne, and Kristine for holding it. A fellow convention goer tweeted exactly our thoughts.
Featured image credit: ChinLin Pan/Geek Gals