MovieChat Forums > Game of Thrones (2011) Discussion > In praise of Gwendoline Christie

In praise of Gwendoline Christie


I'd just like to take a moment away from complaining about Season 8 to praise Gwendoline Christie. She was given a character who wasn't very believable in the books, I mean in the books, she was just something that GRRM used to play with his ideas about chivalric ideals and the woman-warrior characters so common in the Fantasy genre.

But in Christie's hands, the character stopped being a front for a writer's ideas, and became a completely believable and loveable person who was worth watching every moment she was on screen. In a show that's chockablock with terrific acting* and spot-on casting, she's been a standout, and without much screentime to work with. Her Brienne has been the embodiment of the ideals of chivalry, without ever losing the sympathy of the modern audience, which is a hell of a trick once you think about it.

I hope she gets some love at Awards Season, and if not, I hope she keeps doing stellar work until she's Judi Dench's age.


* Emilia Clarke excepted. I don't blame her for this season, but really.

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Thank you, Otter. You expressed my sentiments exactly. I was thinking that as I re-watched Episode 4 last night to freshen my memory for Episode 5. Her facial expressions when making love with Jaime, and even preparing for it, were unbelievably perfect and indeed heart-rending. Here is this invulnerable, indomitable icon of a woman who is suddenly making us feel, at the visceral level, how vulnerable she is. Wow! That took real guts, to lay herself out that bare. Thank you for singling her out for the respect and recognition that she deserves.

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