Female Characters in the Patriarchy
I am going to talk about the character of Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.
You don't have to like the show or watch the show to understand the way women are betrayed by the narratives of men.
I have seen critiques of rape being used as a plot device but the last couple of episodes of Game of Thrones has used loving, consensual sex to reinforce the patriarchy.
Jamie and Brienne have been a unique pair in Game of Thrones. They were enemies who not only began to respect each other but to truly love each other. Jamie had stood up for Brienne and Brienne had stood up for Jamie. The arch of their love was reached when Jamie knighted Brienne; a woman who had always been told she could not be a knight. It was an incredibly touching and meaningful scene.
What happened next was that Brienne admitted to being a virgin and Jamie “filled” that need for her. In one stroke, the writers eliminated the knight in favor of the lady. Now it appears as though Brienne was only a tough woman, wanting to be a knight, because she had not been treated like a woman. Not only is this message anti-feminist but it could be anti-queer as well. Brienne was sexual pursued by a man whom she rejected and the love she had for Jamie (and Jamie for her) had been well established so why then did Jamie and Brienne have to sleep together?
The story seems to indicate that the romance between Jamie and Brienne was the only way to trick the audience into thinking that Jamie could be reformed. The writers wanted us to believe that Jamie was done with Cersei and they sacrificed Brienne's whole story for that moment.
And isn't that what happens, time and time again to well written female characters? Their story changes the moment a male character's story calls for it.