I am no one, and in a few years, everything that I’ve written will be forgotten. I don’t think people are waiting for me to say something; this is but spilled thoughts that some might relate to. I wouldn’t be surprised if more people shared my disgust. It is disgusting. Violent, even.
Elia is written as the sweetest character we meet in the entire series; little nuanced, since what we get is from people who remember her fondly, and still, they all agree on everything that’s said about her. I don’t doubt that Elia had a political vein, being the second daughter and dornish, which is exactly why making her so stupid is beyond ridiculous. I am well aware some will say that this isn’t racism, but why couldn’t she be closer in personality to her book counterpart? In the current political climate, I honestly can’t see why that atrocious plot twist and the even worse changes were necessary.
It’s almost comical how afraid George Martin seems to be of recognizing what he did to her in her books. He can’t blame his precious boy, so, obviously, Elia must be the architect of her own demise. It was all Elia’s idea, so it was fine. She wants power but will happily and stupidly do everything to push it away and to put her kids - who she almost died giving birth to - in danger. It’s a cruel, coward, and poorly written plot. I can’t believe the writers did so little research that they didn’t know anything about the (racist and misogynistic) discourse surrounding her online.
It seems like an overreaction to a fictional thing, and it probably is, which doesn’t make it any less upsetting or revolting. I still don’t think the play as part of the canon, and only see as valid what’s on the books - very similar to how I treat Game of Thrones; it’s its own thing -, but Idk. Sad to see.
