Updated 06:52 PM EDT, Thu, Mar 28, 2024

'Game of Thrones' Season 5 Finale Review: Fans Outraged at Double Use for Cersei Lannister's Walk of Shame

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This season, "Game of Thrones" pushed the boundaries when it comes to how women are treated on the show. From Sansa's rape to Shireen's sacrifice, it doesn't seem like it's a good season for female cast members.

However, one of the most talked about scenes from the finale centered around Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister, the ruthless queen of the seven kingdoms who people loved to hate.

Heady spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the scene, saying, "I don't think anyone deserves that treatment. She's been beaten and starved and humiliated..."

Cersei, who was punished for her crime of adultery, was forced to undergo a walk of penance, completely naked, through the streets of King's landing, and although it is considered to be one of the most powerful scenes of the season, Telegraph UK noted that fans were far more outraged about the use of a body double.

On a Reddit thread, fans even went so far as to comparing Headey's topless scenes from the 2007 film, "300" just to emphasize the fact that it was not Headey doing the walk of shame.

Heady admitted that she used a body double for the scene, and as noted by Telegraph, there were reports that suggested she was pregnant while the scene was being filmed, although she couldn't be blamed if she may have been reluctant to take on the scene in front of a large crowd. However, fans still took to Twitter to voice out their outrage and dissatisfaction on how producers handled Cersei's penance walk.

Most of the remarks highlighted how the CGI effects altered the star's appearance.

The public humiliation that Cersei endured in the season finale also raised questions regarding HBO's treatment of women in their shows. "Game of Thrones" has been known to push boundaries of sex and violence, and the walk of shame is powerful in its depiction of shame. While this type of treatment seems to be extreme in this day and age, Cersei's punishment was actually based on history.

According to the Entertainment Weekly, author George R.R. Martin said, "It was a punishment directed at women to break their pride, and Cersei is defined by her pride."

As for the event that inspired the scene, Martin drew on medieval French law and medieval literature to recreate the moment in his book. As Business Insider noted, public humiliation is a punishment set for a woman and her lover accused of adultery in 13th-century France.

A popular historical figure actually had to do the penance walk in 15th-century England, as well. Time Magazine noted that Jane Shore, the mistress of king Edward IV, did her penance in 1483, walking through the city, but in her undergarments and with bare feet.

Aside from Cersei's controversial sequence in the series, Jon Snow's exit from the show was also a major shocker for fans who have not read the books.

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