'Game of Thrones': Theon Greyjoy's Past, Present, and Future
Our long wait is (almost) over. A year after the Season 5 finale that launched a thousand fan theories, Game of Thrones is preparing to enter new territory in its sixth season, which debuts Sunday, April 24 on HBO. For the first time in its history, the series will venture completely off book, as the writers have lapped the release of author George R.R. Martin’s final two novels. So now, both readers and newbies will be on the same proverbial page when we return to Westeros, Dorne, and points beyond.
As viewers count down the days to Game of Thrones’ return, we here at Yahoo TV are launching our official countdown: #GoTIsComing. Check back here every day over the next month as we explore all of our favorite (and a few of our least favorite) people, places, and things about television’s most addictive show. From Direwolves and Dragons to the shows most hideous deaths and imperiled characters, we’re going to indulge or GoT obsession with the same fervor that Cersei imbibes alcohol. So raise a glass and toast the impending arrival of a long, cruel, and bloody Westerosi winter.
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Many Game of Thrones characters have suffered terrible tragedies over the course of five seasons, but perhaps no one has had it worse than Theon Greyjoy. He’s been dismissed by his father, experienced the guilt of betraying his adopted family, spit upon by his own people, castrated and tortured by Ramsay Bolton, and forced to adopt a new persona, Reek.
So, where will Theon’s journey take him in Season 6? Here’s a rundown of where he’s been, where he is now, and where he might go:
Where He’s Been
The last son of the lord of the Iron Islands, Theon was raised by the Starks in Winterfell, and was like a brother to Robb and his siblings. But to gain approval from his father, Balon, Theon betrayed them. He took over Winterfell for himself and pretended to murder Bran and Rickon. But when the Boltons besieged the castle, Theon was forced to surrender.
Since then, he’s been in a living hell — at the mercy of the sadistic Ramsay, who tortured him, played mind games with him, cut off his finger, castrated him, and ordered him to transform into the subservient creature, “Reek.”
As Reek, Theon turned down a rescue attempt from his sister, Yara, and watched Sansa Stark, almost a sister to him, be raped on her wedding night by Ramsay.
Where He Is Now
At the end of Season 5, Sansa begged Theon to remember who he used to be and help her. When Sansa leaves her room to light a candle in a tower (to signal Brienne of Tarth), Ramsay’s lover, Myranda, discovers her. Myranda threatens to maim Sansa when Theon steps in and pushes Myranda to her death.
Theon and Sansa leap off the castle wall. From the Season 6 trailers and promos, we see they survive the jump. They run for safety into the surrounding forests, but Ramsay’s dogs are hot on their heels. Will they be able to escape, or will they fall back into the clutches of the Worst Person in Westeros?
Where He Might Go
Judging by the trailers and casting announcements, the Iron Islands and Theon’s family will play a major part in Season 6 of Games of Thrones.
Warning: Spoilers from the books ahead.
While many of the plotlines in the show have caught up to George R.R. Martin’s books, one has not — the story of the succession on the Iron Islands, which begins in the third novel, A Storm of Swords.
When Balon Greyjoy dies after falling from a bridge, the Ironborn call for a summit to decide on the next king. Various Greyjoys stake their claims, including Balon’s daughter Yara, but his brother, Euron (new cast member Pilou Asb?k) prevails — even though there is suspicion that he pushed Balon off the bridge.
In the books, Euron returns to the Iron Islands with a horn that can control dragons. He then sends his brother, Victarion, to Meereen as an ambassador to Daenerys Targaryen, to propose that she marry Euron. The show will likely diverge from the books at this point, as Daenerys is no longer in Meereen, but rather in Vaes Dothrak.
In Martin’s last completed book, A Dance With Dragons, Theon escapes from Winterfell and is taken captive by Stannis Baratheon’s army. However, in the show, Stannis has already been defeated by the Boltons, and is possibly dead.
Someone who is lurking in the forests outside Winterfell, and determined to protect Sansa, is Brienne. Will she finally be able to fulfill her oath to Catelyn Stark? Sansa’s storyline in the show has deviated so much from the books, it’s hard to speculate what might happen to her in Season 6. But casting announcements indicate the return of the Tullys (Catelyn’s family) to the screen, so could Brienne take Sansa and Theon to Riverrun?
Game of Thrones Season 6 premieres Sunday, April 24 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
Read more of our #GoTIsComing coverage:
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