Let's not forget to mention the fate of poor Theon

Not this tired discussion again, I can't even read the blog.
Be-headings, castration, etc etc, is all fine, but dammit, don't fuck with the girls.
Puh-leeze.

What were people expecting from Ramsay? Flower petals and a drawn bath surrounded by candles? Sheesh... such hand-wringing.

GRRM may not be able to write a sex scene very well, but he can find the balance to use violence (and sexual violence) in a way that actually drives the narrative.

The more the show runners stray from the source material, the more they are revealed as sledgehammer storytellers when often times a scalpel is needed.

My theory is that George RR Martin based the character of Sansa on some schoolgirl who cruelly rejected his advances early in life (and honestly, can you blame her?). His treatment of Sansa in the books is his revenge upon her.