The users of Reddit have expressed some very unpopular opinions about sometimes heroic, sometimes villainous Theon Greyjoy of Game of Thrones.
Theon and Yara looking up and Theon outside in armor
House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones before it, was notable for the extent to which it spent a great deal of time exploring the depths of its characters. In both shows, people were capable of extraordinary cruelty, even as there is also a slender thread of redemption.
In Game of Thrones, one of the most infamous characters was Theon Greyjoy. Though he, like so many other characters in the series, was remarkably complex, there are a number of uses on Reddit who have voiced some very unpopular opinions about him, demonstrating the extent to which he continues to divide audiences.
He Owed House Stark Nothing
Though Stark was one of the most notable houses in Westeros, and arguably the most honorable, it wasn’t above some ruthless actions. In particular, as Leopald says: “Theon was a hostage of House Stark. Hostages owe their captors nothing. Just because Ned could have treated him much worse than he did does not mean Theon should be grateful that he didn’t.”
However, there is a difference between not owing one’s captors anything and deliberately destroying their home and their way of life. While Theon certainly didn’t have to help the Starks, neither did he have to kill those who had shown him at least a measure of kindness.
He Redeemed Himself More Than Jaime
For many people, Jaime is one of the best characters in Game of Thrones. Likewise, there are many who think he redeemed himself. Others, however, such as Red-Droid-Blue-Droid, argue that “Theon has done a lot more to make amends.”
The blunt reality of matters, however, is that, in fact, Theon doesn’t really do much to redeem himself until the very end. Unlike Jaime, who takes an active part in events and is a notable warrior, Theon is mostly content to let things be done to him, particularly after his terrifying encounter with Ramsay Bolton.
His Plot Arc Was Anti-Climactic
There are many reasons that many people don’t particularly like the last few seasons of Game of Thrones, and for glorilol95 it has to do with what they did with Theon’s character. They write: “ But in terms of storyline I think he was poorly treated by D&D so they killed him off like Barristan and gave him a heroic death to mask the fact that they simply didn’t know what to do with his character.”
It’s hard to think of another way they could have written his character, though, given the fact that they had long run out of book material. More to the point, at the very least, Theon got the chance to give his life saving the world from the forces of literal darkness.
His Arc Was As Flawed As The Rest Of The Final Two Seasons
If there’s one thing that excites the users of Reddit, it’s finding reasons to complain about the last two seasons of Game of Thrones. gaudymc****stick writes in particular of Theon’s rescue of Sansa and subsequent survival that “This was an early sign of D&D phoning it in, and going for soap-opera drama over actual character development
Whatever the flaws in the writing of the later seasons, this is one of the few things that seems to make sense. After all, given how much viewers had already invested in him, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for him not to at least live until the final, climactic battle.
He’s Unlikable
There are many likable characters in Game of Thrones. While some see Theon in this light, others, such as dominquexo, have this to say: “idk what it is about him specifically that still makes me highly dislike him regardless of all that. Even after everything he went through, and episode 3, I was just like “good riddance.”
Though it’s easy to see why someone might not like Theo, the truth is that Alfie Allen actually succeeds to an extraordinary degree in making Theon into someone who is, for all of his flaws, a person just doing the best that he can in the world. Given his abandonment by both his birth and adopted family, it’s easy to like him, even though the viewer might condemn what he does.
He’s Quite Likable
While some dislike Theon, others actually find him quite likable. AuroraUnit117, for example, writes that “I feel so bad for him, everyone treats him like shit even though he didn’t do anything nearly as bad as everyone thinks. I just want him to have a happy ending.”
For many users, however, there are just too many things that Theon has done that are reprehensible for him to ever be seen as likable or forgivable. Among other things, he killed two children so that they could be mistaken for the bodies of Bran and Rickon. Hardly the sort of thing it would be easy to come back from.
His Redemption Arc Was One Of The Worst
While Game of Thrones might be full of reprehensible but compelling villains, many of these get at least something of a redemption arc. This includes Theon, but there are many Reddit users, such as TrollHumper, who thought his was one of the weakest. They write: “A kidnapping victim, after getting kidnapped again by a worse individual, realizes that his original kidnapper was his true father (lol) and his family deserved better, so he spends the rest of his life groveling for their forgiveness and even dies to protect one of them, lol.”
However, given the specifics of Theon’s upbringing, his redemption arc makes sense. More to the point, the Starks were themselves merely doing the best that they could with a bad situation, given how much the Greyjoys, and the Ironmen, in particular, were prone to terrorizing the North.
Robb Was Right About Him
Whatever his other failings as a king, Robb was still one of the best members of House Stark. More to the point, as some Redditors argue, he was right about Theon. RohanneBlackwood, for example, points out that Robb was right to reprimand Theon for being rash when it came to shooting his bow and arrow to save Bran.
Unfortunately, in so many other ways, Robb was deeply flawed in his understanding of others. More to the point, he also still left Theon behind in Winterfell, a piece of folly for which he would pay dearly.
He Wasn’t All That Bad
In many ways, Theon Greyjoy is one of the most notable antiheroes in television. This means that he was truly capable of some heinous things, but this hasn’t kept him from having his defenders. Ash_and_Thorns argues that “ Theon’s biggest crime is killing the miller’s boys ( and we deserve to know their actual names ) and he needs to face justice for that and try to atone for it ( torture isn’t justice ).”
While it is tempting to simply write off some of Theon’s worst crimes, this is a disservice to his character and to the horrendous things he did. After all, in both the books and the series, he caused untold damage to not only Winterfell but the entire north, and to suggest otherwise is quite intellectually dishonest.
His Death Hits Hardest
There are many notable and sometimes shocking deaths in Game of Thrones. For some, Theon’s death hits particularly hard. Mad_Season1994 writes that “ his death always hit me hardest.”
While every viewer is, of course, entitled to their own feelings and investments in characters, it must be pointed out that, compared to some of the other wrenching deaths, Theon’s is not particularly heartbreaking. During the Battle of Winterfell alone, viewers had to watch as Jorah Mormont, a similarly flawed character, also perished.
