Has ‘Game Of Thrones’ Finally Wised Up About On-Screen Nudity?

Has Game of Thrones ever done onscreen nudity right?

First of all, there are smart ways to use nudity and sex in storytelling. Nakedness can be used as a metaphor for power, strength, weakness, or vulnerability. Sexuality can be an important part of a show’s plot or a character’s development. Game of Thrones, however, has developed the reputation for cramming sex, nudity, and rape in its scenes as mere background flourishes. Worse, sex is often just window dressing designed to keep our attention when the dialogue became a bit too didactic for some casual viewers’ comfort.

Game of Thrones might forever be mocked as the “tits and dragons” show, but is it finally wising up about how to use sex and nudity?

I would argue a huge, resounding yes.

In season six’s first four episodes, we’ve seen nude scenes that are stunning in their smartness. The first of which was Melisandre’s revelatory strip down in the season premiere. It had long been hinted that she was hiding something and it turns out that the sensuous sorceress wasn’t really a gorgeous young thing (like actress Carice van Houten) at all, but a shriveled old hag. This major moment — the first nude scene of the season – was all about disposing of lies and pretense.  It’s an elegant moment that subverts our expectations about nudity on Game of Thrones. It’s not just her body that’s naked; It’s her soul.

If Melisandre’s big bad naked reveal showed us how weak she is underneath it all, then Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s recent “nude” scenes are there to illustrate just how powerful they are. Though we didn’t get full frontal nudity from Kit Harington during Jon Snow’s recent resurrection, we did see — as our resident recapper John DeVore put it — “the barest whisper of his butt.”

His complete nakedness is there for a number of major metaphorical reasons: One, it evokes Christ-imagery. Two, it symbolizes a literal rebirth. Finally, it shows that when you strip him down, there is still something special and magical inside of him.

The biggest step forward though? Daenerys’ nude scene this week. Ah, yes, it was quite reminiscent of another iconic nude scene on the show: when Dany emerged from Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre completely naked, unburnt, and holding three baby dragons. But the context leading up to the moment couldn’t have been more different. In season one, actress Emilia Clarke‘s naked body was routinely paraded around for the camera. By the end of season three, she would have had enough of the nudity. Clarke stayed fully clothed for almost three additional seasons. Even in last week’s Dosh Khaleen strip down, the camera made sure to hide her private parts from the viewers at home.

So when Daenerys emerged from the blazing Dothraki temple, totally naked and utterly in triumph, it was a jaw-dropping moment. We just weren’t used to seeing her naked anymore. Plus, the presumption was that Clarke must have used a body double — like co-star Lena Headey did last season. As it turns out, she did not. Clarke told reporters, “This is me, all proud, all strong. That ain’t no body double.”

Evidently, the difference for Clarke was control. In season one, she was asked to strip down in strange locations, surrounded by actors, and without any sort of consideration for her comfort. This scene was shot on a closed soundstage. “Taking off my clothes is not the easiest thing, but with the magic of the effects, I don’t have to do a season 1 and go on a cliff and do it,” she said. “I’m in control of it.”

Control is an important concept here. Just as consent is of paramount importance in real life sexual encounters, control must be in the performers’ hands when shooting these scenes. Lena Headey was pregnant at the time when she shot Cersei’s “Walk of Shame” scene. She also didn’t think she could emotionally handle the stress of shooting such a demanding scene again and again, fully nude. So, she elected to work with body double Rebecca Van Cleave on the scene. The end result? An emotionally devastating moment that defines Cersei’s fall from grace. The character’s nudity was important in this scene — Headey herself was once quoted in saying that Cersei’s power came from being covered up — but the actress’s nudity was not necessary.

Perhaps that’s the biggest way Game of Thrones has changed its approach to nudity: The actors get to have way more control over what ends up onscreen. What’s sparked this? Who’s to say? Criticism, education, blowback from the actors themselves? What if what we’re seeing is also a result of the show finally being freed from its source material? It’s probably a mixture of all these influences, but the bottom line is that so far, season six of Game of Thrones has used onscreen nudity in smart, sensitive (and occasionally silly) ways. Even the background sex has been toned down! In seasons gone by, we would have seen far more of the prostitutes Tyrion presents to the Slavers as gifts. Instead, the focus is on Missandei’s disapproving frown. The message is clear: The traditions that we encountered at the start of Game of Thrones are as foul as they are flawed. The onscreen nudity is moving in a way that metaphorically reflects this overarching shift in philosophy.

There’s a progressive wind blowing through the world of Westeros. It’s affecting the course of the narrative and the type of nudity we’re seeing onscreen. Could this be a sign of bigger, better things to come?

[Where to Stream Game of Thrones]