NOTE: Spoilers up to and including season 5, episode 3.
Gradually edging away from the source material bit by bit, HBO's Game of Thrones can still standalone as one of the best dramas television has ever seen. This week's episode however has introduced a huge departure from the novels, with Sansa Stark engaged to marry the psychotic and eerie Ramsay Bolton.
With Sansa never managing to quite get to where she wants to go, with her rebirth at the end of season four it would be strange to see the long-suffering teenager fall back into the role of confused and unaware maiden, so from here it looks as if the youngster is now hoping to take charge of her own fate, using guardian Littlefinger for her own gains as well as allowing him to feel he's in control.
Showrunner David Benioff said of the character and new development: "Sansa is a character we care about almost more than any other, and the Stark sisters have from the very beginning been two characters who have fascinated us the most.
"We got very lucky in casting because it's so hard to cast good kids. Even if they come in and do a great audition, it's so hard to know if they're going to quite literally grow in the parts. With Sansa and Arya in particular, their storylines have become quite dark. It was such a gamble and the fact that they've both become such great wonderful actresses is a bit of a miracle."
Because of actress Sophie Turner's strength in playing the role, Benioff explains that it's she who has been able to give the push and use Ramsay's engagement for that very purpose, and it's also been revealed that this was an idea they've had since writing season two.
"We really wanted Sansa to play a major part this season. If we were going to stay absolutely faithful to the book, it was going to be very hard to do that. There was a subplot we loved from the books, but it used a character that's not in the show."
Writer and producer Bryan Cogman added: "The seeds were planted early on in our minds. In the books, Sansa has very few chapters in the Vale once she's up there. That was not going to be an option for one of our lead characters. While this is a very bold departure, [we liked] the power of bringing a Stark back to Winterfell and having her reunite with Theon under these circumstances."
He continued: "You have this storyline with Ramsay. Do you have one of your leading ladies - who is an incredibly talented actor who we've followed for five years and viewers love and adore - do it? Or do you bring in a new character to do it? To me, the question answers itself: You use the character the audience is invested in."
But with fans of the book series now thinking that they may know where the storyline is headed if they've identified where Sansa's story is being mined from, they should think again. It doesn't necessarily mean that the stories will follow one another exactly to the letter.
Benioff went on to give thoughts on why Sansa agreed to Littlefinger's plan and marry into a family which helped murder many of her loved ones.
"Sansa started as such a naive innocent. She's been traumatised by what she's seen and she spent almost a couple years in shell shock. At a certain point she's either going to die or survive and become stronger. She's chosen the latter option and she's learned from an incredibly devious teacher in Littlefinger. The interesting thing about Littlefinger is he seems to have no, almost no weaknesses, aside from his affection for Sansa. He's been obsessed with her since that early episode at the joust."
So with it being surprising that Littlefinger would give her up for another man, Benioff said: "That's the thing about Littlefinger - as much as he might care for Sansa, he cares for nothing more than power. And now he sees an opportunity to gain more power for himself."
Game of Thrones continues next Sunday on HBO in America, and tonight at 9pm on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
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