Theon Greyjoy splits opinion on Game of Thrones with fans divided over 'heartbreaking' decision

A battle scene from episode two of Game of Thrones series seven has sparked debate on social media after Theon Greyjoy was seen making a very difficult decision.

Some viewers promised that they ‘would never forget’ his actions, while others defended them, citing his ‘trauma’ at the hands of Ramsey Bolton.

The last ten minutes of Stormborn gave us our first battle scene of the new series, and with it an agonising choice for Theon - stay and help his sister Yara, or flee in the hope of finding safety?

The heir to the Iron Islands chose the latter, leaping from the flaming ship where Yara was being held hostage by the siblings’ marauding uncle Euron.

Some Thrones fans rushed to his defence, calling the long-suffering character ‘damaged’, and his desertion of his sister a ‘minor setback’ that he’d recover from.

Others were less kind, branding Theon a 'coward’ and saying they were ‘disappointed’ in him.

What they could agree on, was how difficult the 'heartbreaking' scene was to watch.

In the past Game of Thrones has been criticised for not fully exploring how traumatic events can affect a person long after they’re over, particularly when it comes to the abuse of women.

One character who’s been an exception to this is soldier and Stark ally Theon Greyjoy whose sustained emotional and physical torture at the hands of Ramsey Bolton transformed him into Reek - a broken, downtrodden slave.

And just when we (along with Yara) thought we’d got the old Theon back, Reek reared his ugly head again.

Arguably, the show runners could be setting us up for a deeply satisfying redemption scene in which Theon takes Euron out. But then again it could just be the first of many disappointments to come.

We’ll just have to tune in to find out…

Game of Thrones series seven will air on Mondays at 2am and then again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. You can also watch new episodes on Now TV