WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS about Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones."

Fans and critics alike were none too pleased with Sunday's "Game of Thrones" episode, which found Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) being raped by her new husband, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), while her stepbrother Theon (Alfie Allen) is forced to watch. The scene in question was brutal and horrifying, and Turner and producer-writer Bryan Cogman's comments about it didn't exactly help make things better, either.

Backlash against the plot point has only mounted since Sunday's episode wrapped, with social media exploding in protest over the decision to depict such a brutal act. The Mary Sue announced it would no longer post anything about the show, noting, "There's only so many times you can be disgusted with something you love before you literally can't bring yourself to look at it anymore."

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill was one of the more high-profile "Thrones" defectors, announcing on Twitter on Tuesday that she was "done" with the show. McCaskill called the scene "Gratuitous ... disgusting and unacceptable," and alluded to the fact that her affection for the series had been waning for some time.

Many more critics have chimed in with their disapproval (HitFix compiled some of the more pointed critiques), with the resounding majority chastising the show for choosing to exploit a story from the books that initially had nothing to do with Sansa (her character was merged with the character of Jeyne Poole from George R.R. Martin's novels), unnecessarily traumatizing both her character and viewers in the process.

We're not sure how "Thrones" showrunners can win back every viewer's trust -- Turner and Cogman alluded to some big moments for Sansa down the road following her humiliation -- but it seems they're going to have to try. Stay tuned.

[via: The Mary Sue, Claire McCaskill, HitFix]