A bittersweet reunion on ‘Game of Thrones’
‘Game of Thrones’ season 7, episode 4
This post contains spoilers for episode 4 in season 7 of “Game of Thrones.”
“Everyone who knew his face is dead,” Sansa said, looking up at the poorly carved statue of her father.
“We’re not,” Arya replied with a smile.
The last time Arya and Sansa were in the same scene, their father was beheaded. It was the shocking end to the first season, when the audience learned an important lesson: “Game of Thrones” is no joke.
That tragedy no doubt looms over Arya and Sansa’s reunion as they meet again in the shadow of their father’s tomb. The sisters were never particularly close. Back in season one, Arya was a spitfire, a tomboy and precocious. Sansa was the classic medieval lady who dreamed of being a princess and marrying a knight.
Now that the three Stark children are reunited, it’s never been more obvious how much they have grown apart, perhaps irreparably.
In the last few seasons, Sansa has remained in Westeros, thick in the drama of King’s Landing. Her dreams of finding her perfect knight in shining armor are shattered by Joffrey. Sansa is repeatedly threatened and forced to marry men she detests. She makes it back to Winterfell bolder, and is unafraid of giving orders.
Sansa meets Arya again not as a girl or a lady, but as a leader.
“Do I have to call you Lady Sansa now?” Arya asks her.
Sansa is not the only one who has changed. Her siblings are unrecognizable from the last time they’ve seen each other.
Bran is detached and says he can only remember being Brandon Stark, the bright, adventurous boy who was pushed off a wall. He is callous in his interactions with Meera (the woman who has spent years protecting him). Any questions Sansa asks him are answered cryptically.
Arya, meanwhile, not only has a kill list, but she is trained and ready. The fan-service sparring between Brienne and Arya leaves no doubt that Arya’s days of play fighting are over.
So what can Sansa latch on to at this point? Her siblings have effectively shattered Sansa’s last remaining fairy tale: a happy Winterfell homecoming. Bran and Arya — as she knew them — are long gone.
Some have speculated that Sansa’s costume choices are suspiciously reminiscent of Cersei’s all-black garbs. I think it’s intentional, and signaling to the audience that Sansa may make more Cersei-like choices by the end of the season.
Will the Starks ever be the Stark family again? Or is Sansa on her way to making some Lannister-level ruthless choices?
