The Best Duos Left in Game of Thrones
The Song of Ice and Fire universe is known for fostering powerful, deep, and comical relationships. Our staff takes its swing on which strong, lovable duos are the best left on the show.
Duos can be very powerful in Game of Thrones. Ned and Robert’s alliance tore apart the Seven Kingdoms in order to dethrone Aerys Targaryen, a.k.a The Mad King, and kill every last member of his House(almost). That same friendship also held together Westeros for the 17 years leading up to the events of the first book. While both of them were living, no one could challenge Ned nor Robert; it’s no coincidence Robert had a boar-hunting “accident” before Cersei imprisoned Ned for treason.
Duos can also be very comical. Take this scene from Season One for example. When Jaime asks Tyrion if he’s thinking of joining the Night’s Watch, Tyrion replies “and go celibate? The whores would go begging from Dorne to Casterly Rock. No, I just want to stand on top of the Wall and piss off the edge of the world.” This line incenses Cersei and humors Jaime. It becomes clear at this time that this sibling trio would have laughs at each other’s expense for seasons to come.
Duos can be very intimate. Recall this Jenny of Oldstones song in Episode Two. It’s about Duncan Targaryen and Jenny of Oldstones, a commoner Duncan fell in love with. Duncan gave up his crown in order to marry Jenny, but before long, they both died in the great tragedy of Summerhall while the Mad King birthed Rhaegar Targaryen, who also went on to love the wrong woman at the expense of the realm.
Fear-inspiring, laugh-producing, and heart-warming. Which relationships could end up defining the last three episodes of Game of Thrones? Let’s take a look.
Dany + Jon
Karim Noorani: Dany and Jon are the two most transcendent characters in the entire series. They literally started off as insignificant specks on opposing ends of the world but have now — in eight seasons — amassed armies, conquered kingdoms, and defeated the White Walkers. There are no two characters with better resumes or complementing personalities than Dany and Jon. A compelling case could be made that the duo is the incarnation of the Song of Ice and Fire, if it is not Jon himself. The show is doing a great job of selling a rift between Dany and Jon over a claim to the Iron Throne, but we know Jon will never thirst for power. Relenting leadership is as ingrained in his personality as determination to rule Westeros is ingrained in Dany. At the heart of it all, we know Dany and Jon are two compassionate, just, and confident rulers. If there are any two characters capable of understanding and tearing lands apart for each other, it has to be Dany and Jon.
Jon + Arya
Noorani: Jon and Arya connect with each other in a way most characters in the series would never understand. They both have been cast aside for being different all their lives. Arya never fit into being a lady like Sansa, swordsman like Gendry, or servant to the many-faced god like Waif. She always had a special identity that conflicted with the role she was cast into. Jon, similarly, wanted to be exactly like Ned Stark but had to hide under the shadow of being his idol’s bastard all his life. In the duo’s brief time spent together at the beginning of the series, Jon and Arya illuminated a deep friendship that was forged through empathizing with each other. The “stick em with the pointy end” scene was the first time someone saw Arya for who she truly she was. On the other end, Arya always treated Jon compassionately and never looked down upon him because of his status within the family. Arya threw away all her belongings in Braavos, but the sole object she refused to give up was Needle, Jon’s farewell gift to her when he was leaving for the Night’s Watch. Even in her quest to becoming No One, Arya still couldn’t relinquish her last thread to Jon — an emblem of an unshakeable bond.
Cersei + Euron
Noorani: Cersei and Euron would never put anyone above themselves, which is why they are the perfect match for each other. They’re the only two players left in Westeros that I can confidently say want the same thing: power and control. Cersei and Euron will never turn on each other because they will never find an accomplice who better aligns with their desires. Euron once walked into Throne room with “1000 ships and two good hands,” but since then, he has more than proven his competence and worth to Cersei. He brought Myrcella’s murderer, Ellaria Sand, to justice and delivered the Golden Company at Cersei’s feet, albeit without elephants. Cersei herself admitted Euron is the greatest captain in the 14 seas and a true friend of the crown. The duo currently has all it has ever wanted and will fight like hell to keep it within their grasp. Recall The Hound’s quote in season four: “Hate is as good a thing as any to keep a person going.” Cersei and Euron are the most arrogant, ruthless, and sadistic duo in all the seven kingdoms, and their common hatred of the crown’s enemies will make the duo inseparable.
Sansa + Arya
Cameron Peters: It’s hard to be a Stark in Game of Thrones, though Sansa and Arya, simply by virtue of still being alive, are doing better than most of the rest of their family. Their relationship had a rough start in Season 1, but they’ve both grown since then, and now they’re back in Winterfell and better than ever. Sansa’s political acumen and Arya’s supernatural skill at stabbing things make for a killer combination, as Littlefinger found out, and they’re finally seeing eye-to-eye. Plus, they can bond over saving Jon’s dumb ass from Boltons and a zombie dragon, respectively. “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” indeed. Ned would be proud.
Jaime + Tyrion
Peters: Between the patricide and incest, Westerosi Thanksgiving is probably a little awkward in the Lannister family. But hey, at least now Jaime and Tyrion can bond over the fact that their sister is trying to kill both of them. In earnest though, in a series rife with family betrayals, their relationship, oddly enough, is a bright spot. They genuinely do care about each other, and if you can watch Tyrion worry about Jaime during the Loot Train Attack (still a terrible name for a battle) in S7E4 and not feel something, I don’t know what to say. Plus, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage are arguably two of the best actors in the show. How can you not love them?
Arya + The Hound
Noorani: With all the nostalgia flying around in season eight’s “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” episode, it’s easy forget how complex Arya and The Hound’s reunion really was. The youngest Stark daughter started off despising Clegane in season one, when he killed her innocent friend Mycah at Cersei’s orders. In season three, The Hound ends up kidnapping Arya after she escapes from the Brotherhood Without Banners, and the duo journeys together for multiple seasons in an effort to sell the Stark girl back to her dispersed family.
In Arya’s eyes, The Hound used to be nothing but a vicious Lannister lap dog. She longed to kill the younger Clegane brother after all the terrors she witnessed him commit. Yet, The Hound ended up fighting for Arya against Brienne in season four. They developed a relationship that coalesced into The Hound admitting she was the only person he only fought for besides himself.
Arya and The Hound are the epitome of a “complicated” relationship status, but they have grown a deep connection to each other. It causes one to question whether Arya really left The Hound to die in season four or if she just didn’t want to let him go just yet.
Jaime + Brienne
Noorani: Can we get a bathtub scene?
The bathtub scene is easily one of the ten greatest moments in the history of Thrones. Forgetting its comic appeal, the scene is also the turning point for Jaime. Up to this point, he was simply the character who killed the King he was sworn to protect, slept with his sister, and pushed 10-year-old Bran out a window. Here, the show finally humanizes Jaime and crystallizes all the conflicting loyalties his character has been torn under.
Their arcs come full circle when Jaime and Brienne reunite at Winterfell in episode two of the last season. Brienne vouches for Jaime’s honor, and Jaime knights Brienne. It’s heart-warming for two characters who know each other as intimately as Jaime and Brienne to finally fulfill their character arcs from each other.
They may not get together in a bathtub again anytime soon, but Jaime and Brienne have an underlying love worth fighting for.
Tormund + Brienne
NGL: Why pick to write about serious, dynamic, heart-warming relationships like the previous two when you could side with the All Meme Team, starting out with everyone’s favorite ginger? In the second episode of Season 8, we got a whole slew of incredible #content from Tormund Giantsbane in his quest to win over “The Big Woman,” otherwise known as Brienne of Tarth. Twitter had a field day with all of Tormund’s antics, but there may not have been a greater moment than when he told the story of how he got the last name “Giantsbane.”
Since the moment Tormund first laid eyes on Brienne in Season 6, we knew this was a relationship for the ages. It’s even better now that we know their story line was improvised. Should we ship them now that they both survived the Battle of Winterfell? Only time will tell.
Tyrion + Podrick
NGL: As much as I relish award-winning actor Kristofer Hivju and his crazy portrayal of Tormund and his quest for love, the Giantsbane story still couldn’t top the single-most hilarious moment in GoT history. I’m talking, of course, about Pod the Rod.
Podrick Payne is a quiet lad, a distant cousin of the infamous Ser Ilyn Payne, Robert Baratheon’s royal executioner and a pretty quiet guy himself. That’ll happen when, ya know, your tongue is chopped off by the mad king. Anyway, that’s besides the point. What isn’t is the fact that Tyrion’s relationship with his oft-awkward squire changes amidst one drop of a pouch of gold. After that, Pod goes on to explore Westeros and train with Brienne, becoming one of the realm’s greatest fighters by the time Tyrion meets up with him again in Season 8. Never forget, though, how it all started with details. Copious details.
Grey Worm + Missandei
Ethan Fore: I think it’s safe to say that Grey Worm and Missandei are the cutest couple in the entire realm. After meeting in Season 3, their love story begins in Season 4 as Missandei teaches Grey Worm the common tongue. And after Grey Worm is caught staring at Missandei in the river, they share a tender moment when she asks about “his cut” (he, uh, is a eunuch, to keep it clean). Surprisingly, Grey Worm is grateful, explaining that if he never was cut, he never would’ve been freed by Dany, never would’ve become the leader of the Unsullied and never would’ve met Missandei. During an attack by the Sons of the Harpy in Season 5, Ser Barristan Selmy is killed and Grey Worm is badly injured. But Missandei nurses him back to health, and they finally share their first kiss. But their most romantic moment occurs in Season 7 at Dragonstone. Dany sends the Unsullied to Casterly Rock, and the night before he embarks on his mission Grey Worm visits Missandei in her quarters. In perhaps the most heartfelt moment of the show, Grey Worm tells Missandei that she is his weakness. As they grow up, the Unsullied are forced to face their fears. But Grey Worm didn’t fear anything. Until he met Missandei. He kisses her again, and they, um, do the deed.
Once they reached Winterfell, they agreed that when the wars were all over, they would travel together to Missandei’s home of Naath. Let’s hope they survive the next three episodes to get there. (Oh, and don’t sleep on a possible spinoff involving the two of them.)
Sam + Jon
Fore: To understand this relationship, you have to understand the individuals first. Jon was the outcast of his family, a supposed bastard of Ned Stark, and he was treated as such by his family members, outside of Ned and Arya. So when he reached Castle Black, he was, by all means, alone. And then he met Sam. Son of Randyll of House Tarly, his father never approved of the man Sam had become, so he sent him off to the Night’s Watch to “become a man,” whatever that means. They quickly became close friends, and while they didn’t always share the screen, as they were off on their own various adventures, the duo always seemed to be there for each other when they needed it most. Sam and Jon served for each other as the brother they never had, and their bond shined brightest when Sam revealed to Jon that he was in fact Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. No one else could’ve told Jon that delicate news, and Jon wouldn’t have believed it had it come from anyone else. Based on their temperaments, they may be the most unlikely duo on this list, but over the past eight seasons, they might have formed the strongest bond of them all.
What do you think? Who did we snub from the list? Comment below and make sure to tweet at us here!
