Game of Thrones season 8 spoilers: Arya, Sansa to join forces

Remember the dynamic between Arya and Sansa Stark on the early days of Game of Thrones? What was so fascinating about it was that you had these two sisters who cared about each other on some level, but couldn’t disagree more about what direction they were going in life. Arya was venturing down the road of a warrior, whereas Sansa was already becoming more of a political player — and a snob in Arya’s mind. Their opinions at the time were rudimentary, superficial, and in many ways childish; now, however, they’re able to see each other for who they really are and the are both moving towards the same goals.

One of the things that is so powerful about the final season is getting to see so much tangible evolution from these characters. It’s one thing to see Arya with her list and comment on how different she is from her season 1 version; it’s another altogether to juxtapose her and Sansa together from where they were so many years before. They’re fully-formed — they understand how this world works, and they perhaps have a better understanding of each other’s value than they ever did as kids. Arya can now understand that Sansa is someone who knows how to pull strings behind the scenes and work the ins and outs of the political system. Meanwhile, Sansa realizes that Arya’s combat skills make her a worthwhile assassin, someone who can strike and act before others start to realize that she’s moved. There is something about their reunion that is so powerful — even if they don’t become the best of friends, they are family and there’s an intrinsic bond that allows the two to work together in tandem.

In speaking about the Arya – Sansa dynamic further in the final season, here is some of what Maisie Williams had to say via Entertainment Weekly:

“It’s not often you see a character siding with Sansa who’s not manipulating her … Last season it was really tough for Sansa because Jon was thinking with his penis and it kind of made Sansa look bitter. This season you see Arya teaming with Sansa and sometimes calling out Jon. It felt nice and powerful to stand next to Sophie [Turner]. Sophie and I are the tightest of friends when sitting across from anyone, so no acting required.”

The relationship between Williams and Turner is obviously something that the producers can capitalize on. While being an actor requires you to be able to pretend like your enemy is your friend, there is something so much more powerful about two good friends putting that relationship on screen as sisters. There’s a depth of love and care to be tapped into, where you can take from the bare essence of those experiences and turn them into magic. While these characters have grown and evolved, so have Maisie and Sophie as performers — they’ve turned in incredible work over the years, and with this being the zenith point for the Game of Thrones story, we’re expecting that the best is still creeping around the corner.

The Game of Thrones final season premiere shall be here on April 14 — less than three weeks away! Get hyped – we know that we’re going to be! We just hope that somehow, the show will be able to match the mountains of hype and expectation that are out there all over the world.

Want more Game of Thrones discussion?

Then check out the link here, and we suggest that you share your own personal hopes for the final season — and for Sansa and Arya — in the comments section at the bottom of this article. (Photo: HBO.)