Last season, Game of Thrones viewers saw Sansa and Arya at odds, for the younger Stark sister remained suspicious of Sansa as she made her return home to Winterfell. While things got off to a rocky start between them, the Stark sisters will indeed be a united front once more in Season 8. Maisie Williams teased how Arya and Sansa will team up, saying:
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. Sophie and I are the tightest of friends when sitting across from anyone, so no acting required.
Well, this is interesting. Maisie Williams' tease to EW not only revealed Arya and Sansa’s impending pairing on Game of Thrones, but she also indicated they will team up to criticize an unexpected family member, Jon Snow. Williams says that Jon’s sisters/cousins will have to confront him in Season 8, and more than once.
What could they be calling him out for together? Could it have to do with Daenerys? Or maybe his specific plan to deal with the White Walkers? Regardless, something makes Sansa and Arya have to confront Jon a time or two, likely creating more Stark sibling tension in the final stretch.
What Maisie Williams is teasing sounds like a bit of a departure for Arya, who has always been quite fond of her older brother over the years. He is one of the main reasons she returned to Winterfell, after all. Apparently, she is going to be Team Sansa in Season 8. Not that there has to be such distinctions, since there is always the overall Team Stark, too.
Maisie Williams also makes an interesting point about what was motivating Jon in Game of Thrones’ previous season. He left the King of the North and ended up bending the knee to Daenerys in the process. Not exactly the game plan that the Starks and the North had agreed upon whenever he left. Sansa is unlikely to back down from feeling upset about that, so will Arya see her point?
A key part to playing the “game of thrones” is having a trustworthy ally. Whatever comes next, the Stark sisters will thankfully have each other’s backs in Season 8. This fan thinks that's something that would undoubtedly make their parents happy if they were still around to appreciate it.
Sansa and Arya’s history has not always been a happy one, but their dynamic is about to change, which I think is slightly strange, considering their historical relationship. At the core, Sansa and Arya are the same people they have always been. Arya is loyal to her family and Sansa is ambitious for power. Those two goals do not necessarily have to be opposing though.
Sansa’s ambition and Arya’s loyalty to her family could bring them together, especially if Arya does not think that Jon Snow has House Stark’s best interests at heart. If both sisters perceive that he is putting Daenerys in front of his family, that would not go over well, and for a good reason. Even if that is not his actual intent.
Fans should be relieved to see Sansa and Arya being in a better place in Season 8, and not only those who want peace in House Stark. There were also viewers that did not enjoy the rough spot their relationship endured through Season 7. Here's to happier times and perhaps a bit of what I hope will be some short-lived tumult in House Stark.
Watch Arya and Sansa team up when the final season of Game of Thrones premieres Season 8 on Sunday, April 14, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
