Warning: Spoilers for the latest episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 are discussed below.
Game of Thrones is one step closer to the very end with its latest episode, which saw the people at Winterfell preparing for the army of the dead's arrival. Young Lyanna Mormont was on the scene and as fiery and determined as ever to fight for the North.
Known for her blunt manner of speaking and unwavering courage, Lyanna became a fan-favorite upon her debut. In Season 8, she has not gotten any less outspoken, including voicing her disapproval of Daenerys. What will her portrayer miss the most about playing her Game of Thrones character? Bella Ramsey revealed the answer, telling The Cut:
I think the opportunity to stand up in front of a load of grown men and shame them. I think playing confident characters also helps with your own confidence. Say you’re in a situation where you’re feeling anxious or nervous — you can become a character and work through it that way. I’ll miss that about her.
Lyanna Mormont’s confidence has shown no signs of dwindling. Ahead of the Night King’s arrival at Winterfell, Lyanna’s cousin Ser Jorah attempted to convince her to stay in the crypts during the battle. It was to no avail. Will she fight off a bunch of White Walkers?
The next episode of Game of Thrones will tell the tale. As will the rest of the season. Who is Bella Ramsey rooting for to come out on top? Ramsey's choice may not surprise you:
I still haven’t watched it all because I’m only 15. So I didn’t really have a clue what was going on, but I really like Arya. She’s little and powerful. There’s this great line from the show Matilda: 'Even if you’re little, you can do a lot. You musn’t let a little thing like this stop you.'
Arya is definitely not letting anything stop her if she can help it. Viewers have yet to see Lyanna in action, and there's not really any time left for Arya to give Lyanna a lesson in some of the fighting skills she picked up in Essos. That would have been a cool scene ahead of the Night King’s arrival, in my opinion.
The younger Stark sister is not the only strong character with whom Bella Ramsey sees Lyanna sharing traits. Hint: this character had a memorable moment in the second episode of Game of Thrones Season 8. When asked how she prepared for the role and whether any actor or character inspired her, Ramsey replied:
Watching it now — I’ve still not watched it all, but the bits that I’ve watched — I feel like Brienne of Tarth. They’re kind of kindred spirits. They’re both these females who are sticking up for what they believe in and proving that girls can be just as strong as boys, women can be just as strong as men.
They do share a lot in common. Again, I think it would have been beyond cool for Brienne and Lyanna to have shared a scene together. Brienne was shown training people ahead of the White Walker invasion. It would have made sense for her to have instructed or given pointers to Lyanna.
Imagine a scene where Brienne showed Lyanna some moves. Hopefully, sparring against Arya. Their previous fencing match provided quite a memorable moment for the series. That would have been a lot for Lyanna to be able to take in.
The time for that may not have entirely passed Game of Thrones by. Or has it? There should be survivors after the battle against the Night King at Winterfell. Should Lyanna, Brienne, and Arya be among them, there would still be time.
Find out what happens to Lyanna amidst the battle when Game of Thrones Season 8 continues airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
