In what should have been a welcome reunion between two sisters, Game of Thrones season 7 has found Arya and Sansa Stark at loggerheads, thanks in large part to Littlefinger’s calculated meddling.
Since returning to Winterfell, Maisie Williams’ character has spent time walking the castle’s cavernous corridors and generally re-familiarizing herself with her rightful home – something that Arya has not done in years. But it didn’t take long before the young Stark grew suspicious of Littlefinger, who has been whispering in Sansa’s ear ever since he marshaled the Knights of the Veil into the Battle of the Bastards.
All of this came to a head in last week’s instalment, “Beyond the Wall,” and though some fans have criticized the subplot brewing between Arya and Sansa as weak and inconsequential, Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor told Huffington Post that that dispute will lead to “violent” and “surprising” consequences.
I think both characters have been through absolute hell since the death of their father in very different ways, and have turned into absolute lethal individuals. We’re very aware of how lethal Arya is, because she’s displayed it over and over again. But I love the fact that the tables do turn back and forth between them; it really is a shifting back and forth of power between them in those scenes we had. And when Sophie says she won the Battle of the Bastards, she’s right. I love the fact that these two come back, they’re both lethal, and I just wanted to give the impression, as much as possible, that one of them is going to die. But you’re not sure which one.
Now a bona fide assassin thanks to her time spent in the House of Black and White, the Arya Stark of Game of Thrones season 7 is a far cry from the one first introduced as a plucky tomboy. And that’s something that clearly isn’t lost on Sansa, who begins to fear that her estranged sister is actually plotting her downfall. Whether that turns out to be true will surely be revealed in this Sunday’s finale, “The Dragon and the Wolf.”
Taylor continued:
Arya is certainly lethal and sort of threatening, but when Sansa sends Brienne away, who is Arya’s natural protector, something is coming very soon between them, and it will be violent but surprising.
Despite an untimely leak, the penultimate episode of the penultimate season, “Beyond the Wall,” drew 10.24 million viewers last Sunday, which is just shy of the current record-holder, “Eastwatch,” which attracted 10.7m. Can this weekend’s grand finale break past the 11 million milestone? We’ll find out very soon.
Game of Thrones season 7 ends this Sunday, August 27th, with the premiere of “The Dragon and the Wolf.” As promised, it’ll clock in at a whopping 80 minutes in length.
