Maisie Williams defends Game of Thrones Season 5 and teases Season 6

Maisie Williams sounds off on Game of Thrones Seasons 5 and 6 in a new interview with The Independent. First, she got the hype train rolling for the upcoming year.

"Coming into season 6, I feel like it’s really ramping up now and story-wise it’s matching the hype, which is exciting, knowing that you’ve got just as strong stories to go along with the buzz of the end of season 5."

The end of Season 5 certainly did create a lot of buzz, good and otherwise. Cast members like Emilia Clarke have implied that Season 6 will have a lot of momentum, so I’m expecting some plotlines to come charging out of the gate.

Will Arya’s be among them? As Williams admits in the interview, her story in Season 5 was “a lot slower,” but she thinks that was necessary to develop her character. “[Arya]’s never really been part of the game of thrones and I’m actually so pleased about that, because the people who get sucked into it always start out fighting for one thing but the power game and the Iron Throne make them start fighting for the wrong reasons,” she said. “I’m really glad that Arya is away from all of that and hasn’t been sidetracked from her plan.”

"She’s had the same goal this whole time and no-one’s ever come in and changed that, which is why it’s so difficult for her now to give up everything that she’s worked for. You can’t make someone else feel the pain that Arya feels. She can say that she’s lost her mother and brother and watched her father get beheaded but you can’t make someone else feel that, so when Jaqen [H’ghar] turns to her and says you have to give this all up if you want to become No-one – this is her life, she’s recited these names every night and it’s a lot deeper than that, which is ultimately why she’s doing so terribly at becoming an assassin and ultimately why I feel like season 5 was a lot slower because you have to see the process that goes into becoming a Faceless Man."

Personally, I thought Arya’s journey last year was one of the stronger parts of the season. I enjoyed seeing her try and fail to come to grips with what it meant to be No One, the reveal of the eerie Hall of Faces, and the heartbreaking moment where she can’t bring herself to throw away Needle. Still, if Williams’ comments are any indication, Arya will get a move on in Season 6. We’ll have to wait until April 24 to find out what exactly that means.