And the meek shall inherit Westeros: How Game of Thrones celebrates reversals of fortune

SANSA STARK 1.0: MARRIAGE PAWN

When we first meet Sansa, she’s a little girl concerned primarily with ladyship, etiquette, growing up and getting married. Like many noble daughters of Westeros, her future was already planned for her: she would marry someone influential (like the heir to the Iron Throne, Joffrey Baratheon, who was the ultimate catch, theoretically) in order to cement an alliance, then tend to the household and produce lots of healthy heirs.

Things didn’t go as planned. Although she was the daughter of a major Westerosi House, the collapse of the Stark family resulted in her being left helpless and locked in the thrall of unsavory men such as Joffrey Baratheon, Littlefinger and Ramsay Bolton.

SANSA STARK 2.0: POWERHOUSE IN THE NORTH

After escaping from the abusive clutches of Ramsay Bolton, Sansa uses her experience to transform herself into a new and impressive adult. The naivete and innocence are gone, replaced by a cool detachment and a flair for manipulation. Sansa’s shift coincides with the resurgence of the Stark House, where Sansa is currently the highest ranking surviving family member (Jon’s bloodline being unknown, and only half Stark at that). Her willingness to call in Littlefinger and his Knights of the Vale allows Jon Snow and his army to win the Battle of the Bastards.

With Jon’s tendency to act as honorably as Lord Eddard, he will be vulnerable in the cloak-and-dagger negotiations and back room dealings to come. Sansa has the instincts to succeed in the Great Game, and with her newfound understanding of the terrible things people are capable of, she may well prove an enormous help.

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