"Sansa felt that she ought to say something. What was it that Septa Mordane used to tell her? A lady’s armor is courtesy, that was it. She donned her armor."
—A Clash of Kings
Our second look at Game of Thrones season 8 follows right on the heels of our first, picking up after Jon Snow and Sansa Stark reunite and embrace in the Winterfell courtyard.
This time, we see that Daenerys Targaryen was just offscreen the whole time, having newly arrived at the Stark stronghold.
At first glance, this is a straightforward few seconds, the finalization of an alliance between the Starks and Targaryen armies, and the acceptance of Daenerys as queen. But to take anything in this series at face value is precisely how the showrunners so often pull the rug out from under the audience. So let’s take a closer look.
Since the Stark siblings started to reunite in season 6, they have all struggled to know who to trust. In season 6, Sansa went it alone, rather than trust Jon enough to tell him that Littlefinger had offered the help of the Knights of the Vale. In season 7, with Littlefinger stirring the pot, Sansa and Arya mistrusted each other. After seasons of suffering, Jon, Sansa and Arya have come to a point where they must learn to find faith in other people again; namely, in each other. They’re on their way, with Jon and Sansa connecting at the end of season 6 and Sansa and Arya reconciling in the season 7 finale.
What we’ve seen of season 8 thus far recalls the series premiere. Sansa tells Daenerys, “Winterfell is yours, Your Grace,” just as her father told Robert Baratheon, “[I’ve been] guarding the North for you, Your Grace. Winterfell is yours.”
"Full circle from freefolk"
The key difference here, of course, is that Ned and Robert were friends, whereas Sansa and Daenerys have never met. Where Ned and Robert fought together, there are many Northerners and nobility from the Vale who consider Daenerys an invader, the daughter of the man they fought to overthrow a generation ago. When Jon decides to go south and meet Daenerys, Yohn Royce, Robett Glover, and Lyanna Mormont all object, with many of their subjects shouting their agreement. Nevertheless, Jon left and Sansa has been holding the North ever since, ensuring that those subjects remain loyal to Jon so they don’t lose their armies on the brink of war.
This brings us back to the Starks’ trust issues. If the pack means to survive, the members need to remember what Jon told Sansa after they reclaimed Winterfell: “We need to trust each other. We can’t fight a war amongst ourselves. We have so many enemies now.”
Let’s return to the clips, stringing both together. Jon and Sansa hug, Sansa looks at Daenerys, and then Daenerys walks over and introduces herself. Dipping into speculation, we can ask if anything happens between these beats — does Jon whisper something to Sansa during their embrace, perhaps a reiteration of his declaration that they need to trust each other? If so, Sansa’s words to Daenerys suggest that she’s willing to play along.
We know that Sansa has gained the support of the North, and can guess she won’t be pleased to cede her home after all she and Jon did to take it back from the Boltons. Sansa and Daenerys will not be fast friends who braid each other’s hair. These women have conflicting goals, ideologies, and even a lingering blood feud between their families. To assume that they should get along based on their gender alone, strips them both of their agency as individuals.
Still, Sansa has had to placate all manner of rulers before. She knows how to play the game, and trusts Jon enough to believe that ceding the North is the necessary course of action for the time being. I suspect we’ll find out Sansa’s true feelings on the matter once Daenerys is out of earshot.
"Don’t fight in the North or the South. Fight every battle everywhere, always, in your mind. Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend. Every possible series of events is happening all at once. Live that way and nothing will surprise you. Everything that happens will be something that you’ve seen before."
—Littlefinger, “The Queen’s Justice”
The Starks and Daenerys may have joined forces for now, but their conflicts of interest prevent them from being true allies. Daenerys wants the Seven Kingdoms, the North wants independence, and this could very well mean war after the White Walkers. This alliance cannot stand without a common goal in mind, and I’m not convinced it won’t splinter beforehand. In particular, the forthcoming reveal of Jon’s parentage poses a major threat to it. Dany often talks about her claim to the throne; learning that it is rightfully Jon’s would represent a direct obstacle for her.
Right now, Jon and Sansa acknowledge that the White Walkers have to be dealt with, but what comes after that? The Starks know the North, and they know there won’t be peace when one of their allies is set on taking it from them.
Granted, if the Northerners take a stand against Daenerys, it might not last long if she has dragons on her side. We saw how quickly she and Drogon decimated the Lannisters in the Loot Train Attack. But things could look very different by the time the war against the White Walkers is over. We’ve seen that the White Walkers have the means to defeat the dragons, and vice versa. Neither ice nor fire may triumph over the other, but rather destroy each other, making way for the true conflict: the fight for the throne, which has been the story from the beginning. Whether that means characters will actually fight for the throne or struggle to determine if the monarchy should persist at all remains to be seen. In any case, a Daenerys bereft of her dragons, which have been key in her rise in power, will be far more vulnerable than we’re used to.
As of now, we have three queens on the board, regardless of their official titles: Cersei, Daenerys, and Sansa. Each of them represent a great house: Lannister, Targaryen, and Stark. The former two want the throne, but the Starks only want independence, which has been a running theme since Ned Stark’s death, and an underlying issue in the series’ pre-history.
Cersei and Sansa will likely meet again in some fashion before the end; Joffrey’s death and Sansa’s escape from King’s Landing mean they have some unfinished business to settle. Then there’s Sansa’s claim that she will not set foot in King’s Landing while Cersei Lannister is queen. Will the show put a twist on her words?
Here’s one final, perhaps tinfoil-y supposition for your consideration: Looking at how the promos have framed Sansa, Jon, and Daenerys, are we in for a love triangle of sorts in season 8? Love triangles sell in major franchises, whether it’s the primary or secondary conflict. However you consider this angle depends on your perspective on Jon’s feelings for Sansa and Daenerys, respectively, which I’ve theorized about before.
Considering the above, as well as the imminent reveal of Jon’s parentage, we have to ask how all of this is going to affect both Jon’s relationships and his personal identity. In the end, will it be his Targaryen blood or his Stark nature that wins out? Will he follow in the steps of a father he never knew, or the man who dishonored himself by raising Jon as his own? Jon is going to have to make this choice, as is the audience.
Right now, it may look like the heroes of the story are on the same side, facing the White Walkers and Cersei Lannister, both of whom more closely resemble straightforward villains. But if Game of Thrones is going to continue to challenge fantasy tropes, it may ask fans to make hard choices about their heroes, as the future of Westeros hangs in the balance.
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