THE rivalries and feuds of Game of Thrones proved to be one of the most gripping aspects of the HBO fantasy drama.
In the bid for the Iron Throne, countless noble houses betrayed and waged war upon each other, adding to Westeros’ turmoil and brutality.
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While viewers generally lapped the tension up, there was one strained relationship that they failed to get on board with.
In the show’s finale season, the likes of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) finally crossed paths and their dynamic was decidedly frosty.
Daenerys felt alienated and unwanted in the north and saw Sansa as an embodiment of this sense of rejection.
Meanwhile Sansa was protective of her brother Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who she feared was being manipulated by his new lover.
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Ultimately paranoia drove a wedge between Jon and Daeenrys, contributing to her descent into bloodlust at King’s Landing.
In the aftermath of Game of Thrones’ controversial conclusion last year, fans have taken to Reddit to air their grievances with the way Sansa and Daenerys were pitted against each other.
User Godless3 kicked off the debate, writing: “Why did Sansa dislike Daenerys? It is never explained or otherwise implied through action or dialogue, and since she was the character that most directly led to Daenerys’ betrayal and spiral into madness, this question should have been answered by the writers.”
They went on to pick holes in the dialogue between the two female leaders and suggest that the forbidden love between Jon and Daenerys may not have been the only incest on the table.
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“Sansa’s limited interactions with Jon which give us any insight into her thinking are the following lines: ‘Did you bend the knee to save The North or because you love her?’ and ‘She’s really pretty,’” they continued.
“This seems to imply that Sansa might be secretly in love with Jon. From this angle, it might make sense that she wants to sow discontent between them; to take Jon away from her and being under her control.”
While the post received plenty of upvotes, many took issue with two such complex, intelligent women squabbling over a man.
However, one dissenter was quick to point out the bad blood between the Starks and Targaryens, at least in the history books.
“Coz Dany’s father burned Ned’s father and brother if I recall, and it was common knowledge in Westeros that Rheagal raped Lyanna,” they pointed out.
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“Sansa had every right not to trust people she don’t know after what she went through. And she was right after all.”
Sansa’s keen judge of character stood her in good stead throughout her rise to power as a independent Queen of the North.
Alas, her concerns about Daenerys proved to be well founded as she burned civilians in the street from atop her dragon in the show’s penultimate episode.
In other Game of Thrones news, fans recently went wild as Drogon made an unlikely cameo in Westworld.
Meanwhile Sophie Turner recently fronted the first trailer for upcoming thriller Survive.
