I realise for years I used to say “Joe Dempsie is the perfect Gendry, and I love him as Gendry, it just sucks because the age difference changes the Gendrya dynamic so much”
And whilst that’s not untrue… as with everything Season 8′s doing right now, I’m having to eat my words. And basically admit that the thing that used to concern me about show!Gendrya back in S2/3 is exactly what makes it work so damn well in S8.
In the books, it’s Gendry that’s fairly damn smitten from the word go, although he never expresses this specifically. He feels he’s leagues below her. Arya is the one who’s feelings are much muddier; she doesn’t realise what they are, and therefore experiences confusion towards what we recognise as jealous feelings of Gendry with other girls. In the show in S2/3, this dynamic was flipped because of the age difference between Joe and Maisie - Arya quite clearly has feelings for Gendry, but is utterly unable to act upon these. The closest she comes is telling him “I can be your family.” Gendry meanwhile obviously does have a soft spot for her, but looks at her in a little-sisterly type way (or at least, thinks he does). He’s oblivious to what these protective feelings towards her could be, just viewing her as a girl he is friends with and wants to protect.
For us oldschool Gendrya fans, this was a deep frustration, because we just didn’t see how this dynamic gave any hope for Gendrya in the future. And I’m obviously so glad we were wrong, but we were also wrong in the best way.Â
Now Arya and Gendry have met up again, Arya’s old feelings for Gendry have come back to the surface. But due to the training and trauma she has been through, she manages to keep all of this under quite a cool exterior - she seeks Gendry out, quite clearly still wanting his company, and has never fully let go of how she was in love with him years ago, but it is absolutely under a cool exterior. A cool exterior which comes off as very flirtatious.Â
Gendry meanwhile is reunited with Arya and is completely taken aback with what he discovers. His memory of her as the little girl he needed to protect like a little sister is completely obliterated by the fierce, beautiful, badass woman in front of him. She’s still Arya, but she’s changed. She’s older, she’s independent, and Gendry is immediately absolutely smitten. This is something he is not used to when being around Arya Stark, and his flustered behaviour shows it.
And Arya absolutely uses this to her advantage. Being smitten around Gendry? That’s something she understands from years ago. But Gendry being smitten around her? This is something new, and something which completely gives her the upper hand in the relationship.Â
Essentially, we’re now in a situation where the book relationship is completely being portrayed with Gendry - a boy smitten beyond words with Arya Stark. But it is even stronger because of how he didn’t used to be. It shows a shift, it shows a floundering Gendry, and it gives Arya the opportunity to completely put herself forward and out there with Gendry knowing there’s no way he’ll reject her. The dynamic shift has worked completely in Gendrya’s favour, and strengthened their S8 relationship tenfold; and we couldn’t have that if Gendry had been cast younger in S2/3 and therefore been much more in love with Arya then. The comparison between then and now wouldn’t have been anywhere near as strong.
So, public apology - Joe Dempsie, I always knew you were the perfect Gendry. I never doubted that. But I apologise for ever saying your age fucked up the Gendrya dynamic. Your age made this dynamic fucking fantastic for Season 8, when Gendrya went canon.Â
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