GOT season 8 spoiler rant ahead: Why Sansa and Daenerys hating each other is dumb.
Forewarning: This is long.
We all know the show done did Dany dirty. It’s probably the thing most of have hated about season 8 the most. Even people who don’t like Dany have disagreed with how her storyline has unfolded, and some even found themselves rooting for her when they didn’t like her earlier on.
But you wanna know what else REALLY burns me?
The relationship between Sansa and Daenerys.
I think most people can agree when I say that the two characters who have undoubtedly suffered the most on Game of thrones would be Sansa and Daenerys. Similarly, they are also perhaps the characters who have overcome the most odds and managed to come out on top despite the horrors they suffered.
In a lot of ways, their stories parallel.
Both of them were horrifically raped, sexually, physically, emotionally, and mentally abused by terrible men. Both of them were ‘sold’ for the benefits of a man. They were both beaten, humiliated, and forced to overcome atrocities. Both have been held captive. Both have been manipulated.
Both have committed terrible acts themselves.
Sansa stans can say what they want; letting someone be devoured by dogs and smiling about it is just about on the same level of burning a witch lady alive because she killed your husband and unborn child.
These two characters have suffered the same crimes committed against them, and yet they don’t get along. Sansa immediately hated Daenerys, and it doesn’t really make sense.
I mean, sure, Sansa is cautious. That makes sense. She’s also pissed at Jon for not listening to her and bending the knee to a foreign ruler. She also probably can’t help but worry about Daenerys being another Cersei, but Sansa is not the type of person to act so blatantly rude to someone with more power than her.
She learned the game, didn’t she? Even if she didn’t like Daenerys in the beginning, she would’ve hidden it a lot better than she did.
Then, Daenerys extends an olive branch. And for a moment, it seems like the two might start to get along. That ends when Sansa brings up the North. Not entirely out of character; Sansa cares about the North, she protects it. But again, Sansa has learned diplomacy.
Also, I don’t really agree with Daenerys’ reaction either. Yeah, Daenerys has a temper, it’s true. I don’t think anyone, even Daenerys stans, would disagree with that. She’s also been known to have trouble with people who question her authority, which I would personally say is fair, given how she started out. But Daenerys has also been shown to have a softer side, especially with women and people who had experienced similar suffering to her own. It’s clear from what she said later on ‘She’s changed’ and ‘not after what they did to her,’ that Daenerys knows, to some extent, the terrible things that happened to Sana.
Yes, Daenerys doesn’t want her claim to the throne contested, but she also has been shown to show a lot more understanding and compassion to people like Sansa. Why didn’t Daenerys try to speak to Sansa about who Daenerys wanted to be as a Queen? Explained to her that ‘I know you’ve experienced terrible things. I have too. That’s why I want to be Queen; I want the world to be better.’
Furthermore, this idea of Sansa judging Daenerys by her parents doesn’t exactly make much sense? Sansa has never before shown an inclination towards such behavior, and after all of the people she met and experienced, she learned that sometimes the monsters can actually be good, just as the ‘good’ can actually be monsters. I mean, look at Sandor. Sansa obviously never held a grudge, and was even grateful that he tried to help her.
I think the biggest issue was the itty bitty lie Jon told in the beginning; he said to his people that in order to get help from Daenerys, he had to bend the knee, but Daenerys had ALREADY pledged her army and dragons to the Northern cause after she saw the Night King. Furthermore, I think it comes down to that part about being mad at Jon. As we saw in Season 7, Sansa was getting more and more frustrated with Jon not listening to her and ignoring her advice. My first thought was perhaps Sansa was more mad at Jon than Daenerys, but was taking her anger out on Daenerys, but they didn’t take this route even though it made more sense.
But let’s fast forward a bit. Daenerys SAVED Winterfell.
There’s a lot of debate about this on the internet I’ve noticed, but let me be clear, because it really is very simple: Winterfell and the North would not have survived without Daenerys’ army and dragons.
Regardless of your arguments, that is the truth.
Whether or not you think Daenerys had an obligation to the North or not, or whatever else, Daenerys didn’t have to go North. I’m not talking about on a moral level or anything, or what a Queen Claimant should or shouldn’t do. I’m saying that Daenerys as a character, regardless of her claimant or not, could’ve just said “well that doesn’t look like a fun battle, I hope you guys enjoy, I’m gonna go ahead and take King’s Landing and prepare it for the Night King. It’s much better fortified anyways.”
But she didn’t. Why? Because contrary to what people like to claim, Daenerys does actually care about her people and her kingdoms, and she doesn’t like to see people suffer.
Sansa also is not an idiot, as we’ve all seen time and time again. She would, on some level, at least recognize the truth of this.
And so we get to the battle, and Arya kills the Night King, yes, but Daenerys and her armies and dragons were the tipping point for the battle. Arya never would’ve gotten to the Night king, perhaps not even survived long enough, to kill him if it weren’t for the fire power and more soldiers.
Daenerys may not have killed the Night King, and she may have been in a pretty tricky situation near the end there, but let’s be clear: there wouldn’t have been a battle if she hadn’t been there. It would have been a massacre.
And again, Sansa, being the smart and intelligent person she is, would recognize this.
You would think after everything, she would’ve at least warmed to Daenerys a little, considering she saved the land and people she loves and cares for so much.
But no, Sansa continues to hate her. Why? What point does it serve her or anyone else?
The point is, it doesn’t make sense. These are two women who have so much in common and who were allies in a war, and yet, they’re frosty and cold to each other. (Sansa more than Daenerys)
It’s the fucking narrative. D&D once again decided to ignore characterization or logic for their narrative, and I’m not okay with it.
Also, both Sansa stans and Daenerys stans need to chill. (From what I’ve seen, maybe Sansa stans more, but I haven’t really seen the full extent of Daenerys stans hate on Sansa stans.) These are two characters who are extremely similar, and it’s ridiculous that the show pitted them against each other like this, and you shouldn’t give into D&D’s ridiculous narrative and pit two strong, resilient, trauma survivors against each other.
Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.
