5 Game of Thrones character interactions we want to see

With two short seasons left, Game of Thrones prepares to unite its various storylines. Here are some characters we hope get to talk to each other soon.

One of the biggest twists in Game of Thrones didn’t involve any death. At the end of the season 5 episode “The Gift,” the disgraced Jorah announces that he has a prize for Daenerys, attempting to win back her trust. Enter Tyrion Lannister, a member of the family whose rule the fledgling queen aims to supplant. Like that, years of wishing came to fruition—Daenerys and Tyrion, two key characters whose paths had never crossed before on page or screen, stood face-to-face.

Like George R.R. Martin’s original novels, HBO’s fantasy series spent most of its run expanding its scope, scattering characters across and beyond Westeros. Recently, however, it has started to contract. Since the Daenerys/Tyrion meeting, Jon and Sansa have reunited, and Theon and Yara traveled to Meereen to forge an alliance with Daenerys. Even earlier, Brienne ran into the Hound and they engaged in a brutal duel. Amid the show’s punishing bleakness, these meetings provide unexpected pleasure.

As the endgame approaches, we anticipate more characters will converge in the near future. We would especially love to see these five pairings:

Kit Harington as Jon Snow and Aidan Gillen as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Jon and Littlefinger

Fine, this is cheating a bit. A promotional image for this Sunday’s episode, “Stormborn”, shows Jon and Littlefinger definitely having a conversation, so it isn’t merely wishful thinking. Still, the prospect is exciting—something that never occurred to me until I saw the picture. Can’t you just feel the tension? Besides being more or less diametric opposites in terms of personality, Jon and Littlefinger embody Sansa’s different selves. The former represents her Stark side, the part of her that clings to a semblance of conscience, whereas the latter represents her Lannister side, all cunning and cynicism. Who will win this battle of wills?

They do have one thing in common: both rose to positions of power from humble origins, albeit by radically different means.

Brienne and Yara

Do I even have to explain? They’re both strong-minded women who defy gender norms, whether by taking up swords or by cross-dressing, often to the chagrin of the patriarchal figures around them. Watching them trade barbs about men’s inadequacies would be a dream come true. And, while Tormund is charming in his own way, his eyebrow has nothing on Yara’s flirtation style. If Dany isn’t interested/is too absorbed in politics, maybe Brienne might be open to something less than chivalrous.

Sansa and Daenerys

Where the overarching plot is concerned, Daenerys’s meeting with Jon will probably be more important. But we’re just as curious to see how she gets along with Sansa. Will her arrival create a rift between the Stark siblings? Even now, Sansa struggles to make her voice heard; assuming Daenerys and Jon decide to collaborate to take down Cersei, Sansa will likely find herself pushed farther to the margins. Or will the women bond? They’re both idealistic yet capable of cruelty, accustomed to surviving in inhospitable environments. Together, they could be unstoppable.

Sophie Turner.

photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO

Sansa and Arya

There’s nothing on Game of Thrones that I want more than for the Stark sisters to reunite. Even in the books, their love/hate relationship was among my favorite parts; compared to, say, Cersei and Jaime, it felt grounded and real. Unfortunately, Sansa and Arya haven’t seen each other since season 1, when they both witnessed Ned’s execution. Given all that’s happened in the past six seasons, if/when they see each other again, they will be all but strangers. Something tells us they won’t embrace, like Sansa and Jon did at the Wall. But hopefully, they at least understand one another better than they did before.

Bran and Melisandre

In last week’s season premiere, Bran found refuge at Castle Black for an indeterminate period of time. And as far as we know, the Red Woman is still wandering around, exiled by Jon for her ineffective sacrifice of Shireen. But hey, it could happen. Except for Daenerys, they are the most powerful characters on the show—or they would be if either of them really knew how to use their powers. A meeting between Bran and Melissandre would give Game of Thrones a chance to delve into magic and religion, a fascinating element that has always lingered on the periphery but never quite taken center stage.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

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