Why Are We Surprised That Arya Stark Stole The Show From Jon Snow?

​The Battle of Winterfell is over. Jon was useless. Arya stole the show!

Take that, patriarchy!

Praise the Old Gods and the New, the long battle finally arrived, in my humble opinion; watch it with lights off because of its Dark cinematography. Fans of GoT now have given part information about the mysterious and infamous Night King.

Arya Stark single-handedly killed the Night King. And, this is the part where I tell you why the woman deserves all the credit she is getting.

First off, after an eight-year build-up the Long Night featured some questionable military strategy, with zombies rising up again and again, and three dragons coming together with ice and fire. It's all critical. It was wild. But, I say hats off to a scenic beautiful ride.

​Fantasy plot aside, isn't that the story of every girl who dreams big? No, not every kid falls in love with swords but those who struggle to get their family's permission to follow their dreams can relate to Arya's evolution.

Now let's get back to Arya. ​She was born the young lady of Winterfell, not taken seriously with her passion for combat, had convinced the family and eventually mastered the art of sneaking up on people. Fantasy plot aside, isn't that the story of every girl who dreams big? No, not every kid falls in love with swords but those who struggle to get their family's permission to follow their dreams can relate to Arya's evolution. And, nobody is questioning her skill with the Valyrian Steel dagger. Maisie Williams plays Arya and boy does she do justice to the role. Arya has evolved to be the strongest and the most fearless woman over many deaths and bloody floors. From a little girl in love with swords, watching her father die in front of her eyes to becoming a warrior who slays every time she appears on the screen, the scope of her powers is to seemingly become anybody when she wants with zero repercussions. So she became No One!

Fans all around the world were surprised that she was the chosen one, and not Jon Snow. But audiences are reminded again of the journey she has made over the series from the character we were first introduced to.

Whether you are a Game Of Thrones fan or not, deep inside you know you love her. So, why was Arya the perfect person to kill the most dangerous enemy in GoT? Because she can! She pulled off an impressive manoeuvre and mankind are thankful to her. Fans all around the world were surprised that she was the chosen one, and not Jon Snow. But audiences are reminded again of the journey she has made over the series from the character we were first introduced to.

She was the sneaky flying assassin, who rubbed off many major characters the wrong way. Some have scepticism going that the big end could have been given to our hero Jon Snow. In a latest, Kit Harington who plays Jon Snow reportedly said he was actually ‘pissed’ about not getting the opportunity to kill the Night King. Maisie said, “Just when you think it is all over, just when you think Jon Snow is going to be the hero, again, we realise that Arya appears through the mist,” The Hindustan Times reported.

“I was pissed. I was pissed that it wasn’t me killing the Night King. I would’ve given you...I’d have bet you thousands. Before I read the finals, I was like yeah, it’s definitely me,” Kit said.

The thing with our society is that it tells us behind every successful man is a woman or a team of women...but how many of us can actually catch that live? In GoT scenario, women literally saved Jon’s back, on various occasions. He needed saving when the Night King had him cramped by the zombies. And, then Daenerys came to the rescue.

While Arya’s Vikram Betaal recreation with the Night King amused fans, but this time around the highly conditioned Jon was clueless at his job for sure. Her absolutely heart-dropping moment didn't please Maisie's real life boyfriend too.

Maisie told EW that the “unbelievably exciting” moment did not please some people in her life because the honour should’ve gone to, well, only a man.

Huh, accept it. Jon is a terrible military leader, always has been. Arya seeks vengeance. She fights like a girl, kills like a girl.

“I immediately thought that everybody would hate it; that Arya doesn’t deserve it. The hardest thing in any series is when you build up a villain that’s so impossible to defeat and then you defeat them,” Maisie explained.

“I immediately thought that everybody would hate it; that Arya doesn’t deserve it. The hardest thing in any series is when you build up a villain that’s so impossible to defeat and then you defeat them,” Maisie explained. “It has to be intelligently done because otherwise people are like, ‘Well, the villain couldn’t have been that bad when some 100-pound girl comes in and stabs him.’ You gotta make it cool. And then I told my boyfriend and he was like, ‘Mmm, should be Jon though really, shouldn’t it?’”

READ: Sophie Turner From Game Of Thrones Battled Suicidal Thoughts

But is it possibly and morally unacceptable for fans that a girl—highly trained badass warrior —could actually kill the super villain?

“It all comes down to this one very moment,” she said. “It’s also unexpected and that’s what this show does. So then I was like, ‘F—k you Jon, I get it.’” she told Entertainment Weekly

Through this episode, Showrunner David Benioff wanted to show this girl who can make mistakes (for some minutes there she was scared and traumatised), who is not supposed to be like fairy princesses who cannot make mistakes. The protagonist Arya Stark just needed to know her place in the game. ​Being in a vulnerable position in front of someone else is a big deal for Arya since she is an ultimate swagger so if she is actually discussing her fears, future possibilities expected from her with Melisandre then you know how much she truly needs help.

Plus, having been trained extensively in combat, Arya very subversive became the millennials’ feminist we deserve.

Plus, having been trained extensively in combat, Arya very subversive became the millennials’ feminist we deserve. On the other hand, while everyone at Winterfell was trying their best to incapacitate the zombies so they could be the ones to live, Arya plunges the main enemy to death and now I am convinced that she is irreplaceable.

That said it’s a gratification to watch such an interesting female character knocking down another powerful character in a male bastion society.

The episode featured a range of surprising elements and the one made us choke was Lyanna Mormont's death. Knight Brienne proved once again that she’s one hell of a fighter.

Thanks for saving the day Arya. Your whole journey has led to this moment. I am still watching that scene on loop.

Feature Image Credit: E!

Read More Stories By Ria Das