'Game of Thrones' needs to give Sansa Stark the happily ever after she deserves in season 8
The series finale of 'Game of Thrones' is upon us and we can't help fantasize about a happy ending for our favorite characters — well, as happy as it can get in Westeros. Most characters on 'Game of Thrones' have had a tumultuous life, one that not only challenges their own perspective on life, but also our perspective on them, and it is truest for Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) than anyone else.
From being a bratty noble born in season 1 to being married to two men she didn't love, one of who also happens to be downright evil, she has been through a lot. Sansa believed with her whole heart that Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) would be the man to give her the happily ever after she deserves. She dreamed of sitting beside him when he ruled the seven kingdoms and bearing him the children who would sit on the Iron Throne after his time, all the while wearing pretty clothes. Little did she know, he would be the person to order the beheading of her father.
She learned to hide her intelligence and pretend to enjoy her life, even as she was forced to marry a man she despised at the time — Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), the much-older uncle to the man she initially loved. Despite being in a loveless marriage, she knew for a fact that Tyrion would not hurt her — physically or emotionally and looking back, that probably was a great arrangement for her. However, when things got too tough, she escaped from King's Landing with the help of Little Finger (Aidan Gillen), the man she assumed would care for her, because of his devotion for her later mother.
Sansa learned to dress like her mother to try and keep Little Finger wrapped around, well, her little finger, but being a conman all his life, he married her off to Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). This is where she probably suffered the worst fate in her life. She was raped, abused and violated on many counts, and these experiences cemented Sansa's metamorphosis from a naive young girl to a woman who defied the world's many attempts to tear her down.
The Northerner found a way to escape her horrid life in Dreadfort, thanks to the help of an old friend-turned-foe. She finally found her way back to her "brother" Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and is living as Lady Stark, and has become a boss lady in her own right. She even managed to get revenge on her ex-husband Ramsay in a manner that could only be described as poetic justice — she made his own wild dogs eat him.
She is living in relative safety, among people who love and respect her, none more so than Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), sworn to protect her for the rest of her life. Brienne would literally die before anything would happen to Sansa, and has come back to protect her even when she pushed her away. Granted, it is her promise to the late Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) that was keeping her around primarily, but we certainly believe Sansa to should say a permanent goodbye to gentleman callers and accept Brienne as her girlfriend.
Sansa has suffered enough at the hands of men, and she definitely did not have the right mindset or free space to actually think about her sexuality and what she likes. All her life, she was told, and she fervently believed, women are supposed to look a certain way and that they are supposed to aim for a certain life, but if she were to actually explore the possibility of being with women — specifically one woman — she could find eternal happiness with Brienne.
Season 8 of 'Game of Thrones' will premiere on Monday night 9 pm (EST), and when it does, we sure hope Sansa gets the romantic storyline she deserves, hopefully with Brienne.