Game of Throneshas a big ensemble cast with multiple stories happening at the same time. The political show made everyone eager for Sunday night when a new episode of this tale was released.Based on the novelsby George R. R. Martin, theSong of Ice and Fireseries adaptation changed television. Many continue to watch the world in the spin-off,House of the Dragon.
An ensemble cast allows actors and writers to play with nuanced and drastically different characters. One who had one of the best developments in the show is Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner. As Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) said to her, “Many underestimated you. Most of them are dead now." Sansa grew from a futile girl who only cared for romance and the idea of becoming a princess to a ruthless leader many pledge alliance to. Here are her best strategies on the show.
10Knows Her Weaknesses
One of the most powerful things a ruler must be aware of is their strengths and weaknesses. When the White Walkers come to Winterfell, Sansa hides alongside Tyrion and others in the crypts. She is not a fighter and would’ve hindered the army and her brother and sister if they had to be worried about where she was.
Tyrion and Sansa have a lot of similarities, and one of them is that they excel at the power game when it comes to being cunning and smarter than the others.
9Ned Stark Was a Traitor
Sansa convinced Prince Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) to not kill her father, Ned Stark (Sean Bean), if he pledged alliance to him. However,he changed his mindand executed him regardless. Joffrey begins to torture her psychologically and physically, taking her to see her father’s head on a spike.
She starts her journey of fighting back and tells him what he wants to hear: Ned Star was a traitor. She becomes the girl the king wants to protect herself and enters the political game while trying to survive.
8Saving Ser Dontos
Ser Dontos (Tony Way) appears intoxicated at Joffrey’s Name Day. The young king makes him drink wine by force, almost killing him. Sansa intervenes and tries to argue it would be bad luck to kill a man on his Name Day, to which The Hound (Rory McCann) agrees. She then gives him the idea of making Ser Dontos his new Fool, rather than giving him a quick death; Joffrey likes the idea.
Related:Game of Thrones: Sansa Stark’s Most Heartbreaking Moments, Ranked
Later, Ser Dontos thanks her for saving him and pledges alliance to her. Sansa’s empathy gave her an important ally and an opportunity to practice how she could manipulate Joffrey. Ser Dontos is fundamental in her escape from King’s Landing after the Purple Wedding.
7Distrusts Daenerys
Sansa suffered a lot at the hands of queens and nobles. When Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) appears with her dragons, Sansa is obviously not inclined to take everything the young Queen wants. Jon (Kit Harington), on the other hand, is more inclined to do so.
Sansa doesn’t bend the knee or give in to the Targaryen’s claims. Still, she is not a fool for not accepting her help when the White Walkers appear, making her a wise and careful ruler.
6Jon’s Secret
Jon finds out about his true parentage: Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. This made him a possible contender for the throne. He tells his sisters, even after Daenerys asks him not to. Sansa expresses her concerns about the future queen to Tyrion and then tells him about Jon.
The news is quickly spread everywhere, and the option becomes well-known after Tyrion tells Varys (Conleth Hill). Sansa found that Jon’s decision to bend the knee hindered the North, so she made a decision that she thought would help them as well as the whole continent in the future, and she was right.
5Alliance With Arya
Arya (Maisie Williams) and Sansa had very different journeys since they last saw each other in season one. So, when they reunited, it wasan emotional moment, and yet an odd one because these two sisters don’t know each other. Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) tries to play them against each other, and it appears to be working — until their real plan is revealed. They trap the cunning man together, and Sansa orders his execution. And Arya is a little too eager to do it.
4Relationship With Tyrion
Tyrion and Sansa’s wedding was a cruel joke played by the king. However, they bonded deeply in their mutual suffering and became close friends and powerful allies. At first, this decision was to ensure their safety and well-being: they needed to trust each other. Seeing who Tyrion really was, Sansa agreed with their partnership.
Related:Game of Thrones: Sophie Turner’s 10 Best Episodes as Sansa Stark, Ranked
This developed into an interesting long-lasting relationship of people who mutually respected each other, and that made a huge difference in Sansa’s character and vision of the world as Tyrion taught her a lot of how to survive inside King’s Landing and play political games.
3Sansa Saves Winterfell
The Battle of the Bastards was an incredible episode to watch. With fewer men, the two Starks’ siblings don’t have a great chance at taking back their homeland, Winterfell, from the horrendous Bolton (Iwan Rheon). However, Sansa saves the day when she asks The Vale, and consequently Littlefinger, for help. They win the battle because of her strategic move and ability to comprehend their faults and strengths on the battlefield — a far cry from the idealistic girl she once was.
2A Passive Player
One of the most powerful choices Sansa makes early on is to use what people think of her to her advantage. When she first arrived in King’s Landing, she was a naive girl who wantedto be a princess. That quickly and tragically changed when her father was executed.
Then, she becomes more aware of the danger of the world she is in and continues to play the role of the poor girl who doesn’t know what she is up against. There are many people who say she didn’t do anything in the series, but her fight isn’t done with swords, but rather stay quiet and observe. This leads many to underestimate her until it’s too late, and they are proven wrong.
1The North Remains Independent
After her brother Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) is crowned King in the last season, Sansa makes a bold move: the North, which is under her care, would be independent. Sansa is the one with the strongest connection to her family home and shows that it doesn’t matter who rules King’s Landing; she knows what’s best for her people.
Because of this, many consider her the true winner of theGame of Thrones, as she is crowned Queen of the North in Winterfell.
