Arya was obviously the MVP of the latest 'Game of Thrones' episode and here's why.
More like nighty Night King, AMIRITE???
What more is there to say? When we're looking back across the expansive 80-minute battle of Winterfell -- what we could see of it, anyway -- there's really only one MVP pick. The defenders of the Stark stronghold emerged victorious, but let's not mince words here: Arya actually won the battle.
She's the one who survived death countless times to then eventually train and become what is probably the most skilled dealer of death in all of Westeros. She's the one who was entrusted with the Valyrian steel dagger that nearly killed her brother and the future Three-Eyed Raven, Bran Stark.
And yes, Arya's the one who, when the moment came, used that dagger to shut the Night King's blue eyes forever, as Melisandre prophesized she would. When that falling dagger landed in Arya's hand and she drove it home into the Night King's belly, that was it. Every wight and White Walker got dusted (hi Thanos) with a single blade thrust.
I'm sure there are those out there who would counter with the fact that Arya couldn't have done the deed if every other twist and turn of the desperate bid to save Winterfell hadn't occurred. But let's be real: the people gathered at Winterfell were desperate and cornered, facing long odds in a battle they had no realistic shot of winning.
That fight was going to happen, one way or another. At best, everything leading up to Arya's big moment was a delaying action and, for her, a trial to prepare her for the biggest test to come. Nothing else made a difference. Not Jon and Dany's bloodline, not their dragons, not the Unsullied or the Dothraki Screamers (R.I.P.)... nothing.
(OK fine, Lyanna Mormont's hero moment was rad AF, even if the very idea of a "hero moment" feels like a betrayal of Game of Thrones dark and unfeeling heart.)
Depending on how things go in the end, Arya may conclude her run as MVP of the whole damn series. If the forces of... well, not good really but at least not Cersei levels of bad, if they triumph in the end, it's going to be because of Arya.
The battle of Winterfell would've been lost without her. Humanity in Westeros as a whole would've been lost without her, really. What was left after Winterfell? Nothing that could stand against the White Walker onslaught, that's for sure. Arya won the battle singlehandledly -- literally! -- and in the process saved the entire Seven Kingdoms.
So bend the knee now to your one, true queen, Arya Stark, hero of Winterfell.
Topics Game Of Thrones HBO
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
