Yes, Westeros is a grim place, but Game of Thrones has always been able to cut through the darkness with the burning torch of great love affairs, entertaining platonic friendships, and a few oddball pairings effusing their own weird sweetness. Even if we viewers might not consciously realize it, these relationships (regardless of their often tragic endings) have provided us with much needed buffers against the Joffreys and Ramsays and the nearly overwhelming grim elements of George R. R. Martin’s world.
Season 6 is now running full-steam ahead, and many of our lead characters, having lost partners or left them behind, have moved onto to new, lonelier paths. Until “The Book of the Stranger,” almost every single one of the romantic/buddy relationships established in Seasons 1-5 had been snuffed out or left geographically suspended. These relationships had not been replaced or resumed in any substantial way, and without them, the epic landscape was starting to feel empty and hollow.
Perhaps the writers sensed the balance was out of whack: Sam and Gilly’s shipboard scene in “Oathbreaker” was refreshingly sweet, even though it didn’t do much for the plot, because it gave us a little bit of that light back. Looking back on the first three episodes, the few happy moments stick out because they’re so sparse: Sansa’s embrace with Theon and alliance with Brienne, Jon’s man-hugs with Tormund and Edd after his resurrection…these were much-needed. Winter is coming, yes, and the colder the story gets, the more we all seek the warmth.
Then came “Book of the Stranger,” which re-lit the dormant bonfires of familial love, bromances, sisterhoods, and oddball pairings. The epic romances may never return, but there’s now enough love and friendship to keep the torch burning in the void. Let’s take a look at what relationships Season 6 has given (and maintained), for us, starting with…
NEW BEGINNINGS
JON SNOW and SANSA STARK
The hug heard around the world. I dare you to tell me that you didn’t tear up at this moment, and if you didn’t, your heart must be as cold as Ramsay Bolton’s. Battered and bruised, the eldest daughter and the bastard son of the on-the-verge-of-extinction Stark family finally coming together blew the emotional doors off Castle Black. The good-hearted duo deserve each other’s support and I hope their family bond remains intact, because I’m sure it’ll be tested.
SANSA and BRIENNE
Brienne’s heartfelt oath of fealty to Sansa was one of the most affecting scenes of the season so far. Long victimized, whether in King’s Landing or Winterfell, Sansa finally gains a protector worth having. And Brienne, the failed questing knight, is able to honor her oath to Catelyn Stark by rescuing one of her daughters. I think these two need each 0ther even more than they comprehend. All hail the new sisterhood of the traveling sword.
BRAN STARK and MEERA REED
Can I just add this here even though it’s all wishful thinking? Bran and Meera have fought so long and so hard alongside each other that I don’t think it’s a stretch to have these two kids fall in love, young and locked up as they are under the great weirwood tree. Don’t they deserve it? And could Bran take her into greensight visions with him where he is whole and they could, um, interact?
BRIENNE AND TORMUND
Yes, yes, and infinite yes. Tormund’s meat-chomping ogle and Brienne’s disgusted/flattered/intrigued reaction were priceless. I’ll feel utterly robbed if this was just a funny one-off and the producers don’t find some way to fit this pairing into the story.
Along with the new beginnings in Season 6, we still have a few intense relationships holding on from earlier seasons of the show. Let’s call the folks in this category…
THE SURVIVORS
SAM and GILLY
Though they haven’t been seen much thus far into Season 6, this odd duo continues to give us joy. Gilly, who despite her limited experiences seems far more worldly than her partner, mixes well with the more intellectual Samwell. Although we sense that they may be too fragile to last long in the terrible days sure to come, these two are endearing together. They’re also one of the few romance-oriented couples left.
JON SNOW and TORMUND GIANTSBANE
One of the best bromances of the series, these two rough-and-tumble leaders have shifted from mortal enemies to suspicious allies to loyal friends. I suppose Jon’s death temporarily moved this pairing into the In Limbo column until his resurrection knocked it back out again. These guys are really going to need each other before everything is over, and I’d bet it all on this anti-White Walker team.
TYRION and VARYS
Though they haven’t really gotten back into their groove since reuniting in Meereen, I have high hopes for this unusual team, who will most certainly form the core of Daenerys’ cabinet. They offered a lot of great banter once Tyrion rolled out of his crate in Pentos, and their eventual separation was unfortunate, repartee-wise. These two misshapen men are brilliant political counselors who quietly acknowledge each other’s abilities, and both love the dangerous world of cloak and dagger diplomacy. And they’re a bright spot because they do genuinely like each other. I hope they get a lot of screen time with Daenerys once she returns.
MISSANDEI and GREY WORM
This romance has taken a long time to blossom, mainly due to the psychological and physical limitations of Grey Worm himself, but Missandei, having found her soulmate, appears to have all the time in the world for him, because he has obviously given her his heart. It’s an offbeat, baby-steps sort of love affair, but it’s also all about two damaged but decent people finding love, and that’s a precious commodity in Game of Thrones. The duo also got some extra screen time in “Book of the Stranger,” but I don’t know if there’ enough remaining in the series for them to have much further development. I hope there is, somehow.
CERSEI and JAIME
This incestuous pair of Machiavellians have never had a feel-good love affair. But they’ve made it this far, and that’s a triumph in itself. Their passion for and loyalty to each other, which seems to have strengthened following the death of Myrcella, is heartening, even though they really don’t care about many people other than their inbred kids.
If we want to get a sense of how much of the sweetness of the show has bled off over the years, we need to take a look at the loving couples and friendships we’ve lost. Read on…
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/21/lights-in-the-darkness-a-look-at-the-happy-relationships-on-game-of-thrones/
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