Warning: major spoilers for “Winterfell”, Season 8, Episode 1 of ‘Game of Thrones’ to follow.
After almost two years of waiting, Game of Thrones fans finally had the Westeros-sized hole in their lives filled as the eighth and final season of the iconic fantasy drama began on HBO.
While the episode, titled “Winterfell”, was considerably light on action, it was quite heavy on plot as it had to put all of the characters into the proper positions for this final five episode stretch.
However, of all the exposition, call-backs, and foreshadowing that came with the season 8 premiere, Game of Thrones fans seemed focused on a particular moment that may have hinted at who is going to ultimately be the one to kill the Night King.
Of the many reunions that took place in “Winterfell” — Jon and Arya, Jon and Bran, Jon and Samwell, Tyrion and Sansa, Jaime and Bran — it was the reuniting of Arya and Gendry that has fans speculating about the young Stark’s role to play in the Great War.
After a quick and relatively cordial homecoming with the Hound, Arya has a flirty meet-up with Gendry, Robert Baratheon’s bastard son who she fled King’s Landing with back in the early seasons.
Gendry, one of the most skilled blacksmiths in Westeros, is hard at work forging dragon glass weapons — he makes an intense battle ax for the Hound — when Arya shows him the schematics of a weapon she’d like custom-made.
HBO
HBO
HBO
HBO
As for what exactly the weapon is, it appears to be some sort of spear-like device that can be separated and shot like an arrow.
Then, in the teaser video for Season 8, Episode 2, Arya can is seen practicing with a crossbow (a weapon she’s never really been seen using until now) as she is heard saying: “Death, it’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.”
HBO
Now, because Game of Thrones is Game of Thrones, there’s no way that a plot point like this would be introduced without being eventually paid off later, and we also know there’s only one person Arya would need a dragon glass spear/arrow hybrid for: the Night King (or one of his White Walker homies.)
Whether or not Arya actually pulls off the kill is another story entirely, but this moment certainly provides enough evidence to suggest she’s going to at least shoot her shot.
And you know what they say: when you come at the (Night) King, you best not miss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6YCfVe4eR0
