SPOILERS for Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones, “A Knight of Seven Kingdoms.”
By now, hopefully every Game of Thrones fan has seen the episode and all of the tender, intimate moments between beloved characters on the eve of battle. There was an early scene where sweaty Gendry was working on his tools and Arya came in and she was eyef–king the hell out of him and I was like “oh, this is interesting.” And then it happened – later in the episode, Arya basically tells Gendry that she wants to lose her V to him and he’s like… uh, okay? And they get down to it. After years of survival and being a Faceless Man, Arya got some with Hot Gendry. I wasn’t bothered by the “she’s just a kid!” complaints at all – within the story, she’s probably supposed to be like 18 years old or so, and Gendry would presumably be not much older. In real life, Maisie Williams is 22. It’s fine. Entertainment Weekly did some interviews with Joe Dempsie and Maisie about the scene:
Sophie Turner read the scene first & called Maisie: “I called Maisie and was like: ‘Have you read it yet?’” Turner recalls. “And she’s like, ‘I’m midway through episode one.’ And I’m like: This scene, this page, read it! This is awesome! She was very happy.” Confirms Williams: “Sophie said, ‘Whatever you do, you have to skip to this episode, this scene first.’ So I just read that and it was practically all I knew about the entire season.”
Maisie worried about getting to the gym: “I got to the read-through and I’m reading the scene and thought, ‘Oh, we’re actually going to do this. When do I shoot this? I need to go to the gym.’ A whole list of things.”
Maisie got to decide how much she would show: Williams says the showrunners let her decide precisely how much to show. “David and Dan were like: ‘You can show as much or as little as you want,’” Williams says. “So I kept myself pretty private. I don’t think it’s important for Arya to flash. This beat isn’t really about that. And everybody else has already done it on the show, so… “
They rushed the scene: “Then [the scene] was rushed. We were [directed by] David Nutter, who has a habit of speaking fast anyway. By the end we’re rushing to finish the scene and David is going, ‘Okay, you’re going to come in and do this and do that and, great, take your top off’ — and then walked off. And I’m like … ’Okay. Let’s do it.’”
Joe Dempsie felt weird about it: He suggested the experience was strange for him too for given how long he’s known Williams, who’s about a decade younger than he is. “It’s obviously slightly strange for me because I’ve known Maisie since she was 11, 12 years old,” says the 31-year-old actor. “At the same time, I don’t want to be patronizing toward Maisie — she’s a 20-year-old woman. So we just had a lot of fun with it.”
What it means to the character: “It was really interesting because it’s a very human relationship for Arya,” Williams says. “This is something she’s stayed away from, an emotion we’ve never really seen her engage with. David and Dan were like, ‘It’s the end of the world, what else would you have her do?’ This may be is a moment where Arya accepts death tomorrow, which she never does — ‘Not Today.’ So it was that moment where she says, ‘We’re probably going to die tomorrow, I want to know what this feels like before that happens.’ It’s interesting to see Arya be a bit more human, speak more normally about things people are scared of.”
I think that’s an interesting last point. Take Arya’s character development alongside Bran’s development. Bran is barely human anymore, and will likely become less so in the final episodes. Arya’s brief reclaiming of her own humanity, her own wants and needs, was a step in the other direction, after several years spent training as a Faceless Man. She went from A Girl to Arya-with-a-crush-on-Gendry. But what was the meaning of her postcoital far-away look? I took it as disappointment – like, “that’s all it is?” Maybe Gendry is no Poddrick. Poddrick is an angel-voiced stallion.
Also: Sophie Turner (Sansa) was a big fan of Arya losing her V. This is NSFW and hilarious.
Biggest fan of Arya getting the hammer last night? Sansa @SophieT pic.twitter.com/Tx8IoypYRI
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 22, 2019
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I thought her look was because they could hear the horn blowing, signifying that the White Walkers have been spotted.
It was a great scene, very well done.
yeah, I thought the look was, “well, that’s that. On to death.” like she had accepted that she might die in the next few hours.
Losing her virginity to a hot guy with no coercion or other darkness is the most NORMAL thing Arya has done since she chased a cat in season 1.
This is one of the most normal thing in Got.
I am proud of my girl Gendry is hot!
On the other side she should have asked Bran, he knows what Podrick can do!
Yeah, him working & making those weapons probably made a lot of women watching eyes open wider. Gendry is hot.
Initially I was a bit weirded out by Arya being naked and had to remind myself that she is actually a grown woman (maybe 17/18 as Arya but 22 IRL). I was happy she got her some hot ass Gendry before the end of the world. Gendry didn’t show nearly enough skin to suit me though. I demand a do-over.
What I know for absolute certain is that Martin is amazing. Maybe even moreso than Tolkien, but different times and all that. He simply takes too long lol. For the entire length of the series, every character goes through exactly what they they need to go through for very calculated reasons. Nothing is said or done without some reason or message or foreshadowing. Every. Character. I bet his house his messy lol. My only complaint is HBO wrapping the final two or three episodes in haste. Not nice! And not respectful to the characters or the viewers. IMHO.
I think the show’s pacing has been off the last two years. I was so moved by the Sansa/Jon reunion, then bam bam bam, the Stark reunions became quicker and less impactful (at least to me). This season is incredibly rushed, and seems to be a combo of fan service and checklist. This past episode was better, IMO, and was almost purely character driven.
Yeah, I think they are rushing it. I cant believe they are going to go from Battle of Winterfell and defeating the night king (I’m assuming he’s going to be defeated, if not, then at least some key people will escape from Winterfell) to whatever the hell is happening with Cersei and Kings Landing and then wrap it up in a few episodes.
Maybe it wont be wrapped up, maybe it will just….end. The game of thrones never really ends or something. I dunno.
But I said to my husband last night that I wish they had ended season 7 with the battle of winterfell, and then used this season to focus on the “afterwards,” whatever that ends up being.
I thought season 7 was really good, but I think in general for the show the pacing started to get off at some point – too rushed in parts, too slow in others – and I think now we are seeing the result of that.
All that said, I thought episode 2 was REALLY good from the perspective of “these are the characters we care about.”
I think the Night King will be killed in episode three. Everything is so rushed, they need to dispatch him quick;y for the final showdown between Dany and Cersei.
The pace is certainly disappointing, but I agree about episode two although, because so many characters need coverage, it’s still choppy. I’ll take what I can get though. Boo hiss. I really wanted to wait until the season ends and binge, but I’m online so much, I knew I’d see something and get pissed lol.
There no more books to go off though. And last season really showed how the dialogue & story telling lacks due to no more books. I still do not like the fact that they short changed this season. They should have done the normal 10.
Team Tolkien here! 😊 I was raised on Tolkien. Taught myself *one* elvish language as a kid. Yes, that was the foundation for a life of coolness 🤣 I also took a literature course on Tolkien in college. I’ve read all the books. My conclusion is that GRRM has some talent but GOT wouldn’t exist without Tolkien. But you don’t have to take my word for it! Check out this epic rap battle of history!: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XAAp_luluo0
What a great response from Jon. I imagine That would be extra awkward knowing her since she was a child but I love The part about not wanting to patronize her. She’s like Selena Gomez in the sense that they both look like children well into their adult years.
” “It’s obviously slightly strange for me because I’ve known Maisie since she was 11, 12 years old,” says the 31-year-old actor. “At the same time, I don’t want to be patronizing toward Maisie — she’s a 20-year-old woman. So we just had a lot of fun with it.””
That sounds like a really healthy take on it. It WOULD be kind of weird when you’ve watched someone grow up (and grown a lot yourself) on the show. Especially when you were already hovering around 20ish when she was 11/12 – that’s a huge developmental gap. So I can imagine in a lot of ways it was like watching a family member grow up, then you’re doing a sex scene together. And even though she’s older than he was when he’d started the show, I’m sure a part of him still thinks of her as a much younger version of herself.
But the fact that he said he doesn’t want to patronize her, and that he understands she’s absolutely grown up and is a woman now – that’s just how it should be, and I’m so glad he recognizes that. Always thought he was cute, but I appreciate him more with that statement.
I agree and thought he said it perfectly! It’s how I felt about the scene as well. I cringed at first because I see her as little Arya, but then realized she’s a young woman who may die soon and she wanted to have fun and experience sex, as we all do eventually. I love that she got to CHOOSE and be in control for her first time. She wasn’t raped or forced to marry someone she hated, she decided she was ready and went for it.
As for her face afterwards I felt it was perfect for her, she’s not the type of girl who would be smiling and all giddy while dreaming of a future with her lover, she’s thinking about the battle!
That’s how I took her face too! I took it as “Okay, that’s over with. Now I have the battle to worry about”.
My husband said when he was watching he initially cringed a bit because he blanked on how old she was at this point and he forgot how long the show had been on the air. But then he was like “well, on a show with so much rape and incest, I guess this was a win. Good for her”.
I thought her face was a mixture of concern about the battle and some sadness that she’s only just now experienced one of life’s great pleasures. She’s lived a lifetime in her short years but known very little affection. I wasn’t prepared for the scene and cringed at first, but it was total Arya. Badass.
I used to see Joe as just another very cute and very talented actor, until I started reading and seeing more of his interviews. Now I love him.
I’m heading in the same direction, Lucy! Seems like a pretty cool guy.
Agreed. Of course it could be awkward to do a sex scene with someone you’ve known since they were a child, heck! Sex scenes can be awkward to make no matter what. But it’s great that he also acknowledge that they both are actors and that this is just part of your job and it’s Arya and Gendry that are having sex, not Maisie and Jon. There would be no reason to feel more uncomfortable to have such a scene with Maisie than when he was filming with Melissandre.
As for the viewers feeling uncomfortable: get over it people! All (or almost) the young people you know and watched grow up, your kids, nephews, grandkids, students; they’re all going to have sex someday. It’s normal, it’s part of life, so we might as well wish it’s consensual and cool. Ideally, not the day before the end of the world but that would definitely be a reason to decide to try right then.
Honestly, I’m just relieved to see a sex scene in the show between two people who care about each other that isn’t unsettling due to some underlying problematic dynamic. You don’t realize how disturbingly rare those are in the show until you watch Jon and Dany together or this one.
Though, I agree with the actor that watching it as an older adult, it does throw me off to realize just how young Maisie was when the show first started. She was quite literally a little girl. While it’s sweet to see Arya pursue something she wants, it doesn’t provide any sort of erotic appeal for that reason alone.
Missandei and Grey Worm was a beautiful love scene as well. Two former slaves choosing each other, and on Missandei’s part, probably the first time it was her choice.
RE: the last scene, I took it as Arya no longer in the fantasy moment of sexy times and thinking that the next day could be her last. Most everyone else at Winterfell was already in that dark / heavy mindset but she had the temporary escape of losing her virginity to the guy she has crushed on for years. Post sex, it was back to a harsh reality of what the next day meant.
Yes, I thought it was her sobering up and preparing for what was about to happen.
People complaining about those complaining annoy me. I started watching Game of Thrones when it first started and I was around 30. Seeing little Arya disrobe was uncomfortable and I had a visceral reaction to it.
I’m not saying what Arya did was wrong, or that HBO is wrong, or that Maisie Williams is wrong. Just that I was uncomfortable seeing someone I watched grow up get nude unexpectedly, same as Joe Dempsie. I’m not James Woods.
I squeeee”d and left the room and had to come back and rewind for that exact reason. The husband was confused until I said omg she’s just a little girl … oh wait, she isn’t.
I get what you are saying, it was disconcerting for a moment.
Thanks. I saw a lot of lecturing about consent and female agency on Twitter and was a bit gobsmacked that people seemed to be shaming those who reacted with discomfort.
eh, I think “discomfort” was probably the MOST natural reaction to that, at least initially. I’m not a regular watcher…that is, the bf is, and I watch when I happen to be in the room when HE watches. and even *I*, as an infrequent watcher, was like “WHOA, isn’t she like 15?!” but realized that HBO wouldn’t be allowed to show what they did unless she was over 18. but it was still a moment of “whoa”.
but I agree with others, it was ultimately handled well, and I really like what Dempsie said about it.
Discomfort because I don’t want to see my sister or cousin having sex, but they’re adults and I expect they are. Anyone who has an actual problem with Arya having sex needs to get over their virgin/whore complex.
Has anyone actually objected to Arya having sex? I’ve only seen people cringing at how uncomfortable it was.
Loved the scene! I expected it but it was unexpected. Loved a female led sexual encounter which are fairly rare on this show! I don’t get people being weirded out by it.. the reactions seem more severe than Sansa or Dany being raped and their characters were both underage at the time.
So so so excited for the remaining eps. Yup Gendry is hot these days. Liked his hair a bit longer but he is doing it for me.
It was awesome. Arya has enthusiastic sec with a hot guy and they have both genuinely cared for each other for years.
I think part of the reason that scene was kind of awkward is that we have not seen Arya grow up, physically. She wears so many layers and bulky clothes that in many ways she looks the same as she did 5 years ago, when she is dressed. So I think it has been easy for fans to forget that she is not a child anymore, she is a woman and she wants to have sex. So I can get the initial discomfort for many fans.
But I do like the point someone made above that this is one of the healthier sex scenes we have seen on the show. Full consent, no power differential, she initiated it, etc.
Right. And Maisie has a very young face. She still looks 12. That was why it was uncomfortable to watch.
Well said.
I get the weird feeling about it, especially since she looks so young (I had the same problem until grey hair). I personally was glad to see Arya get hers with some healthy female agency & badassery, but I wasn’t turned on by it at all. In the same way that I can’t see any of the HP kids as ‘sex symbols’. I’m just too old for that, but they’re not, so good on them.
Yeah I agree. A few of my friends felt weird watching the scene and their explanations all boiled down to still thinking of Arya as a child, not even the full teenager that she is. It’s a combination of Maisie being … 4“11 or so? Her having a young face and the way her character is styled and dressed on the show. We haven’t seen a physical change in Arya that indicates her maturing and the show has done a poor job of depicting it on absence of the physical change you might have seen with Sansa or Bran.
“An angel-voiced stallion.”
Haaaaaa 🙂 🙂
The fact that I got to see a young woman who has been through hell and back make a decision about her body and her desire, and take charge of such a situation was my favorite part of the episode, if not one of the best parts of the series, at least to me. Throw in a (smoking hot) guy who respects her more than anyone, is trustworthy and caring. That’s all. That’s all I need. Both Joe and Maisie were fantastic and beautiful in that scene. Also, I think Arya’s look in the end was more of a “f*ck, I love this guy?!” type.
The reason why it was awkward is because she was the one pressuring him into it and rushing things. Why no one bothers to comment on this is amazing. Just imagine that whole scene and dialogue but the other way around, with Gendry asking her about her past sexual experience, then telling her he wanted to fck her then pushing her on the bed and telling her to take her own pants off. Everyone would be CRUCIFYING him.
I don’t know why she gets a pass just because she’s a girl. She’s clearly not a defenseless weakling who is incapable of harming anyone.
The whole scene really bothered me and made me uncomfortable because it was so forced and unnatural, with zero development and emotional investment. It was akin to someone going to a brothel and paying a prostitute for one last bang.
Oh for f sake…Do you watch the show? Rapes/violence against women are common and almost every sex scene with women has been by force incest and the woman is merely there to show her body and not central to the plot. She wasn’t taking advantage of Gendry and she did not force him. She was direct and if he wasn’t into it he would have pushed her away and writing that she forced herself on him is revisionist at best ….Kindly go away and don’t watch!
Lololololol These two were bound to hookup. There’s been hints since season two. And like I said above, Things, unfortunately, had to be rushed. They disrobed. They shagged. She lost the big V. She’s lies awake with trepidation about the impending war while Gendry snores blissfully. Badda Bing baby. One and done. No disrespect. No harrassment lmao. But everyone feels what they feel.
Exactly. These two have been circling each other since season 2 when Yoren was smuggling them both out of Kings Landing and Gendry told her he knew she was a girl because she went off to pee in the woods. They’re the fulfillment of Robert’s wish that one of his kids would end with one of Ned’s kids.
@ A.KEY I am with you. This was deeply uncomfortable for me. I thought the entire thing was poorly done and cringey. It was rushed, devoid of concern for her partner’s readiness, hyper unrealistic about how arousal works, etc. Absolutely a NO from me, and I have been waiting 7 seasons for it. Yuck!
Does her going to town on someone with a knife make you feel uncomfortable? I’m not being snarky I promise. Because for me, she was always beyond her years mentally, and coming around to finally being able to allow love near, and trust, is more than welcome in light of all the violence.
Whoa, I didn’t get that vibe at all. He protested slightly before she kissed him but I took that as he was trying to be respectful for her sake knowing it was her first time. He quickly started rubbing on her and taking his clothes off, he was definitely into it in every way from what I saw, lol.
Not uncomfortable to me in the least. Of course it was rushed. This is not a romance novel with first a glass of champagne, then a nice soak in the bath, followed by a slow dance then an hour of cuddling etc. It was possibly their last night on earth and she wanted to lose her v. She knew he liked her, they flirted and it was mutual. This is Arya, she wanted to control the situation when she lost her v and with whom. and she did. He did not protest, I bet he was a little surprised that she was ready for it, but hey, so was he apparently.
Uh, once they began kissing, he was ALL INTO IT. You might need to watch that again. I think it was great that a woman asked for sex and was assertive about it, but that was far from rape.
He started ripping off her clothes!!!
He likes her, he was pleased and happy to see her again, and when she threw those knives he was reaaaally into her.
They’ve known and been nice to each other for years. She was into him for a long time, and she impressed him with her knife skills, he knew she had grown up.
It also shows a real fact.In times of war many things change, the need for survival, the knowing you can die at any moment makes all “honor”, “modesty”, go away. That became clear to me when I watched that fabulous ww II movie Hope and Glory, about a boy living in London, it was about how all social norms, restrictions, discipline, going out of the window, how people were coping with the realities of war.
Great movie! I watch it every time it’s on.
If I had been Arya with thousands and thousands of white walkers knocking on my door, I would have been in a hurry to get Gendry. She’s got plans too. She was lying there thinking how to impersonate the Night King or a white walker. In conversation she was asking lots of questions about how they looked………
Starseed that is a great point about Arya using her different faces! That would be a great plot point if that were to happen. Good thinking.
I flinched a bit right as Arya started to take her clothes off because in my head I was like “NO! She’s just a child!” But I got through it and I know she is actually not a child, both on the show and in real life.
Another thought I have anytime I think about the notion of any woman losing her virginity is flashbacks to how much it hurt. I know it’s not the same for all women but every female friend I’ve talked about this with agrees with me that the first time is quite painful. With that in mind I did think Arya’s situation was very sweet and made sense for her character but I also felt kind of bad for her? Not sure how to phrase this. Like a “sorry it is the way it is” kind of sympathy.
I’m not an avid watcher.. or reader. I left the show at s2 and left on the second book too.
The one reason I was like ‘whaa?’ is that from what I remember she was about 10 or 11? In those? Has the time passed ‘normally’ in the show or has it been just a couple of years since season 1? Idk if I’m explaining myself well 😅
Teenagers have sex. Teenagers that believe they might die tomorrow and won’t get to experience all the stuff you do in a lifetime are even more likely to have sex. Maisie is in her 20s, her character is about 15-16 which is an age where she would likely be married if it wasn’t for the wars and all that. It’s not that surprising that the character Arya would want to have sex; it’s far much normal and less shocking for a teenager than killing dozens of people (even if they deserve it).
HA, some people pressed about this when back on season 5 she killed Meryn Trant with such ferocity I thought her character had gone beyond nuts, let alone killing a hall with over a 100 Frey people. Being like that, a Stark girl wolf chasing a handsome friendly Baratheon stag was the most normal thing a teen which will face a war soon could do.
I didn’t take that look as one of disappointment, I took it as her grappling with this more human side of herself & reckoning with the fact that just as she’s having this huge moment of emotional development she’s also likely to die soon.
I always LOVED those two’s scenes from way back – and then now their banter is different but still playful and hey se#y. I always had the feeling he respected Arya completely and wants to protect her no matter what. JD is adorable as always. So charming!!!