Game On

Game of Thrones: Ranking the 25 Most Anticipated Reunions of Season 7

The Lannisters and Starks are headed toward some potentially awkward family reunions.
Image may contain Rory McCann Human Person Peter Dinklage and Face
Courtesy of Helen Sloan/HBO

If there’s one spoiler-free thing we can be absolutely sure of this season on Game of Thrones, it’s that the show’s massive, sprawling cast will be coming together, and plotlines will converge as the HBO drama sets the stage for its final season. We got a taste of this condensing of storylines last year in Season 6’s final sequence, where House Tyrell, Martell, some Dothraki, the Unsullied, Grey Worm, Theon and Yara Greyjoy, Missandei, Varys, Tyrion, and Daenerys all set sail for Westeros. With all the major players now back on one continent, the potential for reunions is even higher. The cast has said as much.

Thrones fans got choked up last year when Sansa Stark and Jon Snow met up at Castle Black . . .

. . . and it’s easy to understand why. Sansa had been through so much, and Jon was at one of his lowest points—they both needed to see a friendly face. The only problem is, we had never seen Jon and Sansa interact before Season 6. Not one scene! The show had to use exposition to create a shared history for Sansa and Jon. So imagine how much more intense the reunions between characters with on-screen shared histories are going to be.

Not all of these potential reunions will be joyful. Some of them should probably be called showdowns. Either way, the potential for reunion-inspired drama is very high. Here, from least to most, are the 25 possible reunions we’re looking forward to in Season 7.

25. Theon Greyjoy and Jon Snow: Remember that even before he sacked Winterfell and betrayed the Starks, Theon Greyjoy was kind of (understandably) a little shit to his adopted family. He specifically seemed to enjoy kicking around a bastard like Jon Snow, who was possibly a rung or two below a ward like Theon on the family ladder. A meeting between the two of them feels fairly likely. Theon is on Team Targaryen, and Jon Snow is probably headed that way. Asked to comment on their potential meeting, Theon himself, Alfie Allen, said: “I would say, [Theon] would feel horrible. He’d feel awful. And he’d see it as a chance to redeem himself.”

24. Bran and Sansa Stark: Most of the Stark family reunion stuff is much higher on this list, but, once again, we have a pair of siblings who didn’t do much interacting in Season 1 before they were ripped apart. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find them in frame together at all. Still, blood is thicker than screen time, and I imagine Sansa (who didn’t seem all that bothered about rescuing Rickon) will at least be happy to have her brother home if Bran and Meera ever make it south of the Wall.

23. Littlefinger and Arya Stark: Littlefinger may be creeping on Sansa full time, but the last time he saw the other Stark girl was at Harrenhal in Season 2. According to actor Aidan Gillen, Littlefinger did recognize Catelyn Stark’s younger daughter at the time—but, in a completely on-brand move, kept that info to himself. Lucky for Arya, she doesn’t look very much like her mother; otherwise, Littlefinger might have been creeping on her too. But in that Season 2 scene, Arya witnessed Baelish plotting against her brother and making a number of other sneaky plans, so expect her to be even frostier than Sansa if she sees him again.

22. Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow: The Imp and the bastard actually had a really lovely relationship in Season 1. It was Tyrion who taught Jon some valuable lessons when it came to relating to his fellow Night’s Watchmen. Jon would go on to extend that lesson in compassion to his Wildling crew. In other words, in a few short scenes together, Tyrion helped make Jon Snow the leader he is today. The clever Lannister has a way of doing that.

21. Arya Stark and Melisandre: Back in Season 3, Melisandre not only made off with Arya’s best friend Gendry (more on that in a bit), but also predicted that she and the youngest Stark girl would meet again. Melisandre has been wrong before (cough Stannis cough), but I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Arya crossed paths again, and Mel is probably right to look very worried by the prospect.

20. Gendry and Davos Seaworth: No one loves the orphaned and neglected kids of Westeros better than Davos Seaworth. Joe Dempsie has officially confirmed that Gendry will be rowing his way back into our hearts this year. It would be a pity if he didn’t meet up with the man who saved him way back in Season 3.

19. Theon Greyjoy and Bran Stark: Unlike Arya and Sansa, Bran was spared the horror of having to watch his father die in front of him. So perhaps one of the most traumatic events of his young life (other than, you know, falling out of that tower) was watching Theon Greyjoy brutally and ineffectually behead Ser Rodrik Cassel. It’ll be hard for him to forgive Theon for that and for, you know, burning two farm boys and passing them off as Bran and Rickon. Given the youngest Stark’s eerie ability to see everything now, he could really mess with Theon’s already-fragile mind.

18. Ghost and Nymeria: Speaking of re-uniting brothers and sisters, none of the direwolves have shared a scene together since Shaggydog (R.I.P.) and Summer (R.I.P.) parted ways in Season 3. As the only two surviving members of the wolf pack, Nymeria and Ghost are our best bet for a heart-melting direwolf reunion.

17. Hot Pie and Arya Stark: Arya and her gravy-savvy friend said goodbye back in Season 3. As Hot Pie proved to Brienne and Pod in Season 4, he’s gotten much better at making wolf bread. It would be a shame if Arya didn’t get to see how far he’s come with her own eyes.

16. Sandor and Gregor Clegane: For a lot of fans, this hotly anticipated showdown between the brothers Clegane belongs much higher on the list. There was a theory that a fight between them—nicknamed “Cleganebowl”—would go down in Season 6. But I’m less inclined to see this fight, only because I don’t know how satisfying it will be for the Hound to murder a zombified version of his despised older brother. What fun is it to kill the undead?

15. Varys and Littlefinger: I have no agenda planned for this particular reunion; I just love seeing these two verbally spar. To quote Tyrion Lannister: “A wise man once said the true history of the world is the history of great conversations in elegant rooms.” I’ve no way of knowing if fate will re-unite either of these two savvy players before they’re removed from the Game of Thrones chessboard, but I do love it when their ideologies clash.

14. Jorah Mormont and Daenerys Targaryen: These two are only this far down the list because it wasn’t that long ago that they parted ways. Still, their (third) goodbye scene in Season 6, Episode 5, “The Door,” was some of the finest acting Emilia Clarke has ever done. Fingers crossed the always-loyal Jorah makes his way back to her side (for a third time) this year.

13. Bran and Arya Stark: Bran and Arya don’t have a lot of Season 1 screen time together. In fact, I’m not sure they exchange a single word. But this iconic moment from the pilot goes a long way towards silently establishing their relationship. If the Stark kids do wind up re-uniting in Winterfell, it will be interesting to see how this friendly sibling rivalry translates now that Bran and Arya are a prophet and an assassin, respectively.

12. Nymeria and Arya Stark: Fans have been rooting for Arya to meet up again with her wolf since she drove Nymeria away (for her own good) in Season 1. In the books, Arya’s connection to her wolf is much, much stronger. They stay in communication via dreams and skin-changing. In the show, it’s not as important. Still, with Arya in the Riverlands, there’s hope she’ll see Nymeria again.

11. Jon Snow and Benjen Stark: Many fans took Benjen Stark for dead, and they were certainly very close. He’s just mostly dead. But the real question is, what does Benjen Stark know, and when did he know it? His parting words to his nephew are very similar to Ned’s. “The next time we see each other, we’ll talk about your mother,” Ned told Jon. With that option off the table, could it be Benjen who tells Jon the truth about his parents? He’s still kicking around north of the Wall and, according to the Season 7 trailer, Jon will be headed that way soon.

10. Sansa Stark and The Hound: Remember the weird-yet-touching bond Sandor formed with Sansa Stark back in Season 2? Those Stark girls really bring out the protective side of people. Last time we saw the Hound, he was headed north with the Brotherhood. Will he meet his Little Bird along the way?

9. Arya Stark and The Hound: But as fascinating as Sansa’s bond with the Hound was, his connection to Arya was even more compelling. And, of course, their Season 4 split wasn’t exactly under the best of circumstances. Arya has since expressed regret for how she left things with Sandor, and the Hound, for his part, doesn’t seem that upset about it either. Could their reunion actually be a happy one?

8. Gendry and Arya Stark: The Stark girls have, throughout this series, been unlucky in love. But while Sansa’s love life has been traumatic, Arya’s has been non-existent. A girl has urges, too! With Gendry back on the table it would be nice to see the Stark girls get at least as much play as brothers Jon and Robb. You know, if they’re into that sort of thing. Gendry objectification aside, remember that the two were so close at one point that in Season 3 Arya offered to be the bastard blacksmith’s “family.” He was unjustly ripped from her side too soon, let’s get these kids back together.

7. Bran Stark and Jon Snow: Bran may not have had much of a relationship with his sisters, but he did share some quality time with Jon in Season 1. “Don’t look away,” Jon memorably informed his brother (cousin) in the pilot, “father will know if you do.” Given how passionate Jon was about saving Rickon last season (a character he didn’t interact with), his reunion with Bran is destined to bring the tears.

6. Sansa Stark and Cersei Lannister: When we talk about Lannisters shaping Starks, it’s impossible to rule out the massive impact Cersei had on Sansa during their time together at King’s Landing. We actually saw Cersei give more advice to Sansa than we ever saw her give to her own daughter, Myrcella. And those lessons certainly sunk in deeper with Sansa than they did with either Joffrey or Tommen. Still, Cersei is convinced Sansa helped Tyrion kill Joffrey, so don’t expect this possible reunion to be a happy one.

5. Arya Stark and Cersei Lannister: It‘s been a sadistic treat to watch Arya encounter anyone on her list. The queen should probably be very afraid.

4. Tyrion and Cersei Lannister: The last time these Lannister kids were together, Cersei was looking on with sneering glee at the news that her younger brother would be executed in Season 4. So, uh, that’s going to be awkward. Tyrion and Cersei are on opposite sides of the impending Clash of Queens between Team Lannister and Team Targaryen, which should provide amply opportunity for family drama.

3. Jaime and Tyrion Lannister: Speaking of which, Jaime and Tyrion left things on much better terms. Of course, that was before Tyrion killed Tywin and put the entire stability of the Lannister family at risk. And in the long wait since Season 4, Jaime may have decided that Tyrion did kill Joffrey after all. Either way, the two loving brothers are also on opposite sides of the Targaryen invasion. Their personal conflict may give the war its most devastating stakes.

2. Sansa and Arya Stark: If Arya makes it to Winterfell in one piece, it will be fascinating to see if these squabbling siblings will find common ground now that they’ve been through so much. But even if they don’t, the real-life sisterhood between Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner should infuse their potential scenes together with an added level of sibling–esque intimacy.

1. Jon Snow and Arya Stark: Jon Snow and Arya Stark are so close in both the first book and the first season that George R.R. Martin once contemplated making Jon and Arya a romantic couple. We don’t think that will happen in the show. Still, it’s worth remembering the one personal possession that has survived on Arya’s long and awful journey: Needle, the sword her brother (cousin) gave her. We can’t wait to see these kids hug it out again.

Bonus:

Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen: They’ve never seen each other before, so technically, these two don’t meet the criteria of this list. But, come on. You’re looking forward to this one.