Plainly speaking, that shouldn’t be a point of contention for anyone. An 18-year-old woman, Arya has been on her own since she was 11 years old, survived countless kidnappings, escaped death more than once, and even learned to become absolutely No One. She is deadly, proving time and time again she’s not one to be messed with, eliminating her enemies and those that threaten her family without thinking twice. And, yet, a young woman wanting to consensually experience coitus has “Game of Thrones” fans up in arms.
Since the second episode of the final season of Game of Thrones aired, the internet has been ablaze with critics of the sultry scene. Some have blasted showrunners for sexualizing Arya, while others have lamented the use of sex as a way to prove the youngest living Stark is no longer a child. While it’s true that character development can be written in a number of ways that doesn’t include “losing virginity” as proof of adulthood, Arya’s decision to have sex is one that should be respected, not chastised — especially when it’s one of few examples of consensual sex on the show.
In the same episode that Arya has sex, Ser Brienne of Tarth reveals she was once captured and nearly raped. Arya’s own sister Sansa was repeatedly abused by her husband Ramsay Bolton for a majority of the fifth season. Iron Throne contender and dragon mother Daenerys Targaryen was also raped by her husband Khal Drogo early on in her story arc.
