I was desperately hoping theyâd have Gendry comment on Aryaâs nifty new Valyrian steel dagger and heâd ask her where she stole it. Arya would say it was a gift and nicely highlight how both of her surviving brothers have given her a weapon: Jon when he left her and Bran when they reunited.
So it threw me a bit when instead of joking that Arya stole it, Gendry said that he âalways knew [she was] just another rich girl.â
But damn, on a bit of reflection, itâs brilliant.
In season 1 when they first meet, Gendry assumes Arya is a thief and tries to reassure her that, âIt donât matter now. Where weâre going they donât care what youâve done. Theyâve got rapers, pickpockets, highwaymen⌠murderers.â
In season 2, Gendry is the only one to realize sheâs a girl. Arya decides to trust him and tells him who she really is. When Gendry learns that sheâs high born, he wants to change the way he treats herâ âI should be calling you mâlady.â But Arya is annoyed and embarrassed and Gendry is able to tease her a bit and laugh about it. Their friendship doesnât change for the most part.
âŚUntil season 3 when it looks like thereâs a good chance Arya will be reunited with Cat and Robb. Gendry doesnât want to go with her because sheâd be âmâlady.â Shortly after that, Gendry learns that heâs Robertâs son.
For years, weâve joked that one of the first things Gendry would do when he saw Arya again was to let her know that heâs the bastard son of a king. A king who was BFFs with Ned. It was the first thing Gendry blurted to Jon when they met.
It makes sense that being Robertâs gave Gendry a bit of prideâ heâs no longer on the very bottom, shit covered rung of the ladder and given how comparatively stable things were while Robert was alive, there was probably a good deal of romanticizing his reign among smallfolk.
But after joining up with Jon, doing something important because he wants toâ and because someone like Jon has faith in himâand not because he was dropped into it or kidnapped or whatever, Gendry gains confidence on his own merit.Â
So he follows Jon to Winterfell, where it doesnât matter what you are. Where theyâve got Starks, Targs, Lannisters, Wildlings, the last members of Team Stannis and Team Renly. Kings and queens, bastards, ex-smugglers, old men, eunuchs, and little girls.
And when Gendry sees Arya again, he doesnât rush to tell her about Robert. He makes comments about how sheâs a lady and sheâs wealthy and he smiles and laughs when he says these things. It doesnât bother him anymore. Because it doesnât matter anymore.
And Arya? Thanks to Brienne and Sansa, Arya no longer thinks of being a Lady as simply being a dutiful wife and baby factory. Sheâs happy with who she is and when Gendry tries to poke fun at her station, she dishes it out right back: âYou donât know any other rich girls.â
Weâve also seen that at least for now, Arya hides certain parts of herself depending on who she is talking to. She tells Hot Pie sheâs baked âone or twoâ pies and Jon that sheâs used Needle âonce or twice.â With the Hound, sheâs standoffish and coolly admits to robbing him before leaving him to die.
But she laughs and flirts with Gendry and she also shows off her weapons and asks him to make her another one. She lets him hear her talk âall scaryâ to the Hound, too.
She still trusts Gendry with who she is, both as a warrior and as a maiden (of the tree) and Gendry still accepts her.
PS. Okay, maybe not quite as overt as this, BUT I STILL SAY I FUCKING CALLED IT:
Hot Pie: I canât believe I thought you were a boy⌠Youâre pretty!
Gendry: You look good. [âŚ] I always knew you were just another rich girl.
