The latest episode of Game of Thrones was an epic and emotional roller coaster for fans, serving as the epic culmination to a conflict that has been brewing since the very first scene of the series premiere. And there’s no doubt that Arya Stark is the MVP, as Maisie Williams‘ character lived up to her training as a murder machine and single handedly ended the war against the dead.
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Much like Game of Thrones itself, the moment where Arya Stark stabbed the Night King has had a cultural impact; music superstar Drake even gave the character a mention during the Billboard Music Awards earlier this evening.
While accepting the award for the Top Billboard 200 Album for his work on Scorpion, Drake paid tribute to ultimate killer in the Stark clan:
“Shout out to Arya Stark for putting in that work last week. Hey!”
Watch Drake’s acceptance and Game of Thrones reference in the video below:
Drake shouts out Arya Stark pic.twitter.com/r7qqNhZavi
— CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) May 2, 2019
Williams will likely appreciate the shout out, much like she appreciated the surprising ending to the longest episode (and battle) on the series yet.
The actress spoke with Entertainment Weekly about “The Long Night,” adding insight to the showrunner’s decision to make Arya Stark the one who ends the war.
“When we did the whole bit with Melisandre, I realized the whole scene with [the Red Woman] brings it back to everything I’ve been working for over these past 6 seasons — 4 if you think about it since [Arya] got to the House of Black and White,” Williams said. “It all comes down to this one very moment. It’s also unexpected and that’s what this show does. So then I was like, ‘F—k you Jon, I get it.’”
Even Jon Snow actor Kit Harington was shocked by the reveal.
“I was surprised, I thought it was gonna be me!” Harington said. “But I like it. It gives Arya’s training a purpose to have an end goal. It’s much better how she does it the way she does it. I think it will frustrate some in the audience that Jon’s hunting the Night King and you’re expecting this epic fight and it never happens — that’s kind of Thrones. But it’s the right thing for the characters. There’s also something about it not being the person you expect. The young lady sticks it to the man.”
The final season of Game of Thrones continues this Sunday on HBO TV.
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