That said, maybe she does all that precisely because she resembles Arya a lot. Maybe I’m giving her too much credit and she’s simply playing herself in Arya’s boots. Maybe. I’m willing to suppose that she might (might) be a stubborn, headstrong, bratty tomboy in real life. However, I’m absolutely not ready to admit that she’s also a traumatized rebel whose daddy got beheaded. Thing is: she plays the latter facet of Arya’s personality as well and naturally as the other stuff she was given.
Remember the scene with Arya and Yoren back in EP3 before the Lannister attack? Precisely. It’s not even supposed to be an Arya scene – it’s basically a Yoren monologue. She’s just there listening. And yet, without saying anything, just by cleaning her blade and listening, she has this overwhelming presence that’s just a marvel to see. When she raises her eyes and meets Yoren’s, you can feel all her anxiety and vulnerability. When she turns them back to her blade, you can sense that she’s deep in thought. And she’s not even doing anything!
I am, of course, glossing over all the other great stuff she does – perfect poise, delivery, screen presence, etc. I have yet to mention the excellent, excellent scenes between her and Tywin – the fact that she manages to act on an even footing with such an incredible actor is amazing in its own right. These scenes carried half of the season for me (the other half is coming up next), and the quality of the acting is one of the big reasons why they were so successful.
That said, and that might be the big question in your mind, she’s not first. Indeed, in spite of everything she does, I can’t rank her ahead of the other guy. I think part of the reason why she’s so acclaimed is precisely because she’s so young. People weren’t expecting such talent from such a young age, and so they were surprised – that surprise is part of the reason why they might rank her #1, I think. Well, I try not to take these points into consideration (or else Bran would’ve ranked much higher) – besides, she’s 16, not 9. Albeit young, she’s old enough to be able to act like an adult – and as such should be treated like an adult. It’s amazing that even after all that, she still manages to outclass all the other actors.
All the other actors save one.
Best scene: For once, I’m not going to pick any specific scene, and just give the kudo to her overall performance during all these scenes with Tywin. These came completely out of left field, even for book readers, and they were highly impressive, for both of the actors involved. Such great acting all around.
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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore