Sansa Stark: Episodes 4, 5 & 6 - with special guest Arya!

     When last we saw Sansa, she was still mourning the loss of Lady and in full-on resentful-teen mode.

     And she hasn't changed much since. Sansa is back in the dress she wore at the Inn at the Crossroads: light blue, bell sleeves, knotting at the neck designed to call to mind a wreath of flowers. The same dress she was wearing when she lost Lady. She's worried about her marriage to Joffrey, particularly that she might not be able to bear him any sons, and that everyone will hate her. Septa Mordane is, as ever, kind and awesome. After this conversation Sansa recommits to endearing herself to Joffrey. She's had enough of cold reality; now it's time for a fairytale tournament!

     This dress was most likely made specially for the tournament, and Sansa's clearly taken extra care with her appearance. This look, from dress to hair is a combination of northern and southern styles. This event is in honor of her father, but she's trying to impress Joffrey and get him back on her team.

     Sansa is slowly but surely becoming evermore the southern lady. This dress is lavender, a color we've never seen her wear before but exactly between her usual light blues and her eventual southern pinks ; the detailing at the neck is designed to look like a wreath of roses. That design element is an adapted version of her usual knotted neckline, but much more elegant and clearly more expensive. This is also the most skin Sansa has ever shown; she's trying to look mature and start acting like a grownup. And her hair is inching closer to full-on Cersei Lannister crazybraids. She's got the cinnamon buns on top of her head, but she's kept her single northern twist and let the rest of her hang loose like her mother. Compare her to Arya here: the prim southern lady and the unkempt northern girl. It is notable how put relatively put-together Arya looks here. No doubt Septa Mordane caught her chasing cats a few hours ago and made her take a bath. The scarf/collar beneath her tunic looks like northern roughspun but is embroidered in a way that calls to Sansa's richer and delicate roses. If she got Arya into all this, Septa Mordane must be a force to be reckoned with.

Arya you are the cutest and even your nice clothes have detachable sleeves because you are a warrior.

     Petyr Baelish, you are a giant creep. Arya seems very suspicious of him and even Sansa is a little weirded out as well she should be. Sansa continues to wear her dragonfly necklace. She is a delicate little thing and her innocence is quite resilient, since it survives this massively disturbing conversation with Littlefinger in addition to all the over-the-top tournament-sanctioned bloodshed.

Petyr Baelish: still creeping.

     On the next day at the Hand's Tourney she's wearing the exact same outfit as before (again, this ensemble was probably produced specially and expensively). Sansa still hasn't forgiven her father and is giving him a cold shoulder, acting as prim and grown-up as she can. Then Gallant Ser Loras brings Sansa a rose, the perfect image of the fairytale knights from Sansa's books, and she's a little girl again, living her dream. There are a lot of similarities between Loras and Sansa, which will become very notable in Season Three. Here they share a theme of roses: she has roses on her dress, he has roses on his armor and saddle blanket. Sansa grabs her father's arm and tells him not to let Ser Gregor hurt Loras, and the look on Ned's face when he realizes she needs her dad again is so precious. While she's doing her level best to be a cool and collected lady, she is still a little girl, hoping (and once more trusting) that her father can make everything okay.

     While Sansa's been working hard to be a proper Southern Lady, this is the first time we see her hair go full-on Cersei. And this is a very significant scene! Because...



     Joffrey the Fairytale Prince is back! 

     Joffrey decides to follow his mama's advice and Does Something Nice for the Stark Girl. To wit: he brings her a Lannister Lion necklace. We have a theory that all the Lannister men give their women these necklaces. Cersei's necklace is symbolic of her relationship with Jaime; Tyrion makes a gift of (a MASSIVE) one to Ros, perhaps as a subtle jab at his family. And now Sansa has one too.

Moth ring!

     Can you honestly blame Sansa for believing that her life with Joff is going to be a fairy tale? The way this scene is shot, that kiss at the end: it is like a goddamn Disney movie. They are even awash in the golden glow of the evening sun. (Ironically, Sansa's relationship with Joff does sort of turn out like a classically gruesome, non-Disneyfied fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm would approve.)

     And just when Sansa's decided to trust Ned again, he announces that they're heading home to Winterfell. Sansa is such a little girl here, and it is sad but still cute: "I love Joffrey! I'm meant to be his queen and have his babies!" Arya replies "Seven Hells," and when Sansa says she wants Joffrey instead of someone "brave and gentle and strong" Arya gives the most excellent smirk we've ever seen. 

     Then their conversation about Joffrey and how he's nothing like his father leads to Ned having an epiphany about how Punnett Squares work, so a fed up Arya drags Sansa out to pack. Pack like the wind, girls!

Cersei Lannister: Episodes 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

     Cersei is back home in King's Landing, where she sets the fashions of the day.

     This is the lightest and softest we see Cersei, wearing a color she usually reserves for Jaime.

     This is a very maternal scene for Cersei. Say what you will about the woman, but she does love her kids. In this scene she dresses Joffrey's wounds and gives him some decent advice about being king (although all he takes away from the conversation is "a king can do as he likes"). 

 

     Both her dress and hairstyle are fairly low-key compared to a lot of other stuff she wears. The embroidery on the gown is also much more delicate than her usual brocade. This scene, and this outfit, are about Cersei's role as a loving mother. Also, in this family scene, Cersei wears her Lannister Lion necklace.

"I really hope Joffrey doesn't take 'A king can do whatever he wants' the wrong way."

And now for another edition of...

The Many Faces of Cersei Lannister

Clockwise from top left: Anger; Annoyance; Concern; No Jaime that's a really bad idea for a ballad.

     Cersei panics about the possibility of Bran Stark waking up and telling his father what happened that day in the tower. Jaime is flippant ("I think we can outfox a ten-year-old") but then serious as he assures her that he will kill everyone in the entire world if that's what it takes for them to be together.
     This dress is the same blue-green as the dress she wore when she was mothering Joffrey earlier.  But this dress is a lot more revealing than almost anything else we will ever see Cersei wear. 

     Even though this dress is revealing, we don't think it's about sex. It's about vulnerability. She isn't wearing this dress to seduce Jaime; she's wearing it to yell at him for leaving a chink in their armor. A revealing dress because she's worried that they are about to be revealed, as the murderous, incestuous family that they are.

     This is a public appearance, so once again, Cersei is in full Queen of the Seven Kingdoms regalia. She wears a Baratheon antler crown, but it is overshadowed by the Lannister lions on the front of her cloak. Not much happens with Cersei in this scene, she's mostly just there to create a sort of "still life with perfect royal family" but like we said, the red and gold, and the large, prominent lions make a statement, and a pretty bold one at that. Also, some epic eye-rolling. Liz Lemon would be proud. 

     Cersei Lannister is the Betty Draper of the Westeros. Seriously, think about it: the lacquered hair, the impeccable outfits, the depression, the adulterous husband. But most of all, the outward appearance of perfection. She is what every woman in Westeros aspires to be.

Hi non-terrible children! Hi!

     This dress of Cersei's is about power, and definitely sex. (Which is fitting, because after this conversation, Ned realizes that Cersei's children may not have been by Robert.) The deep red, the Lannister necklace signifying that she is Jaime's woman, the relaxed hair (no braid helmet here; she doesn't feel she needs that particular piece of armor) - she is in control here, and fully confident that she has the upper hand.   

     She's flaunting her power in front of Ned, baiting him, challenging him to challenge her, dropping cryptic hints, and not a bit worried that Ned will rise to the occasion. She's having fun with politics here.

     Before Cersei begins wearing real armor in season two, this is her own version of protective clothing: red and gold, wealth and power, and the juxtaposition of her soft, robe-like dress with the metal at her neck and waist, holding it all together.

Cersei's really enjoying her role as Evil Queen here.

     And here is the most honest conversation Cersei and Robert ever have. They talk about the Targaryans and the Dothraki, they acknowledge that their terrible marriage is the thread holding the kingdom together. They talk about Lyanna. And finally, Cersei asks, almost tenderly, if there was ever a chance for them. Robert says no. And asks how it makes her feel. Mask firmly back in place, she says that it doesn't make her feel anything, and walks away.

     It's interesting that she goes into this scene with Robert wearing the same clothing, though it's an episode later. It draws a connection between Robert and Ned, but maybe Cersei felt she needed this protection, to feel confident going into a conversation that's almost the opposite of the one above. She is honest with Robert for the first and only time, vulnerable and in no way cryptic. But her clothes allow her to retreat quickly into her protective shell when she needs to, when Robert responds to her.

     This is Cersei's "you win or you die" dress. It's red, which is her power color. She wears it here, and later, when Ned stark confronts her. And in both those scenes, she's out to prove that no one puts Cersei Lannister in a corner. And in these two scenes, at least, she is powerful. Neither Robert Baratheon nor Ned Stark ever get the best of her.

     This is the dress she wears for Jaime - it connects her to him, and stresses her allegiance (not to her husband) in this scene. Now she wears it to confront Ned about his fight with Jaime and the fact that Cat took Tyrion captive. ("How dare you lay hands on my blood.") She and Robert and Ned argue until Robert slaps her across the face hard enough to bruise. And that is the exact moment when Cersei decides that Robert is going to die.

      

                                               She wore this dress in family scenes before and, though Jaime and Tyrion aren't present, this scene is about her family. They are her blood and she will protect them. If that means killing her husband and making an enemy of Ned Stark, so be it. 
     This blue-green dress also blends into the color of the room, both tying Cersei into her surroundings (she's decided Robert is going to leave King's Landing - feet first, but she ain't leaving), and diminishing her visually as Robert diminishes her power in front of Ned.
      
     This is another clashing outfits=unhappy marriage scene. Cersei wears a sumptuous dress in a cool blue-green while Robert is wearing a black jerkin that does its best to mimic armor.

     Now it's time for Ned to confront Cersei about her children's true parentage. She's wearing her same scarlet woman dress from her conversation with Ned that laid the groundwork for this one, as well as her conversation with Robert about their failed marriage (which failed more than Robert will ever know, as it didn't provide him with any true heirs).

     Ned has figured her out, but again, Cersei's not scared. She's so confident in her power in this situation that she tells Ned all, admitting her children are Jaime's and laughing at him. She can easily destroy him. She's left behind any remaining feelings for Robert (her cheek is still red and bruised from when he struck her), and has fully accepted her role as enemy of the crown.

     Instead of high braids here, her hair weaves into a single, long thick braid. Cersei's high piles of braids are about the power she believes she has, but thick braids=true power (see also: Dany at the end of seasons one and two). She's running this show even as she's put on Ned's mini-trial, and her hair knows it.

     And as Robert dies (and he sends her away and keeps Ned with him instead, a final token of his complete disregard for her) she's continues in her power, a Lannister through and through, ready to control the throne through her terrible son.

That's why her hair is so big: it's full of secrets.

     See what we mean about the braids getting higher? It's time to put on a show. This scene is all about securing Joffrey's right to the throne, especially in the face of Ned's (entirely accurate) accusations. She's wearing Baratheon colors and a Baratheon crown (with a green Baratheon jewel at the center). Note that she's still wearing her Lannister necklace, and that this gown is more subtly opulent than anything she's yet worn. The strings of beads that hang down the front bespeak riches as well as invoking chains of office. The cape (which still shows her arms - she's still southern fashionable even in a power coup) is imposing, and the hair that cascades from that truly impressive 'do is looser than usual, conveying a sense of ease in her new position. Joffrey may be sitting on the Iron Throne in this scene, but Cersei's the one in charge, the focal point of everyone's attention. She goes straight for Ned's throat in front of the whole court, coolly and calmly ripping apart Robert's will naming Ned as regent and ordering the death of his entire household.

Hey Cersei, you know ripping things apart doesn't make them disappear or prevent their legality right? No? Well, whatever works for you.

     Throughout it all, the mark on her cheek is still clearly visible, a bright red reminder of why this is all happening. Cersei may be awful, but much of this is also Robert's fault, for neglecting his responsibilities as a husband and a king. Winter is coming, but Robert had it coming, too.

Sansa and Arya Stark: Episode 2

     Let's get back to Ginger and soon-to-be Scary Stark.

     Hello Tiny Adorable Arya, who has yet to become Tiny Adorable Terrifying Child Assassin Arya. Miss Arya is packing to leave for Kings Landing (she, like all the other Starks except Sansa, is ambivalent about the trip). She's wearing the same dress she wore at the beginning of episode 1, a dress which is very (very) similar to the dresses her mother and Sansa wore to the feast in the previous episode. Note the color and also the detailing at the collar. There is, however, much more wear and tear on this dress than there is on her sister's. 

A sword?!

     And, as we said before: lacing on the back and shoulders mimics the lacing on leather armor. Arya is a warrior (with adorable pigtail braids).   

     Jon Snow presents Arya with a sword of her own, and she jumps up to hug him and it's just really goddamn adorable.

     Lannister cousins, crazy-braiding each others' hair, and (presumably) making bitchy comments about Sansa.

Sweet Sansa dresses impeccably, even just for the purpose of walking around the muddy encampment. 

This dress is notable for a few reasons. For one thing, we think this dress is new. While Sansa, as the daughter of a noble house, would have a larger wardrobe than most women in the seven kingdoms (and therefore some dresses that we, the viewers, have not seen her wear yet) this dress looks new to our eyes. We tend to think that Sansa probably had it made especially for her trip south to King's Landing. Both the cut and color of the dress exist at almost the exact midpoint between northern and southern styles. It's in the sky blue that we are starting to thing of as Sansa's signature color, more Tully than Stark. And while the detailing at the neck harkens back to the dresses she, Cat and Arya wore at Winterfell, it is designed to look like a wreath of flowers. The bell sleeves and full skirt are right out of the Cersei Lannister Southern Fashion playbook. Sansa is already making an effort to dress and act like a proper southern lady, probably hoping to endear herself to Prince Joffrey.

 
She interacts with two unsettling men: Ilyn Payne (I initially typed that as "Ilyn Pain") the mute royal executioner, and The Hound, who serves as Joffrey's personal muscle. The Hound has burn scars and dresses starkly (pun only sort of intended) in a black cloak and armor. But not to worry, because here comes Sansa's handsome prince to send the hound on his way.

Oh Lady,  you're the sweetest direwolf of all time.

     
     Sansa is in light, airy blue and Joffrey in head-to-toe red leather. Joff's outfit is actually oddly similar to something you might expect to see a Targaryen wearing. (Or maybe it's not that odd, considering the similarities between Joffrey and Viserys.) These clashing outfits tell you pretty much everything you need to know about their personalities as well as the future of their relationship.

People give Sansa a lot of shit for liking Joffrey in the first season, but honestly, the kid can be charming when he wants to be.

The lacing on Arya's blue dress is functional as well as fashionable: she removes the sleeves for physical activity on a hot day.

     This is the first appearance of Sansa's butterfly ring (at least we think it's supposed to be a butterfly, though it looks more like a moth) and dragonfly necklace. Also Cersei calls her "little bird." Are we sensing a "delicate winged creatures" motif?

      Joffrey finds Arya and Mycah sparring with sticks and attacks adorable redheaded Mycah with his actual sword. Because he (Joffrey, not Mycah) is the actual worst.

     But Arya is not one to suffer fools: she, with help from her beloved direwolf Nymeria, administers the ass-kicking Joffrey so richly deserves and throws his sword in the river before running off with Nymeria.  

Seriously Arya, just do us all a favor and stab him in his smarmy face.

     Because everyone's being terrible today, Arya is pulled in for questioning all alone in front of the entire court. Ned is understandably upset about this, but not enough to turn around and go home.

 

     It's Sansa's turn next: caught between betraying her sister and mini-treason in the eyes of her future in-laws, Sansa does the only thing she can do, and claims that she doesn't recall.

     Arya does not agree with this tactic, and because she is a little spitfire, ATTACKS. Arya never really trusts Sansa after this - they are rarely dressed alike again, and their state of tension is reflected in their completely opposite types of clothing. But Arya still defends her against Sansa's next punishment, when Cersei decrees that some dog must die for the sins of another, and chooses Sansa's sweet-tempered innocent dog Lady for execution.

 

     So Ned Stark heads off to a remote part of camp to take the life of his daughter's innocent dog. And because poor Ned Stark is too dumb and politically unsavvy to fake Lady's death with one of the literally thousands of wolf pelts hanging everywhere, Sansa loses the last friend she'll have for a very long time.