As House of the Dragon continues, friendships continue to form and burn before the audience’s eyes, and as brilliant as these character dynamics have been thus far, there has yet to be a friendship as unique as that between the Hound and Arya Stark. The ultimate odd duo gave fans so many great scenes in Game of Thrones, and despite the strong hatred between them at the start, they grew to be genuine friends.
Their unconventional companionship has a love-hate aspect to their relationship, a hint of a father-daughter dynamic, and a mentor-mentee element. All these factors bundle together with frustration, dark humor, and violence to create, arguably, the show's best friendship.
"Aye. That's What I'm Doing."
- The Hound, 'The Children' (S4.E10)
The end of season 4 also marks the end of Arya and the Hound's wonderfully twisted journey with one another, as the Hound almost meets his end at the hands of Brienne of Tarth. During this meeting, the Hound says this quote to Brienne in response to her asking if he is protecting her as she swore to Catelyn Stark she would do.
Brienne may be good and right for wanting to protect Arya, but even beyond the financial gain, the Hound is now protecting Arya and wants to keep her safe. They are not just a great friendship in terms of how they care for one another in pretty weird ways but in how they grow with one another and form a real bond. Arya letting her friend survive turned out to be one of her best decisions.
"Next Time You're Going To Do Something Like That, Tell Me First!"
- The Hound, 'Mhysa' (S3.E10)
The Hound was perhaps a bigger influence than anyone on Arya in terms of encouraging her to kill for survival and teaching her lessons on how to survive. This led to some of their best moments, such as Arya's first proper kill.
Killing the Frey men was emotional, impulsive, and dangerous, but the Hound was right there helping when it started. He did not disapprove of her taking her revenge, but rather, he just wanted in on the plan, making him a pretty perfect match for her arc. Not only is this line indicative of how funny their relationship is but how it can be both wildly entertaining and bloody violent, which makes for a great team.
"Let Me Wash It Out And Help You Sew It Up At Least."
- Arya Stark, 'Mockingbird' (S4.E7)
Particularly in the first four seasons, there are few truly vulnerable, human moments from the Hound, but just about all of them come with Arya, including when he opens up about what happened with his brother while tending to his bite wound.
This line from Arya show's how the two have formed a genuine bond of some sort, as after he confides in her, he lets her clean and deals with the wound without any whining, all while she respects his fear of fire. The two are very angry and shut off people, but each occasionally helps the other overcome that while providing some physical protection.
"I'd Pay Good Money To See That."
- The Hound, 'The Mountain & The Viper' (S4.E8)
One of the most famous aspects of Arya and the Hound's relationship is how inadvertently hilarious they are to watch. On occasion, they even manage to have some sort of half-joke with one another.
There is no doubt the Hound is serious when he says he would love to see Arya kill Joffrey with a chicken bone, but this line from him is still a moment of levity - coming moments before Arya bursts into laughter herself. When they put their differences and ulterior motives aside, the two can genuinely enjoy each other's company, something relatively rare among the main characters in Game of Thrones.
"You're Learning."
- Arya Stark, 'Mockingbird' (S4.E7)
A scene in which the two iconic characters are really in-sync with one another and completely on the same team is when they are attacked by Biter and Rorge, who suffer satisfying Game of Thrones deaths at the hands of the two friends.
What makes this such a good moment in their friendship is how the Hound supports Arya's kill list by having Rorge say his name before allowing Arya to kill him. It is, in its violent way, sweet, and the Hound's "You're learning" shows that he genuinely is showing her things and giving her advice that she takes on board, as all great friends do.
"Won't Be Me."
- The Hound, 'The Dragon & The Wolf' (S7.E7)
The Hound is a bit of a different man in the show's final couple of seasons, and one of the best examples of this is when he is reunited with Brienne of Tarth, and the two talk about Arya.
This whole exchange with Brienne is about Arya and highlights the Hound's loyalty and care for her. Audiences believe him when he says he only wanted to look out for her when fighting Brienne. This specific quote, where the Hound says he will not stand in Arya's way, is a recognition of her grit and ability to survive, and may even be a bit of pride, with him knowing he helped that along. His happiness at the news of Arya being alive and safe is easy to spot and suggestive of a true friendship.
"I Fought For You, Didn't I?"
- The Hound, 'A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' (S8.E2)
Arya and the Hound are hardly the best at healthily manifesting their emotions, but that does not stop them from sharing emotional moments, with a few of them - perhaps the best - coming after their satisfying season 8 reunion in Game of Thrones.
This quote is Sandor's reply to Arya, asking when he ever fought for anyone apart from himself, and it seems as though Arya knows it. Arya may be completely different, and the Hound may have a new path, but they still can sit together, take jabs at one another, and, in their own way, appreciate their time with one another.
"Probably."
- Arya Stark, 'The Last Of The Starks' (S8.E4)
After the Battle of Winterfell, an event that upset many fans, Arya and the Hound once again set off with one another on a long journey, with both headed to King's Landing to tick names off their list. The moment they come together and start this journey is a genuinely good season 8 moment.
This communication shows that despite their differences at the start, the two have common ground, and while they would not admit it, they enjoy each other's company. The fact that Arya can say this, joking about leaving Sandor to die again, and receiving a genuine chuckle from the Hound demonstrates that she may well be his only true friend in the world. The sad part is that two great characters set off on their last journey together as friends.
"I Hated Him. That's Not A Lie!"
- Arya Stark, 'Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken' (S5.E6)
Many fans have issues with Arya's season 5 arc with the Faceless Men, with it being unnecessarily slow and nonsensical at points, but it does have some brilliant Arya moments, and a terrific reference to the Hound.
When talking to Jaqen about how she came to Bravos, Arya repeatedly mentions how she hates the Hound, only to be met with anger and accusations of lies by Jaqen. While she finds it hard to admit, Arya cannot hide that she has a soft spot for the Hound, and the fact the two can respect, care about, and perhaps even miss one another is a great representation of how good a friendship they have.
"Sandor, Thank You."
- Arya Stark, 'The Bells' (S8.E5)
Cleganebowl is one of the few season 8 highlights, and one thing that makes it so good is Arya's involvement, with the Hound pretty much saving her life.
This whole scene shows how the two are great friends, with Sandor looking out for her and pleading with her to let go of her vengeance, so she does not end up like him. Arya finally realizes her doomed past and appreciates everything the Hound did for her. It is beautiful, emotional, and typically brilliant of one of the best Game of Thrones duos.