Sansa Stark had one of the best (and most successful) character arcs on all of HBO's Game of Thrones. From the preening self centered teenager to the heroic Queen in the North it was quite the rise to watch over eight seasons. However, Sansa gets quite a lot of credit for her rise and not enough for the girl, teenager, and person she was early on.
While Sansa (and actress Sophie Turner) deserved all the praise she received for her performance overall, there were a few moments where Sansa got a bit too much credit, and even more where she didn't get enough. Below we explore where Sansa deserved a little more credit, and a few places she got a little too much hype.
Underrated - In Kings Landing
Poor Sansa was just a child when she traveled with her father and sister Arya to live in Kings Landing. While most fans remember Sansa's betrayal of her family along with her self centered and hysterical obsession with Joffrey, Sansa, especially for a young teenager, held her own quite a few times while locked in at the capital. She saved Ser Dontos's life at Joffrey's name day celebration and worked with Margaery Tyrell in the hopes of escaping to the safety of Highgarden. She began to think for herself long before she ever started taking cues from Littlefinger.
Overrated - Learning from Littlefinger
Sansa earned respect from most fans in season four where she comes under the protection of Littlefinger and grows into his protege, learning to think the worst of others and use her knowledge for her own gain. No one can blame Sansa for beginning to build walls around herself, but her learning from Littlefinger, in the beginning, meant her trusting him, and that wasn't wise. Sansa, perhaps, should have learned sooner, not to trust anyone. Her work under Littlefinger is held up as a little more of a good thing than it really was.
Underrated - Her Relationship with Tyrion
Sansa tells Tyrion he was the best of her marriages. Of course, at Tyrion knows, that's not saying much. Still, even before they are reunited in season eight, Sansa and Tyrion's relationship was an important and positive one. Both Tyrion and Sansa were kind to one another in a city where no one was kind to them. While Tyrion is often held up for his respect for Sansa, Sansa deserves more credit for her kindness to Tyrion. They are as honest as they can be with one another, and while Sansa does not love Tyrion, she is able to show him respect.
Overrated - Reuniting with Her Siblings
Sansa's reunion with Jon at castle black stands apart as a great moment, showing how both Sansa and Jon have grown toward understanding one another. However, Arya disappeared from Sansa's life at the end of season one and Sansa hardly ever asks about or considers what might have happened to her younger sister.
Their reunion is cold, in part because of both of their traumatic life experiences, but the fact that Sansa didn't look into Arya's whereabouts before then isn't a great look overall.
Underrated - Her Needle Skills
In a world where the strong are the most likely to survive, Arya was always far more respected for her skill with a blade by viewers than Sansa was for any of the skills she possessed. Only her septa appreciated Sansa's skills and that's just too bad. When Sansa reunites with Jon and brings out a dress she made herself with the Stark direwolf on it that artwork deserves respect. The fact that Sansa also presents Jon with his own handmade Stark garb adds to the moment. Sansa knows who she is and what she can do and she is using her skills to prove just that to the world.
Overrated - Publicizing Jon's Heritage
Sansa knew exactly what she was doing when she told Tyrion about Jon's true parentage. While many saw this as a noble move to protect the North it's more than that and far less noble. For a woman who has spent most of her life being tortured and admitting that the only people she can really trust are members of her own family, this is a major betrayal. "The pack survives." Well, Sansa went against the pack by letting Jon's secret slip to anyone, but Tyrion especially.
Underrated - Manipulating Joffrey
In Kings Landing, it's easy to see Sansa as passive, and young, and sad, and some of the time she is. But Sansa doesn't get enough credit for understanding Joffrey's ego and his cruelty. From saving Ser Dontos by telling Joffrey she doesn't want him to have bad luck on his birthday to encouraging Joffrey to go into danger. "They say my brother Robb always goes where the fighting is thickest. And he's only a pretender." Sansa was always paying attention and learning to protect herself and take charge.
Overrated - Queen in the North
Seeing Sansa rise to the position of Queen in the North is not overrated, nor is the scene of her being crowned. However, the fact that she fought for independence for the north, and received it, along with the crown for herself, means there was a lot of power that she didn't use to protect her family.
The fact that she didn't fight harder for Jon being sent back to the wall right after her family was reunited is hard to watch. She finally had the power she wanted and she didn't use it.
Underrated - Time With Ramsay
Sansa was tortured far worse under Ramsay than with any of her other husbands or captors. No one would expect her greatest shining moment to come under such circumstances, and yet it does. The fact that she is able to keep her head up, to tell Myranda that she's not afraid of being married to Ramsay, "I am Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home, and you can't frighten me," is a huge step for the meek romantic girl Sansa once was.
Overrated - Loyalty to the North
Like her not using her new powers as Queen in the North to save Jon from being banished again to the wall, the fact that she couldn't listen or get along with Daenerys because she was so single-minded in wanting an independent North is just silly. There was no reason two independent strong-minded female monarchs shouldn't have been able to connect in some meaningful way.