One of the characters who got the most growth during Game of Thrones, Queen in the North.
Sansa's initial demure and composed attitude were replaced with a direct yet diplomatic approach that she wasn't afraid to use. Her skill as a politician flourished, giving her the ability and confidence to speak her mind. Bold and even occasionally snarky, Sansa offered valuable insight and biting comments about those around her, and she spared no one. Lannisters, Targaryens, even Starks, she saw through them all.
Shutting Joffrey Up
During the season one finale, "Fire and Blood," Joffrey tortures Sansa by showing her the heads of her father and Septa on spikes. He then threatens her, telling her he'll also gift her the head of his traitor brother, Robb. Sansa, although shocked and hurt, still manages to shut him up in a truly spectacular way.
"Or maybe he'll give me yours," she answers, immediately angering Joffrey. The cowardly king orders Meryn Trant to strike her, trying to defend his wounded pride. Sansa would be a prisoner in King's Landing for another two and a half seasons, but this moment definitely made more than one audience member cheer in celebration.
Seeing Right Through Jon
Once Jon Snow returns to Winterfell with Daenerys Targaryen, all the North rightfully resents him. They can't believe he renounced his crown, and some Northerners even refuse to follow him any longer. Sansa, the skilled politician that she is, knows there's something more behind Jon's actions, even if he says he bent the knee to get allies against the Night King.
"Did you bend the knee to save the North, or because you love her?" she asks, and he can't give her an answer. Jon's actions during seasons seven and eight can be seen as heroic and selfless, but they are also foolish and stubborn. To hear Sansa asking the question everyone is dying to ask truly cements her place as someone to be reckoned with.
No One In The House
Ever since first reuniting, Jon and Sansa share more than a few intimate moments. Because they weren't really close as children, it's as if they're getting to know each other for the first time, something that's not lost on either of them. Soon, it becomes clear that the two have very different ways of dealing with things.
Before the Battle of the Bastards, they discuss the fight. Sansa reveals that, should Jon lose, she won't return to Ramsay's side. He promises he'll protect her, but she gives him a rather cryptic response. "No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone." Jon's honor at times becomes a tad exasperating, so it's always nice to see someone giving him a healthy dose of reality.
Roasting Tyrion
When Sansa and Tyrion reunite in season eight, they're two completely different people from when they last saw each other, in their wedding all the way back in season four. At first, they share a pleasant conversation, and Sansa even says that, of all her husbands and intendeds, he was the best one.
She then questions his trust in Cersei, and he replies he believes she has something to live for. Sansa then faintly smiles, shakes her head, and delivers an epic burn. "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive," she says, before leaving. Here, she's basically speaking for the entire audience who, like her, could notice just how bad Tyrion's character had gotten.
Please, Use Your Head, Jon
Once they take back Winterfell, Sansa acts as somewhat of an advisor to Jon. Colder and more cunning than he is, she can see right through his kind and selfless attitudes and knows they are bound to cause trouble if left unchecked.
"You have to be smarter than father. You need to be smarter than Robb. I loved them, I miss them, but they made stupid mistakes and they both lost their heads for it." Sansa knows that the Stark honor is something of a double-edged sword. Jon never really heeds her advice, and he's all the worst for it.
Roasting Littlefinger
During season seven, Sansa becomes more certain and confident. She begins to see the people around her with new, more analytical eyes, and this includes Littlefinger. The man finds it more difficult to manipulate her with one of his speeches, and she begins to have less patience for them.
On one occasion, while Sansa watches Brienne train, Littlefinger approaches and asks her if she's happy. She shuts him down, just as Brienne arrives to interrupt them. "No need to seize the last word, Lord Baelish," Sansa dryly says. "I'll assume it was something clever." Fans used to Littlefinger's power with words certainly found this moment satisfying. After all, it's not always that someone out-talks him.
A Diplomatic "Please Stop Talking"
The much-maligned season eight gets a few points for certain elements, including Sansa's character. She is one of the most intelligent, pragmatical, and consistent characters, and is often the voice of reason. During the very last episode, Tyrion encourages the surviving Lords and Ladies to choose a King or Queen.
Edmure stands up and begins a supposedly inspiring speech, detailing all his so-called achievements. Sansa is not having any of it, though, and firmly interrupts him. "Uncle," she says, quiet but assuredly, "please sit." Edmure was always a fairly buffoon-ish character, and Sansa is once again speaking, not only for the rest of the characters present but for the audience itself.
Roasting Herself
Sansa is not blind to her own weaknesses. She knows how much she grew during her troubled life and uses her past experiences in her favor. She learns from her mistakes, even if it takes her a while.
During Littlefinger's trial, Sansa out-smarts him and sentences him to die. He tries one of his mind-tricks with her, to no avail. "I'm a slow learner, it's true. But I learn." One of the greatest strengths one can have is self-awareness. To see Sansa not only it her shortcomings but actually embrace them, is a great way to further make her relatable and inspiring. And as someone who the audience surely began disliking, she knows a great deal about growing up.
Revenge Best Served Cold
When Jon finally wins the Battle of the Bastards, a battered Ramsay is captured and imprisoned in a cell. Sansa then takes this opportunity to visit him and get the retaliation she deserves. He tries to manipulate her but discovers that she's outgrown him in every possible way.
"You can't kill me. I'm part of you know," he says, but he can't hurt her anymore. "Your words will disappear. Your House will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear," Sansa coolly replies, before feeding him to his hounds. Ramsay is arguably the show's cruelest character, so to see Sansa deliver the final blow is as satisfying as it gets.
Honest Sansa Is The Best Sansa
During her reunion with Jon, they both it they should've never left Winterfell. Sansa then takes the opportunity to ask for Jon's forgiveness, realizing just what a terrible sister she had been. Always the honorable fool, he tries to act as though it wasn't that big of a deal, but Sansa knows best.
"I was awful, just it it." She then makes him forgive her, and the two are ready to start a new, more honest, and closer relationship. Moments like this truly show how much Sansa learned and evolved as a character, and it sure felt good to hear her it what an unlikeable character she used to be in season one.