Why Game Of Thrones Episode 4 Was Titled The Last Of The Starks

Spoiler alert, but in case you didn't know, the fourth episode of Game of Thrones' final season was distressing in more ways than one. Viewers witnessed two deaths, a long-awaited romance scene that was ruined just a few scenes later, and a moment of abandonment that broke a million hearts. Suffice to say, Thrones fans were none too happy with episode 4, and things might get even worse when they realize why the episode was titled "The Last of the Starks."

Watching the latest Game of Thrones installment, the answer seems obvious: The episode takes its title from a line of dialogue Arya Stark gives during a conversation with Sansa, Bran, and Jon.

Easy explanation, right? Sure, but PureWow has offered up a deeper significance to Arya's words and to the title of episode 4.

Arya, Sansa, and Bran do represent the last living members of House Stark that fans know of, but Jon isn't technically a Stark. Though his mother is Lyanna Stark, Jon belongs to House Targaryen, having taken the last name of his father Rhaegar Targaryen. And if Jon has children, according to the rules of Westeros, they too would be Targaryens.

With Jon out of the count for the last of the living Starks, that leaves us with just three true-born children of Ned and Catelyn Stark who have survived the brutality of political warfare over the course of the series. Some pretty big issues arise here.

Bran has made it clear on several occasions that not only is he not really a Stark anymore, it's arguable whether he's even still human. And in episode 4, he reiterates this in a conversation with Tyrion, making it very clear that he no longer considers himself the Stark heir.

It seems unlikely at this point that Bran will ever produce an heir. After all, he no longer wants anything. That leaves just Arya and Sansa as the last of the Starks. But it also seems highly unlikely that Arya will continue the Stark line either. Once, it seemed possible:

But in this episode, Arya showed just how much she has changed, gently but firmly rejecting Gendry's marriage proposal.

Arya isn't about creating new life. She serves the god of death now. And in episode 4, she strongly hinted that her days as a Stark, and possibly her days among the living, were coming to an end. Keep watching the video to see why Game of Thrones episode 4 was titled The Last of the Starks!

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