Daenerys & Jon Snow Need To Meet ASAP

Equipped with an understanding of the world of Game of Thrones and how any given character might move around in said world, viewers know how to spot the signs and heavy foreshadowing for any given character's future. Typically, an episode will drop a hint that can be so telling that it's easy to predict where things are headed. Such is the case with Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, who (I think it's safe to say) are long overdue for meeting and forming an alliance. In a story where there has been enough time for either of them to have been made aware of each other's existence in even the most casual of fashions, the fact that Daenerys and Jon meeting is still floating in the realm of conjecture for Game of Thrones fans is almost farcical. Their meeting would expedite the accomplishment of so many of their own personal plans for vengeance, power and protection that to keep going it alone through Season 7 would be foolhardy.

Part of the show's trajectory is that both Daenerys and Jon will be on the same landmass for the first time ever in Season 7. Both are ever so slightly more pitched towards crossing paths now that things are drawing to a close but why has it taken six seasons to get two of the most revolutionary and powerful characters in the show in the same room, metaphorically speaking? How is it that these two unique characters, who bear the weight of their respective family's fate on their shoulders, who will both end up seeking answers to questions about their past in the upcoming seasons, have gone six previous seasons without so much as being aware of one another?

The most glaring issue surrounding the delayed meeting of Daenerys and Jon's is this: They both still blatantly unaware of one another's existence. At the bare minimum, we have yet to establish if each of them are aware of the existence of the other's families. Do we know if Daenerys is schooled in the Stark family history or lineage? Was she educated the way we saw the Stark children educated in Season 1 on the great houses of Westeros? Does Jon, as King in the North, have any knowledge of the recent history of King's Landing? Does he know about the exiled Targaryens?

Game of Thrones has thrived on keeping Jon and Daenerys apart on the basis of their sheer ignorance of life in other nations. Daenerys is had largely been unaware of the affairs of Westeros and vice versa for Jon on Essos. Not only does that de-legitimize the intelligence of Daenerys and Jon, it plays us viewers for rubes, too. At this point in the show, it's ridiculous and borderline unbelievable that nobody in either person's coterie of advisors and comrades has dropped a hint, a line or even an anecdote about the other person. Even Tyrion, who actually has legitimate link to the Stark family, has yet to bring them up in some form around Daenerys Here's the kicker: Tyrion is an established storyteller. He always finds time to reminisce. Let loose with the Stark anecdotes, Tyrion, for the love of dragons.

Game of Thrones has made no bones about that fact that both Daenerys and Jon, respectively, are poised to rule in some fashion. At the end of Season 6, they're doing precisely that: ruling. Jon is King in the North, Daenerys is leading three armies' worth of soldiers to King's Landing as an uncontested queen. The similarites (and further proof they should have met a long time ago) don't stop there. Both were born as cast-offs, othered by the majority and made to feel as if they were replaceable. From the beginning, Jon has borne the label of "bastard" and had to negotiate a rightful place for himself as one of the Night's Watch. Meanwhile, Daenerys was living in exile, expected to readily plunge into an arranged marriage and play the role as a warlord's wife. From these relatively disadvantaged positions, both of them have gone through life-changing transformations (Jon literally died and Daenerys has walked through many a fire to prove her right to rule) to ascend to their current roles as rulers. Both are more the equipped to join forces to conquer Westeros. Both have the same temperament and approach to ruling that would make them exceptional allies. Not only has their individual greatness been heavily hinted at, but we've been led to believe that together, as relatives and rulers, they could be an unstoppable force.

Yet, they've been kept apart of far too long. Like, unbelievably long considering they've been signposted as "destined for greatness" from the very beginning. Yes, I completely understand that Game of Thrones is weaving a complex narrative. I'm aware that events, no matter how obvious it is that they should occur, can't happen in rapid succession when instead you have to build some tension. But Daenerys and Jon has gone far too long without teaming up. My only hope is that they meet early enough in Season 7 so they can stop wasting time alone and instead lean on each other for support and mutual appreciation in a way that only family can provide to one another.

Image: Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO, Courtesy of HBO; Giphy