Game of Thrones season 7 episode 4: Arya Stark's return to Winterfell featured some huge callbacks

Wearing her father's outfits, fighting like Syrio

Game of Thrones’ fourth episode this season was arguably the best hour of television seen this year, featuring everything we Watchers love: dragons, battles and awkward reunions.

** Spoilers for ‘The Spoils of War’ ahead **

While much of the focus was on Jaime Lannister’s defeat at the hands of Drogon, there was one remarkably wonderful reunion between three Starks: Arya, Sansa, and Bran.

Area’s return to Winterfell was hinted at with the episode four trailer, and delivered an emotional few moments between herself and Sansa.

Along with being long overdue, one scene featuring the girl-who-now-has-a-name contained more callbacks than King Robert has bastard children.

First off, there’s the way Arya is dressed; she wears armour almost exactly the same as Ned’s the last time they ever see each other.

Then there’s the way she fights Brienne, that borrow from the her time with Jaqen and the Waif — the way she bounces off the floor — and with the Hound.

More importantly, though, comes the fight’s end, when the pair point swords at each other; A direct mirror of how Arya and Syrio Forel, her former sword master.

All the surviving Stark children are the sum of their parts — Sansa has become an amalgamation of Cersei and Littlefinger, Bran literally the Three Eyed Raven, Jon Snow’s now basically Ned — but none have learnt so much, from such varied people, as Arya. Even Arya's blunt talking seems similar to how Tywin Lannister and The Hound spoke to her.

Meanwhile, Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner have discussed their emotional reunion, Jaime Lannister actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has talked about his character's uncertain fate, and the episode five trailer has been released, teasing another very important meeting.