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SYFY WIRE Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones gave Robin Arryn the Neville Longbottom ‘glow-up’ and fans are freaking out

By Jacob Oller
Game of Thrones - Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn

Game of Thrones ended with plenty of twists and surprises, but one completely unexpected aspect of the series finale was the reintroduction of Robin Arryn — and how far that weirdo momma’s boy has come.

** WARNING: This story contains spoilers for Game of Thrones’ finale. **

Arryn, the strange and sheltered child of Jon and Lysa Arryn, was last seen in Season 6, talking with Petyr Baelish about sending the armies of the Vale to help Sansa out up north. He was still a pretty weird kid then, though he didn’t become Lord Protector of the Vale until Baelish’s execution in the Season 7 finale. But when Arryn made his comeback appearance at the council meeting of lords that decided that Bran (of all people) was to become the new king, he had a new title and a new look. And fans took notice.

Here are some reactions:

All that late-in-life breastfeeding must have done him some real good. Here’s what Arryn actor Lino Facioli had to say when he saw the collective freakout:

This kind of transformation has been fondly dubbed “Longbottoming” after Neville Longbottom, the Harry Potter character played by Matthew Lewis, who was the strange, sad, wimpy comic relief — until the end of the series when he got hot.

So anyone in pop culture who overcomes the odds of their childhood looks (and the narrative’s comedic uses for them) has Longbottomed. Now, what’s the phrase for when you overcome getting pushed out a window in the first episode to become king? Staying On-Bran?

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