‘Britannia’: Why Cait and The Outcast are the New Arya and The Hound

Kim Taylor-Foster
TV Game of Thrones
TV Game of Thrones Streaming

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Britannia.

One of the most interesting – and entertaining – double acts in Game of Thrones has been the pairing of Arya Stark and The Hound, aka Sandor Clegane. Since Arya left Clegane for dead after his battle with woman-mountain Brienne, fans have been aching for the mismatched twosome to meet up again. This complex relationship and the way it developed, along with their banter on the road and the impact each has had on the other, have been among the more interesting and engaging aspects of the series.

In Cait and The Outcast – aka Divis — Britannia has created its own version of this much-loved gruesome twosome. And it’s not just in the older-man-outsider-meets-young-girl-loner-type way. Although that’s definitely part of it.

Brought Together in Similar Circumstances

The two are thrown together when Cait’s people are attacked by the invading Romans during the solstice ceremony, at which her transition to womanhood is marked. Cait is left alone as her people are slaughtered — her sister included — and those left alive imprisoned, including her Dad. Understandably, she’s screaming as she watches the horror unfold.

Divis, who is skulking in the woods, grabs her and puts a hand over Cait’s mouth to keep her quiet. From this point, the two are bound together. It’s not for nothing that Divis looks a bit like her father. However, he soon reveals his motives for keeping Cait with him. It’s so that she can lead him to any money or valuables her father may have hidden at their home.

Arya and The Hound also found themselves thrown together when Sandor took her hostage, planning to ransom Arya back to her family in exchange for gold. But Arya is more than a match for The Hound, both verbally and when it comes to fighting skills. And that’s despite their difference in stature. The two end up making a formidable team, and develop a love-hate bond.

Verbal Sparring and Concealed Warmth

Britannia
The Outcast offers Cait an awkward arm around her shoulder.

The Outcast and Cait have a similar relationship, which consists of verbal sparring and a surface reluctance — on The Outcast’s part at least — to show any obvious displays of affection or kindness. Although as an audience, we can see the signs that The Outcast has a soft side, much like The Hound, and is beginning to care for Cait from their very first meeting.

Divis is clearly moved by Cait’s crying, offering some comfort with an awkward arm around the shoulder, but isn’t keen to let his guard down. He makes some concessions for her – agreeing to accompany her to a safe haven near the river for starters. He also saves her when they’re set upon by two miscreants who threaten them with blades, when he has the opportunity to ditch her.

They Learn From Each Other

Britannia
The Outcast bickers with Cait like a baby.

Like Arya and The Hound, who learn a lot from each another, Cait and The Outcast also have plenty to teach one another – something you can see from the first episode. And as The Outcast spends longer in Cait’s company, the more he descends into a childish way of arguing with her. She, in turn, grows more confident — more adult even — in her approach to dealing with Divis. There’s some fun to be had here, with a spot of role reversal, much like we’ve seen with Arya and The Hound.

Their banter also elicits one of the show’s best lines from Cait: “You know, for someone so wise, you really stink”. She’s definitely cut from the same cloth as Arya.

All episodes of Britannia are available now to stream in the UK on Sky and will be available at a later date in the US via Amazon Prime Video.

Kim Taylor-Foster
Kim Taylor-Foster is Entertainment Editor for Fandom in the UK. She was raised on an unsteady diet of video nasties and violent action flicks.