Why Samwell Tarly Would Be the Best Work Bae

Everyone knows that you’re actually more productive with a quality work bae, and the first episode of season 8 of Game of Thrones saw Sam coming in hot with some of the more desirable traits you should be looking out for.

So, without further ado, here are 4 top notch reasons why Samwell Tarly may just be the best work bae on GoT.

*SEASON 8 SPOILERS AHEAD*

Honesty is the best policy

A good work bae is always up for a little honesty, particularly if it’s in the form of positive tough love. There’s no one better to have at your side than someone who’s 100% on your team and down to tell you when you’re being a fool, or if there’s something major going down.

Sam coming clean to Jon about what he and Bran had put together regarding his heritage is a prime example of this. He isn’t playing the long game for himself, hoarding knowledge to use for his own personal gain later on. He’s got Jon’s best interests at heart and therefore would be an ace work bae.

Plays to their strengths

Another quality trait you want to look out for is finding someone who knows themselves, their strengths, and whose talents can complement yours.

Sam is all about that book life, and knows that research and more scholarly pursuits is where his talents lie. Likewise, he has a solid understand of Jon’s leadership potential, even when Jon himself doesn’t. This combination makes Sam a great source of counsel for Jon, and in return Jon gives Sam someone to follow who he can believe in. Plus they’re both tirelessly loyal: match made in heaven.

Keeps calm in a crisis

Keeping a level head in a crisis is a pretty great skill for your work bae to possess, particularly when it comes to tight deadlines, project setbacks, or big industry shifts. In the Game of Thrones world, this generally seems to translate to shifts in power, dead family members, or unwanted marriages.

For Sam, he proved himself remarkably in control when he first met Daenerys and she told him that she had killed his father and brother. Like, that’s big news and clearly took him by surprise, but he kept is cool and politely excused himself from the room before having his (deserved) mini breakdown. That was a pretty tough situation but he kept calm, didn’t fly into a fit of rage and attack his queen, and instead went to process things by himself; all things you’d want in a work bae.

They get you

The ultimate work bae trait? They get you. And by that I mean they’ve got some of that sweet emotional intelligence and can read a room (and you). Not only does this skill make them a valuable confidant, but it’s also a great ability to have in a workplace as it lets you create connections, mediate, and build client relationships. But from a work bae perspective, it also means they can understand your perspective and talk through your ideas, making them a perfect work partner.

The actor who plays Sam, John Bradley, said it best:

‘Sam understands Jon’s emotions really quickly — he sees that fire in Jon’s eyes — and Sam is the one who can talk him down and make him think differently about things. He sees that same flare of anger in Jon when he was made a steward. I think Jon admires and respects Sam’s intelligence as much as Sam respects everything about Jon.’

Featured image courtesy of Wallpaper Abyss