Warning! The following contains spoilers for Game Of Thrones latest episode. Read at your own risk!
The latest episode of Game Of Thrones featured Littlefinger up to his usual scheming, this time with a very specific note, but to what end? Fans have since learned that the note Arya read in his chambers is the same note Sansa was persuaded to write to Robb back in Season 2, where she pleaded for him to swear fealty to Joffrey. Showrunner D.B. Weiss explained why Littlefinger wanted Arya to see it, as well as what he's planning:
Arya is very used to being more clever and more stealthy, and smarter than any of the people she's up against, but she hasn't dealt with Littlefinger for a while. She gets roped into spying on somebody who's actually leading her by the nose to something that he wants her to have. He's looking for a way to prevent this sister bond from developing further because the tighter they are, the more definitively he is caught on the outside of it. On the Sansa end of the relationship, he's seen the opening and now all he needs to do is give Arya a cause to display real rage towards Sansa. And he knows full well that with what's going on in Sansa's head, with regards to Arya and how dangerous she is, when Arya starts to act dangerous, and act angry, he knows where Sansa is going to turn.
Well, that's a refreshing amount of revealing information from the Game Of Thrones showrunner D.B. Weiss! From Weiss's quote on the post-episode segment "Inside Game of Thrones," it does appear that Littlefinger's goal is to drive a wedge between the Stark sisters, although their most recent interactions have shown that might not be all that difficult. With Sansa clearly uneasy about her sister's violent tendencies, and Arya fresh off of reading a note that implies a flat out betrayal of their family, it sounds like the two are going to have a big talk sooner rather than later.
Is that really all that's at play here, though? It seems really out of character for the Game Of Thrones staff to be so forthcoming with a plotline like this, and D.B. Weiss could very well be hiding some info, or even tricking fans into thinking something is happening, only for a twist to flip the script.
Like, perhaps guiding Arya's interest to Sansa's affairs would keep her from snooping further into whatever other plans Littlefinger may be plotting unbeknownst to Sansa, who does not seem to be aware of whatever scheme he currently has going on. While the obvious play looks to be ensuring he's the most trusted person Sansa could associate herself with, Littlefinger could very well have moved on from Sansa to work towards his own new goal that puts him in a better position in the North. Really, when it comes to Littlefinger, one can never know.
One thing that is known, though, is Littlefinger believes chaos is a ladder, and he's certainly trying to create chaos in Winterfell by letting Arya find that scrap of paper. For his sake, Littlefinger should hope he doesn't underestimate Arya in the same way that she underestimated him. Arya might be fooled for now, but should something bad come of this where she figures out that Littlefinger intentionally deceived her into finding that note (which was written by Sansa under duress), one wouldn't imagine that results in a happy ending for him.
Whatever impact Littlefinger's note had (and will have) will hopefully be seen when Game Of Thrones is all new on HBO this Sunday, August 20th, at 9 p.m. ET. If Littlefinger has a plan for Arya, surely he has something cooking up against Bran as well after their weird exchange right? Focus on that or read up on more Game Of Thrones news from last night which includes an actor commenting on his surprising return or how the rightful heir to Westeros may have been confirmed. Those wishing to take a break from the Game Of Thrones grind can find plenty of other great television shows airing right now via our summer premiere guide.
