We're About to Learn How Similar Arya REALLY Is to Her Dad on Game of Thrones
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The following contains spoilers from Game of Thrones season seven.
Now that the living Stark siblings have reunited in Winterfell for Game of Thrones' seventh season, similarities between the kids and their departed parents abound. While many have chosen to focus on how much Sansa and her mother look alike, one of the most stark (heh) comparisons has been between Arya and her father, Ned. And it seems that after the season's fifth installment, we will learn the true depths of Arya's similarities to Ned Stark quite soon — that is, if Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish has anything to say about it.
It's a battle between super sneaks, and eventually it will boil down to whether Arya is truly the embodiment of her dad or if she has learned more about deception than he ever knew.
A big show is made of Arya Stark tailing Littlefinger and discovering that he has summoned an old message from Winterfell's maester on behalf of a grateful "Lady Stark." Arya follows Baelish and reads the message, which fans have discovered is Sansa's coerced message to Robb from season two, when Cersei forces her to encourage Robb's surrender and denounce her own father as a traitor. Always hiding in the shadows, Littlefinger sees Arya — who has been butting heads with her sister over how Sansa governs Winterfell — read the message and smiles smugly to himself.
Though episode five contains other major revelations, like Jon Snow's Targaryen legitimacy and everything Gendry has been up to, the fact that Littlefinger is still quietly scheming should be deeply disturbing to fans. Between Arya's training with the Faceless Men and Littlefinger's decades of experience manipulating and backstabbing throughout Westeros, discerning which character actually has the upper hand is impossible. It's a battle between super sneaks, and eventually it will boil down to whether Arya is truly the embodiment of her dad or if she has learned more about deception than he ever knew.
In the discussion after the HBO episode, showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff confirm that Littlefinger is attempting to drive a wedge between Arya and Sansa to get a better manipulative hold on Sansa. By planting the seemingly incriminating message from Sansa and pretending that it was Sansa who was attempting to hide it, Littlefinger is undoubtedly trying to plant the seed in Arya's mind that Sansa is a traitor to her family and should not be trusted. Let's dive into the possible outcomes of Littlefinger's plot, shall we?
Arya's tendency toward violence and her mistrust of Sansa could mean disaster for the siblings.
Arya has already confronted Sansa about her differing views on ruling Winterfell, accusing Sansa of trying to undermine Jon's authority and take over Winterfell. If she takes it at face value without questioning its origins or Littlefinger's motives, this letter could lead Arya to act against Sansa.
Her typical Stark personality might undermine her training at the House of Black and White.
Arya would likely view the letter as disloyalty, especially considering her painful history with Sansa and the Lannisters.
Considering that her training was limited, Arya may lose perspective and let her emotions get in the way of the truth.
Like Ned Stark, Arya is quick to fight for what she thinks is right and slow to consider the consequences. If she has her father's personality to a fault, this could mean acting against Sansa in a regrettable way without receiving a real explanation for the letter.
Or perhaps Arya is creating faux tension with Sansa to trick Littlefinger into thinking he's succeeding.
If Arya suspects that Littlefinger is attempting to sow discord between herself and Sansa, she might play the part in order to make him feel successful, then eventually catch him off guard.
Arya and Sansa might actually discuss the letter like adults and team up against Littlefinger.
Reasonable discussion is a rarity in the series, but it would solve the problem of the missing context of the letter and reveal that Littlefinger has his deceptive hands in Arya's convenient discovery of the message. All it would take is one sister-to-sister conversation, and bye-bye, Littlefinger!
Working together could even result in unexpected perks for the Starks, like control of The Vale.
For fans of the Starks, this would be the best possible outcome: The Vale and its knights are an extremely valuable resource. Wouldn't it be sweet if Arya and Sansa brought down Littlefinger for good and enjoyed the perks of his lifelong scheming?