GoT S7E7: Petyr Baelish's Story
Nov. 8th, 2022 07:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerPetyr Baelish has been one of the important minor characters throughout Game of Thrones. Rarely a viewpoint character (at least in the TV series) he nonetheless has served as a powerful and scheming advisor to several kings, queens, lords, and ladies. Across the series increases his personal rank from being head to a very minor house to being lord of a medium house to being lord-protector of one of the great houses. He makes this climb by being thoroughly evil and sowing chaos.
"Chaos is a ladder," he memorably proclaimed. "If only you're brave enough to climb it." In previous seasons we've learned that he's a plotter responsible for the deaths of various nobles. In season 7 he tries to turn Sansa and Arya Stark against each other, hoping one sister might kill the other. Spoilers from the season 7 finale after the cut.
Baelish sows distrust between Sansa and Arya by building on Arya's natural suspicion of other people and Sansa's discomfort with the stone-cold killer that Arya has become. The showrunners do a good job up through S7E7 of making it seem like Sansa, whom Baelish has been grooming, is ready ready to imprison Arya or even kill her to eliminate her as a threat. "OMG, girl, do you not see how he's manipulating you?" I wanted to shout at the screen.
In a climactic scene in S7E7 Sansa, acting Lady of the North, has Arya summonned to the audience chamber. All the heads of the northern houses are assembled. It's a trial. "The charges are murder and treason!" Sansa announces. "How do you plead... Lord Baelish?"
And just like that, the tables are turned. Sansa proved she's no longer "a stupid little girl" as she called herself in King's Landing several seasons earlier. And detached Arya flowed easily from thinking she was on trial to carrying out a summary execution in the name of her sister, Lady of the North.
The bit in the scene I liked best was when Baelish appealed to Lord Royce, one of his vassals, to escort him to safety. Royce, whom Baelish had threatened to have executed as a treasoner in the previous season for merely questioning his lies, was like, "Nuh-uh."
Petyr Baelish's trial and execution was so well deserved. It's satisying to see such evil finally get its due. Now, there's just Cersei....
"Chaos is a ladder," he memorably proclaimed. "If only you're brave enough to climb it." In previous seasons we've learned that he's a plotter responsible for the deaths of various nobles. In season 7 he tries to turn Sansa and Arya Stark against each other, hoping one sister might kill the other. Spoilers from the season 7 finale after the cut.
Baelish sows distrust between Sansa and Arya by building on Arya's natural suspicion of other people and Sansa's discomfort with the stone-cold killer that Arya has become. The showrunners do a good job up through S7E7 of making it seem like Sansa, whom Baelish has been grooming, is ready ready to imprison Arya or even kill her to eliminate her as a threat. "OMG, girl, do you not see how he's manipulating you?" I wanted to shout at the screen.
In a climactic scene in S7E7 Sansa, acting Lady of the North, has Arya summonned to the audience chamber. All the heads of the northern houses are assembled. It's a trial. "The charges are murder and treason!" Sansa announces. "How do you plead... Lord Baelish?"
And just like that, the tables are turned. Sansa proved she's no longer "a stupid little girl" as she called herself in King's Landing several seasons earlier. And detached Arya flowed easily from thinking she was on trial to carrying out a summary execution in the name of her sister, Lady of the North.
The bit in the scene I liked best was when Baelish appealed to Lord Royce, one of his vassals, to escort him to safety. Royce, whom Baelish had threatened to have executed as a treasoner in the previous season for merely questioning his lies, was like, "Nuh-uh."
Petyr Baelish's trial and execution was so well deserved. It's satisying to see such evil finally get its due. Now, there's just Cersei....
