Warning: Spoilers for HBO's Game of Thrones up through the most recent episode, "The Spoils of War." Also, this piece contains speculation that may or may not manifest into spoilers.
In "The Spoils of War," Arya found her way back to Winterfell for the first time on the show since the series premiere back in 2011. She also reunited with siblings Sansa and Bran - again, a huge Stark family first that hadn't happened since Season 1.
But all three of these remaining Stark pups have endured torturous journeys - each taking a different form - that have transformed them into very different people. Not just from who they once were, but different from each other as well. Sansa rose up through physical abuse, rape and sexual torture under the tough love tutelage of Cersei and Littlefinger. Bran traveled far beyond the Wall, battled living nightmares, and discovered cold, emotionless "sight beyond sight" from the Three-Eyed Raven. Arya is the smirking, deadly collage of many surrogate parents - from Syrio Forel to Tywin Lannister to The Hound to "No One."
Can they remain a wolf pack under these new circumstances though? Especially when Sansa has already shown herself to be a touch resentful when someone else threatens her standing? Yes, even if that someone is a family member like Jon Snow. With Littlefinger still at her side, and devoted to her in a way that perhaps even Sansa and Bran can't compete with, Sansa still has her "teacher" within reach. She hasn't shed him.
Will Sansa have to make a hard choice between the devoted Lord Petyr Baelish and her actual flesh and blood? And if she does, will she choose family or, basically, the "devil she knows?" Considering this, it will be interesting to watch Littlefinger, the man who can anticipate any outcome, square off again the all-seeing Bran. Because you know Littlefinger is already plotting way to drive Sansa from her kin so that he can keep her to himself.
First, let's look at how Sansa's feeling now that Arya's back home. The two of them had a respectful-yet-icy reunion, one that eventually turned warm once some minor catching up was done. Both Arya and Sansa are both so cautious now that they weren't going to just fold into each other arms, tears streaming down.
During their time in the crypt, Arya mentioned her list, off hand, and Sansa just sort of shrugged it away. Later however, Bran brought up the list and Sansa had to come to terms with the fact that her sister actually had a running tab of people she wanted dead - one that contained Cersei! As soon as she found out it was a real thing, her first question was "Who else is on your list?" Arya, wouldn't give a straight answer, being cagey in her own right.
Why was that Sansa's first go-to? Did she wonder if Littlefinger was on the list? Was she wondering if Arya had maybe killed someone she liked? Like Tyrion or The Hound? Might she have suspected that she's on the list? Remember: "Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend." Sansa is in a perpetual state of paranoia now thanks to Lord Baelish.
A few scenes later, Arya decided to show off her years of fight training by asking Brienne to be her sparring partner. During their tussle, you could see Arya channeling Syrio, The Hound, and even The Waif as she surprised everyone in the courtyard - including Sansa.
But Sansa looked on grimly. She wasn't pleasantly surprised to find out that Arya was now a skilled fighter. She seemed pretty put off by it. So how do we see it? Is Sansa just upset that her family's home but that both of them are so different now that she can't relate to them? Or is Sansa actually jealous that Arya came out of her trials and tribulations with an actual proactive skill? As hellacious as Arya's saga has been, she's actually been able to have a few huge moments of fate-steering. She's been able to make choices for herself - even ones that killed off her enemies.
Sansa has had very few choices - if any. We saw her exact revenge on Ramsay right at the end of "Battle of the Bastards," but that dog mauling came years after a very long streak of suffering at the hands of cruel and wicked men. She's definitely arrived at where she now as a strong, resilient person, but could she resent the fact that Arya's trek, since Season 1, may have been filled with more choices?
Another way to interpret Sansa's reaction is her possibly feeling threatened by Arya's return - from a pure "Lady of Winterfell" standpoint. Maybe she sees quickly in Arya the type of fighting spirit that people in the North admire and wonders if they'll like Arya more than her. She already remarked how much more excited Jon would be to see Arya than he was when he saw Sansa at Castle Black last year. Arya's now impressed the hell out of Brienne and Brienne had pledged herself to Sansa (though her promise to Cat was about both Stark girls, you know what we mean).
On the flip side of this, why was Arya putting on this type of show? We're not sure if she wanted Sansa to see it all go down, but she had to know it'd get back to her. And her look toward Littlefinger at the end seemed to indicate that she definitely wanted him to see her fighting skills.
Okay, we brought up the Catspaw Dagger a few weeks back, but the show has now backed itself into a corner. It must reveal that Littlefinger was behind the attempt on Bran's life. In the books, the assassin was hired by someone else, someone not Petyr Baelish and when we found out in the books, that person was already dead so there was nothing to avenge; it was just information. Being that this is a TV show though and the story requires a different sort of payoff, it wouldn't make sense to pin Bran's attack on a long dead character.
Given all who still remain on the series, Littlefinger's the only dude who makes sense as the culprit. The only way, at this point, that he wouldn't wind up being the one behind hiring the killer is if the series didn't want to go the totally obvious route. Since it's better though to follow the road map, we'll assume he's the one and he's now nervous that Bran, with his new powers, will uncover the truth.
When this happens though, where will Sansa land? If it's discovered that Littlefinger sent an assassin into Winterfell to try and finish the job that Jaime Lannister started, will Sansa care? Bran's still alive, so it was a failed attempt at best. The incident did, however, wrongfully start up the entire war between the Starks and the Lannisters that resulted in her father being killed and her being held captive in King's Landing, betrothed to the monster Joffrey. That knowledge would definitely sway Sansa away from Lord Petyr and his cunning clutches.
But here's why all signs point to Sansa siding with Littlefinger over her long lost siblings.
Firstly, he's promised to give her what it is she truly desires (whenever she figures that out). He's solely devoted to the things she wants, even if those things are dark and less-than-honorable. Secondly, he's taught her to fight all her battles, all the time, in her mind. With him whispering in her ear, she's constantly looking out for the possible worst in everyone, and the quick advantage in every situation. If anyone can turn her against her fellow Starks, it's the man who's been doting over her for years.
We hope that Team Stark will continue to keep rolling like this - like some new X-Men incarnation...
But until the Littlefinger infestation is dealt with, Arya and Bran are in definite danger. From their own sister.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at http://ift.tt/2aJ67FB.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire