There was nothing as ‘controversial’ as last week’s cruel assault against Sansa on this week’s GAME OF THRONES seventh episode of season 5, entitled ‘The Gift’, but there was indeed a vast array of interesting and important goings on in this season’s best episode to date. This reaction piece could have been centred on any number of topics, but I have decided to focus on the man no one saw coming, the smarmy lord that somehow, someway, no one on the show is taking as a serious threat. I am of course referring to the one, the only, Lord Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger.
It’s time to smarten up Westeros and I mean quick. Citizens of the western continent should be worried by events this week, really worried. What transpired and what has revealed to have been transpiring behind the scenes is setting the stage for the former Master of Coin to potentially become the most powerful man in Westeros by the end of this very season. Now, full disclosure, I haven’t read the books, I do not know what is supposed to happen next but by witnessing this week’s events at Kings Landing, the writing is well and truly on the wall.
This past Sunday we had a wonderful scene between the man himself and Olenna Tyrell. If memory serves, this is the first time we have seen this duo on screen together. Taking place in Littlefinger’s ransacked brothel, the two openly discuss their murder of the ex King Joffrey and the unfortunate situation the Tyrell’s currently find themselves in with Margery and Loras locked up in prison. Littlefinger is the one that gave up Olyvar to Cersei — the young man working at his brother — knowing full well that he was having ‘relations’ with the accused Loras. I think it’s safe to assume he sacrificed his own establishment, taking a hit on his business, to make sure it all would look as if he had no part to play in these proceedings at all.
What was revealed this week, kind of, was that Littlefinger most likely had something to do with Lancel talking to the Sparrows about his intimate relationship with Cersei, them being cousins of course, and then informing a weary Olenna about this very fact. It’s a genius move by Baelish, not only does he keep Olenna on his side after she made clear she had no affection for him whatsoever but also never being one to remain short sighted (*cough* Cersei *cough*) he has now, via the most genius meddling the country has ever seen, managed to not only get the Kings brother in law (Loras) thrown in jail but the queen herself (Margaery) and now Cersei the Queen Mother along with them! He has basically got rid of the entire royal family in a matter of weeks, maybe less, leaving poor old Tommen to fend for himself. Now this is the truly brilliant part of his plan. With Tommen all alone, with no manipulative and seductive wife by his side, with no conniving and selfish mother standing behind him, the naive boy King has now no one to turn to, no one to advise him in these very testing times. Enter Littlefinger.
I am willing to bet on the life of every bastard in Westeros that we will soon see the Lord of the Vale worming his way into the Red Keep and right by King Tommen’s side, reminding him not so subtlety that he still hasn’t appointed anyone the crucial role of Hand. This surely has to be Littlefinger’s plan, to remind Tommen of how alone he is, of how much he needs council, of that speech his late Grandfather Tywin gave to him the day he was made King — regarding the importance of a trusted advisor — and then to get the poor boy to make the seemingly obvious choice of naming him his Hand of the King. Having Olenna, the boy’s Grandmother in law, backing up this decision will certainly help smooth this over, whether that detail materialises however is up in the air.
If Littlefinger achieves this, he will not only be Lord of the Vale and Hand of the King but also, lest we forget, on his way to being Warden of the North. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see him marching with the joint forces of both the capital and the Vale, right up to Winterfell, just in time to clean up the very bloody mess Stannis and Roose are about to make. Resulting in him liberating the northern capital, saving Sansa, handing her a royal decree naming her warden of the north (oh how Cersei will love that) and then showing Miss Stark his lovely new pin.
Sure, there are a lot of moving parts here, a lot has to happen still, but my goodness is Baelish close now. If he somehow manages to pull this off he will be virtually unstoppable. With the North, the Vale and the Capital right in his back pocket, what could one possibly do to oppose him? Nothing is the answer to that question. Not unless your name is Dany and you have three pet dragons. The only problem is, for everyone accept the man in question, is that not one of the characters, accept maybe Varys, has seen this coming. No one trusts Baelish but they all underestimate him and if they don’t cotton on quick it is going to be too late.
Will everything happen exactly like this? Probably not. Is this Littlefinger’s plan? Surely it must be. The man no one saw coming is closer than ever to climbing the ladder that is chaos right to the very top and might soon be adding a King to one of his many puppet strings, dangling him right next to the already strung Robin and Sansa. Watch out Westeros, you’ve all been duped; this man is smart, smarter than all of you.
