Warning: Spoilers follow for tonight’s Game of Thrones Season 7 finale.
Tonight’s Game of Thrones episode did not disappoint as secrets long kept stood revealed, while at the same time promises were kept, truces were broken and characters died!
Speaking of character deaths, a series regular met his maker with the death of Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish at the hands of Sansa and Arya Stark. The sly Lord Baelish was attempting to pit Sansa and Arya against one another, but his plans backfired which cost him his life. While Baelish thought he was attending a trial for Arya, it was he who faced the accusations of the Lady of Winterfell: murder and treason. Aided by Bran Stark and his new gifts courtesy of the Three-eyed Raven, the truth of Lord Baelish’s many dealings and manipulations became known–leaving Lord Baelish to pathetically plea with Sansa and beg for his life. Sansa had enough of Baelish’s lies and deceit and passed the sentence down, with Arya using Baelish’s own dagger to slit his throat!
EW.com caught up with Aidan Gillen, the actor who played Baelish.
“With carefully laid plans there’s always a bit of risk involved,” Gillen said about Baelish’s strategy surrounding Sansa and Arya. “He’s put himself in a situation that could backfire on him. I think he likes it. [His plans] are never fail safe. But he puts himself on the line like a good gambler.”
Prior to reading the script, Gillen thought Arya would be the one to take out Baelish and says everything from this past season led up to hat point.
“Well, I did an interview with a publication [in 2015] and they asked me how I thought I would go. I said I thought Arya would deliver the blow,” Gillen said. “So it was as promised. And even within the scene, as soon as he walks in that room and Arya produces the dagger he knows the game is up. He at least suspected the game was up back in episode four when Bran told him, “Chaos is a ladder.” For Bran to come up with that is beyond coincidental. That’s when the ground started to shift beneath my feet. At that point, I knew the things I’ve done in private are not necessarily private.”
Gillen also offers the following about Baelish’s behavior in the death scene.
“It’s an emotional farewell. And it’s a humiliating position to be in,” Gillen said. “He’s back in the sort of humiliating position that has been a driver for him: The rejection of Catelyn Stark, the humiliation by [Ned Stark’s older brother] Brandon Stark — back when he cut him from navel to collarbone and didn’t kill him [after their duel over Catelyn in their youth]. He’s put back in that position again. ”
