Game Of Thrones Season 7 Recap

Crucially, Bran also knew all about Littlefinger’s many lies and schemes. When Petyr Baelish, still at Winterfell following his decisive role in the Battle of the Bastards, tried to curry favour with the Stark heir by gifting Bran the dagger used in the season one assassination attempt on his life, the Three-Eyed-Raven was wise to his shenanigans. That includes the moment Littlefinger drew a knife on Ned Stark, the murder of Lysa Arryn and every whispered conversation the brothel owner ever had.

Littlefinger’s scheming earned him no rewards in season seven. He plotted to turn Sansa and Arya against one another, encouraging Sansa to see her little sister as a threat, and leading Arya to believe Sansa was a Lannister sympathiser who wanted to usurp Jon’s crown. With Bran’s help though, the sisters saw through Baelish’s plot and turned the tables by executing him for the murder of their aunt. Littlefinger’s throat was cut by Arya using the very dagger with which Bran was almost killed. Despite Littlefinger’s machinations, the Stark siblings ended the season united, recognising that “the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.”

Arya’s kill-list, which currently features: Cersei Lannister, Gregor Clegane, Ilyn Payne, Melisandre, and Beric Dondarrion, was what brought her back to Westeros. In the season seven premiere, she used her Faceless Men magic to disguise herself as the deceased Walder Frey and fatally poison his entire family in revenge for their collusion with the Lannisters at the Red Wedding. She left only Frey’s young bride to tell the tale, telling her to spread the message “the North remembers.”

Next on Arya’s to-murder list was Queen Cersei, but on hearing (from Hot Pie! Hot Pie lives!) that Jon had reclaimed Winterfell from the Boltons, she diverted her journey to King’s Landing and instead headed North. On her way home, Arya encountered her direwolf Nymeria, who’d been living wild since being sent away to protect her from Cersei’s wrath in season one. They had a moment, and went their separate ways. Once at Winterfell, Brienne of Tarth agreed to train with Arya, clearly impressed by her proficiency with a sword.

Oh, and Ed Sheeran was in it. He sang a song.

Someone whose name Arya struck off her list without killing, Sandor Clegane aka The Hound, continued his search for redemption with the Brotherhood Without Banners. Returning to the cottage of a farmer and his daughter the Hound had robbed in season four only to find them dead, he buried the corpses in atonement for his earlier crime. At the cottage, Sandor had a vision in the flames of the Night King’s army, which pushed the group to continue their journey North.