To begin, I’d like to apologize for the header image, which likely gave a few people who have yet to see the show a small heart attack. But I can’t think of a picture that wouldn’t cause someone to complain. We’re doing the best we can over here.
Trying to figure out who is going to die and who is going to survive a Game of Thrones finale is always a fool’s game, and the writers know it. We had multiple situations during tonight’s finale that hinted someone was going to die, only to take it back at the last moment.
I’m looking at you, shot of Jaime riding off and hiding his hand after not being murdered by the Mountain. You are safe yet again.
Sansa calling Arya to court to hold her accountable for “treason” was expected, as was the reveal that the sisters knew what Littlefinger was up to and were going to kill him for his long history of betrayals and political maneuverings. So much of the blood we’ve seen spilled on the show ultimately comes down to decisions he has made in order to climb the ladder of chaos, and seeing him grovel in front of Sansa was particularly satisfying, as was the moment that Arya slit his throat.
The turn of seeing the court aimed at Arya only to shift to Littlefinger wasn’t actually a shock, but Arya’s smirk and Littlefinger’s surprise were still pretty great to watch live.
He died on his knees, crying, even if the tears seemed fake. He loved two generations of Starks, and betrayed them both. Both things, I believe, are completely true. He was also the voice of the show’s darker impulses, and was sometimes the literal face of the moves and counter-moves that made the political aspect of the show so interesting.
It makes sense to kill off Littlefinger, as he had little narrative purpose left, but there’s also the case to be made that his death means that the show has taken yet another small step to becoming predictable and rote. We’re left with a story that’s about a few families standing against a force of nature, especially now that the Wall is gone.
The political backstabbing that Littlefinger represented has no place in the show anymore, although Cersei likely has a few chess moves left to play. It’s nice to see him go, but it does represent a turning point in the story. Now it’s just dragons and armies and zombies.
To be fair, it all still looks really, really cool.