Not much is certain in Westeros, except for one thing: People will always lie, cheat, and steal if it means more power for them. That's one explanation for a question Game of Thrones fans have had for years about Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aiden Gillen). Did he recognize Arya Stark when she was Tywin Lannister's cup bearer, and if he did, why did he keep that a secret?
"It was unclear if he recognized her or not, but I have my own thoughts on that," Gillen told Entertainment Weekly of the scene from season two of Game of Thrones. "Yes, I did recognize her — I just didn’t say anything or do anything about it."
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To refresh your memory, scroll down for a clip of the scene, in which Arya (Maisie Williams) pours wine for her mother's former boyfriend while she listens to him giving intel to the man basically responsible for the destruction of her family. He does an ever-so-subtle double-take at the young girl. Being the conniving man he is, he says nothing. EW speculates that perhaps he was hoping she would do her part to end the Lannister reign without him.
On Reddit and other forums, this debate has been going on four four years. Some think Littlefinger saw her but didn't think he could take her out from under Tywin's nose. Others say there's no way he would have let the opportunity to have another Stark girl in his control.
Back in 2014, Gillen also hinted to Access Hollywood that Baelish knew what was up. "How could someone as bright as Littlefinger not recognize her?" he asked the reporter.
In any event, he is still using Sansa (Sophie Turner) to get what he wants, the Iron Throne, and she's using him right back, Gillen told EW.
"We're playing out that final exchange in the Great Hall in Winterfell," he said. "But the same time my character is becoming quite aware that Sansa is becoming as bright as me and just as wary of my manipulations of her. They're onto each other. They use each other. They enjoy each other. And they keep a lot from each other. There are all kinds of mixed things going on with Littlefinger and his relationship with Sansa, so watching her grow in stature is quite enjoyable."
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