On episode four of season seven of Game of Thrones, a lot of wild sh*t went down. Dany basically smoked out the entire Lannister army, the Starks were finally reunited and Jon Snow keeps getting himself stuck in caves with some pretty good looking women. But, some conversations during the episode – while they seem small – are actually super important to the story line; like the conversation between Bran and Littlefinger.
During the episode, Bran and Littlefinger are sitting in a room in Winterfell having basically their first conversation with each other – ever. It seems as though Littlefinger has his own agenda to adhere to, seeing as he’s basically trying to sleep with Sansa Stark/remain somewhat powerful in the series.
Littlefinger gave Bran a Valyrian steel dagger – known as “cutthroat” – which was used by the person who tried to kill him after he caught Cersei and Jamie doing the nasty in the very first season – which, ultimately led to him becoming paralyzed. Bran then asked Littlefinger if he knew who the dagger had belonged to – curious, of course, as to who tried to kill him. Of course, Bran knows all – but this test is important to see where Littlefinger’s loyalties are.
Littlefinger responds –
“No. That very question was what started the War of the Five Kings,” Littlefinger replied. “In a way, that dagger made you what you are today. Forced from your home, driven out to the wilds beyond the Wall…To go through all of that and make your way home again only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine…”
Bran then replies – in a low voice (so low, I had to rewind and hear what he said exactly) –
“Chaos is a ladder.”
The look that Littlefinger gives him is one of confusion and also, terror. Why?
In season three of Game of Thrones, Littlefinger and Varys are seen at King’s Landing having a conversation about the Iron Throne and the state of Westeros. Littlefinger tells Varys –
“Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some, are given a chance to climb. They refuse, they cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”
The scene is when Littlefinger had given over Ros, a woman who worked for him in the brothels, over to Joffrey to murder. As well, the scene cuts to Sansa, who is desperately trying to escape King’s Landing.
While the conversation is not something that will change the course of the episode in itself, it gives Littlefinger the knowledge that Bran knows more than he thinks – and, he has seen all of Littlefinger’s lies and betrayal. For example, his manipulation of Jon Arryn’s death.
If you don’t recall, Cat Stark received a letter in the beginning of the series that Jon Arryn – her sister’s husband, who was also Robert Baratheon’s hand – was killed by the Lannisters. But, we find out later in the series, after Littlefinger and Sansa venture to “The Vale” that Littlefinger urged Sansa’s aunt, Lysa, to kill Jon and then lie about it to her sister, Cat.
That’s a pretty big deal to the Stark family, seeing as Jon Arryn was Bran’s uncle – he may have some hard feelings towards Littlefinger. Not to mention he’s probably well aware that he was in love with his mother, his aunt and now his sister – it’s just creepy all over.