Does show Littlefinger actually care about Sansa?

[Stonehearted Snake]

If there is one thing or two that I am 100% sure Littlefinger does not know, it is that Rickon Stark and his older brother Bran is alive and if and when they are brought back into the world of Westeros for all to see, he loses Sansa and a lot of his dreams and aspirations.

He doesn't in the books and I can't see any way that that knowledge could be relayed to him since almost no one knows. Maybe the Umbers but why would he have contact with them? But show!LF could easily find out from Theon or even Jon telling Sansa about Bran. It actually has the potential to be a really interesting plot twist - what will show!LF do if he learns Sansa is not in fact the only surviving Stark?

[Masha]

They will never meet again.

LF Will die in KL.

Thats why this is their farewell.

Not sure about this, after all Kevin was there this season so he is still here to take the fall.

[Ross2013]

Have you forgotten Westeros is in ruins? Yes, the show totally glossed over it but Feast spent 100s of pages clarifying it.

Roose explained what he thinks he'll get - a way to calm and unite the North under Bolton rule.

Tywin is dead, the Lannister family is broken. In the show, Jamie isn't even trying to patch things up, he's gone south. Cersie's reign is deteriorating, just like in the books. Once Sansa is married, Cersie would have to wage some kind of war on Winterfell to get her out and I don't think the south has the military left. And sparrows are popping up everywhere, which is a large immediate problem to recruitment. So how exactly can Cersie have the Boltons and Sansa killed?

In addition, I think its pretty clear in the books that the only troops KL has is the Tyrell army, so I assume that is the case on the show (but that isn't too clear). Cersie trying to order the Tyrells to attack WF would be laughable. I'm sure Marg would get Tommen to overrule Cersie on promising a lordship for Sansa' head. In fact, other than being betrothed to a homicidal maniac, Sansa is fairly "safe." Also, once the Boltons announce the engagement/marriage, I think Cersie's hands will be tied politically.

[Ross2013]

Littlefinger is constantly moving the pieces around and altering his game plan as he gleans new information. His game plan changed once he learned of Tywin's death. Who knows? it may change again. Sansa has little choice but to go along with his plan right now. Maybe he does have a tender spot for Sansa because he loved her mother but I agree that power will always trump love or friendship for LF.

Personally, I don't think LF even cared for Cat. He wanted to marry her because that would have increased his power/prestige as she was a Tully. LF only cares about LF.

[Facebookless Man]

I love how people talk about show LF having plans or a defined personality.

They're giving Sansa Jeyne Poole's arc because they think it's cooler than her own for fuck's sake. Show LF will do whatever is needed to get there. The end.

[Mandzipop]

It depends on his endgame. If he wants the Iron Throne (when Varys asked him what he wanted in season one he responded by saying everything), it depends on what role Sansa has to play for him.

If he is planning to get the North to rally to Sansa and sack Kings Landing with her forces (a successful version of Robb's intentions) and then go on to marry her, he has to care about her in a fashion. Not in the love sense, but he has to ensure that she is safe. As he can't be there all of the time he's been training her to be more like him. I also think he finds her attractive.

I think the best analogy is that he cares about Sansa in the same way most people care about their places of work. They care to ensure they look after their role and whatever they do in the company, but at the end of the day, they only care because they get paid. Not because they love their employer or the role they do. Also if you look after your job really well, you might get a promotion and a payrise. It does well to care for your job even if you don't like it.

[autarkh]

How is giving Sansa to the Boltons getting himself more power? How is giving Sweetrobin to the Royces getting himself more power?

It looks to me like LF is undertaking a multi-generational project to raise house Baelish to greater and lasting prominence rather than seeking just to maximize his own power in the short term.

Giving Sansa to the Boltons is a calculated hedge that could allow LF to gain regardless of who wins the battle for Winterfell. By arranging this marriage, LF keeps his options open and avoids throwing his lot in with Stannis too soon, which would surely draw the ire of Kings’ Landing—possibly before LF consolidates his power over the Eyrie and is equipped to mount an outright rebellion or make another power play.

If Stannis wins, or if Sansa manages to undermine the Boltons from the inside (either in the short term or long term), LF can fall back on the story he used to sell Sansa on the idea of marrying Ramsay.

On the other hand, if the Boltons win, he’s delivered a them a Stark so that they can solidify their hold on the North, and they’re indebted to him. At the same time, he can use the fact that he helped bring the North back under control as cover for his earlier treason against the crown by concealing Sansa from Cercei/the Lannisters.

I agree that this seems like a circuitous way for LF to gain or maintain power.

But it makes some sense when you recognize that LF probably can’t marry Sansa and claim Winterfell for himself—at least not yet. The optics and logistics just aren't right. LF needs to lay a better foundation. As regent for House Arryn, LF already exercises de facto powers as Lord of the Eyrie and Warden of the East. As his first order of business, he will need to figure out a way to make that situation permanent. Consider the practical problems of controlling both the North and Eyrie simultaneously. And then, remember that those problems are only compounded by LF being an outsider from a relatively minor house with no blood connection to the North.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually some formal law against a single person serving as Warden for two regions. Whomever does that instantly becomes a serious rival to the power of the Iron Throne itself. Since the title of Warden is conferred by the Throne, logically, one or both of the titles could be stripped. And even if LF were to pull it off on paper, he would likely be viewed as a carpetbagger and few would follow him. LF is not especially well-liked. Great lords need the loyalty of their vassal lords to rule. LF realizes this. As a figurehead, he would become a relatively easy target to enemies from both within and without. LF’s power comes mainly from being a political broker who can leverage relationships and information. He loses the ability to act in this broker role once his own interests overshadow and come to be recognized as threats to the parties with whom he’s cutting deals.

Maybe a hypothetical son with Sansa could unite the Eyrie and North under a single lord. It is possible to envision LF, down the line, acting in a role of a Tywin Lannister—as a patriarch and real power behind the figurehead of a powerful house, or even the monarchy itself. But, realistically, LF will never sit on the Iron Throne as King.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Looks like

He might.. just lust for her

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

No.

[Ser Pounce FTW]

Yes he cares for her. But he cares about power a whole lot more.

[Makk]

I don't understand what show Littlefinger is doing or what his motivations are. I'll give the writers the benefit of the doubt for now and wait and see if it is compelling or merely a show mechanism to merge Sansa and Jeyne Poole.

[Florina Laufeyson]

Varys will shoot him with a crossbow and tell him about Dany. That is why they sent LF to KL, for one more final confrontation between the 2 best players.

I wouldnt be all that fussed if this happened tbh. Id rather Sansa be the one to bring LF down though, but any way LF going down and soon is actually ok with me. But Sansa deserves her vengeance upon him once she finds out that its all his fault her family is destroyed.

[Grail King]

Varys will shoot him with a crossbow and tell him about Dany. That is why they sent LF to KL, for one more final confrontation between the 2 best players.

Well B & W showed Snow Castle, they had mellisandre do the GHH, I hope they keep the maid and Savage Giant head also.

Only Sansa taking his head would make me happy.

[Grail King]

Show Sansa wont be a killer, Varys makes sense. Their rivalry goes back to S1 anyway.

Why else is LF in KL for? For what purpose?? I see only 1 ending - his death.

Per Tyrion to Jamie : Sansa's not a killer..Not Yet anyways, she's killing someone or two.

[ValrianSunni]

I think that, just like Harry the Heir, Ramsey Bolton is just another stepping stone to Littlefinger, a pretext to gain control of the North. I trust that in both instances, he has a deeper plan that I just can't see yet.

I'm not convinced anyone has expressed LF's endgame, not online, not GRRM in an interview, not anyone. I wouldn't be surprised by any bad thing that LF might come up with. And no I don't think he really cares about ANYONE who isn't LF. Not Sansa, not anyone.

Now, ask if he'd like to DO Sansa and the answer is yes, as long as it doesn't hurt said mysterious endgame.

[Lord Damian]

I think Littlefinger is trying to set himself up with his own kingdom and there must be a queen for him and it is Sansa. Books and TV. He is brilliant and just when it looks like he gave everything up, it seems to fall into his lap. I think this time though, he does not know Rickon is alve and he will lose out on Sansa.

[ADanceWithCats]

Yes he cares for her. But he cares about power a whole lot more.

This. I think he is fond of her. She's a bright, smart young woman who expressed an interest in doing what he does best, and is also his creep-object / AU daughter.

He won't let that get in the way of his other interests, though.

Or so he thinks.

[mirthula]

He had harrenhall but lost that because he has no army to hold it. He had the Vale but killed his wife, her son who has no relation to him takes over and now he has lied through the teeth to the Lords of the Vale who are guarding the Vale and who also don't care if he lives or dies. He wants WInterfell ooopssss there is a problem he is playing footsies with a bunch of psycopaths and by some chance he gets lucky he has to marry the girl to be near its power oh yeah another problem true heirs are alive so too bad LF you know the way out. And through all this he has lost his place in the small council and cannot return to the capital.

So what does LF ends up with no home, no title, no army, no power and no girl. Gosh he started this war to create Chaos so that he can get to the top, but looks like he himself got confused of the chaos he created and got screwed.

[LadySharpTeeth]

I just noticed something in the wiki about how in the books Ramsay has a previous wife. She allegedly starved to death trying to eat her own fingers. Strange echo of Sansa telling Littlefinger she'd starve herself rather than marry a Bolton. Yuck.

[The Scabbard Of the Morning]

I just noticed something in the wiki about how in the books Ramsay has a previous wife. She allegedly starved to death trying to eat her own fingers. Strange echo of Sansa telling Littlefinger she'd starve herself rather than marry a Bolton. Yuck.

Yes, it was Lady Hornwood, and I would hardly call her his wife, he forced her to say the vows and then starved her to death so he can take control of her land.

[LadySharpTeeth]

She hasn't been mentioned in the show or LF would have heard of Ramsay. That got around in the books. I hope Sansa doesn't take on part of that character as well as fArya.